Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 130081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
“Yes—I’ve sung professionally,” Sonya said, but didn’t elaborate. Nobody in the room needed to know that the last place she’d sung was in the lounge of an upscale brothel.
A brothel Davrik saved you from—and then you turned him away, even after he risked his life for you, a reproachful little voice whispered in her head.
Sonya tried to push it away and concentrate on the present. She was going to save the big Kindred—rescue him the way he had rescued her—that was all there was to it. She refused to even think of another outcome.
“Nate will be wearing the device and will have direct contact with it,” Karl said to her, drawing her back to the present. “All you need to do is put your hand on his arm and make skin-to-skin contact with him—then sing your emotions as loudly as you can. His body will act as a conduit between you and the ESR.”
“Um…I don’t mean to be rude, but why does Nate have to wear it?” Sonya asked, frowning. “Why can’t I just wear it myself?”
Karl frowned.
“Well, for one thing it’s made from solid Vibronexium—one of the densest and heaviest elements ever discovered—it’s not even on the Periodic Table,” he added.
“Try and lift it,” the light-haired Twin Kindred offered. “Then you’ll see.”
Sonya walked over to the table in the center of the room and looked down at the ESR. It was only a little bigger than her hand—aside from the straps that had been attached to it—and it didn’t look too heavy to lift.
Curling her fingers around the blood-red crystal encased in the rose-gold wires, she attempted to pick it up.
The ESR didn’t even budge. It was almost as though she’d tried to lift the Mother Ship itself just by pulling on a knob or a handle, Sonya thought. She tried one more time, but she already knew there was no way. She wasn’t a weakling, but she was no weightlifter either.
“Now you try, Nate,” Karl offered.
Nate walked over to the ESR with a frown on his face. He didn’t try to lift it in his hand as Sonya had. Instead, he gathered the straps on either side in both hands and lifted.
For a moment nothing moved. Then, as a vein popped out in Nate’s temple, he finally managed to lift the device.
“Be careful with that!” Karl said quickly. “If you drop it anywhere but back on the reinforced table, you could punch a hole right through the Mother Ship’s hull!”
“I’ve got it.” Nate’s deep voice was tight with effort. “Just need to get it on my back—it’ll be easier to carry that way.”
With much careful maneuvering and the help of Karl and also Oliver and Simon—who were apparently married to Commander Sylvania and her sister, Commander Bairdida, the ESR was finally strapped to Nate’s bare back.
“Is that all right? Are you sure you can take the weight?” Karl asked anxiously.
Nate shrugged his shoulders and gave a slight grunt of effort.
“I’ve got it. Feels like I’m carrying a backpack heavier than I am, but I can manage.”
“I believe the Goddess has given you strength to bear this burden,” Commander Sylvania said.
“Good, because I need to get over to the Father Ship!” Nate growled.
“Not without me!” Sonya stepped up. “I’m going with you—remember?”
“You need to practice before you go anywhere,” Karl remarked.
“They don’t have time to practice, unfortunately.” Commander Sylvania had one hand to her temple, as though she was listening to someone speak. “I just got notice that the Scourge have accepted our offer of a prisoner exchange—we need to get Nate and Sonya on a shuttle at once!”
“A prisoner exchange?” Nate frowned. “What the hell is that all about?”
“It’s the only way we can gain access to the Father Ship,” Commander Sylvania explained. “Commander Davrik and Commander Lan’ara already used stealth tech to enter earlier, so their defenses are up. Don’t worry,” she added. “We don’t expect them to abide by the terms they agreed to.”
“The Scourge have no honor,” her sister, Commander Bairdida said, speaking up for the first time. “Most likely they’ll bring the two of you before the AllFather at once without actually releasing Commander Davrik and Lan’ara. If they do, you have to take the chance to kill the AllFather if you can.”
“The ESR can do it if you can get close to him,” Karl said confidently. He looked at Sonya. “All you have to do is put your hand on Nate’s arm and sing at the target. The louder you sing and the more you feel, the stronger the ammunition.”
“Um…okay but where does this, uh, ‘ammunition’ come out?” Sonya asked doubtfully.
“From your mouth of course—it’s going to look a little like you’re shooting laser beams out of your mouth,” the Dark Twin Kindred said, smiling slightly.
“But don’t worry—it won’t hurt you,” the Light Twin hurriedly assured her. “It will only hurt the person your emotion is directed at.”