Shattered Destiny Read Online Free

their singed fingers. The juices dripped down their chins, and they made animalistic noises of pleasure. The Astrans were less vocal, but no less messy. By the time each had eaten two steaks, except for the Volgons, who managed to eat three, all were covered in steak juice. The only sound was the slurping of fingers being sucked clean.
    With their bellies full and their bodies warmed by the fire, the Chosen found it difficult to keep their eyes open. Jon stared into the coals, watching them change colors as the air hit them, seeming almost to breathe.
    “I don't understand the need for this fire. We could have eaten the meat raw, and the temperature is not cold enough to warrant its use for heat,” Kyron said. He absently brushed long brown hair out of his face.
    Jon made a face. “We don't eat raw meat. We always cook it. And setting a fire is just something you do when you are out-of-doors. It's comforting. It helps to keep animals at bay as well.”
    “It seems such a waste. There are plenty of us to keep watch, so there is no need to use it for protection,” Kyron insisted.
    “Do you not use fire on Volgon?” Saemus could not imagine sleeping outside without the comfort and heat of a campfire.
    “We use a few torches, but only in the hallways that lead down into the colony. Volgons have good eyesight, and we do not need a lot of light to see by. Once inside the Colony, we have artificial light.”
    Gwen looked at Kyron, baffled. “Is that like an oil lamp?”
    “No. We do not use oil. I am not sure I have the words to explain it to you. But we have devices that make light,” Kyron said.
    “I think that is enough talk for one night. We make for Enisae at sun-up,” Master Brok said.
    “Will we go home after that?” Kaelin asked quietly.
    “I don't think so, child.”
    “Why not?” Kaelin sat up, visibly distraught.
    Brok sighed. “Because, child, we do not know how long we have been gone. It might have been years. We do not have a good excuse for why we have been gone. And what of them?” He indicated the Volgons, still sitting in the nude. “How do we explain the strangers? If someone questions them too closely, it will be hard to deny that they are not from this world. It is a risk we cannot take.”
    Kaelin lay back down, fuming. How can he expect us to simply travel to Enisae and not go home? I want to see my family. Kaelin fell into a troubled sleep with tears drying on her cheeks.

ASTRA
    BROK HAD THEM UP before first light. The Astran Chosen groaned at the early hour, but their Volgon comrades did not appear to even notice. They were wide awake.
    “On our world, we cannot afford to be lethargic. Such careless behavior would result in injury or death,” Voilor said in answer to one of Keera's typical sarcastic remarks.
    “I am surprised you even sleep at all,” the fiery red-head mumbled as she wiped sleep from her eyes.
    The group ate a cold breakfast of meat and a few berries. There was a chill in the air that spoke of the coming of autumn. The Volgons did not appear to be affected by the cold, even without clothing. Or if they were, they did not voice a complaint. Before they exited the cave, Brok had the Astrans render the nude Volgons invisible.
    Brok led the group. Gerok, the Volgon Guardian, and his Chosen were stunned at the beauty of the landscape before them. The morning sun was shining through the branches of the aspen groves, and the slight breeze made the most delightful music as it blew through the leaves. Birds chirped merrily, and nectar bees and butterflies lazily drifted on the wind currents.
    The Volgons stared about them in amazement, wanting to look everywhere at once. Seelyr and Moylir giggled and laughed at the site of the fat, orange nectar bees flying from flower to flower to flower. They even picked several blooms until Brok put a stop to it.
    “Need I remind you that it is not customary on this world to see flowers moving through the air of their own accord?” Brok