His suffering fell into sharp relief. Hunched and emaciated. Filthy. A hollowness ballooned inside my chest and I could almost hear the pieces of my heart clattering on my ribs as it crumbled. In seeing Patton, I saw the consequences of my decisions reflected back to me. I’d abandoned him. Worse, even, I’d watched him suffer and then judged him for it. He’d faded as I’d gorged, beholden to nectar and indifferent to his decline. And through it all, he’d never treated me any differently. He’d never fought me, challenged me, called me out for what I was doing. Ugh, I felt weak, nauseous. I deserved that. I deserved far worse.

The Scythin prodded Patton in the side and he collapsed onto the floor.

“Patton!” I cried. He didn’t so much as glance in my direction. I went to step out from the dredge, but Jezzer stopped me. I called out again.

The other Scythin lifted Patton up from the floor and led him toward the center of the room. I realized it then, like sun burning away a quilt of morning fog: they were going to dredge him. My chest was a lava chamber filling with molten panic.

“Hey,” I said, softly, beseeching the Scythin called Jezzer. “He’s not a Stringer. You can’t put him in a dredge. You can’t torture him.”

The Scythin emitted a sound no louder than air through a vent. No. You will.

96 A myth, of course, but that still hurts, man. You and I were pushing eleven, twelve percent.

97 So, the Death Star – A spherical city is not a novel concept. Star Wars can’t lay claim to any round object in space just because people live on it. That’s silly - You ignorant child.

98 Some in academia advocate for five, six, seven, or even eight Kingdoms – Well, we’re doing four, because there are four original Simon colors.

99 An easy to remember fish. They have human-looking teeth. See? Now you’ll never forget.

100 Populations of supurba are literal sausage fests, so attracting one of the rare females takes immense effort and these guys put in the work.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE