Shadow Fall (The Shadow Saga) Read Online Free
Author: J. L. Lyon
time.
“Goodbye,” she whispered.
Liz straightened and walked away, pausing for a few seconds to look back at him from the doorway before leaving the suite.
The hallway was deserted—not surprising, given that it was barely past sunrise. Her comrades should still be asleep. She stopped in front of the elevator and pressed up . Quick movement to her left made her reach instinctively for her Gladius, but for the moment she refrained. Without turning to look, she recognized Derek Blaine’s arrogant stride. What was he doing there? Did he know, somehow?
Blaine stopped at 301’s door, about halfway down the hall from her position, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Of course. He was just coming to meet his partner. She chanced a look at him, knowing his eyes were already on her. Blaine smirked knowingly, as though catching her making the walk of shame. Then he knocked on 301’s door.
Liz pressed up again, her heart rate increasing with the anticipation. 301 lay unconscious. He would not come to the door. How long before Derek forced his way in and found her out?
“301!” Derek knocked again, a trace of concern in his voice. “I know you’re in there, I can see your girlfriend out here!”
Come on , she thought impatiently at the elevator. Why was it taking so long? She eyed the stairs to the right, and shook her head. No way she was climbing the stairs to the docking bay. That was more than 50 floors!
Derek pounded again, and at last the elevator doors opened. Liz nearly jumped inside, pounding the button for the docking bay and pressing it several more times for good measure. The doors closed, and she slumped back against the cold steel. That was close .
She caught a glimpse of herself in the reflection of the stainless steel doors and let out an exasperated sigh. Her hair was a mess. She did her best to look presentable as the elevator rose—without stopping, thankfully—but affected little change. Well , she thought. Not the most pressing thing right now, after all .
The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened, allowing her to step out onto the docking bay floor. A group of ten palace guards stood in the lobby, blocking her path. Palace guards? At the Spire? Sent by Napoleon Alexander, perhaps, to bar her escape?
She reached for Ignis , and the lead guard held up his hands, “Hold, Specter Aurora. We bring word from the emperor.”
-X-
Derek Blaine tried for a third time to reach 301 by phone. Still no answer. He pounded again on the metal, so hard it stung his hand, “301! Can you hear me?” Derek felt a sinking in his gut—the very same sensation he experienced on the eve of battle. Something was just…wrong. He placed a hand on Exusia and pounded one more time, “Captain, if you don’t answer me in three seconds I’m coming in! One! Two! Thr—”
The Spire’s screaming alarms drowned out Derek’s final word, and he activated Exusia by instinct.
“Blaine!” Derek turned to see Admiral McCall marching in his direction, Spectral Gladius in hand. Though he didn’t know why, there was something in the admiral’s stance that alarmed him. For all he knew, McCall could be a part of whatever was happening. Derek moved Exusia between them as the admiral drew closer.
“What’s going on, Admiral?” he asked suspiciously.
McCall eyed Derek’s blade with cool understanding, “From what I’ve been able to ascertain in the last few minutes, there’s been an uprising—of which I am not a part, by the way.”
“An uprising?” Derek asked. “You mean the rebellion?”
“No,” the admiral shook his head. “This is something else. Premier Sullivan and the majority of his staff are missing, and several officers and personnel loyal to him are also AWOL. There are reports of battles in the city, one right here in our own docking bay. For all intents and purposes, it appears we are on the cusp of a civil war.”
Derek’s eyes narrowed, “Then how do I know—?”
“If I was
“Goodbye,” she whispered.
Liz straightened and walked away, pausing for a few seconds to look back at him from the doorway before leaving the suite.
The hallway was deserted—not surprising, given that it was barely past sunrise. Her comrades should still be asleep. She stopped in front of the elevator and pressed up . Quick movement to her left made her reach instinctively for her Gladius, but for the moment she refrained. Without turning to look, she recognized Derek Blaine’s arrogant stride. What was he doing there? Did he know, somehow?
Blaine stopped at 301’s door, about halfway down the hall from her position, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Of course. He was just coming to meet his partner. She chanced a look at him, knowing his eyes were already on her. Blaine smirked knowingly, as though catching her making the walk of shame. Then he knocked on 301’s door.
Liz pressed up again, her heart rate increasing with the anticipation. 301 lay unconscious. He would not come to the door. How long before Derek forced his way in and found her out?
“301!” Derek knocked again, a trace of concern in his voice. “I know you’re in there, I can see your girlfriend out here!”
Come on , she thought impatiently at the elevator. Why was it taking so long? She eyed the stairs to the right, and shook her head. No way she was climbing the stairs to the docking bay. That was more than 50 floors!
Derek pounded again, and at last the elevator doors opened. Liz nearly jumped inside, pounding the button for the docking bay and pressing it several more times for good measure. The doors closed, and she slumped back against the cold steel. That was close .
She caught a glimpse of herself in the reflection of the stainless steel doors and let out an exasperated sigh. Her hair was a mess. She did her best to look presentable as the elevator rose—without stopping, thankfully—but affected little change. Well , she thought. Not the most pressing thing right now, after all .
The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened, allowing her to step out onto the docking bay floor. A group of ten palace guards stood in the lobby, blocking her path. Palace guards? At the Spire? Sent by Napoleon Alexander, perhaps, to bar her escape?
She reached for Ignis , and the lead guard held up his hands, “Hold, Specter Aurora. We bring word from the emperor.”
-X-
Derek Blaine tried for a third time to reach 301 by phone. Still no answer. He pounded again on the metal, so hard it stung his hand, “301! Can you hear me?” Derek felt a sinking in his gut—the very same sensation he experienced on the eve of battle. Something was just…wrong. He placed a hand on Exusia and pounded one more time, “Captain, if you don’t answer me in three seconds I’m coming in! One! Two! Thr—”
The Spire’s screaming alarms drowned out Derek’s final word, and he activated Exusia by instinct.
“Blaine!” Derek turned to see Admiral McCall marching in his direction, Spectral Gladius in hand. Though he didn’t know why, there was something in the admiral’s stance that alarmed him. For all he knew, McCall could be a part of whatever was happening. Derek moved Exusia between them as the admiral drew closer.
“What’s going on, Admiral?” he asked suspiciously.
McCall eyed Derek’s blade with cool understanding, “From what I’ve been able to ascertain in the last few minutes, there’s been an uprising—of which I am not a part, by the way.”
“An uprising?” Derek asked. “You mean the rebellion?”
“No,” the admiral shook his head. “This is something else. Premier Sullivan and the majority of his staff are missing, and several officers and personnel loyal to him are also AWOL. There are reports of battles in the city, one right here in our own docking bay. For all intents and purposes, it appears we are on the cusp of a civil war.”
Derek’s eyes narrowed, “Then how do I know—?”
“If I was
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