《Voices at Sunset》Chapter 23
Advertisement
Maisero and Sartore were slotted to get some rest in one of the cabins that were kept for visitors. Sartore was grateful that he had a separate room from Maisero. It wasn’t long before night fell, and Sartore grew more comfortable with the little cabin and the encroaching darkness, and the mat tucked into a wooden frame that he was going to sleep on. There was a small cut out in the cabin where moonlight fell in, and Sartore thought he could be pretty comfortable in here for a while.
Somebody knocked at the door in the middle of the night. Sartore hadn’t yet fallen asleep, but had seen the shadow move across the window. He wasn’t sure who would be up at this hour, but at the same time, he certainly was, so it must not be that strange. Suddenly, he imagined Maisero creeping up to the door, then himself slipping out of bed to open the door and see the old man bearing over him with some crude weapon in his other hand whose shape was defined by its silhouette, then Maisero raising the weapon over Sartore’s head, and in one fierce movement bringing it down upon him—
“Sartore, right?” Anastasia said, almost whispered, as she opened the door and walked in. Her hair had gotten frizzier since Sartore had last seen her, and she tried to brush away some of the curls that had fallen over her face, but to no avail, as they swung back to their former positions immediately. She didn’t seem to notice.
“How are you?” she asked.
“I’m okay,” Sartore replied.
“I hope this little room of yours has been comfortable enough for you.” Sartore nodded, and stared at her as she formulated her next words.
“How did you meet Maisero, Sartore?”
Advertisement
“Well, I was walking along the docks of the city, wherever Balto was, across the waters, and he found me, told me he wanted to talk to me, and I was mostly lost, didn’t know where I was going, so I said sure, and I waited for him in the morning after some sleep, we went to the library together, and he told me about this magical place on the other side of the water, and we decided to go together.”
“Has he ever acted strangely, or done anything that made you think something strange was going on?” Sartore laughed.
“All the time,” Sartore said, and she started laughing too. But her laugh was restrained, more like a fish hook sent out to the water at a measured distance. She stopped promptly, too, just long enough for the laugh to seem normal.
“I think you should be more careful of him,” Anastasia said. Now her eyes narrowed, and she donned a serious mask, almost creased and wicked. “He doesn’t seem to have your best interests in mind. I’ve been suspicious of him ever since he arrived here, and I think you should be careful around him. Do you understand?”
Sartore nodded, but hesitantly. Something about this conversation was annoying him. And giving him a headache.
“Good,” Anastasia said, then rose and walked out of the cabin, waving goodbye with a cheerier expressiion that she had had her entire stay there. Sartore felt robbed, but he shook the feeling off, and tried getting to sleep.
Advertisement
- In Serial301 Chapters
Tales From the Terran Republic
We tried, you know… We really did. We tried so hard to be… better… We actually were better once. No, seriously. We were enlightened, generous, peaceful… Stop laughing! We were! We were peaceful, dammit! No, I’m not “tugging your winglets.” It’s true! Look, if you’re going to be like that, I’ll just push the launch button right now. See ya, don’t wanna be… Oh, you ARE interested after all? Ok. Hey, I just got word that your captain will be ok. We were able to get him into a med pod quick enough… Of course, we tried to save him. Just what sort of people do you think we are?... Now that was harsh… completely accurate, mind you… but harsh. Anyway, like I was saying, we were a prosperous, peaceful people, and war had been nothing but a distant memory for over five hundred years before it happened... Before Yellowstone happened! You don’t mean to tell me that you didn’t know about that… massive supervolcano? Blew the Hell out of our planet? Two years where nothing grew?… Anyway, that’s what started it, the Sol Wars… Oh, you have heard about those, huh? Well, needless to say, all that enlightened, generous, and peaceful didn’t exactly make it through the two years of complete famine and the wars that followed… Maybe it’s more accurate to say the enlightened, generous, and peaceful among us didn’t survive… (laughs)… You’re right. It does explain a lot, doesn’t it? Probably for the best, though. “Enlightened” and “peaceful” aren’t really all that useful out here in the galaxy at large, are they? That reminds me; thanks for the ship. You guys did a great job with this one. Oh, don’t be like that. At least it was us what got you and not one of the really messed groups like the Harlequin or the Black Angels. We’re just going to take your shit. It could be worse… trust me... Well, anyway, we loaded the life pods down with some good food, and you guys can drink alcohol, right? We put in a couple of fifths in there, too. It’s about forty percent ethanol, so be warned. Most species will want to dilute that. We’ll drop your wounded off somewhere safe once they are stable. Your fleet patrols this area fairly regularly, and we’ll drop the distress beacon right before we jump… Well, It’s been fun and no hard feelings, right?… Oh, you want to know some more? Sure. I got time to kill… Let me tell you about this one pirate and her crew. They’re Terran scum, but they are still… Why do we hate the Terrans? Hoo Boy… How much time you got? *** It’s the thirty-second century, and humanity is now part of a galactic civilization comprised of hundreds of worlds. Humanity has been savaged by natural disaster and war and has been fractured into several separate populations, all of which loathe each other (some things never change). This is a gritty drama-driven rambling tale that swings between action, drama, horror, and plenty of very, very dark comedy. Warning: contains adult situations, absolutely horrible language, bathroom humor, implied ultra-violence, actual ultra-violence, drugs, alcohol, pirates, mercs, xeno prostitutes, moral ambiguity, deranged AI's with identity issues, giant commie space slugs, and a poor little frog girl who just wants to sell coffee. Updates twice weekly on Tuesday and Friday. *** Note: This story can get rough. Those warning tags? They aren't for show. I recently received a review and as a result I want to make one thing clear. Portraying something is NOT endorsing it! Many "heavy" topics are touched upon and just because a character says or does something does not imply that the author feels the same way. I selected the "Anti-Hero Lead" and "Villainous Lead" tags for a reason. Rule number one of this story is "no good guys". A good description of the story is, "bad people doing bad things to worse people". There are a few good characters, here and there, but they are the exception to the rule. If you want a hard-hitting, exciting, gritty sci-fi story that doesn't pull any punches, or shies away from "difficult" concepts, welcome! If you are set on a pure and noble knight that runs around and slays conveniently evil monsters and rescues totally innocent princesses... or your sensibilities are easily offended... You're not going to be happy with this one.
8 692 - In Serial407 Chapters
Mythical Conquest
*THIS STORY HAS BEEN REWRITTEN AND WONT CONTINUE HERE! USE THE LINK BELOW FOR THE NEW & IMPROVED VERSION!* Here’s the rewrite link: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/20225/young-adversary Because of certain events in his past, Logan Cross isolated himself and did everything possible not to stand out. This is despite possessing a body and mind that far surpassed the normal human. One day when taking his normal route home, through the back alleys, Logan was caught up in an incident that led to him killing a group of men before dying himself. Now finding himself in complete darkness, Logan was offered a second chance at life by the dragon goddess Tiamat. To which he replied: "No thanks. Just make me a panda or something. They have it easy." Tiamat of course denied his wish, and plunged him in a world where every being of myth not only exists, but they even choose champions called Proxies to represent them in a war that decides who rules the world! This is a story about a boy who made it his lifetime goal to eradicate the gods! Watch as he slay gods, demons, heroes, and beasts; and become the Ultimate Evil!
8 216 - In Serial12 Chapters
The Forgotten Shield and The World Heroes (Remake).
When 10 students find themselves being transported into another world, 1 of them will find a home and new adventures in this new place while the other 9 gets themselves involved in a war. The world Heroes have been summoned, a lost "title" has come back, and a world of fantasies and adventures is waiting to be explored. This story is a remake in English of "El escudo Olvidado", you can also find this story on WattPad.https://www.wattpad.com/story/126788458-the-forgotten-shield-and-the-world-heroes-remake
8 156 - In Serial17 Chapters
The other Cullen
A tale about the cullen twins.This is a Twilight and Vampire Diaries fan fiction
8 81 - In Serial30 Chapters
Finding Yourself
A collection of quotes and proses that will help you to find yourself 💞This is my first book so please do vote for the chapters you like and also leave your feedbacks via comments. I would love to hear from you.
8 232 - In Serial20 Chapters
Bethany Adamson has done everything that her strict parents and uncle Brian have demanded of her. Straight A's every report card. Never missed a day of school..... ever! In return, her parents were supposed to pay for half of her college tuition. They backed out. They also inform her that her uncle Brian, is her father. She joins the Army to help pay for her college. Bethany excells in breaking secret messages quickly. This catches the eye of Tanner 'Demo ' Cline. Leader of an elite special ops unit. Can they keep their feelings to themselves? Can Bethany keep Demo and his unit safe? Can Demo keep Bethany safe? This story is fiction. All locations, events, and people are made up in my head. Although the Army has certain ranks and units, I do not know how they operate. It is rated mature for language, sex scenes, and violence. Thank you for reading! Remember to vote and/or comment. If you find an error, please let me know. Lots of love, Menarhodes!
8 185

