Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
“This corridor leads to the Dark Side of the Mother Ship,” Korrath explained as they walked. “Here, things grow differently—slower, denser. Our artisans prefer it here, for they say the shadows sharpen their skill.”
Miranda shivered, half from the chill, half from nerves.
“And this friend of yours—your tailor—he works on the Dark Side?”
“He does.” Korrath’s lips curved faintly. “He has an eye for beauty, and a respect for curves. You’ll be safe with him, lovely one. I would not bring you to him otherwise.”
She glanced up at him. He was still shirtless, his sleek black fur gleaming faintly in the glow of the blossoms, and the leaf-dress suddenly felt woefully inadequate against the sheer physicality of him. Safe or not, her body was already remembering the feel of his hands…his voice…the way he’d urged her to let go and come…
No, stop it, Miranda—you literally just came! You can’t be horny again already!
She took a deep breath. They were going to get a dress—that was all this was. A dress she could wear to the wedding.
And maybe, just maybe, she’d get another glimpse into the strange, wondrous world of the Monstrum Kindred. She had to admit, she found the Monstrum Mother Ship fascinating—she wouldn’t mind meeting more of its inhabitants. As long as Korrath was with her, of course, because all of them were huge.
The corridor widened into a massive chamber, and Miranda stopped in her tracks, her mouth falling open.
“This is the Transport Hub,” Korrath explained, his deep voice carrying easily in the vast, echoing space. “From here, we move between the Light and Dark Sides of the Mother Ship.”
At first, Miranda expected something like subway cars or shuttles. What she saw instead made her blink.
The “trains” were… creatures. Enormous, flat-bodied, millipede-like beasts with rows of seats strapped securely along their long backs. Each one was easily the length of a school bus—their shiny, segmented carapaces gleaming faintly under the glow-blossoms.
Dangling from a chain in front of each creature was a silver ball stuffed with long purple fibers. One of the creatures shuffled its mandibles eagerly, clacking them against the mesh as if it wanted to devour the fibrous prize.
“When the bait is raised out of reach, the carpet wole chases it,” Korrath explained, pointing to the ball. “The wole will carry us swiftly to the Dark Side.”
Miranda’s pulse picked up. It’s like a roller coaster, she thought, a memory flashing through her head of Hanna at seven years old, clutching her hand in line for the Hulk coaster at Universal Studios.
The normally shy and retiring Hanna had been absolutely fearless when it came to thrill rides. Miranda was…less so. Also, it had been years since she’d ridden anything wilder than an escalator.
“You want me to ride that?” she asked, staring at the massive wole’s undulating body.
Korrath’s lips curved faintly.
“It is perfectly safe, little one. Sit with me, and you will enjoy the ride.”
Still doubtful, she let him help her up onto the broad back. The seat was surprisingly comfortable, strapped securely into the creature’s ridged plating. Korrath sat close beside her, his warmth steady against her side.
Then the bait-ball rose, just out of the creature’s reach and the wole surged forward.
Miranda gasped and clutched at Korrath instinctively as the creature raced ahead with startling speed, rushing up the tracks with a clacking sound which must be its many legs moving. The world blurred past, blossoms streaking by in a riot of color.
The wole climbed suddenly—higher and higher—until the ground was dizzyingly far below. Miranda’s stomach swooped and she cried out, clutching tighter. Korrath’s arm went around her waist, anchoring her against him.
“Hold on to me,” he murmured in her ear. “I won’t let you fall.”
Exhilaration rushed through her, mingled with fear. She pressed closer to him as the wole crested the enormous hill—then plunged down again.
“Ahhh!” The scream tore from her throat before she could stop it. The wind whipped at her hair as the creature dove, rushing through tunnels of glowing vines, skimming water so close she swore she could dip her toes into it.
And then it went up again, climbing and plunging, weaving like some massive serpent through the living corridors of the ship.
Miranda’s heart thundered in her chest, her breath coming fast—but she was laughing now, clinging to Korrath. He held her easily, one big arm caging her protectively, his chest rumbling with what might have been laughter of his own.
By the time the wole slowed and the bait-ball lowered again for it to feed, Miranda’s legs felt wobbly and her cheeks ached from grinning. “
That was—oh my God—that was amazing.”
“Exhilarating, isn’t it?” Korrath asked, his eyes gleaming.
She nodded breathlessly.
“Yes. I haven’t ridden anything like that in… God, since Hanna was a little girl.”
The memory softened her smile, but as she slid off the creature’s back and stood on shaky legs, another sensation replaced her nostalgia.