Starfire Angels (Starfire Angels: Dark Angel Chronicles Book 1) (30 page)

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Leksel turned, the muscles in his neck
tightening like his wings. ["They're onto us. We make this fast and
we get out. No questions. No staring. Understand?"] His eyes fixed
on her with a momentary shift to Cris.

Then she was right; the Shirukan were
closing in on them. Her heart pounded at the narrow escape. That
was
close, closer than she thought possible. They had almost
been caught. More than ever she wanted to get out of that city and
off that world. She would never argue with Dave again if she found
her way home.

How did they know where they were?
Unless…["Your computer access alerted them."]

His expression lightened. ["No. We have
current access codes. It was you."]

["Me?"] How? Was it her behavior? What had
she done?

["The Starfire gives off a unique trace
radiation. Another scan and they'll know where we're heading. We'll
have to hurry,"] Leksel said.

Cris moved close to her. ["You're thinking
like one of us. I must be rubbing off."]

In his delusional dreams.

The computer double-beeped and the doors
opened.

["Let's go."] Leksel led them through
another corridor.

Raea cringed at the number of men and women
in uniforms, many of them Shirukan. The glass walls over the
walkway gave her a view of towering, rounded city structures, one
of them ahead. From the view of clouds below and around them, they
strode through a tunnel connected to a small section of the city
separate from the large city proper. Through the glass ceiling, she
made out a flat area ahead where a large, sleekly curved ship took
off straight up. Some of the ships like she had seen in the docking
bay they left flew among the clouds outside.

A grasp on her arm pulled her attention
ahead. Cris let go when she hurried to catch up.

Leksel and Corsa led them into a different
docking bay, this one with three tiers on each side and a dozen
open doors to the sky around each tier. The smell of fresh air
filled her lungs, despite the crowds of plain-clothed people and
Shirukan. The smallest ships resembled oversized beetles with
windows and small wings.

Leksel rushed them past several empty, red
cross-hair sections on the main deck where there should have been
ships. He stopped at a panel on the wall next to one of the
shuttles. At his touch, a holographic display lit up before him in
a pattern of colors.

Corsa tapped her shoulder and pointed.

Raea turned and her heart froze. Oh, hell
no.

["Uh, oh."] Cris stepped up beside her. He
could say that again.

A large group of Shirukan entered.

["Leks,"] Cris said.

No answer.

["Leks, you better see this."]

["Crystal fire!"] Something pounded behind
them.

Leksel tapped on the colored keys again, a
scowl on his face.

["Leksey, we have trouble."] Cris jumped
back and grabbed his arm.

["Leave me alone!"] Leksel yanked his arm
away. ["It's not taking the code."]

["Leks. Shirukan?"]

At that, the big man looked up.

A large number of Shirukan followed a woman
with her dark hair pulled back. Those already in the bay lined up
as if for an inspection.

Corsa pulled Cris forward with her. What was
she thinking?

Raea caught her breath at a sudden jerk on
her arm.

Leksel pulled Raea around the nose of the
shuttle pointing out to an open sky. A stiff breeze blew in through
the open bay door. It would be so easy to fly out, but he held her
close to him.

He put a finger to his lips and peeked
around the shuttle. Raea leaned close to see around him. Standing
against him felt strange, but she didn't mind any more. Besides,
his attention focused on the mass of black-uniformed Shirukan. It
wasn't like he did it because he liked her, although that thought
lingered in the back of her mind. Corsa should never have suggested
it.

All the Shirukan, and Corsa and Cris, lined
up in neat rows on either side of the center, where the woman
stood.

["We traced the Crystal Keeper to this
location minutes ago. She's here now. No one leaves until every
person is searched, and I expect—"] She raised her voice.
["
Every
civilian to cooperate fully. You will be free to
leave after you've been scanned."] The woman met the eyes of
several of the Shirukan. Her stern face settled into a frown and
her eyes lingered on Corsa and Cris before passing over others.

Next to Raea, Leksel's muscles hardened. If
she thought him tense before, Raea was way off. That was nothing to
being able to bounce a quarter off him.

["Do I make myself clear?"]

A chorus of voices in unison rose up: ["Yes,
sir!"]

At that, the Shirukan scattered.

["Crystal fire!"] Leksel muttered under his
breath and straightened at the nose of the shuttle. ["They've
locked out the release codes for the shuttles."]

This couldn't be happening. ["How do we get
out of here?"] It couldn't end like this. They were so close!

["If we drop, we may not be noticed, then we
can fly low to the nearest island."]

A tingle of excitement passed through her at
the thought of flying again and her wings lifted slightly, until
her stomach rumbled. Flying on an empty stomach didn't appeal to
her, but escaping did, hungry or not.

["We're all hungry, and tired."] So, he'd
noticed. ["As soon as the others—"]

[Leks."]

He spun so fast, he bumped her. She hadn't
noticed how close they still stood. Only a couple days and she was
comfortable with him, but it felt like a lifetime had passed.

Cris joined them. Corsa glanced back and
crossed to Raea's other side.

["Now what?"]

Leksel glanced at Raea.

If he wanted her opinion, she couldn't give
him any, except to agree with him. She wanted to spread her wings
and catch the air. She missed flying. ["Sounds good."]

His jaw muscles flexed.

["What sounds good?"] Cris looked from her
to Leksel.

["We fly."]

["Are you insane?"] Cris's wings lifted
slightly.

["Maybe,"] Corsa said.

The sound of voices and footsteps grew
louder.

["Go!"] Leksel shoved Cris towards the bay
door.

["You can't bypass the lockout?"]

["No. Go!"]

Cris looked like he wanted to argue
again.

To hell with it. Raea didn't want to wait,
or to be caught, and she didn't care what Cris thought. At least
Leksel made a decision. She rushed into the open air and plummeted
through puffs of clouds, momentary blocks of fog that left her
shivering and her heart pounding.

A sense of freedom rushed through her as the
ocean spread out below. Above her, the city loomed enormous. Three
shapes fell her direction.

["They're onto us!"] Leksel's voice came
through clear on her tri-comm. ["Fly, Raea! Here they come."]

She opened her wings. The sudden parachute
effect strained her muscles. A sharp pain twinged in her back, but
she couldn't falter.

Once level, she searched the sky around her.
Leksel leveled with her, Cris flew above and opposite. Corsa
followed slightly behind and above.

Behind them, black shapes formed a wedge in
the sky.

["How are you in a storm?"]

She didn't like the sound of that. ["Um…I
don't know."] What did Leksel have in mind?

Oh, no. A dark cloud piled up to their left.
He had to be joking.

He angled towards it. Not joking.