Treasure of Light (The Light Trilogy) Read Online Free Page B

memories he’d gained while in government service, claiming it was a matter of galactic security. Then he’d be confined to an institution for the rest of his life. They had little sympathy for captains incapable of carrying out their orders, no matter how onerous.
    And they’d gotten goddamned onerous in the past year. How many planets had he killed? Four? Or should he count the half measure on Nuja? And at this very instant he stood on the precipice of another attack on Horeb.
    The ache in Tahn’s stomach intensified as he watched Iona lift the syringe again. “This just looks big, Mikael. It won’t cause any pain. Sometimes, though, it makes you hear or see funny things. You just ignore them, all right?”
    “Like what?”
    “Oh, strange voices or flashes of light. But they aren’t real. Don’t let them scare you.”
    The boy looked up at him accusingly from beneath dark lashes. “Are we orbiting Horeb, sir?”
    Tahn held his breath. “Yes.”
    “I have a cousin on Horeb. Can I go see her? I think she lives in a city named Seir.”
    “We’re not going to stay for very long. We’re just here to pick up a prisoner.”
    “But the doctor said we’ll be here for hours. Maybe if you didn’t give me that shot I could go down for just a few minutes.”
    “No. I—I’m sorry.”
    Mikael fumbled with the sleeve of his brown robe. “I guess it doesn’t matter. My cousin probably thinks I’m dead anyway. Just like everybody else does.”
    Tahn shoved his hands in his pockets, straining at his own impotence. He had no choice. His orders from Slothen obliged him to target the capital first. In an hour, this boy’s cousin would be swallowed by a massive wave of molten rock and debris.
    He fought to keep his voice steady, “Why don’t you lie down, Mikael. This won’t take very long.”
    “Yes, sir.” Bravely, Mikael stretched out on his back. He dug tiny fingers into the gray blanket and watched intently as Iona came across the cabin to lean over him. The syringe gleamed silver.
    Gently, Iona said, “I’m going to push up your sleeve, all right, Mikael?”
    “You’d better hurry. I might throw up.”
    “Oh, don’t do that. This isn’t nearly as bad as it looks.”
    Iona moved the brown cloth from Mikael’s left arm and then placed the barrel of the syringe against it. A whoosh of air sounded and the cold barrel went away. Mikael opened his eyes and looked curiously at the cold spot on his arm.
    “See? That didn’t hurt, did it?” Iona asked.
    “No, sir.”
    “When the sedative starts to be absorbed, it will ache a tiny bit, but by then you should be asleep. So you won’t feel it except for just a minute.” Iona backed away.
    Tahn heaved a sigh and walked to Mikael’s bedside. Kneeling, he forced a confident smile. “Are you okay?”
    Mikael just glared.
    Tahn pulled the blanket up and tucked the edges around Mikael’s legs, making sure he’d be warm enough. “There’s nothing to worry about, you understand? You’ll just sleep for a few hours and when you wake up—”
    “You’ll take me to Magistrate Slothen? So I can talk to him? I need to talk to him. An angel told me I had to.”
    “An angel?” A tingle touched Tahn’s spine. Imaginary friends? Defense mechanisms came in many forms. He had a number of his own that were no less exotic—like having to position chairs to form a barricade around his bed every night after a major battle to keep the ghosts at bay. Thank God his crew knew nothing about such things or they’d wonder about his sanity.
    “Yes, sir. The angel’s name is Metatron. He comes as a big dark shadow, then turns into a bright and shining man. He’s the one who took me down the mountain to Colonel Silbersay’s office before …”
    At the pained look, Tahn’s heart slammed against his ribs. “I’ll take you to Slothen. Under the Treaty of Lysomia, it’s your right. I’ll make sure nobody stops you. Don’t worry, now. You just get a good