Eternal Horizon: The Chronicle of Vincent Saturn (Eternal Horizon: A Star Saga Book 1) by David Roman Page B

standing on the edge of a mine which was overflowing with thousands of people. They were miners, working diligently to collect some sort of precious mineral, a gleaming blue rock… Then he saw—no, deep in his heart he knew—that they were not miners, but slaves—their faces cold, aching, full of sorrow produced by the forced labor. Some were starved to the point of dystrophy, others dead. Soldiers that patrolled the place dragged the bodies of the deceased and threw them into a pit dug out at the lowest point of the canyon.
    He looked down into the pit and nearly cried out. The trench was filled with bodies piled up on one another. Xenians, all of them, staring at him with the lifeless eyes, the crystals in their pupils no longer shining… And the smell…
    It reeked of death.
    “Soon, we’ll make our move,” said a deep baritone voice.
    He turned, but could only see the back of the dark-haired man in a loose, black outfit standing beside him. His hands were crossed behind his back: one of them in a black leather glove, the other clasped with an armband at the wrist. “Soon, they will all pay...”
    Vincent lost balance and fell over.
    Gentle hands stopped him from hitting the floor. “Vincent? Are you all right?”
    He opened his eyes. Gaia caught him in midair and held him steady. As she lunged forward, she dropped her hood, and now he awoke to her angelic appearance in bright light. Vincent paused, momentarily losing himself in those lavender eyes, in her thick arched eyebrows, in her full lips, in her tanned skin, and in her long, bronze hair that poured past her shoulders like silk…
    “Thank you,” he said, moving away from her.
    Signs of a smile appeared on her face as she threw up her hood, concealing her breathtaking looks.
    “What the…?” Exander suspiciously looked over at Vincent. “ Hurry! ” he added to the Dirsalian. “I don’t want our new guest to die here! Not until I’m content, that is.”
    “I can’t open it!” Spaide sighed, getting up. “But I turned off the alarm, so go ahead and do your thing!”
    Exander reached down into his robe and yanked out his sword. The blade had a cool tint, made from a metal unfamiliar to Vincent’s eyes. It was slightly longer than three feet with a handle covered in golden ridges. With one dexterous swing, Exander sliced through the left side of the bars, and with the second, they fell to the ground, leaving small knobs of metal on either side.
    Exander squeezed through and continued forth. Damocles had a bit of a problem, but managed behind. As the rest of the companions followed, Vincent bent down to pick up one of the bars. It was made of pure metal and was as thick as his wrist. How could a sword cut through solid steel? Yet another enigma.
    “ Come on! ” Exander called him.
    The further they headed, the less tormenting the noise became. After a minute of the identical passages, they reached an open shaft disappearing up into the darkness.
    “Elevator?” Vincent was glad to see a piece of familiar machinery.
    “Oh, so you have elevators?” Spaide said cynically as he dug through the wires in the control panel. In a mere second, a lift made of solid glass appeared in front of them. The door slid open. “WELCOME,” announced a robotic voice. Spaide turned around with an attained grin. “After you.”
    “Where does that lead?” Vincent asked as he stepped into the elevator.
    “The Seven Galaxies Hotel,” Gaia answered. “Well, we’re already in the hotel, but—”
    “You ask too many questions and don’t give enough answers!” Exander intruded.
    “Would you relax?” Gaia said in Vincent’s defense.
    “Your highness, we don’t know if he is who he claims to be,” Exander said, pushing the elevator buttons. “So I advise you not to talk to him unless we find out the truth.”
    “He’s lost, Exander, from a planet no one has ever heard of. If our allies take notice of this information, it can be a great asset to our