Page 55 of Star Bringer
It works. She perks up immediately.
“The better stuff is through here,” she says, leading us into a smaller room. I’ve never been shopping with a woman before—except Milla, and she doesn’t count—but I’m guessing Kali isn’t behaving in a typical manner, even before she stands in the middle and does a twirl.
The shopkeeper comes back with a pile of garments over her arm. “These were ordered, but the customers never came back to collect them.” She drops the garments on the counter along the back of the room. “See if there’s something here you might like.”
Kali paws through them, pulling out a few black ones.
“That works,” I say. “Matches the color of your heart.”
She just rolls her eyes and keeps shopping.
“I’m not looking for me,” she finally clarifies. “I’m looking for Rain.”
“She spends all her days in a white robe. So…white jumpsuit?” But Kali looks up at me like I’ve sprouted a second head. Women are weird. “Just get what you need and hurry up.”
She actually does as I say for once, and we’re out of there and back on the street ten minutes later. Kali is laden with bags under the robe, and she’s wearing the new boots I picked out for her. We just need provisions now, and then we can head back.
I take care of that easily enough, picking up provisions to last us for a few weeks, including enough first-aid supplies to cover the group should we inevitably get into some scrapes. Fresh food for the next few days, a shitload of bottled water, toiletries, protein bars, some dehydrated meals that are years out of date but should be okay, and a sack of mealie-meal flour—the staple of Kridacus. But mostly sacks of dried fishgalen.
I hate dried fishgalen, the tiny freshwater fish abundant in the lakes on Askkandia. It’s what poor people eat, and it tastes like shit and smells even worse. But it’s high in protein and will keep us alive and there isn’t anything else. Most of the shelves in the store were empty—another sign that things are going to shit fast.
To make up for all the fishgalen, I add a few bottles of gerjgin, a strong Askkandian alcohol—actually, more than a few, but who knows how long they need to last? I pay in cash and promise another ten if they deliver to the ship right now. It’s time to get the fuck out of here.
As we step out of the shop, I take us on the quickest route back to the port. But we’re only about halfway when I become aware of a problem. Someone is following us.
Maybe Dylan sent them to get his money back—honestly, the man’s a crook.
Or maybe he sussed out who Kali was and decided to go for the reward.
Or maybe some random stranger just picked up on the fact that we seem to have a lot of cash. In Rangar, it can be any—or all—of those things and more to boot.
There are only three people at the moment, so I’m not overly worried, but the princess is likely going to get in the way if it comes to a fight. Which I’m guessing it will, as there’s a lean, hungry look about all three of them.
But the first step is to alert Kali to the problem, so I lean over and quietly say, “We’re being followed. Don’t look—”
But it’s too late. She’s already rubbernecking.
“Fuck,” I mutter. “You should give a class on hownotto be inconspicuous.”
“Shouldn’t we get help?” she asks, her expression carefully blank again.
Oh, to live the life of a princess. “From where? Besides, there’s only three of them.”
“Exactly,” she answers. “There’s three of them!”
I try not to be insulted as I search the area for an escape route. The last thing I want is to lead them back to the ship. They might have friends, and it could get messy—plus that alien abomination isn’t exactly what I’d call low-key.
I finally spot an alley that cuts off from the main thoroughfare, and I usher Kali toward it.
“Where are we going? I can’t see. I don’t think—”
“Stop distracting me.” I search the alley, then guide her toward a wide doorway. The damn white robe shows up even in the shadows, but it’s the best I can do right now. I consider drawing the pistol but decide to leave it as a last resort. Laser blasts aren’t exactly commonplace, and I don’t want to draw attention to us. Or, rather,moreattention.
I hurry away from Kali and crouch down, pretending to examine something on the ground, making myself as big a target as I possibly can.
It isn’t long before I hear the first one coming for me. I straighten, then in one fluid motion whirl around and kick out, taking him in the chest. He flies backward just as the second one reaches me. I turn to him, and we circle each other slowly. I give him a look that says I’ve got all the time in the world, which has his eyes narrowing.
It’s a good tell, and I’m more than ready for him when he lunges. He’s lean and wiry and strong, and we grapple for a few seconds before I let him swipe my legs out from under me and take me down.
