I hadn’t been singing, but I started. My voice was nothing like the trained ones, but I mumbled some words as we drew closer to the guard. Then Kolt draped one arm over my shoulder and leaned forward, no doubt to appear even shorter.
Instead of shrinking from the soldier, Lettie gave him an exaggerated bow as we passed. “Hey, handsome! Care to join our party?”
The soldier snorted a laugh as he shook his head. “Not a chance, lady.”
“Suit yourself, sweetie,” Lettie called after him, as she waitedfor us to pass and then brought up the rear of the group, waving and blocking any view of Kolt.
The song resumed, my pulse resumed its normal pace, and we continued to wind our way through the city, with Lettie taking her place at the front again and directing us around one corner and then another. The darkness of the night was giving way to a faint glow of dawn, splinters of gold peeking over the lower roofs as we reached the outskirts of the city.
When we were down to two bottles of gin in the hall, Lettie stopped us with a hand extended in front of the group. “We’re here.”
Chapter
Thirty-Seven
Kolt
The Zagrath emblem glinted on the stone pillars that marked the entrance to the shipyard, and my stomach clenched at the sight. We’d made it through the city without incident, and the sleeping spaceships were shadowy outlines huddled beyond the pillars and watchtower.
I instinctively sized up the security fortifications. One guard in the watchtower plus a pair lounging by the pillars. No movement around the ships, although there might be other guards out of sight but patrolling the perimeter.
“This is the main entrance, the west entrance,” Lettie said in a hush, her lilting soprano and teasing tone gone. “We’re leaving Hatch and Ringo here to distract the guards while we continue to the east side.”
The pair in the striped pants grinned and rubbed their hands together, as if they’d been waiting for this their entire lives.
“Don’t overdo it,” Athena warned them. “And don’t get hurt.”
One man put a hand on his hip. “You can trust us, Theni.” Then he flicked the fingers of his other hand at them. “Now the rest of you should go.”
Lettie waved for us to follow her, but I paused in front of the two actors. “Thank you for risking yourself. You did not have to do this.”
The other man grinned. “Sure, we did. Today they’re after you. Tomorrow it could be us. If we don’t push back, who’s going to stop them from taking everything from everyone?”
The bravery of the two actors, armed with nothing but gaudy clothes and attitude, rendered me speechless. I vowed to myself that I would do everything in my power to free their planet from the control of the Empire. I would not rest until every citizen of Gollun Prime was free.
Without thinking why I was doing it, I clicked my heels together and bowed my head to them. “I will not forget your bravery.”
One of them winked at me. “I hope you remember more about us than that, hot stuff.”
Then they moved away toward the pillars, and I ran to catch up to the rest of the group. Skye had slowed her pace at the rear to wait for me, and Athena was at her side.
“Stay in the shadows,” the actress said, as we slunk along the edges of the city and kept the walls of the shipyard in view. “There shouldn’t be guards out here, but you never know.”
The aroma of the outer rim of Kashara wasn’t tinged with the savory scents of street food or woodsmoke. Here, it was ripe with the odors of moldering trash and fetid ale. No barkeeps swept their front stoops on the edge of town. It didn’t look like anyone bothered to sweep at all.
Was that why Imperial guards stayed away, or was it so unkempt because there were no guards to impress? Either way, I understood why Lettie had picked this side of the shipyard.
When we reached a part of the shipyard wall with a rickety gate, she stopped and held up a hand. I stood close to Skye, but I no longer bent over her to hide my height since there was no one else around us.
Despite the sun peeking over the rooftops, this part of the city slumbered. There was no sign of guards posted near the gate or movement of any kind. After a few moments, I wondered if Lettie’s brother had forgotten about us. Maybe the distraction at the west gate hadn’t worked. Maybe the guards had captured Hatch and Ringo and were on their way to intercept us now.
Then I recalled the look of determination on the actors’ faces. No, they would not give us up to the enemy. That I knew for certain.
Then a shrill whistle screamed in the distance behind us. I turned, but it hadn’t come from the area of the shipyard. The red light that shot into the sky came from deep within the city. As it reached its apex and emitted a loud pop and burst of color, I knew precisely who was responsible.
“This is Hal’s distraction?” Skye asked, her voice both shocked and amused.
“It’s a little late, but we had to estimate how long it would take us to get here,” Athena whispered back.
