The Ghalian Code: Space Assassins 3

by Scott Baron

  Samara was already running the other way, making a sprint for the nearest boarding craft in desperate hopes she might be able to make it. As for the rest of them, it was clearly too late.

  The spells breached the hull. First opening a small tear, but quickly blasting the craft wide open, the air, debris, and people inside all sucked out into space as the sealed compartments of the ship failed catastrophically from the foolish man’s magical barrage.

  Hozark and Demelza grabbed Hap between them and held fast. Air was almost gone, there was perhaps a second or two before they would be sucked out into the vacuum. It was just enough time for Hozark to cast a Hail Mary spell the likes of which he’d never attempted.

  The trio was flung into space as the pirate ship broke into pieces, but rather than suffocate and freeze, they found themselves encapsulated in a tiny bubble of atmosphere, protected from the icy death around them.

  Demelza was astonished. She’d never seen anything like it. Never even heard of anything like it. But, somehow, Hozark had saved them. His eyes were squeezed tight, his grip on his vespus blade turning his knuckles even whiter than they already were.

  “This spell. What is it?” she asked, confused.

  “A ship’s umbilical spell,” he replied through gritted teeth.

  It was then that Demelza realized why he was straining so as they drifted in space. This was a type of magic that was not meant to exist without a surface to connect. Two, actually. It was supposed to link one ship to another, but, somehow, Hozark had closed off both ends and provided them a safe shelter.

  But it would not last long. The sheer amount of power it required to keep the spell active was immense, and Hozark was straining with all of his might to maintain it.

  He had already drained his own power dry, as well as the konus on his wrist, and was now pulling the last dregs of his vespus blade’s store of magic, the blue glow fading as his magic began to falter.

  “Hold on to me tight,” Demelza told the boy, hoping to at least provide him a modicum of comfort at the moment of his death.

  The air in the bubble suddenly chilled. The vacuum was about to take them. Again the temperature dropped, and this time the air abruptly became a lot thinner and difficult to breathe. It was only a matter of moments before the spell failed altogether.

  A hard jolt yanked the trio just as the brutal cold hit them and they found themselves unable to breathe. A second later, they were most unexpectedly lying on the hard deck of Bud’s cargo hold.

  Bud was strapped to the bulkhead to keep from being sucked out when he opened the sealing spell and cast a retrieval loop to pull them in. As soon as they were safely inside, he sealed the ship and called to Laskar to get them the hell out of there.

  The copilot was all too happy to comply and quickly flew them out of the cascading battle and into the darkness of space.

  Hozark attempted to sit up, then collapsed, out cold, his vespus now devoid of its customary glow. He had used up every bit of power he possessed and then some, but, miraculously, Demelza and the boy lived.

  The question now was, would he?

  Chapter Fifty-Nine

  The pale man had not stirred an inch since he had been placed on the soft bed, no matter what had gone on around him. For a master Ghalian to slumber through anything in his immediate vicinity, let alone directly following a fierce battle, spoke volumes as to the degree to which he had been drained.

  At long last, however, he roused. Not from voices or commotion, but to the most wonderful smell.

  Hozark painfully pulled his eyelids apart and peered at the people hovering over him. Demelza was seated on the edge of his bed with a mug in her hand, steam faintly wafting up from its lip.

  “Uzabud, sit him up a bit, please,” Demelza asked.

  “You got it, Mel,” he replied, pushing a pillow beneath his friend’s back, shoulders, and head until he was propped up a bit.

  “Here, drink this,” Demelza said, tipping the mug to his lips. “But slowly. It is still hot.”

  The heat of the fluid, along with the wonderful salinity, fats, and proteins in the broth, all felt amazing sliding down his dry throat. It felt as though he’d been coughing up sand, and the soup seemed like a magical, liquid bandage to heal that hurt.

  In reality, he had simply been unconscious for so long that his throat had somewhat dried out in the process.

  He tried to sit up farther but found himself unable.

  “Lemme help you,” Bud said, pushing another pillow into the mix.

  “Thank you, Bud,” Hozark croaked. “Oh, I do not sound well,” he noted with a pained grin.

  “Well, you did sleep for three days,” Bud replied.

  “Three?” the weary killer said. “Well, I take it we survived, then?”

  Bud laughed. “Yeah, man. You survived. But only barely. We got to you as fast as we could with all the crazy shit going off around Darvin’s ship. I mean, damn. The Council had a serious hard-on for that guy.”

  “There is a child present, Uzabud,” Demelza noted.

  “Yeah? And he’s seen things that make a little salty language seem like a picnic with rainbows and fluffy clouds,” he shot back.

  She sighed. “Your point is valid, I suppose.”

  “Yeah, and besides, a kid’s gotta learn the ways of the world. Toughen up. Be prepared to kick names and take ass, fucking people up like nobody’s business!” Bud joked.

  “I believe you meant kicking ass and taking names,” Laskar corrected.

  “No I didn’t,” he replied with a wicked grin.

  “We are all accounted for?” the master assassin asked.

  “Everyone is safe,” Bud replied.

  In truth, some were more than merely fine. Some were quite well.

  Henni had found herself on the battlefield that day, and it had been a liberating, cathartic experience. All of that pent-up emotion from the things she’d endured over the years had just flowed out of her once she was given free rein––truly free rein––to go apeshit crazy.

  And that she had.

  By the time Bud and the others looped Drommus and made their way quietly back to the surface to retrieve her while the Council fought up above, she had succumbed to the blood-lust and was elbow-deep in battle.

  Or, more accurately, in her enemies’ torsos.

  She was something of a dynamo when it came right down to it, and hardened pirates were now steering clear of the small woman with violet hair and eyes that contained galaxies.

  Eventually, she calmed down, but for a long while after, the girl was buzzing around the ship as they flew as far from Drommus as possible. Then the post-battle fatigue hit, and she slept for a day straight.

  It wasn’t as long as Hozark had been out, but it was impressive in its own right.

  “You know, Demelza told us what you did, man,” Laskar said. “That was incredible.”

  “It was not pleasant,” Hozark said.

  “But it’s impossible. To use that type of spell in that way? It’s unheard of. It shouldn’t be doable.”

  “Impossible things are often done by those unaware they can’t be,” Hozark replied with a weak grin.

  “Very mystical master of you,” Bud said with a chuckle. “But seriously, how did you manage it? Laskar’s right, it shouldn’t be possible.”

  Hozark looked at the friends standing around him, then repeated the words immortalized by Master Haiweh centuries before his time.

  “We adapt,” he said. “We improvise. We overcome.”

  Happizano walked up to the reclining Wampeh and quietly stood beside him.

  “What troubles you, young Jinnik?” he asked.

  “You rescued me,” the boy said.

  “Of course we did.”

  “But I ran away. I stole one of your ships and ran away, but you still came for me.”

  “You are our friend,” he replied. “There was no way we would not come find you.”

  He omitted the parts about them being pi
ssed he had stolen that ship, the amount of coin it would take to repair all of the damage it incurred, and the countless dead because of his foolish attempt to flee to a world unsafe for his return. There would be time for that later.

  “Captain Demarzik? In the battle, she––”

  “She’s fine, Hozark. Relax. I can’t say the same for those bastards who took Hap, though. Their ship was blown clean in half, as you know first-hand. Holy shit, that was a mess. Once we picked you guys up, we got out of there just in time before the whole damned planet jumped into action.”

  “The whole planet?”

  “Well, it sure seemed like it.”

  “It was a lot of ships,” Laskar confirmed.

  “Yeah, and it was glorious. Once the folks down below realized what was going on up in space, they all joined into the fight. Those poor Council bastards didn’t stand a chance. I mean, imagine that. A pirate stronghold, and all of the different factions putting aside their personal issues to come together against a common enemy.”

  “Fuck the Council,” Hozark said with a weak laugh. “Arr.”

  “Did you just say ‘arr’?”Bud asked with a chuckle.

  “It is an inside joke,” Demelza said.

  Hozark’s smile turned serious.

  “Samara. She was there, aboard Darvin’s ship when that fool caster blew it apart. Is she dead?”

  “I can’t say for one hundred percent certain, but I’d be willing to bet she got out of there in one piece,” Laskar said. “I was watching as the ship tore apart, and a few of the boarding vessels nearest the breach were able to disengage and get clear.”

  “But the battle––”

  “Nah, they were long gone as soon as they broke free. They just jumped away before shit got really crazy. But a bunch of their other ships weren’t so lucky, and they took one helluva beating, am I right, Bud?”

  “That you are, my friend. That you are.”

  They had recovered the boy successfully, and without sustaining any losses. At least, not to their own crew, though the pirate captains had suffered more than a few.

  And Samara lived yet, it seemed. The revelation brought a little smile to Hozark’s lips. Sure, she had been trying to kill him, just as he had been trying to kill her, but he’d expected nothing less. She was a consummate professional, after all. It would have been disrespectful to pull her blows.

  Hozark settled deeper into the comfort of his pillows and began the long, slow work of getting in touch with every inch of his recovering body.

  “So, where exactly are we?” he asked. “If it has been three days in transit, we have to be heading somewhere relatively far.”

  “Oh, we are,” Demelza replied. “We are heading to meet with Master Corann.”

  Chapter Sixty

  Seated on comfortable chairs on the Wampeh Ghalian master’s porch, a trio of pale, unassuming Wampeh sipped on herbal tea while snacking on the delicate pastries spread out on the tray in front of them.

  To any of the locals and neighbors, it seemed like just another day for the kindly woman hosting her ‘niece’ and a guest. She was one of the bright spots in their little community, and she smiled and waved her hellos whenever one would pass by.

  Little did they know, the number of people she had killed in her day was greater than the population of their little neighborhood.

  The motherly woman watched the steam rise from her cup, contemplating what she had just learned, not only of young Happizano’s rescue and those who had taken him, but of the Council members who showed such interest in the boy.

  “Samara?” Corann stated, more than asked.

  “Yes,” Hozark replied.

  “Fascinating.”

  “And not in a good way,” Hozark added.

  “She actually boarded the pirate’s vessel in an attempt to retrieve the boy?”

  “In the later waves, yes. The initial attack was to ensure he was actually aboard and determine the nature of the defenders’ numbers and location.”

  “A sound tactic.”

  “Indeed,” Hozark said. “Samara came with a retinue of Tslavar shock troops. It was quite a battle, I must admit.”

  “Fighting within the tight confines of a ship often is,” Corann agreed. “But you prevailed.”

  Hozark nodded, turning toward his teammate. “Thanks to Demelza’s skill and determination, yes. She not only defended herself admirably against Samara and her vespus blade, but she even put her on the defensive for a moment.”

  Demelza felt her blush reflex fighting to engage, but she tamped it down. Flattery from the leaders of the order was nice, but success was the ultimate prize. And they had been successful in an extremely trying situation.

  “You had Samara on her heels?” Corann asked. From her look and tone, Demelza could see she was genuinely impressed.

  “Yes, but it was just the flow of the battle.”

  “Nonsense. Do not downplay your achievement. She is one of the greatest swordswomen to ever come from the order. Some have withstood her onslaught in the past, though not for long. But only a very, very small few have ever put her on the defensive, regardless of the situation.”

  “It was quite a showing,” Hozark agreed.

  Corann took a long sip of her tea as she pondered the situation. “Samara is proving to be a most unusual player in this affair, Hozark. Her reappearance after so many years is in itself a shock. But now, to have her tied up in Council affairs? That is highly disconcerting.”

  “And the boy is involved. We now know for a fact, this was not merely a coincidental conflict with the Council. They were there specifically to retrieve him,” Hozark said.

  “But the boy says he never told them his identity, which is a surprise, given how the lad talks.”

  “Indeed, but Captain Darvin appeared to have no idea who the boy was. He was trying to sell him off, but only because he contained some power. Apparently, Visla Ravik is pulling power-user slaves from across the systems, but Darvin had not yet contacted him.”

  “But if that is the case, what I still do not know is, how did the Council know where he was?” Demelza asked.

  “And how is Visla Maktan involved?” Hozark added.

  “Maktan? You mean Visla Zinna Maktan of the Council of Twenty is actually involved as we had heard whispers of?” Corann asked. “It seems so highly unlikely.”

  “I know. He has never seemed to be the aspirational type. He is powerful, no doubt, but that affords him a comfortable existence on the Council of Twenty without any further efforts needed.”

  Corann looked unimpressed. “He inherited the seat from his father, as he did from his. The man is an unimpressive legacy member living off of what his forebearers accomplished.”

  “I agree. But Captain Darvin also let us in on a little bit of unusual information, Corann. He said that Visla Ravik was not the man actually behind the amassing of power users. He said he heard it from reliable sources that Maktan was the one behind it the whole time.”

  “It just seems so unlikely. And our spy network still has no whispers of Zinna Maktan being anywhere near these events.”

  Hozark paused as a neighbor walked by, smiling as warmly as Corann and Demelza were.

  “Hello, Barris!” Corann called out as she waved.

  A minute later the man was out of earshot and Hozark continued.

  “There is more still, Corann. Captain Darvin also relayed something he learned. Something that only a select few outside of the order even know about. He knew about the attempt to capture Master Prombatz.”

  “He what?” she replied, genuinely surprised.

  “And, apparently, that was on Maktan’s orders as well. That Aargun was taken instead was simply a terrible mistake. But Maktan appears to have been targeting us.”

  “He would have to know that would bring the wrath of the Ghalian upon him.”

  “But the power-hungry often do the unexpected,” he replied.

  The three sat and sipped their tea a long
moment, contemplating the unexpected situation unfolding before them. To have multiple members of the Council of Twenty working in conjunction was one thing. To have one of them directing the others to target a Ghalian master was quite another.

  It was a ballsy move. And one that would likely cost Maktan his life.

  “What of young Happizano’s father?” Hozark asked. “Our priority should be returning the boy to his side.”

  “In that effort, we have both good news, and bad, I am afraid,” Corann replied.

  “What do you mean, Corann?”

  “We found the boy’s father. Where he had gone to perform his duties at the request of his mystery Council summons. But as you have noted, it would appear we now know who used that Validity seal. Only full Council members can, and if it was not Ravik, then Visla Zinna Maktan has to be the one.”

  “So, you found the man. This is good news, Corann, though I am admittedly concerned as to what the bad may entail.”

  “The bad news is Visla Jinnik is no longer at that location. He arrived, settled down an uprising, then moved on to another system to do the same thing. Five times he did this, and five times our spies tracked his movements. And then, he vanished.”

  “Vanished?”

  “Yes. He performed as required, using a fair amount of power to put down some of the more difficult groups of insurgents. Then, he abruptly went off-grid, and no one, not even our most deeply embedded spies, know where.”

  It was a bit of a surprise, to say the least. For someone as powerful as Visla Jinnik to drop from sight, especially with the Ghalian spy network’s best agents tracking his movements, it was clear some serious power was in play.

  Worse, that meant that Happizano would not be returned to his father, and they had no idea how long it would be before he would be.

  “The boy,” Hozark said after a moment’s thought. “He needs a familiar place to stay. One that he feels safe in. Can he stay here with you, Corann? He seems to have taken a liking to you.”

  “Alas, I have a contract I must attend to, Hozark. And as for a familiar and safe place, you and your crew have proven that your ship is the most dependable and protected place for him at this time.”