Book Four: Chapter 150

Kisa snorted, the sound sharp and irritated, then reached up and pulled one of the buds out of her ear to examine it more closely. It looked alien, like something that had drifted down from the stars, its surface smooth and oddly metallic. Despite its unusual appearance, the sound quality seemed surprisingly crisp and precise. She tilted it in the light, the small reflective surface catching the sun.

“There’s always a catch,” she muttered under her breath, her tail flicking impatiently behind her.

“You’d think so,” said a feminine voice, low and amused, from behind her. The sudden sound made Kisa start violently and drop the earbud. It clattered on the roof, only for a black scorpion’s tail to whip around her with startling speed, snatching the earbud in its pincers at the very tip.

“Is everybody trying to scare me off this fucking roof?” she demanded, whirli