The Pirate Prince

by Michelle M. Pillow

  Jarek grabbed Mei’s arm, thrusting her protectively behind him.

  “Ah, sweet cheeks, you’re breaking my heart,” the voice continued.

  “Rick,” Viktor, Jackson and Jarek whispered at once. Relief curled through Jarek, unknotting his stomach, only to be replaced instantly by wariness.

  “That’s him?” Mei asked. “That easy?”

  “I guess so,” Jarek said though something didn’t feel right about what was happening.

  “It does feel a little too easy, captain,” Viktor said. “We walk in and poof we find Rick just like that?”

  “Frankly, honey pie, I’m disappointed in you,” Rick continued. “All this time and you were so easy to catch off guard. What? Nothing to say now? No smartass command? No snide remarks?”

  “Something is off,” Jackson said.

  Jarek took a deep breath. “Maybe we’re finally hitting a patch of good luck. With everything that’s gone wrong, we’re about due for something to go right, wouldn’t you say?”

  Jackson nodded, but the motion looked reluctant.

  “Jackson, go back the way we came, make sure we’re not being followed,” Jarek whispered. “I don’t smell anyone behind us, but I’m not taking the chance.”

  Jackson nodded and did as he was ordered.

  “Mei, you stay here with Viktor. I’m going on alone.” Jarek hated having her there, but staying between him and Jackson was the safest place for her considering the circumstances.

  “No, I—” she began to protest.

  Viktor tugged her back when she began to follow. She glanced at the slender man, looking annoyed before nodding at Jarek.

  “Be careful,” she mouthed.

  Jarek nodded once. He turned to where they’d heard Rick’s voice. Creeping along the passageway, he let claws grow from the tips of his fingers and fangs from his gums. The light brightened, changing to an orange firelight that glowed over the dark mine walls. He felt the warmth of it on his skin.

  Jarek detected two others besides Rick in the room. He heard a muffled cry and the sound of a boot sliding along the pebbled ground. Concentrating on where he heard the boot, he roared to surprise his opponents. Jumping from his hiding spot, he stood ready to battle. His arm drew back, ready to tear at a drug trader’s throat.

  “Holy space balls,” Rick exclaimed. “Captain? Is that really you?”

  Jarek blinked. His gaze darted over the room. Rick stood, hands on hips with a look of surprise on his face. Next to him was Prince Haun. He recognized Mei’s brother from when he’d kidnaped her. His stomach tightened. How did the Zhang prince get there so soon? Was he in on the drug trade? If so, what was Rick doing free?

  In the middle of the room was a woman tied to a chair. It took him a moment, but he recognized her as the drug trader who’d kidnaped Rick.

  “Rick?” Jarek questioned. Confusion warred with his relief that his friend was all right. “You’re…free? How? I don’t understand.”

  Rick crossed over to Jarek and grabbed him in a giant hug, laughing heartily. “Blessed stars, Jarek, it’s good to see you. How did you ever find me?”

  “You should’ve known I would,” Jarek said, patting Rick hard on the back. He grabbed the man’s face and shook it once before letting go. “Now, how did you get free? What is going on here? I come expecting a rescue and I see you tormenting some woman.”

  “Oh, yeah, sorry, cap. This is Prince Zhang Haun of the, uh, Moon Empire,” Rick said, stepping back toward Prince Haun.

  “Muntong,” Haun corrected, his voice quipped.

  “Right, right, Muntong.” Rick grinned, slapping the prince on the back. The prince blinked in surprise at the familiar contact. “Anyway, ole Haun here saved my sorry ass. He said we were waiting for someone, but I never thought he meant you. I thought it was just my lucky day.”

  Jarek relaxed. Rick looked tired and worn. A bruise was healing on the side of his face, and he was too skinny as if starved. Even his clothes had seen better days. They hung tattered and dirty on his frame.

  “Sacred cats, Rick! You need a bath.” Jarek wrinkled his nose, before laughing.

  “Jarek?” Mei’s voice said from behind him.

  Jarek tensed. Slowly he turned, and his smile faded. She stood in the entryway, and her eyes had found her brother.

  “Meimei,” Haun said, his face softening as he spoke to his sister in their native tongue. Rick looked confused. Jarek understood perfectly. “Is it really you?”

  “Gē ge,” Mei exclaimed, running forward to embrace him.

  “Who’s that?” Rick whispered. “His woman?”

  “That is Princess Mei, his sister. We had her on our ship. She helped us to find these mines.”

  “Don’t tell me you kidnaped her in exchange for me,” Rick said in amazement. “I mean, yeah, I’m worth it but didn’t you learn anything from when we kidnaped Falke?”

  “What was I supposed to learn?” Jarek said, barely paying attention as he listened to Mei assure Haun that she had been treated well and was all right. She even told him that she was to blame for her disappearance.

  “That people fall in love if you kidnap royalty. Just as your brother and Sam did.” Rick shook his head. “But, no harm, no foul, and, thankfully,” Rick glared at the prisoner tied to the chair, “no love.”

  Jarek frowned. Rick was quoting an odd twentieth century Earth saying again.

  “What in the star blazes does that mean?” Jarek asked, his voice sharper than he intended. No one had fallen in love? Yeah, right.

  “Haun, what are you doing here?” Mei asked.

  “Prince Jarek tried to contact me at our home. Since he insisted on talking to me, Jin answered in my place. Prince Jarek told Jin, who later informed me, what you had discovered. He also told me of the map and how it was your fate to go on his ship to see it. All is forgiven, meimei. With this news, the family understands why you acted the way you did. I am happy you are safe, little sister.”

  Prince Jin? Jarek frowned. That was how Haun had reached the mines before them. He was already on the Singhai side of the planet.

  “Please forgive my brother, Jin’s, deceit but it was necessary,” Haun said. Jarek nodded, not really concerned. His thoughts raced. If Haun were here, he’d want to keep Mei by his side. How was he supposed to take Mei with him if her brother was there to stop him? He couldn’t hurt the prince. She would never forgive him.

  She might not forgive me for stealing her away.

  Jarek looked into Mei’s eyes. The room was quiet. Tears built in her gaze, tearing at him. He could tell by her look that she was trying to tell him goodbye.

  “What of the men who left here with a cart?” Mei asked.

  “Our guards in disguise. They are taking proof of the chandoo drugs to our shores. A ship awaits their return.”

  “Argh!” the woman tied to the chair hissed. Jarek glanced over to see Rick patronizingly patting the back of her head.

  “What are you going to do with her?” Jarek asked.

  “I’ve made arrangements to take her with us for punishment,” Rick said. Jarek saw something in his friend’s eyes, something he’d never imagined seeing in Rick.

  “I thank you for returning my sister to me, Prince Jarek,” Haun said. “If you would hand over the map of my palace, all will be forgiven.”

  Jarek glanced at the floor. “It’s on my ship. I thought it would be safer to leave it there.”

  Haun nodded in understanding. “Very good. Again I thank you. If you please, let us go to your ship now and retrieve it so you may be on your way.”

  “We’re not taking them with us to the palace?” Mei gasped in surprise. Almost desperately, she hurried, “Won’t father wish to meet them?”

  “I’m sure Prince Jarek has many duties awaiting his attention,” Haun said, his expression stern. He stared at Jarek, meeting his eyes in warning, as he reached for his sister’s arm. “Come Mei. We will wait for them outside the mines. The sooner we get you home, the b
etter I will feel.”

  “I owe them, Haun. We owe them. Please,” Mei whispered. Jarek knew she didn’t mean for him to hear her, but his Var hearing detected her words easily. “It’s a matter of my honor.”

  “Prince Jarek, forgive me for my hasty words. Of course, you are invited to the palace. Emperor and Empress Zhang would be honored to have you as their guests.”

  “Mei?” Jarek asked her. Mei nodded. “We would be honored to be your guests.”

  Haun nodded once before leading Mei from the small, barren room. Rick hauled his prisoner up from the chair and thrust her before him.

  “Come on you,” Rick hissed. “Payback is going to be hell.”

  The woman grunted, cursing him through her gag. Rick laughed, a mocking, hard sound. Jarek wondered what exactly had happened to his carefree friend to make his manners so sinister. The woman tripped, but Rick’s hold on her tied wrists kept her upright and walking.

  Jarek took a deep breath, alone in the room. He had to find a way to take Mei with him from the palace. His heart ached with the idea of leaving her. But how was he to get her away from Haun? The man didn’t seem as though he would let her out of his sight for very long. Jarek could well understand. He, too, felt protective of her.

  “Forgive me, Mei, for anything I might have to do,” he whispered. Determined, he followed the others.

  25

  Imperial Palace of the Zhang Dynasty, Honorable City, Muntong Territory, Planet of Lintian

  Jarek’s first sight of the Honorable City was the high walls blocking the palace from the outside world. A moat surrounded the walls, its waters still with what looked like long spikes peeking out from the depths. It wasn’t a very welcoming sight. Vines of bluish weeds wrapped around the spikes and small, orange fish weaved in schools around them.

  Since his own home overlooked the surrounding valley, he couldn’t imagine being blockaded inside four walls, hidden from the surrounding landscape. He felt claustrophobic just thinking about it. At least on his ship they were heading somewhere, with endless stars all around them. The wide front gate was ornately gilded, carved with two circular dragon patterns with symbols down the side. They slowly crept open as two guards allowed them entrance.

  Beyond the gate, the lavish hidden world of Honorable City awaited them. Jarek glanced back at the lush countryside. Mei’s homeland was a true paradise amongst planets. As they’d flown over the planet in their ship, navigating over the plains as they flew through the pale blue sky, they’d seen a few farmhouses that were clustered close together to form a village, and a large forest with strange spiny leaf covered trees. Fields of giant, red flowers contrasted against the blades of the yellowish-blue grasses.

  Inside the palace walls, pathways led through the landscaped complex. Everything was neat and tidy, even the plant life. He didn’t see one dried blossom or dying leaf on any of it. Barren torches lined the walkway. Jarek knew they didn’t have the aid of moonlight on Lintian, and the torches would be necessary to light the grounds. Mei’s family used natural elements for light, as opposed to computer operated systems.

  Even though the buildings looked complex in decor, there was a simplicity to the design of the palace grounds. From the map, he knew they were laid out in a giant rectangle, with many buildings for different functions—from an archery range to barracks for the imperial guards. There was also a small creek that flowed within the walls. It was a little city made solely for the pleasure of the royal family.

  Mei had ridden across the Satlyun River by ship with her brother, as Jarek flew with his crew back into space, only to wait for the Zhang prince to arrive safely at Muntong’s shores. When they reached the docks, Mei cleared them for landing, and they reentered the atmosphere to join the Zhang royals. Rick’s prisoner provided the crew with mild entertainment and speculation, especially since they’d never seen a woman infuriate Rick as much as she did. He called her wench most of the time, along with several other choice names, but they all highly doubted any of them were her real name.

  Though, it turned out to be as they’d suspected all along, the woman was a drug trader, and Rick had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. While in pursuit, and not taking no for an answer, Rick had followed the woman into a private hall. Her comrades had shown themselves, and he was taken prisoner. While in captivity, he was put in the woman’s care, though she wasn’t much of a caretaker. Jarek wondered if spending several weeks tied to a chair would make Rick more cautious. Somehow, he highly doubted it. The oddest part of the whole ordeal was that when the woman looked at Rick, though there was a lot of anger, there was something else in her too. Whatever it was, Evan was steering clear, wanting no part of it.

  Seeing Mei looking at him brought Jarek back to the moment. He hadn’t been alone with her since before they had gone into the mines. Giving her a soft smile, he resisted the urge to go to her. She was beautiful, dressed in silk like the Lintianese princess she was. His heart ached with the need to hold her, and his body yearned to make love to her. The pain was so bad, he was sure he’d die from a broken heart if he were to leave her behind. He had missed her terribly during their time apart.

  But how can I take her from this paradise? What do I offer her? Space? Dirty fuel ports and endless nights flying through stars with no one but the crew for company?

  Guilt and heartache warred within him, and he lost some of his resolve to kidnap her. Jarek couldn’t help but stare, ignoring the beautiful palace as they walked beneath that gate.

  What do I do? I can’t leave her. Sacred cats, I can’t.

  Haun looked down at his sister, drawing Mei’s attention away from Jarek.

  “Look at those,” Evan whispered at his side. The man was talking to Jackson, but Jarek followed his finger anyway. Strange pink flowers lined the paths, interwoven with others that were shaped like an eight-point, dark blue star with a golden center. Tiny winged creatures fluttered over the petals. Their bodies were so small compared to their large black wings. The shape of the number ‘7’ formed when their wings bent forward in flight.

  “Well, would you kiss my comet, cap,” Rick said. “Will you look at this place? It’s a pretty sweet setup they have going here. I could get into this.”

  The man was a little too loud and drew the attention of Mei and Haun. Mei tried not to laugh, Haun’s lips pressed tightly together in censure.

  “Do not get into anything,” Jarek ordered under his breath. “Don’t make me regret taking you along, or saving your ass.”

  “Sure thing, homey,” Rick nodded.

  “Stop talking,” Jarek ordered, not understanding the man’s word. Sometimes he thought Rick just pretended to be into twentieth century Earth memorabilia, and really just made things up as he went along. He’d be convinced of it, if not for the numerous times he’d caught the man with contraband old movie transmissions.

  The Honorable City was a beautiful place, with attention paid to every detail—from the curved roofs that pointed up toward the heavens to the mosaic pathways that led to a few of the sacred buildings. Mei dropped behind her brother to walk next to Jarek.

  “I miss you,” she said quietly.

  Jarek felt like he could breathe again at her admittance. “As I you, fea.”

  “What do you think of the palace?” she asked.

  Jarek couldn’t take his eyes off her. “Beautiful.”

  She blushed and glanced around. “Haun is taking you to be introduced to my family. They’re waiting for us in the Hall of Infinite Wisdom. If you could, please keep Rick from talking…” Her tone dropped off as she gave the man in question a wary glance. “It’s not that I don’t like him, but his words are not appropriate for my parents’ company.”

  “Consider it done,” Jarek said. Turning to Rick, he told him, “Utter a word to the emperor or his wife and you’ll never get planet leave again.”

  Rick paled and nodded. No planet leave for Rick meant no womanly company.

  “Thank you,” Mei said. �
��They’re very old-fashioned and wouldn’t find him as humorous as I do. They might actually lock him in the prisons.”

  “I agree, avoiding an incident is for the best.” Jarek’s stomach knotted. He’d fought men and creatures without thought, outrun imperial guards and stolen maps from impenetrable fortresses, but just the idea of meeting Mei’s parents made him tenser than any of their other antics.

  Mei touched his arm briefly, letting her fingers curl around his bicep before letting go of him. She smiled, her eyes showing her longing to hold him. It was almost as intense as his desire for her. Dropping her hand, she turned toward a building. The Hall of Infinite Wisdom was located in the center of the compound. It was the largest structure they’d seen so far, set high upon stone, and towering over the surrounding courtyard and gardens. Like all the buildings, it had yellow tiled roofs and dark red walls.

  “This is it,” she whispered. Jarek detected her shaking. Mei hardly ever showed fear, so what was this nervousness now?

  Haun led them inside the hall. Jarek’s crew got quiet. Rick walked between Lochlann and Evan, his mouth tightly shut as if he was afraid he’d speak. Jarek hid a smile. The two men looked ready to grab him and haul him back if it became necessary.

  Lucien and Viktor had stayed back with the ship to guard the prisoner. Someone needed to stay with the ship, and they’d drawn the wrong lot. Dev walked behind all of them, keeping guard at their backs. Jarek knew he was watching closely for an attack. Partly because they didn’t know this empire and thought the Zhang emperor might try to subdue those who had taken possession of his palace map, and partly because that was just the way Dev was. After years of being ridiculed and feared as a demon, he was used to people trying to attack him without reason or provocation. The sad thing was, it wasn’t just non-Belvons who distrusted him. Because of Dev’s mixed heritage, the Belvons had persecuted him as well. Jackson hung back, keeping Dev company.