Sword of Dreams (The Reforged Trilogy) Read Online Free PDF Page B

metal.
    Maeve sat cross-legged on top of the supply crates, stretching her wings. There were few places on the Blue Phoenix with room enough to do so. It felt good and served as a sort of… meditation, Maeve supposed.
    Lunch had been only a half-hour ago, but her stomach still ached. It was the withdrawals. Maeve had not taken Vanora White or Pitch or any other chem in almost ten days. And two weeks before that had only been a few swallows of bitter narcohol – just to take the edge off – before she managed to throw the bottle away.
    It was still so hard. Maeve still woke in the middle of the night with cold sweat sticking the sheets to her clammy skin and her mouth full of a vile taste, like something long dead. Did it ever get any easier?
    Tiberius called Maeve's name. She looked up.
    "We need to talk," he shouted down to her. "We'll be landing in a few minutes."
    "I am coming."
    The Arcadian flew up to the catwalk that spanned the top of the cargo hold and clambered over the railing. Maeve followed Tiberius back into the mess. Duaal lounged on one of the patched acceleration couches in the corner, rolling an antique silver coin across his knuckles. The rest of the crew sat gathered around a large table bolted to the floor and looked up as Maeve and Tiberius entered.
    "Hi, Smoke. Want to sit?" Gripper asked.
    She took the chair that he offered. Tiberius took the couch opposite Duaal.
    "We'll be setting down on Tynerion in about an hour to meet with Xia's friend," the captain said.
    "I'll be flying," Duaal announced proudly.
    "We should be able to land at the university field," said Xia. "Vostra Nor is one of the smaller colleges on Tynerion. There shouldn't be much traffic."
    "We're not on Axis. No one here should know we're God-damned criminals. But we can't take any chances." Tiberius pointed a thick finger at Maeve. "No making trouble. No getting into trouble if anyone else makes it. We're going to get on and off Tynerion just as quick as we can."
    Maeve bristled. "Your species' hatred of my kind is not of my making."
    "You don't do much to change it, though," said Duaal. "But even if you can behave, I think you should stay on the Phoenix. Gripper, too."
    "Huh? What did I do?" Gripper asked plaintively.
    "You stick out, my friend. Like a giant green monster. Like an alien. You pretty much ground traffic to a halt on Axis."
    Xia frowned. Her eyes had gone a thoughtful green. "Unfortunately, I think Duaal has a point. You do attract a lot of attention on most planets, Gripper, and there are a lot of students and scholars on Tynerion. They'll want to study you."
    "You think they might, you know, grab me?" the Arboran asked. He chewed nervously on one of his claws.
    "No, but they might make it hard for us to leave," said Xia gently. "Grant money is tight and you never know what some glory-hungry scientist might do."
    "Alliance attitudes toward the other races of the galaxy are terrible," Maeve spat angrily. "Are Gripper's only options to be caged aboard this ship or to be pinned to a dissection table?"
    "Now wait a minute!" Tiberius thumped his fist on the back of the couch. "This is to keep you out of fights and the rest of us out of jail. I don't give two bent pinions about your species."
    "You may not," said Xia. "But a lot of other people do. A lot of people who live and work on Tynerion."
    "We want to put our best foot forward, captain," Duaal added.
    "I guess our best foot is a little smaller than mine," Gripper said. He wiggled his thick, dirty toes. No one manufactured boots large enough for the Arboran to wear. "Are we going to have to hide in our rooms the whole time we're working for this Xen guy?"
    Xia shook her head. "I don't think that's necessary. Once Xen's on the Blue Phoenix, he'll ask a lot of questions, but he won't be able to do much more. Besides, I don't think Xen would be much of a problem. He's a good man. It's everyone else on Tynerion that I'm worried about."
    Maeve picked at the edge of the