Time Seer: A Space Opera (The Chronicles of Cael Book 1) by Cassia Meare

Author:Cassia Meare [Meare, Cassia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mobi, June 12
Publisher: Amazon
Published: 2017-03-30T05:00:00+00:00

29

THE RACE STOOD OUT TO GAIUS both for taking place in less than half an hour and for allowing bets.

"Well, we should be faster than anyone here," Valeria said.

It was a five-minute walk to the track, a long oval space made of red beaten dirt, where a man took the names of the few people willing to race and a woman stood behind a busier betting booth.

"Look at the odds," Valeria said, pointing at a screen, "there are two clear favorites."

"Which means anyone who beats them will make a bundle. Are you a betting woman, Tylia?"

"Not much to do in a garrison during military service sometimes. You end up betting on which piece of debris will float by faster."

As they got to the signing-up booth, Valeria elbowed Gaius aside.

"I've got this one."

The man signing people up looked at Valeria with amusement.

"You writing my name down or what?" she asked.

As she dictated it, her name and an image of her, taken at that moment, appeared on the screen. A laugh went up amidst the small crowd that was gathered there.

"Race starts in ten minutes," the man said. "Good luck, you'll need it."

Ignoring him, they moved toward the bigger line at the betting booth.

"Nothing like being underappreciated," Valeria said.

But Gaius had spotted the favorites across the tracks, two thin men who looked strangely alike, with frizzy blond hair carefully brushed back to reveal small, round ears. Their eyes were surrounded by black lines that went down to their chin.

"Those lines aren't tattoos — they are hybrids of man with cheetahs, the fastest animal on Earth."

"Oh?"

"The race is clearly meant to be between them, and the rest of the people who signed up are the filling. Either that or they are delusional fools."

"Really?"

Gaius turned to her. "You seem unconcerned."

"I want you to put all the money you have on me."

He fingered the cones in his pocket. "All of it?"

"All of it, Drusus."

Taking a deep, doubtful breath, Gaius reflected on the plight of the common man or woman, toiling to put resources together only to have them snatched away by cruel chance. Not that Cael had such people, but he would, in future, be more sensitive to immigrants.

A group of men who had placed their bets passed them, ogling Valeria. The tallest of them, a handsome brown-skinned Earthling, stopped to smile at her with strong white teeth.

"I saw that you're racing?"

"Yes. Aren't you putting money on me?"

The Earthling's smile grew bigger, and his green eyes showed bold appreciation for Valeria.

"All right, just don't hurt yourself," he advised.

He kept walking and looked back after a few moments to smile at her again.

"Is that a grimace of distaste on your face?" Gaius asked.

"It's a smile," Valeria said. "He was cute. Bring out the money."

It was their turn and Gaius placed the bet under her supervision. She wouldn't let him keep a single cone.

"You constantly advise me against hubris, and yet you have oodles of it,” he said as they moved away from the booth.

“How can I

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