simply
couldn’t—unless his uncle really was going mad. But that didn’t make sense to
him either. That his uncle was eccentric he had no doubt. But crazy?
Impossible. He was far too intelligent for that.
Lasseter brought the sand rover to a halt at the base of the
Gorge’s wall, just below Skylar’s cave.
“Do you remember my warning?” Lasseter suddenly asked,
interrupting Skylar’s thought.
Skylar hesitated. “Be cautious?”
“Yes. But about the insects…you must stay clear of them.”
“But Uncle, they haven’t been spotted on Haladras...”
“I told you, they will come. You must avoid them.”
His tone was grave, filled with the same foreboding as the
first night he spoke of them.
“I will,” promised Skylar. He began to get out of the sand
rover when Lasseter stopped him.
“Should you happen upon any, this might help you to get
away,” said Lasseter as he reached for something from under his seat. What he
pulled out made Skylar gape in astonishment.
“My jetwing!” he shouted, as he took the coveted flying
device from Lasseter and examined it. Except for a few new scratches, it looked
in perfect condition. “How did you...did you fix this?”
“I know a mechanic in Duhavi. He owed me a favor.”
Skylar didn’t know what to say; he never expected to see his
jetwing in one piece again.
“Thank you,” he finally stammered.
His uncle nodded. “I trust you’ll be more careful from now
on.”
Saying goodbye, Skylar hopped out of the sand rover and ran
up the sloped pathway toward his home, thinking nothing of his uncle’s
warnings.
SIX
T HE NEXT DAY brought yet more
unanswered questions for Skylar. The previous evening, after his mother had
returned from work, he told her about the strange outing with his uncle. He
described the peculiar supplies they purchased and the bizarre encounter with
the apothecary.
“Lasseter even ordered a cloak and oilskin for me. What
would I need those for? Do you know what he’s up to?”
His mother only answered that his uncle likes to be
prepared.
“Prepared for what?” asked Skylar.
“I wouldn’t worry about it, Sky. Your uncle has his own
ways,” she had said with a smile. But Skylar noted a touch of sadness in her
eyes. There was something she wasn’t telling him.
The next day at the Academy, his thoughts were still
distracted by the previous day’s events. He sat brooding over everything,
waiting for professor Valenkr’s lecture to begin, when Rolander hurried over to
him, his red face beaming with excitement.
“Did you hear the news?” said Rolander, as he stumbled into
his seat next to Skylar.
“About what?”
“The insects—the ones Arturo reported to the Council about.
Remember, I told you they were really machines and not insects at all?”
How could I forget them? thought Skylar. His uncle
certainly didn’t want him to forget.
“What about them?”
“Well, yesterday my father was at Sansaya—the mining unit a few
kilometers from here. He said the whole community was talking about the
insects. Some of people there claimed to have seen them. Some even claim they
were stung. You know what that means, don’t you?” he said, his eyes as wide as
craters. “The insects are on Haladras. And they are likely to show up here
before too long.”
The news struck Skylar like a blow from Drake to his gut. He
did not share his friend’s excitement. It only made his uncle’s warning all too
real, and eerie. How had his uncle known they would come? And why did he want
Skylar to avoid them?
“Was anyone hurt?” said Skylar. “I mean, the people who were
stung…did anything happen to them?”
Rolander shook his head. “Except for a bit of hysteria,
everyone was fine.”
Skylar frowned. Things just didn’t make sense.
“What do you think they are, Roland?”
Rolander leaned in a little closer, quickly glanced to
either side, then whispered, “I think they are looking for someone.”
The idea sent a chill
couldn’t—unless his uncle really was going mad. But that didn’t make sense to
him either. That his uncle was eccentric he had no doubt. But crazy?
Impossible. He was far too intelligent for that.
Lasseter brought the sand rover to a halt at the base of the
Gorge’s wall, just below Skylar’s cave.
“Do you remember my warning?” Lasseter suddenly asked,
interrupting Skylar’s thought.
Skylar hesitated. “Be cautious?”
“Yes. But about the insects…you must stay clear of them.”
“But Uncle, they haven’t been spotted on Haladras...”
“I told you, they will come. You must avoid them.”
His tone was grave, filled with the same foreboding as the
first night he spoke of them.
“I will,” promised Skylar. He began to get out of the sand
rover when Lasseter stopped him.
“Should you happen upon any, this might help you to get
away,” said Lasseter as he reached for something from under his seat. What he
pulled out made Skylar gape in astonishment.
“My jetwing!” he shouted, as he took the coveted flying
device from Lasseter and examined it. Except for a few new scratches, it looked
in perfect condition. “How did you...did you fix this?”
“I know a mechanic in Duhavi. He owed me a favor.”
Skylar didn’t know what to say; he never expected to see his
jetwing in one piece again.
“Thank you,” he finally stammered.
His uncle nodded. “I trust you’ll be more careful from now
on.”
Saying goodbye, Skylar hopped out of the sand rover and ran
up the sloped pathway toward his home, thinking nothing of his uncle’s
warnings.
SIX
T HE NEXT DAY brought yet more
unanswered questions for Skylar. The previous evening, after his mother had
returned from work, he told her about the strange outing with his uncle. He
described the peculiar supplies they purchased and the bizarre encounter with
the apothecary.
“Lasseter even ordered a cloak and oilskin for me. What
would I need those for? Do you know what he’s up to?”
His mother only answered that his uncle likes to be
prepared.
“Prepared for what?” asked Skylar.
“I wouldn’t worry about it, Sky. Your uncle has his own
ways,” she had said with a smile. But Skylar noted a touch of sadness in her
eyes. There was something she wasn’t telling him.
The next day at the Academy, his thoughts were still
distracted by the previous day’s events. He sat brooding over everything,
waiting for professor Valenkr’s lecture to begin, when Rolander hurried over to
him, his red face beaming with excitement.
“Did you hear the news?” said Rolander, as he stumbled into
his seat next to Skylar.
“About what?”
“The insects—the ones Arturo reported to the Council about.
Remember, I told you they were really machines and not insects at all?”
How could I forget them? thought Skylar. His uncle
certainly didn’t want him to forget.
“What about them?”
“Well, yesterday my father was at Sansaya—the mining unit a few
kilometers from here. He said the whole community was talking about the
insects. Some of people there claimed to have seen them. Some even claim they
were stung. You know what that means, don’t you?” he said, his eyes as wide as
craters. “The insects are on Haladras. And they are likely to show up here
before too long.”
The news struck Skylar like a blow from Drake to his gut. He
did not share his friend’s excitement. It only made his uncle’s warning all too
real, and eerie. How had his uncle known they would come? And why did he want
Skylar to avoid them?
“Was anyone hurt?” said Skylar. “I mean, the people who were
stung…did anything happen to them?”
Rolander shook his head. “Except for a bit of hysteria,
everyone was fine.”
Skylar frowned. Things just didn’t make sense.
“What do you think they are, Roland?”
Rolander leaned in a little closer, quickly glanced to
either side, then whispered, “I think they are looking for someone.”
The idea sent a chill
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