Blue Dome (The Blue Dome Series) Read Online Free

silhouette was the decoration he wore at his throat.
Instead of a tie, a tiny emerald cross gleamed in the light.
    “Power shortage again, eh
boss?” The sweaty man nodded towards the candles.
    “Something like that,”
the man replied. He began writing his manuscript again as his visitor shifted
nervously from one foot to the other.
    “Ah, erm, the boy…”
    “Well, show him in then,”
said the man at the desk, impatiently.
    The sweaty man turned and
shouted to someone outside the door. A tall, athletic boy sloped into the room.
    “Yes?” The man at the
desk said, without looking up.
    “I dropped off that
parcel for you boss.”
    The boy paused, waiting
for a response, but the man kept writing.
    “Umm…I was just wondering
if I could pick up my wages?”
    The man scrawled
something into his manuscript with his left hand, reaching with his right into
the top drawer of his desk. He pulled out a thick roll of banknotes and peeled
off one, placing it ceremoniously on the table, directly in front of the boy.
It was only then that the man rolled his eyes away from his writing, fixing the
boy with a level stare.
    The boy glanced at the
solitary note and curled his lip.
    “You said you’d pay more
than that,” he said, waggling his fingers impatiently.
    The sweaty man, who’d
been watching from the doorway, drew a sharp intake of breath, grimaced, then
quickly looked away. The man sitting at the desk raised his right eyebrow
inquisitively at the boy.
    “So you think I am your servant now?” he said coolly. He paused, studying the boy’s face for a second,
before suddenly slamming his fist on the desk. The boy jumped back. “Don’t ever speak to me like that again.”
    “S...sorry boss,” said
the boy.
    An uneasy silence seeped
into the room as the man returned to his manuscript. The boy fidgeted with
something in his pocket, considering how best to phrase his next sentence.
    “It’s just…well…you said
that you’d pay me double that if I delivered that parcel.”
    “Yes, and I shall,” said
the man, continuing to scratch away at the paper with his fountain pen. “But
first I have another job for you. If you complete it I will pay you the
outstanding amount, tripled.”
    “Tripled?” the boy
repeated, incredulously. “Does that mean I’ve passed the final test?”
    The man’s eyes flicked
briefly towards the boy.
    “Yes. I received
confirmation that the package arrived safely, and on time, so you can consider
yourself officially one of my staff.”
    “Thanks boss, I won’t let
you down.” The boy’s face could barely contain his smile.
    “I need to recruit
someone else for a particular job and I would like you to help me find the
perfect candidate,” said the man.
    “Okay, sure,” the boy
replied, trying to sound casual but failing miserably. This had to be the
easiest money he’d ever earned.
    “I have particular
specifications for this candidate and I need them to be met precisely .
Do you understand?”
    The boy shrugged. “Sure,”
he said.
    “Good.” The man rested
his pen in the inkwell and pushed back his heavy, dark mahogany chair. He stood
quickly and walked towards the window. Staring out beyond the derelict factories,
the man’s eyes settled on the thin, black horizon. “The first criterion is that
the candidate has to be small, by which, I mean, smaller than you,” he said.
    “Like, small enough to
fit through a window in a house you mean?” said the boy, smiling knowingly.
    “Yes, exactly,” said the
man, continuing to stare fixedly at the window. “The second criterion is that
the candidate has to be a boy who is about the same age as you.”
    “You mean someone who’s
in my year at school?”
    “Correct.”
    The boy waited a couple
of seconds for the man to elaborate, but the only sound was that of the sweaty
man’s heavy breathing.
    “So what job will the new
guy be doing?” said the boy. “I don’t understand…”
    “I’m not paying you to