“It was sometime in November of last year,” I said.
“That was before we went searching for the others,” said Master Dusty. He explained that they had found and destroyed several of the tables.
“So our fates have been intertwined for some time now,” I said.
“It seems so,” said Greymere.
“As for armor, I only have two sets ready right now; they are not quite as good as what you are wearing,” I said.
“That’s fine,” said Master Dusty. “I will give you a datapad that contains instructions on how to make not only these suits but also the jewelry we use as standard equipment. We will take what you have now, and when you have more sets of armor ready we will pick those up.”
“How many are you looking for?” I asked.
“Three dozen,” he said.
This was a much bigger undertaking than I had ever previously considered. I didn’t even know how to estimate the work it would involve. “That will take a lot of time and materials.”
“The instructions in the book will help with that, I am sure,” said Master Dusty.
“Ragnar?” I sent, probing for his mind. Ragnar could not start up a telepathic conversation, but if one of us initiated it he could then communicate with us.
“Yes?” he replied.
I informed him of the offer made by Master Dusty and asked him, “What do you think?”
“Take it. If nothing else, befriending people so high up in the Wizard Kingdom will be very beneficial to our future dealings,” he replied. “While I have you here: I think I have found some help for Shira. Shea has taken on the role of counselor for the Wizards and she is meeting privately now with Shira.”
Before I could ask him more Master Spectra said, “We hope to make this an ongoing deal. As we grow we will need more and more magical supplies, and Greymere trusts you so we are happy to give you the business.”
“Tell me later; I must finalize this deal, but that sounds great!” I sent privately to Ragnar and then said, “This datapad: may I see it?”
Master Dusty slid the datapad over to me and said, “It is all on that.”
I flipped through the screens for a few moments. I would guess there was more information there about magic than in all the rest of the region; not only complete instructions for how to make armor, but also what looked like the basics for many different powers which Crivreen and the others had started to teach me. “It would take me a lifetime to learn all this.”
“Then, if you don’t mind, start with the armor,” said Master Dusty with a grin.
“Do we have a deal, then?” asked Master Spectra.
“Absolutely,” I said.
Chapter Four
After making arrangements with Master Dusty to report on the progress of the armor and arranging for delivery, I met Ragnar and Crivreen at the airlock. Apparently Master Spectra wasn’t concerned about the possible distance between our ships, and would pick up the armor in person when I had the sets ready.
“Where’s Shira?” I asked as we boarded the Night Wisp.
“She’s still with Shea and will be along shortly,” said Ragnar.
“Shea?” I asked.
“Yeah. As I mentioned, Shea and I spent some time together back home. She is apparently serving as their counselor, so I asked her to speak with Shira.”
“She know we’re leaving?” That was good. Shira had been withdrawn ever since we’d killed her former master. She was a hard worker and dedicated member of the team, but it was obvious she was deeply wounded by her time as a slave to a necromancer. I had served as a slave myself for most of my life, but that was to mundane humans, not a lord of the dead.
“Not sure, but Shea will make sure she gets back to us,” he said. “Did you get the spell books?”
Before I could answer, I heard the airlock cycle behind us to let Shira onto the Night Wisp. She was carrying a large box that I didn’t recognize.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Oh, just a gift from Shea,” she said. “I’ll look through it later.”
“Felix, detach us and pull away,” I said over the comm.
“Sure. What heading?” he asked.
“Um, how about one-two-three mark four,” I said.
Ragnar rolled his eyes at that and Crivreen chuckled.
Shira seemed a bit brighter, but it might have just been my imagination. She had put the box down and was sitting on it.
“Yes, Ragnar, I got the datapad,” I said.
“What datapad?” asked Crivreen.
Felix came down from the bridge and said, “Okay, course to nowhere set, and we’re making great time.”
“I agreed to make them some armor in exchange for spell books,” I said.
“Real spell books?” asked Crivreen.
“Well, as real as this datapad here in my hands. On it is the basic information for all spell lines, including mine. They lost their armor vendor and want me to take over.”
“Their armor looks different to the type you make. I would assume it’s better?” queried Crivreen.
“Yes. On this pad are the instructions for making it,” I said, swiping through the screens until I brought up the correct formula. “Looks like I need diamond and gold dust to make it, in addition to what we already use.”
“Well, diamonds are easy enough to make from common carbon, and gold is pretty cheap, so that should be easy to get,” said Felix.
“That won’t work,” said Ragnar. “The diamonds have to be natural.”
“Natural diamonds? I wouldn’t even know where to look for them,” said Felix. “I’m sure they would be extremely expensive if we could find them, and how would we know if they were real?’
“I’d be able to tell, as would Zah’rak,” said Ragnar.
“Great; still, though, how will we find any?” asked Felix.
A quiet voice spoke, so out of place that I almost missed it. “I know where.”
I looked over to where Shira was sitting looking down at her feet. Normally, by now she would have wandered off to be alone. I summoned up my most gentle voice and said, “Where, Shira?”
“Under the castle we destroyed,” she said. “He was collecting gems and other natural materials.”
“Do you think they were kept deep enough to survive the blast?” I asked.
“Yes, more than deep enough,” she said. “He was terrified that someone might find them, so he forced slaves to dig deep caverns and sealed them in with rock.”
“Well, it sounds like we have our answer,” said Felix. “I’ll set a course to the Siden System.”
“Wait, who owns the planet?” asked Ragnar.
“Who cares?” asked Felix.
“If someone has a claim on it, they might not take too kindly to us mining there,” said Ragnar.
“No one seemed to care that we leveled a large section of their forest and destroyed a castle,” retorted Felix.
“That was different,” cut in Ragnar.
“Even if it belongs to someone, we have a right to salvage,” said Felix.
“That sounds more like a right to steal,” said Ragnar.
“Hold on,” I said. “Crivreen, check the database. Does anyone lay claim to it?”
Crivreen walked over to a terminal and started searching. While he did that I turned to Shira and asked, “You said they are sealed in; will we have to blast through the rock, then?”
“No,” she said. “I know a way in. I used to hide down there when he was really angry.”
“Well, it’s in Phareon space, but there’s no record of any claim on it,” said Crivreen.
“Then it’s ours,” replied Felix. “Let’s go before someone else thinks of it.”
“All right, then; lay in a course and let’s get this done,” I said. I could tell that Ragnar was still a bit uncomfortable, but in this case I agreed with Felix; it was ours by right of salvage.
“We need to stop for some supplies first. Our fresh water and food stores are running low,” said Crivreen.
“What would it take to start up those gardens we have?” asked Ragnar.
“The hydroponics? I believe they work but have never been used,” I said.
“Yeah,” said Crivreen. “I looked them over a while back. I think they are fully functional, and it would be good to get them going. Not only would they provide food, but they would help the air scrubbers.”
“What would it take to get them going?” I asked.
Crivreen scrolled through a list on his terminal. “With regards to materials we need some seeds, seedlings, organic compost and a few other things, but none of that should be an issue. The real problem, of course, is that we need someone to tend to them. They will need regular care and maintenance.”
“I could do it,” said Shira, “if someone shows me how.”
I looked at Crivreen who shrugged, then I said, “I’ll take you back there. I’m sure that there are manuals in the database. We can figure it out as we go.”
“Okay, so we head to Zenfar for supplies, then over to Siden?” asked Felix.
“Yes,” I said.
Felix went to the bridge to set the course and I led Shira back to the hydroponics bay. The bay was filled with empty racks and silent equipment. When Narcion was alone on this ship there had been no need for it, so I was pretty sure the equipment had never been used.
“Wow,” said Shira. “It looks far more complex than I expected.”
I was about to say something to let her back out, but then I remembered that the most important thing for a former slave was to find their own identity. This would be the perfect time for her to grow. “We can stop over in Zenfar for a few days and see about training you or getting someone from the station to help get this thing fired up, if you want.”
“No, I’ll figure it out. How long till we get to Zenfar?” she asked.
“At least a week,” I said. “Once Felix has the course laid in, we will be able to work out our arrival date.”
She looked around the room, stiffened her shoulders and said, “I will have this ready in time.”
“Well, let’s fire up these terminals and make sure you have all the access you need.” I poked around for a while but couldn’t figure it out, so I contacted Crivreen on the comm.
“You need to add ‘Garden Master’ to her profile,” he said.
“Garden Master?” I asked.
“Yep,” he said. “Whoever set it up named the security profile for hydroponics ‘Garden Master’.”
“Okay, thanks,” I said as I added the role to her profile and then turned to Shira. “Congratulations, Garden Master.”
Her eyes seemed to expand to fill her face as she quietly whispered, “Garden Master.”
“Looks like there’s a ton of information in here; do you want help to go through it?”
She shook her head, walked over to the terminal and started paging through the information. “I have this.”
“Well, just call if you need anything,” I said and left her to work. On my way out I could hear her saying, “Shira, Garden Master,” quietly to herself.
Chapter Five
“Zah’rak, we are cleared to dock,” said Felix.
“Great. Once we’re docked you and Crivreen head over and get whatever supplies the ship needs, and Shira and I will look for what we require for the hydroponics,” I said.
“Nah, Crivreen should take Ragnar,” said Felix. “I’ll stay with the ship.”
I knew he would say something like that. He always did. I didn’t know why, but he never went onto any stations that weren’t mission objectives; or at least not since Narcion died. “Very well,” I replied. Once we had docked, the four of us headed over and went our separate ways.
Shira walked close to me with her head down and didn’t say much. She would respond to direct questions with as few words as possible, and seemed to have lost ground in her recovery. I wished we could have taken Shea with us, or at least kept in communication with her. It was obvious that she’d helped Shira in a big way.
“Shira, you’ve done wonders with the hydroponics. I’m very impressed!” I said, attempting to brighten her mood.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Besides the organic supplies, is there anything you want?” I asked.
“No,” she said.
“More training manuals, perhaps?” I asked.
“No.”
“Would you like to see their hydroponic gardens while we’re here?” I asked.
“No.”
“Anything for yourself?” I asked.
“No.”
I sighed and continued to walk towards the shops that would have what she needed. In each shop she silently searched for and gathered the various supplies that were required. She didn’t interact with anyone except me but we got through it.
What could I do to help her? She had gone through a very dark time, but that was behind her now. She was young, healthy and free; she could make anything of herself now, but mostly she just moped around.
Once everything was ordered and we had arranged for it to be delivered to our cargo hold, I decided to try to lighten her mood by taking her to a nice restaurant. I figured it was likely that she had never been in one before, as slaves were not welcome.
When we were seated she seemed to collapse into herself even more. The server had to coax an order out of her, and I was starting to doubt my judgment in bringing her on board the station. It seemed that my good intentions weren’t enough and it wasn’t working out.
The meal passed in silence and I was about to take her back home when into the restaurant walked someone I hadn’t expected to see again.
“Raquel!” I said as the warrior walked up to the table. In the harsh station lights her hair looked redder than I remembered it, but it was definitely the same person. She no longer wore the hooded cloak that used to be her signature outfit; instead she wore sleek, modern purple-and-grey battle armor that faintly pulsed with power.
“Hello, Zah’rak,” she said and sat down at the table.
“We were just leaving,” I said. Shira was deathly afraid of Raquel and I didn’t think it would be good for her recovery to have to deal with this fear right now.
“Zah’rak,” said Raquel. “We need to talk.”
“What about?” I asked.
“It would be better if we moved this conversation onto the Night Wisp,” she said.
“Ragnar, Raquel is here,” I sent.
“That’s wonderful! Bring her aboard. It will be great to catch up with her,” he sent.
That was not the reaction I was hoping for, but I suspected he was right. There were so many unanswered questions left from the time we had spent with Narcion, especially relating to that final battle. “Okay, we’ll be back soon, but don’t forget about Shira,” I sent.
“She will probably hide in hydroponics with her new supplies,” he sent, “but sooner or later she needs to start facing her fears.”
Raquel was the widow of Narcion, the man who had freed me from slavery and led us until his recent death, but I didn’t know her at all. For a while we had thought her an enemy, and I still had a hard time shaking that. She had tried to break up our team and turn us against Narcion, but in the final battle with the necromancer she had fought by our side and Narcion had fully trusted her.
I was about to say something to Shira, when I noticed she was gone. “Shira, where did you go?”
“I’m in hydroponics,” she sent.
“Seems that Shira went ahead,” I commented.
“Yes, she transported herself away as I approached,” said Raquel. “Shall we head to the Night Wisp, then?”
“Are you sure about this, Ragnar?” I sent.
“Yes! We have many questions which only she can answer. We need to take advantage of this opportunity,” he sent.
I had to admit he was right; she had inside information we were lacking. I stood to my full height, head and shoulders taller than Raquel, but I knew better than to think that would intimidate her. “Sure, let me take care of the bill and we can be off.”
As we left, I noticed that she was wearing an armored backpack. “Travelling light?”
“Always,” she said. “Why is Shira afraid of me?”
“Among other reasons, she did try to kill your husband several times,” I said.
“I see. She thinks I’ll seek vengeance, then,” she said.
“Yes,” I said. It was a reasonable conclusion, and having seen Raquel in battle I wasn’t confident that even our entire team could stop her. Over the months since that fight, Ragnar had insisted several times that Raquel was not hostile to Shira, but Shira either wouldn’t or couldn’t believe him. So far Ragnar had never been wrong in his predictions, and my instincts told me he was right this time too.
“Neither I nor Narcion ever saw her as an enemy. She was merely a pawn forced to play a role until you freed her. She has nothing to fear from me,” she said.
Her answer was logical and reasonable, but logic and reason failed in the face of deep-seated emotional wounds such as those Shira bore.
We walked the rest of the way to the docking port in silence, and out of habit I headed towards the security bypass line which my status as a special agent allowed me to use. “Oh, sorry; I guess I need to take you through the public access.”
“No, this will be fine,” said Raquel.
As I approached the security checkpoint one of the guards said, “Hey, Zah’rak. Where’s Shira?”
“She found her own way back,” I said.
As usual, they let me pass without even checking my ID, which was foolish on their part but convenient for me so I never reported them. I was about to mention Raquel when I noticed she was gone. “Raquel?” I sent.
“I’ll meet you at the Night Wisp’s airlock,” she sent back.
When I reached the ship she was there, waiting for me.
“I prefer not to deal with security gates,” she said.
I didn’t blame her. If you didn’t have special access like I did, they were a royal pain and would be worse for her because I was sure she was armed. “They don’t bother me much anymore.”
Sac'a'rith Page 3
