Her hands had never failed her before. With them she’d wielded the jegun blade in battle among the stars. With them she’d climbed the falling trees of Dong’ea Sulai, felled a shrieking falcon, and plucked maika wool. She’d always trusted her hands.
My dad named me Puke when I was born because I was so ugly that he wanted to vomit all over me. That’s the story, anyway, and it gets my dad roaring. Every time he tells the tale he laughs so hard that the metal barbs in his neck twitch like reeker bugs. Makes me want to throw up. But a lot of things do. My sis, Avarice, says I was born on the wrong planet. She’s got that right.
“We’ll hijack the ship and fly it back,” said Zufi. “It’s the only way to get home.” Alika stared at him, her eyes wide and white in the half dark. The two of them huddled side by side, bracing their hands and feet against the roof and floor of the vibrating tunnel. Goosebumps crawled across…