The 13th Star: An Action Adventure Sci-F Apocalyptic Novel Read Online Free PDF Page B

David, “The
     strong survive. Do you think you’re strong?”
    David looked at the military leaders, not at
     Coldor. “I’m not strong, but I’m not scared.”
    Coldor took David’s hand firmly and said, “See
     you soon.”
    David didn’t even think to look at him, never
     mind to turn around and face him. He knew his place in the
     world—and certainly in the boardroom.
***
    There were only two seasons on Falcon—winter
     and autumn. The winter was very harsh, but not rainy. The strength
     of the wind was frightening, and some said that one could hear the
     arguments between the winds of the heavens and understand entire
     words. Falcon was not a planet friendly to strangers. People didn’t
     stream to it and few wished to settle there. The Falconites lived
     there in full acceptance of their fate.
    Its distinctive structure resulted in
     interesting architecture, which was similar to the tribunes
     encompassing a giant stadium. Every floor in the construction
     spiral was unique to a predefined population. The circle with the
     largest radius, that in the upper part of the crater, belonged to
     its ruler, Bergin, and his men—the palace level. Descending the
     spiral toward the core of the crater, the Falconites’ pedigree and
     importance decreased. At the bottom, close to the core of the
     planet in a place that suffered the constant heat of lava, was the
     prison.
     
    The palace’s ring surrounded the planet and all
     its needs were supplied in that range—hospital, shopping centers,
     entertainment, parks, sitting rooms, and other services. Bergin and
     his courtiers had no need to leave the area and descend the planet,
     unless they were asked to do so for their work.
    Bergin’s palace was always dark and closed to
     visitors, to the point that horror stories were spread about the
     events behind its walls. No one dared to speak publicly about the
     palace or its residents.
    One of the legends, whose truthfulness no one
     knew, described giant statues that were affixed one night to the
     external walls of the palace. The necks of the statues, like the
     heads of a monster-person, bent toward the base of the crater.
     Rumor had it that Bergin didn’t send his courtiers to spy among
     citizens of the planet because the statues would report everything.
     Strange deaths that occurred were attributed to the giant statues,
     new illnesses were associated with their anger, and unsolved
     disagreements that dragged from one generation to the next were
     caused by the giant statues. “The statues”—that was what everyone
     called them, but the words were never spoken above a whisper. The
     stories about the statues were recounted by father to son
     secretly.
    Another legend common on Falcon, which no one
     saw as an insult, referred to the planet’s unique structure of
     being a wide crater. Some said that God didn’t want so many planets
     and decided to forgo Falcon, just like one squashes a pea on the
     table. He touched its base with a finger, and instead of shattering
     into trillions of tiny fragments, an enormous belly opened up,
     which resulted in its strange bowl shape.
    In the depths of Falcon, in its middle rings,
     Benaya brought up Rettoul, whose name meant “putty in the hands of
     the Creator.” It was strange name for a small child, but no one
     gave it too much thought. The orphan Rettoul had been raised by
     Benaya since he was two months old. Benaya had known his mother,
     who put him in safe hands with great love, and Benaya took upon
     herself the task as if also being entrusted with the mother’s
     heart.
    “What sort of name is this—‘Rettoul’?” said his
     mother to Benaya when the two sat together after his birth,
     drinking distilled pine juice. “Are you sure it’s a name for a
     child?”
    Benaya laughed. “Your son is something else—a
     child with a strong spirit and a gentle soul. He will shape his
     surroundings; this child will forge all of us.”