The Coalition Episodes 1-4 Read Online Free
Author: Aria J. Wolfe
few steps and watched her. The gentle rise and fall of her chest more rhythmic than his own jerky breathing. He turned and walked briskly back to the door.
CHAPTER 4
Shai
She released one foot from the confines of the blanket and pushed the bed sheets back. Something had awakened her. The moonlight slanted in through the bare window pooling its pale yellow light on the floor. Her skin prickled as the fine hairs on her arms stood on end. She wasn't alone in the room.
Near the foot of the bed the shimmery outline of a head appeared. Colored dots swirled in her vision so she squeezed her eyes tight. When she reopened them, the rugged face of a young man with piercing blue eyes came into focus. He had been appearing to her a lot lately, as frequently as her thoughts of the Old World, maybe more. But seeing him was different than the memory-dreams she conjured up in the garden. He was more real.
His shoulder-length, wavy brown hair was thick, and parted down the middle. His strong features marred by a long jagged scar from his right eye down to the corner of his mouth. His chin creased in the center.
She didn't know his name and he never spoke. His face appeared once in a while, usually when she was alone, but with his more frequent visits lately it was becoming more difficult to keep them from occurring in public.
"Who are you? What do you want?" She always asked those same two questions but never received a response. His mouth curled up at the corners slightly in a grin, a small movement that sent her heart racing in expectation. Maybe tonight he would finally say something. Her fingertips tingled and a warmth spread through her body just as he flickered out of sight.
Tap, tap, tap. Shai jumped. Who could be at her door at this late hour?
CHAPTER 5
Aliah
He`d gone halfway down the hill when a figure approached. The short strides and side-to-side swaying of the round torso gave Ellersly away before Aliah could see his younger friend's face.
"Ell? What are you doing past curfew? You'll get caught for breaking the Law of Rest."
"Coming to find you. Need to tell you we got orders to meet at the fence-line tomorrow night." Ellersly fell into step beside Aliah. Sweat formed on the younger boy's brow and he wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his grey tunic that barely covered his midriff. His chin wobbled and his cheeks grew red.
"Another raid?" He could barely see Ellersly nod in the darkness. “Which part of the Borderless?"
The younger boy shrugged. "The West portion, I think. Does it matter?" Aliah thought he detected regret in his friend’s voice.
"Whoa, Ell. You grow a conscience overnight? What's going on?"
They crossed the bridge over the narrow river that separated the Boys' Houses from the Girls'.
"I don't know, Aliah. You ever wonder why we need to raid the Borderless? I mean, it's not just the raids but the fires... sometimes we leave very few survivors. Soon there'll be no one left out there. What's the point of that?"
Aliah stopped at the end of the bridge before entering his own assigned house. He put a hand on his friend's shoulder and looked into Ellersly's steel grey eyes.
"You know we get most of Lael's supplies from those raids. The Borderless have things we need. But if you think of them as vermin, and not people, exterminating them is easier. We need them, but the raid-fires are population control." He looked around and lowered his voice. "Look, Ell. Every Watcher has their regrets. But we have a duty to our community. If our Leader thinks we can handle being Watchers then we shouldn't complain. I'm worried about you. You're close to an infraction talking like that."
What’s eating him? Aliah pushed the thought away then slapped Ellersly playfully on the back.
"I'm not going to stay at the Boy's Houses tonight, Ell. You check in on my group again? I'll owe you."
Ellersly nodded. "You always owe me."
CHAPTER 6
Shai
She held her breath then yanked the door open.
"Sileas!"
CHAPTER 4
Shai
She released one foot from the confines of the blanket and pushed the bed sheets back. Something had awakened her. The moonlight slanted in through the bare window pooling its pale yellow light on the floor. Her skin prickled as the fine hairs on her arms stood on end. She wasn't alone in the room.
Near the foot of the bed the shimmery outline of a head appeared. Colored dots swirled in her vision so she squeezed her eyes tight. When she reopened them, the rugged face of a young man with piercing blue eyes came into focus. He had been appearing to her a lot lately, as frequently as her thoughts of the Old World, maybe more. But seeing him was different than the memory-dreams she conjured up in the garden. He was more real.
His shoulder-length, wavy brown hair was thick, and parted down the middle. His strong features marred by a long jagged scar from his right eye down to the corner of his mouth. His chin creased in the center.
She didn't know his name and he never spoke. His face appeared once in a while, usually when she was alone, but with his more frequent visits lately it was becoming more difficult to keep them from occurring in public.
"Who are you? What do you want?" She always asked those same two questions but never received a response. His mouth curled up at the corners slightly in a grin, a small movement that sent her heart racing in expectation. Maybe tonight he would finally say something. Her fingertips tingled and a warmth spread through her body just as he flickered out of sight.
Tap, tap, tap. Shai jumped. Who could be at her door at this late hour?
CHAPTER 5
Aliah
He`d gone halfway down the hill when a figure approached. The short strides and side-to-side swaying of the round torso gave Ellersly away before Aliah could see his younger friend's face.
"Ell? What are you doing past curfew? You'll get caught for breaking the Law of Rest."
"Coming to find you. Need to tell you we got orders to meet at the fence-line tomorrow night." Ellersly fell into step beside Aliah. Sweat formed on the younger boy's brow and he wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his grey tunic that barely covered his midriff. His chin wobbled and his cheeks grew red.
"Another raid?" He could barely see Ellersly nod in the darkness. “Which part of the Borderless?"
The younger boy shrugged. "The West portion, I think. Does it matter?" Aliah thought he detected regret in his friend’s voice.
"Whoa, Ell. You grow a conscience overnight? What's going on?"
They crossed the bridge over the narrow river that separated the Boys' Houses from the Girls'.
"I don't know, Aliah. You ever wonder why we need to raid the Borderless? I mean, it's not just the raids but the fires... sometimes we leave very few survivors. Soon there'll be no one left out there. What's the point of that?"
Aliah stopped at the end of the bridge before entering his own assigned house. He put a hand on his friend's shoulder and looked into Ellersly's steel grey eyes.
"You know we get most of Lael's supplies from those raids. The Borderless have things we need. But if you think of them as vermin, and not people, exterminating them is easier. We need them, but the raid-fires are population control." He looked around and lowered his voice. "Look, Ell. Every Watcher has their regrets. But we have a duty to our community. If our Leader thinks we can handle being Watchers then we shouldn't complain. I'm worried about you. You're close to an infraction talking like that."
What’s eating him? Aliah pushed the thought away then slapped Ellersly playfully on the back.
"I'm not going to stay at the Boy's Houses tonight, Ell. You check in on my group again? I'll owe you."
Ellersly nodded. "You always owe me."
CHAPTER 6
Shai
She held her breath then yanked the door open.
"Sileas!"
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