The Navigator Read Online Free PDF

ship rebuilt. He wanted to show that his family was doing something positive for the people of Lorien.”
    “That’s all well and good,” I say. “But what else do we know about these . . . Mogadorians?”
    Zophie lays it out for us—everything she’s heard during her time at the museum. According to rumors and legends, generations ago the Loric reached out to the planet Mogadore, trying to form diplomatic bonds with the planet. But their civilizations were barbaric and not ready for contact with more advanced beings. Something happened there—the details vague and sometimes contradictory, depending on who was telling the story—but from what Zophie could gather, many Loric lost their lives during the expedition, and subsequently all contact with the planet and its people was forbidden.
    We try to digest this. Eventually we sit in silence,none of us knowing what to say. None of us sure how to react to the fact that our planet might be completely obliterated by these monsters.
    My thoughts race as I try to make sense of all this, piecing together a bigger picture of what happened. I think back to the message I’d intercepted earlier. About the airstrip. The prophecy.
    “The evacuation,” I say. “Do you know who is on the other ship?”
    “Janus wasn’t supposed to say anything,” Zophie says. “It was highly confidential. He was breaking his highest oaths by telling me.”
    “I understand,” I say. “But it’s not like the information is going to go past this rocket.”
    Her shoulders sag. She relents.
    “I don’t know much. Something about nine chosen Garde. The Elders assembled them. Or Loridas alone, I’m not sure. They—along with their Cêpans—are the ones in the other ship. They’re the last hope.”
    “For what?” Crayton asks.
    “For the survival of our people.” Zophie smiles a sad little smile. “Well, other than us, I guess. I don’t know why they were chosen, but that’s what Janus said. They’re going to be . . . blessed with something. Maybe they already have been. Some charm to protect them. It sounds crazy, I know. Why would the Elders try to save a handful of us while the rest of the planetis sacrificed?”
    I clench my jaw. Of course this is how they faced the planet’s destruction. By using us. By treating us as pawns as they always have.
    “That can’t be right,” Crayton says.
    “It is,” I say. “Right before the first wave of attacks, I intercepted a message sent out to nine Mentor Cêpans telling them something about meeting at an airstrip—that the prophecy was coming true. The Elders abandoned the rest of us.”
    “That’s insane,” Crayton says. “What are these nine supposed to do on Earth? Everything I know about that planet sounds like it’s far inferior to Lorien.”
    “It could be worse,” Zophie says. “We could be headed to Mogadore.”
    Crayton opens his mouth to say something else, but the baby starts to cry again. He excuses himself and heads down the hall to tend to her.
    “I guess we have to get used to that sound,” Zophie says. She stands. “I’m going to start taking stock of our supplies. We’ll need to ration. And I need to do something with my hands right now. Anything.”
    A question has been circulating through my mind.
    “Why did you ask me to come with you?” I’m still trying to fit everything together. “Surely there was someone else. Someone in the department who’s studied this damned relic. Why me?”
    “You got us up here, didn’t you?”
    “It’s going to be a long flight if we’re keeping secrets the whole time, Zophie.”
    “Because I knew you wouldn’t want to stay and fight,” she says finally. “There was no time to argue with anyone about what our duty was. I don’t know exactly what you’ve been doing for the last few years, but I knew, even when you were working at the museum, how unhappy you were with Lorien and its leaders. Not that I blame you after what’s happened.”
    I stare up at her,