Galactic Gale

Chapter Ten

Just Rubbish

Kael escaped the hall through the back exit. Free of company and watching eyes, he pushed his hair from his face and hurried along the pier at the back of the Assembly Chambers. He moved behind the staff building and fled into the waste dump at the end of the walkway.

The place was vile. Rubbish had been organised into seven piles regarding its material, each of which were the homes of various scavenger creatures who howled as they scurried around. A high wall blocked the skip from the view of those walking Uterca's fine streets. Kael gagged and did his best not to think about the setting.

It was the last place a prince should have been. And the last place anyone would think to look for him.

Something tickled Kael's cheeks. The hair which he had pushed back slipped forward and he stopped, feet halting on the uneven tarmac. His fingers lingered in his fair locks as he sorted them back into place.

Nothing. No ship flew overhead, no vessel breaking the law against flight heights and skimming the top of the buildings.

Impossible.

The wind stopped, leaving Kael feeling like a fool. He was becoming paranoid. The past few hours had been hard – perhaps harder than he had first considered – and now his brain was paying the price.

While he was answering the last set of questions, Kael had seen Amara slip from the crowd, a hand to her earpiece. She had returned just at the end to silently tell Kael the rest of their crew had landed in Uterca.

Ships of all shapes and sized landed at the far side of the skip. Traders often came here to find lost treasures or scraps they could repair and sell. It was not a bad way of living, all things considered. There were no laws against doing so, but Amara had swiftly refused trying the idea when Valour had suggested it weeks before.

Metal crashed as a disposal vessel unloaded its cargo in the shoot to Kael's left. He watched the rubble slide into the large pots below, which were quickly pushed aside by workers. The rubbish would be taken inside where it would be sorted.

Kael kept moving. The next Trial was in five days' time. If he were lucky, he could get himself locked in a prison by then. Getting captured by the Watch was the only excuse to keep him out the competition which Nona would find to be satisfactory.

He considered asking Amara to drop him off at some stray port where he could cause trouble. The Celestial Watch were always roaming the bridges between the different regions of space. It would be the easiest place to get their attention.

"Scorn mice," Ry yelled from atop Amara's second ship, pointing to a cluster of furry brown creatures heading Kael's way. "Hurry! They'll chew right through your shoes."

Small but vicious creatures, scorn mice had been a problem in Uterca for as long as Kael could remember. He did not need Ry's explanation of the rodents' eating habits as he climbed the ship's wing, but Kael did not tell the elder boy he needed no warnings. After what he had just been through, the simple talk of mice was a blessing.

"Paid in full?" Amara asked. She was leaning over the edge of the ship to inspect a dent in the metalwork. She straightened when Cyre opened a window.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Cyre snapped. Kael could only see the top of her head, dark hair falling out of a messy ponytail. "Of course, we got paid in full. And some more. Retch was impressed by how fast we got the job done."

"We don't want to make him too impressed." Amara sat up and spun, kicking her legs over the side. "This might be my favourite part of Uterca."

Ry scoffed and elbowed Kael playfully. "She wouldn't be saying that after a run through the palace."