Starfinder

DREAMS

THROUGH THE MILES AND the dark of night, Alisaundra could taste the children’s dreams. Moth, Fiona. Asleep in a field of wildflowers, they served up a feast for her. Alisaundra leaned forward in her chains as if smelling a confection.

Night was when her senses came alive. Her hawklike eyes—a gift from her Masters—easily scanned the dark landscape below. Nearby, the man called Donnar watched the same black horizon with a squint. The noise of the airship hummed in Alisaundra’s bones. She smelled the powder of the rifle at her back. She clutched the strip of the girl’s dress, picturing Fiona’s orange hair, her pale and freckled face.

A single chain tethered Alisaundra to the platform. Looped around her waist, it was just long enough for her to gaze through the airship’s window. For two days now she had tracked the children, directing the craft along the river. Her captor, Rendor, watched her keenly most of the time, and there was always a rifle nearby to kill her if she broke her promise. Tonight, though, Rendor was gone. Only Donnar strode the platform. Only one guard threatened her.

Hunting the children had been easy. Alisaundra was sure she would find them tomorrow. She had already told Rendor where they were—all they needed to do now was follow the river.

Still, Alisaundra had her secrets.

Her eyes moved across the chamber, scanning the instruments and dials, marveling at the things the humans had built. Did her Masters know about the airships? She didn’t think so. They’d never have let the humans go so far.

Alisaundra had always thought her human memories gone for good, but somehow, being around her kind again had coaxed them back to life. When she was alive, humans crawled on the earth like beetles. Now they could fly! The miracle of what they’d done still startled her.

And then there were the dreams.

Her dreams weren’t like the delicious dreams of children. They were echoes in her mind, voices she hadn’t heard in eons. Familiar voices she couldn’t quite remember. A father’s voice. A sister’s. A husband’s?

Alisaundra wanted desperately to be away. Once she was gone from the airship, her bad dreams would stop. First though, she had a bargain to fulfill. She would find the children for Rendor—even though they no longer had the Starfinder.