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.Raea followed.Diving was much easier than flying.Gravity pulled them down with no work required.The brief drop relieved her aching back, until she had to open her wings to level off.They flew over a large island of scattered hilly areas with doors and metallic structures she guessed were homes.In the center, a domed bunker faced a hexagon-shaped pad with red lights blinking at each point.A lone shuttle sat in one corner.From the size, four or five shuttles could have fit on it.Outside the dark, rounded triangle of a craft with the open split door on its side stood a familiar face waving at them—Corsa.Leksel landed nearby.Raea landed behind him with Cris behind her.The moment her feet hit the ground, she hurried past Leksel to meet Corsa.["You're back! What happened?"]Corsa's eyes passed over each of them, lingering on Leksel longer than on her or Cris.Raea turned to Leksel.What was with the sour face? Wasn't Leksel glad to see her?["I'll tell you inside,"] Corsa said.Fine with her.If Raea didn't have to fly the rest of the way to Starfire Tower, she definitely wouldn't argue.A firm grip on her arm stopped her.Now what? She tried to pull away, but Leksel's fingers clamped tight.["Cris?"] Leksel's eyes never left Corsa.Cris stepped up beside his brother.["You first."]["Why?"] Cris shook his head.["It's Corsa, Leks."]["Go ahead, Cris."] Corsa winked as Cris passed.["Oh, but, beware the hidden Shirukan waiting to take Raea back to Naviketan."] She crossed her arms, her amber eyes on Leksel.["Now we don't trust each other?"]So that was it—delusions of deception? No way could Corsa have betrayed them.["You didn't answer the question.What happened?"] Leksel dropped his hand from Raea to cross his arms.About time he released her arm.Man.Who did he trust? For that matter, why did he expect anyone to trust him?["All right.You want the story now? Fine.The electrical discharge of the storm scrambled the circuits of my tri-comm.I couldn't contact anyone.So, I flew out of the cloud to get my bearings, saw no island or any of you or the Shirukan and decided to fly ahead.I figured sooner or later you'd catch up.After a few stops, I didn't see any sign of you and waited here.They had one shuttle available, so I made sure it stayed."]Cris popped his head from the doorway of the shuttle, dark brown hair partially hiding his smiling face.["You worry too much, Leks."]["When did you turn so paranoid?"] Corsa ducked under the top part of the door, which formed a canopy over the entrance and stepped up the two steps of the bottom half of the door.When did he become so paranoid? Corsa was part of his team.Raea thought he'd be glad to see her again.Raea brushed loose strands of hair from her face and glanced aside.Leksel waited his turn after her.At least he could try smiling once in a while.Maybe it had been her imagination to hear him chuckle back at the island home.Or did he and Cris have some sort of agreement whereby Cris made up in smiles what Leksel lacked? They needed to balance it out better.It wouldn't hurt Leksel to actually smile more often.He could be grateful for the shuttle.But she couldn't expect him to change overnight.Raea stepped into a surprisingly comfortable pocket of space lined by tinted windows above the seats.The bench opposite the door would have seated three but the seat next to the door would fit only one.Nothing occupied the small cargo area in the rear.Corsa took one of the two seats in the front on one side of a narrow doorway between the two seats.Cris sat on the bench across from her and buckled in.He patted the seat beside him.["There's room here."]No thanks.He tried way too hard.It totally turned her off.She'd feel safer with Leksel.He stepped up behind her and brushed past to take the other seat at the front next to Corsa.The door shut behind him.Raea took the seat next to the door, as far from Cris as possible.["Buckled in?"] Corsa's gloved hands worked over the controls with precision, the engines humming a moment later.["Yes, sir,"] Cris said.Finally.They were heading to Starfire Tower, where Saffir resided, the only remaining Crystal Keeper besides Raea.And she would have the ability to open a portal home.Home.How sweet a word! When she returned, she would practice day and night forming a portal until she got it.Raea sank back against the cushions of the seat, relieved to feel the seat press up against her as the island sank away.Now, she could relax.Soon she would be home and back with Elis.Excitement charged through her [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]