The Journey of the Marked (The Miyran Heir Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

view and the
transport station was a short walk away on the edge of the village of Stipol. Luckily, he would be able to reach it without having to cross the bridge
over the river, leaving him further exposed. As he would no longer benefit from
the protection of the fields, he returned to the dirt road and walked swiftly
toward the station.
    Once at the station, Tip bought a
ticket from the woman at the ticket counter and climbed the stairs to the
platform. As he reached the top of the stairs, he hesitated and scanned the
area for anyone unusual. He wasn’t exactly certain what might constitute
“unusual,” but he trusted his instincts to keep him safe. The platform
consisted of a long expanse of wood planks, stretching approximately thirty
yards, and was raised several feet off the ground. About a dozen Raptans, the
species inhabiting Stipol, milled about the platform, but there were no other
species. The Raptans strongly supported the Miyrans. He breathed a sigh of
relief.
    The transports arriving on the
western side of the platform headed to Caldot; while those on the eastern side
ran farther outbound to the last stop, which provided access to the city for
other communities, as well as a few small communes even farther away. He had
never visited the communes, but they apparently consisted of vagabonds from
Caldot that had abandoned the city to live in the spaceship remnants far to the
south, remnants left by those arriving on the planet years ago from distant
worlds.
    Tip picked an unobtrusive spot on
the western side of the platform, some distance from the nearest Raptan and on
the end of the platform where he could board the back of the transport. Most
citizens preferred to ride in the front, which made the back a better choice. He
turned to discover that a Raptan was watching him. Tip swallowed hard, but
didn’t divert his eyes. The Raptan was tall and willowy, with long arms and
fingers. He had dark hair pulled back from his face, a high forehead, and a
beak-like nose — all traits common to the Raptans. The Raptan’s eyes softened. He
bowed his head, turned, and walked farther down the platform. Tip watched him
for a moment, then shifted his eyes to the direction from which the transport
would arrive. The Raptan must know he was marked. He grasped the edges of his
coat, his hand close to the laser gun. What should he do? What could he
do? Relax, Tip reminded himself and took a deep breath. After all, the
Raptans were friends with the Liput and supported the Miyrans. Hopefully the bow
was a sign of respect, even support, and meant nothing more. He gnawed on his
lip. Besides, what else could he do … walk? Traveling by foot was too risky and
the distance too far. He would stick with his plan and travel by transport.
    The five-car transport headed to
Caldot arrived shortly, hovering a few feet above the ground. Scratched and
aging metal encased the transport’s bottom half, while a dirty, tinted glass
dome covered the top half. Tip carefully stepped onboard the last car. The
transport held rows of seats with two seats on each side, all facing the
direction the transport traveled. An opening linked the last car to one
directly in front of it. No one else sat in this car. Tip found a seat in the
back and hugged his bag to his chest. Just before the doors closed, the Raptan
from the platform climbed aboard, along with two young Raptan males. They each
nodded at Tip, then sat in seats scattered between Tip and the opening to the
next car. As the transport doors closed, the older Raptan turned to Tip and
said softly, “We can’t accompany you once we arrive in the city, but we can
ensure you have no trouble between here and there.” He gave a quick nod and
turned to face front.
    Tip stared at the back of the
Raptan’s head for a few moments. One of the young Raptans turned and winked. Tip
smiled, profoundly moved by their kindness, and he felt his shoulders relax a
little. As the transport started its journey, he