The Soul Eaters (The Thin Hex Line Book 1) by Gwyndolyn Russell (100 best novels of all time .txt) 📗

but me, Fenris, and Mjolnir. Out here, there was no atmosphere, we were out in space. The maglocks on our boots kept us on the ground.

“What’s your business here?” The raven in the front said with a harsh voice.

“We’re looking for someone.” Reaper answered.

“You have a lot of weapons to be looking for someone.”

“He’s not exactly friendly.”

“There haven’t been any humans passing through here.” One of the others chimed in.

“There was someone.” The third said. That one had a higher-pitched voice. In fact, a closer inspection of his suit showed a much thinner waist compared to the other two and a deeper, narrow chest. A female.

“What?” The leader turned around to look at her.

“Yeah, a little thing.” She held her free hand up to her hips. “Black clothes, a hood. Seen it wandering around the station.”

“Sounds like our guy.” Reaper crossed his arms over his chest.

The leader hummed in thought and turned to Reaper.

“Very well, Captain Reaper. You and your...band of miscreants may stay long enough to get your man.”

“You know who I am?”

“You decommissioned my father in the war.”

“I am sorry for that.”

“Don’t be! War is a dangerous game. My father is well now.”

“God was watching over him. May he continue to do so.” Reaper gave a bow of his head.

“Move your ass and get out of here before you overstay your welcome.” They stepped to the side to allow us to pass.

We wasted no time in getting out of the docking area. The sooner the better. I had not seen Reaper tense up like that sense the war. Then again, even I was tensed. It’s hard to make friends when you spent years shooting at each other. Even worse, when you were the one that nearly killed a man’s father. Or did.

We were stared at everywhere we went. The ravens whispered about us. Open doors and windows were slammed shut and locked when we passed by. Anyone calling attention to their stores shut up as we approached, turned around as if we didn’t exist. Not like we wanted to buy anything from those scaly bastards.

I would rather be in a fight right now than going through this. They kept their distance out of disgust. Wanted nothing to do with any of us. I saw some approach Mjolnir, attempt to pull him to the side and question why he walked with us.

The ardrizi shrugged them off. Gave them no answer. He owed them no explanation.

Reaper actually tried to stop some folk to talk. Ask about the hooded man running amok. He didn’t exist to these ravens. He was outright ignored. He even tried to stop a child in hopes the child could spill any information, but its mother pulled it away.

Every time he was denied, he barely even pouted. He sighed and moved on. Not a clenched fist. Not a stomp. He never even raised his voice. Even when one raven had the balls to spit on him when he tried to say something.

I was not so collected. I gritted my teeth. My hands would have been in my pockets had I any in this damned suit. Instead, I gripped the straps of my vest and bit my tongue. Reaper turned the other cheek every time and kept on smiling.

No wonder he was Captain.

We eventually found the bar that had been mentioned in the report. Raven officers were still at the scene. The body had been recovered. The area roped off to keep anyone out who should not have been there.

Reaper turned to us, scratching his cheek.

“They won’t talk to us.” He stated.

“What makes you think that?” I crossed my arms over my chest.

“I will talk to them.” Mjolnir said.

“What? Are you sure?” Reaper looked up to him.

“Yes! They will talk with me.” He grinned real big, showing off all his sharp teeth.

Fenris’ head tilted to the side. I got the feeling he was analyzing the ardrizi.

“All right. Find out everything you can.”

Mjolnir headed right for the nearest eldiravan.

I knew I shouldn’t feel the way I did about them, but I was still disgusted by them. Too many years of them being labeled the enemy for a hundred reasons. They drilled it into your head during boot camp. This is your enemy. Now we were trying to work with them. Solve their murders. Befriend them. It made my stomach churn. How could we be allies with these monsters?

The eldiravan were everything we as the Federation stood against. They were military run. When they were born they were trained to fight, to be soldiers. They apparently destroyed their own home world in a territorial feud, and now they were running amok in the galaxy, destroying other planets and everybody who lived on them. They lacked freedom and personality. They were all the same. Hot blooded, war mongering creatures that killed anybody who did not live to their standards. How the hell did they end up joining the Alliance to begin with?

I couldn’t hear what Mjolnir was saying, but it seemed they were having a pleasant conversation. The eldiravan even took him around the scene, though didn’t let him beyond the rope. We watched from afar, kept an eye out in case for whatever reason the suspect happened back by the scene of the crime.

“This place is really pretty. Do all raven outposts look like this?” Sparrow said.

I kept my mouth shut; I had nothing nice to say.

“All the gold and red really makes the white stand out, don’t it? I always hated destroying their places in the war.” Reaper said. “I would much rather admire it. There’s no telling how old any of their designs really are.”

“Aren’t you from Earth, Captain?” Ruby asked.

“Yeah. There’s a lot of historic areas there. Most are... ruins last I saw, but I also didn’t travel far from home until I enlisted.”

“How old are some of the places?”

“Thousands of years. We don’t even know why most of them were built to begin with.”

“Wow.”

“It’s a shame they probably don’t appreciate history themselves.” I snarked.

Reaper sighed. “War