Neron Skies: A Space Fantasy Romance (The Neron Rising Saga Book 2)

by Keary Taylor

  The boy freezes. His eyes flick to mine. And then to the officers.

  They approach me, and I tell myself to keep calm. It isn’t me they’re looking for.

  “Have you seen a young man running through the park?” one of them asks as they approach me. I notice, their hands are on their guns, and one of them looks at the young man, as if he’s trying to determine if he’s the suspect.

  He’s only saved from being shot because he’s walking casually. If he runs, they’ll instantly know it’s him.

  The look in their eyes tells me they’ll shoot him.

  “He’s a serial thief in the market and it’s imperative we put an end to his illegal activities,” the first officer continues.

  My eyes slide over to the young boy, and the look in his own is desperate, begging me not to say a word, but he’s trying so hard to look unsuspicious.

  “No, officer,” I say, looking back at him. He’s intimidating in his black and green uniform. “I can’t say I’ve seen anyone like that. It’s just that old woman there, and me and my brother. Elias!” I call out toward the young man. “We need to get going.”

  Slowly, he starts walking toward us.

  “You aren’t from Laziria,” the officer states.

  I shake my head. “My brother and I are on our way to Dragar,” I say, hoping my lies sound as smooth as they do in my head. “We both got new jobs there. But we headed out earlier than needed. We thought we’d kill some time here. I’ve always heard such nice things about Laziria.”

  The boy slows as he approaches us, standing just a dozen yards off, watching us warily.

  The officers are studying him, but they obviously don’t know what the culprit looks like. We’re lucky the merchant didn’t show up with them.

  “If you see anything suspicious, let us know,” the officer in charge says. He gives the boy one last look, and then turns, taking the other two with him.

  We watch them as they walk away, across the park, and then finally, they cross the street. Just as they step to the other side, one of their connect-links goes off, blaring an embarrassing song, so loud, I can hear it clear as day.

  My brows furrow, and the man frantically tries turning it off while his coworkers yell and laugh at him.

  I glance back at the boy, and he’s tapping at something on his own connect-link, a smirk on his face.

  “How’d you do that?” I ask. “The connect-links are supposed to be secure.”

  He grins again, and it’s kind of a terrifying thing. “Not as secure as the distributors want you to think. The officer is just lucky he didn’t actually try to shoot me. I don’t think he would have liked the results.”

  I have no idea what he did to the officer’s gun, or how or when he pulled it off.

  But he kind of makes me smile.

  “Thanks for your help,” he says, taking a few steps forward. “I’m kind of down to my last infraction. If they would have caught me, well, this would be my last day contributing CO2 to the planet.”

  He starts to walk away. “Hey,” I call out, and he pauses, looking over his shoulder.

  He’s a unique-looking young man. He’s a few inches taller than me, his frame slim and I’m guessing he must be starving since he’s a serial food thief, but he looks like he’d be naturally skinny, anyway.

  His hair is a lighter brown, lighter than most on this planet. His eyes are a greenish blue. But he looks tired. Like his eyes are permanently puffy and he hasn’t gotten sleep in four days.

  And his bottom lip is just slightly cracked, like it was split a few days ago and is just now starting to heal.

  “Where are you going to go?” I ask. And I don’t know why I say the words. But I do. “You just said they’re going to kill you if they catch you.”

  “Most definitely.” That terrifying little smile curls on his face when he says it. It’s scary, because it isn’t just on his lips, it’s in his eyes. Mischief and chaos and reckless abandon.

  Without another word, he turns, and sets off.

  I shake my head in wonder over the strange young man.

  I check the time on my connect-link, and head back into town for my last few items.

  I hit a bookstore. They’re hard to find, anymore. I think there was only one left on the whole planet of Korpillion. Storytellers are now few and far between. I ask for some recommendations, and the shop owner picks four titles out for me.

  I wander through a beauty shop next. I pick up a few items, just a few skin-care products I’ve never heard of. And then I smile over a stick of kohl eyeliner. I grab it, even though I doubt I’ll ever use it for its intended purpose.

  I buy a black rucksack at another store, tossing all of my things inside it and slinging it over one of my shoulders.

  With lunch over, I work my way across town, back to the pick-up location so I can head to the Airstrip.

  The sound of feet on pavement pulls my head to the side, between two buildings in a narrow alleyway.

  A skinny figure darts down the alley, and ducks behind a garbage bin, instantly slipping away.

  Down the alley, I see the same three officers who questioned me, slow at the alley. Unable to see anything, they rush on by.

  He’s going to die. He’s not very good at hiding, or running for that matter. If I keep coming across him, he’s eventually going to run right smack into one of those officers.

  All for stealing food because he’s starving.

  He stands, looking down the alley. With a scowl on my face, I take a step toward the alley. His head whips toward me when he hears my footsteps, poised to run again.

  But his eyes grow big when he sees me, and spark with hope.

  “Hey, are you really not from Laziria?” he asks, his voice out of breath.

  “No,” I answer, folding my arms across my chest when I step into the alley.

  “How soon are you leaving?” he asks.

  “In about two hours,” I respond against my better judgment. “Why?”

  A manic seriousness fills his eyes as he steps out from behind the garbage can. There’s a dirty bag slung over his shoulder. It’s well worn and looks stuffed to the brim. If I had to guess, I’d say everything he owns is probably in that bag.

  “Because they’re going to catch me, and then they’re going to kill me,” he says, his voice breathy and deadly serious. “Unless I get off this slam planet.”

  His plea tugs on my heart. I want to be iron-willed and tough and protective of everyone on my ship.

  But I know it. He’s going to die if he stays on this planet.

  “I don’t know anything about you,” I say, looking him up and down. He looks wild and feral, but not exactly dangerous. “Not even your name. Why would I let you escape on my ship? Why would I risk harboring a wanted criminal?”

  He takes a step forward, jumping violently when he hears footsteps down the alleyway, but it’s just passing pedestrians.

  “My name is Edan Calwin,” he says, his voice sounding desperate. “And I will do anything you want, be your slave boy until you make your next stop, anything you ask, if you just get me off this slam planet.”

  His eyes are desperate but doubtful. This is a kid whose had it hard his entire life. He reminds me of the wild orphans who lived on the streets back on Korpillion. He doesn’t expect me to help him. He thinks he’s going to die today.

  I curse under my breath.

  I can’t let him die.

  “Come on,” I concede. “I need to get in touch with my crew and we can leave.”

  The relief on his face is astronomical. His eyes widen with surprise and hope.

  “Thank you,” he breathes. He looks back over his shoulder, jumpy and terrified. “You don’t happen to have a hood or something, do you? They’ve got cameras all over this planet and I’d say they’re going to find my face in an hour or less. Maybe your’s, too. They’ll know you lied to them.”

  I swear again. “Nothing like becoming a wanted criminal on a planet you know not
hing about, in less than twenty-four hours.”

  I swing my bag off my shoulder and rummage through for the stick of kohl I just purchased.

  I knew I’d use it eventually.

  I didn’t expect it would be within ten minutes.

  “Come here,” I say, taking it out of it’s packaging and tossing it on the ground. This planet could use a little tarnishing.

  Edan comes close, and I can smell him. I’d guess he hasn’t showered in five days, but try not to wrinkle my nose at him. With the kohl, I line his eyes, smearing it out until it fades into nothing. I pull his hair into his face, trying to hide as much of it as I can.

  I step back, looking at my work.

  He looks even gaunter than before. His eyes seem so vivid now. For good measure, I spread some of the kohl on his lips, making them look bigger than their natural shape.

  “There, the facial recognition scanners won’t be able to pick up on your face now,” I say. Knowing the clock is ticking, I turn to a window, looking at my reflection in the perfectly shiny surface. I quickly line my eyes, smudging it back toward my hair, up into my eyebrows.

  If you blend enough facial features, the scanners get confused.

  I smile at my reflection, feeling like I’m looking at an old, familiar friend when I see myself with my mask.

  “We should probably stick to back streets,” I say, putting the black stick away in my bag and re-shouldering it. “Do you know any back routes to the Airstrip?”

  Edan nods. “This way.”

  We dart down the alley, back the way he came.

  Darting down back roads of Laziria is not the same as going down back alleys on any other planet.

  There’s no trash to leap over. There are no shady deals going on in dark corners. There are no homeless people bickering over the best-covered areas to sleep for the night.

  Which throws up some red flags when it comes to Edan.

  Why does he look and smell like he’s homeless? Why is he starving so much that he’s resorted to stealing food? Why does he look so roughed up when the rest of this planet is so pristine?

  But I remember the crazed desperation in his eyes. I know without a doubt those officers will kill him. People don’t deserve to die if they’re stealing food for survival.

  “This way,” Edan says. Reaching out for me, he grabs my fingers, gripping my hand into his as we quickly cut around a corner.

  “We’re going to have to walk across the street,” he says as we suddenly stop at the edge of a building. “The Airspace is that way. No other way to get there.”

  We’re getting toward the edge of town where there are still commercial buildings, but they begin to thin out before we get to the vast open space and terminals of the Airspace. We’re stopped at an intersection with a travel center right across the road, and a fueling station on either side of it. We’re standing just to the side of a hotel and on the other side of the road is a building full of food stations.

  There are dozens of people all around, all headed somewhere.

  And I can see two dozen cameras just from here.

  “You’re sure there isn’t another back way to the Airspace?” I hiss. My pulse is pounding. I’m having regrets. I’m already wanted by Dominion. I didn’t need to become a wanted accomplice clear out here on Laziria.

  Edan shades his head. “Not unless we take the long route, but that would take us at least two hours.”

  I look down at my connect-link. We don’t have that kind of time. My crew is supposed to meet back at the ship in just one hour. I swear.

  I do a lot of that these days.

  “K,” I say, looking back out into the crowded intersection. “We’re going to go straight across the intersection here. We’re aiming for the side of the travel center. Keep your head down, don’t look anyone in the eye. Got it?”

  Edan nods, his wild eyes scanning the intersection. “Got it.”

  I tip my head down, letting my hair fall around my face. I don’t look up, and I step out into the street, my hand fixed around my staff, ready to activate it at any moment.

  I keep Edan’s hand held in mine, tight. Too tight, I know I’m squeezing hard, probably hurting his hand. But I’m scared. I don’t like this. I don’t like being a criminal with a known face.

  We make it across the street, and we’re about to head down the side of the travel center, when a hand clamps down on my arm, jerking me to a stop.

  “Oh, she is indeed a pretty one.”

  A man with a crooked smile, greasy hair, and bad clothes that tell me he’s not from this planet smiles in my face, just inches away.

  “You’re an awfully brave little thing, jumping planet to planet, showing off your face with your cute little mask. Dominion is gonna be awfully happy to get a visit from us.”

  His grip on my arm tightens as I try to jerk away from him. My teeth clench together, but sweat breaks out onto my palms.

  “Thanks to the Kinduri, yours is one of the most well-known faces in the whole galaxy, Nova Ainsley.”

  “Hold your breath,” Edan whispers in my ear.

  I’m just about to ask him what, because I’m not sure I heard him right. But I hear a hissing sound. The man is gripping me so hard I know I’m going to be bruised, but he suddenly lets go, and his eyes grow wide.

  I look back just in time to see the manic smile on Edan’s face as he drops some black object. It immediately explodes with black gas.

  I suck in a quick breath, and barely keep on my feet as he yanks me forward, away from the crowd.

  Everyone within ten feet of us cries out in pain, dropping to their knees, and then they’re silent as they fall flat on their faces.

  “What was that?” I demand once we’re past the block and I’ve regained my balance, pulling out of his grip. “What did you do to them?”

  “Nerve agent, I think,” Edan explains, looking up and down the road. It’s clear. Straight ahead is the private entry to the Airspace. There’s a row of restrooms to the side, and I grab Edan, dragging him into one of the stalls with me, locking the doors behind me.

  “You think?” I demand, going straight to the sink. I get my hands wet and set to scrubbing my mask off. If it’s making me more recognizable, that’s the last thing I need.

  “I took it off a man who didn’t need it anymore,” he says, standing beside me and scrubbing his face. But he does a slag job of it, and leaves black streaks all over his face.

  “What are you, a petty street thief?” I ask, turning back to him with rage in my eyes and water dripping down my face.

  “Nothing as simple as that,” he says, wiping his chin on his sleeve. “You’re welcome, by the way. I just saved your head back there.”

  With a start, I realize he’s right. I couldn’t have fought off that man, not unless I used my Neron staff, and that would have killed him. He might have dragged me onto a ship and we could be headed straight for Cyrillius at this point.

  “Guess we’re even at this point,” I say, staring him down. “Thank you.”

  He stands by the door, ready to leave. “Just get us off this slag planet, Nova Ainsley.”

  I can’t explain it. But him saving me back there, I’m looking at this scrappy kid differently. I kind of like him and his manic crazy eyes.

  I kind of want him on my team, and I don’t even know him.

  “Come on.”

  We step back out and head for the entry. I scan my connect-link as we walk by, and through the crowd, Edan slips inside. I should have called a transport; it would have taken us straight to the ship.

  But soon enough we’re back outside, and I’m walking across the pavement to our ship.

  “This is yours?” Edan asks through the brilliant sunlight as we walk up to the sleek black machine. Sleek, except for the patched hole on the far side of it.

  “You like?” I say with a touch of a smile as the hatch opens when I approach.

  “Didn’t realize being on the galaxy-wide wanted list had so many p
erks,” he says. I look over my shoulder at him and see that same wicked smile spreading on his lips.

  I smile back, and he follows me up the ramp.

  Besides the Frank, it’s empty. No one has returned yet. Good. That gives me some time to figure out how to handle breaking the news about our newest passenger.

  “Shower is back through the living quarters,” I say, walking across the command deck. I open the door, showing him the way. “Use what you need. I don’t need you looking like a homeless street rat, so do a good job cleaning up. Is anything in that bag clean?” My eyes go to the bag hanging from his shoulder.

  “Relatively,” he says, but the look in his eyes tells me relatively is indeed the right term.

  “Washer is right next to the shower,” I say, trying not to make a face. “Get all your stuff clean, but pick your best clothes for now.”

  Edan nods, and I see appreciation in his eyes. But he hesitates before stepping into the washroom. “Are you going to tell them the truth?” he asks. “About me?”

  I study him for a long moment. And I let the question sink in. “I don’t know,” I finally confess. “Get cleaned up. They’ll all be back soon.”

  I walk out, leaving Edan to it.

  Just as I walk out onto the command deck, my father and Zayne walk onto the ship. Zayne has far more packages than I expected.

  “You realize there’s only so much room on this ship, right?” I tease him, though my tone comes out sounding more serious than intended.

  “Yeah, well,” he bites back, but not as hard as I expected. “When you dump me on a random planet and say go play while I get illegal slag, it’s not my fault for going overboard.”

  I chuckle and shake my head.

  “Everything go okay, kiddo?” Dad asks as he walks over to one of the seats and sinks into it, kicking his feet up.

  “Couldn’t have gone smoother,” I say, giving him a small, reassuring smile.

  And that part of my time on Laziria couldn’t have.

  Just a few moments later, Reena comes walking up the ramp. She has a rucksack on her back and another she carries in her left hand. She walks up and drops both on the table. They land with a loud, breaking-glass clang.