Mercenary Mage - A Dark Space Fantasy (Star Mage Saga Book 4)

by J. J. Green

  A profound silence followed this announcement. Then Cadwallader gave a small cough and shifted in his seat. “The person commanding that destroyer is your wife?”

  Lomang nodded. “She has spirit, does she not?” He smiled proudly.

  “Your wife put you and your brother into that tiny shuttle and expelled you into deep space?” Carina asked.

  “What can I say?” asked Lomang. “She is disgusted that I allowed my ship to be taken. I and my crew all remained under confinement when she boarded the Zenobia, you see. She wishes to dissolve our marriage. Pappu, as my brother, has been similarly rejected by her on the basis of his close association with me.”

  “Don’t you have divorces on your world?” Cadwallader asked. “Setting you adrift in deep space with only enough air to last you a day or two seems… excessive.”

  “My dearest Mezban sometimes overreacts a little. She may have changed her mind and retrieved our shuttle eventually.”

  “Or she may not,” Pappu said phlegmatically, his voice rumbling in a bass tone.

  “Or she may not,” Lomang agreed. “Hence our gratitude regarding your kindness. I assume now that we pose no threat to you we may have the freedom of your ship?”

  A great bark of laughter erupted from Cadwallader.

  Carina said, “I think you have your answer. There’s something I don’t understand. How did your wife find you?”

  “I had sent her a message before you took over the ship with the help of your traitorous brother. My wonderful wife has probably been searching the sector for me ever since she discovered myself absent from our home. After I sent her the message to set up our reconciliation—and what a reconciliation it would have been!—she must have gone to the coordinates I sent her and then, finding my ship gone, followed its trace. When she saw the Zenobia had been taken by a military vessel my beloved one came to my rescue.”

  “She came to your rescue,” Carina said, “yet she’s disgusted you allowed your ship to be taken and she wants to dissolve your marriage.”

  Lomang smiled sardonically. He and his brother exchanged a glance.

  “I confess there is more to my story that would rather not tell you,” said Lomang, “but I know you have the power to extract the information from me whether I like it or not. Unfortunately, certain items Mezban seeks—which I borrowed from her some time ago—were not aboard the ship, and she grew rather angry. Her passions run high in all regards, but especially when it comes to her property. I was going to return the items, naturally. But events took an unexpected turn when you took over my ship. Since then, my wife’s goods have been purloined, and my brother and I have been forced to suffer the consequences.”

  “Your wife’s stuff has gone from the ship?” asked Carina. “If it has, none of us has taken it. At least, nothing’s been removed from the hold of the Zenobia as far as I know. All I and my family took from the ship is the clothes we’re wearing. We left everything else behind when we went on the rehearsal.”

  The last remark was addressed to Cadwallader. She wondered if it was possible a merc had snuck into the hold but it seemed unlikely. She’d fixed the security so that only she or Bryce could enter it, and she couldn’t imagine Bryce would take anything without telling her.

  “I accept your words,” Lomang said. “And yet, those items are missing. They were never located in the hold.”

  Carina was flummoxed. “What are we talking about here? Maybe someone took some things without understanding their value.”

  “The items, my dear, are heirlooms my wife inherited from her mother, who inherited them from her mother, and so on, back seven or eight generations. They are precious stones, set into jewelry, but the settings are unimportant.”

  Cadwallader said, “You stole your wife’s jewelry and ran away with it, so she came after you with a destroyer to get it back?”

  “The stones are extremely rare,” said Lomang. “They have never been discovered anywhere else in the galaxy except upon my home world, and no new stones have been discovered there for hundreds of years. There is no word for them in your tongue.”

  Lomang continued, “Expressing my deep apology for my actions and my even deeper, most profound love, I promised I would return her jewelry to her and show her all the goods I had obtained with them. I had used the stones as promised payment for the cargo you discovered in my ship’s hold. When the time for exchange came I substituted fakes. Due to the stones’ rarity, no inspection device exists to confirm their authenticity. But when I went to the secret hiding place, the jewelry was gone.”

  “Then she has to believe we have it,” said Carina.

  “At the moment, the thought doesn’t appear to have crossed her mind,” said Lomang. “She is in one of her wonderful fits of passion. She is a sight to behold.” He paused and his eyes became shiny with tears. “I hope this is not the final time I am privileged to witness her in full flight, so to speak.”

  Cadwallader stood up and walked a few steps away. He murmured into his comm.

  “For some reason,” Lomang said, “she thinks I am lying to her about the stones, and that I bargained them away for the cargo in the hold. Why she should believe this, I do not know.”

  “Perhaps,” said Pappu, “it is because you have lied to her many times in the past.”

  “Yes,” Lomang conceded. “That may be the reason.”

  Carina felt the Duchess’s engines kick in and the ship begin to move.

  “Uh, sir,” she said to Cadwallader. “I’m going to go find my little brother. He can Cloak the ship. That way, when Lomang’s wife calms down and starts thinking straight, she’ll find it hard to follow us.”

  “That sounds like a very good idea,” Cadwallader said.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Cadwallader assigned Carina, her family, and Bryce a four-bunk cabin to themselves. It was cramped to say the least. Bryce and Darius were to share one bunk, Carina and Nahla another, Oriana and Ferne the third, and Parthenia had the final bunk to herself. Castiel elected to sleep on the floor. Carina had suggested that Oriana and Parthenia share one bunk and Ferne and Castiel share another, but Castiel had refused, saying he wasn’t going to sleep with anyone’s stinky feet in his face.

  The comparison between the mercs’ quarters aboard the Duchess and the luxurious passenger cabins of the Zenobia was marked, but, as the children took in their new living and sleeping area, Carina was surprised and pleased to hear not one complaint nor even a comment. Her siblings appeared to have gotten used to roughing it and adapting quickly to new situations.

  In some ways it was a shame they had to undergo the transformation. She wanted nothing more than for them to lead normal lives where they were free from the threat of persecution and personal danger. On the other hand, if they were to somehow make it to Lomang’s inter-sector vessel and then to Earth, adaptability would be a distinct advantage.

  After deciding who would sleep where, Carina sent the children to the mess for a meal. It had been hours since any of them had eaten. She was hungry too but she wanted some time alone to think about what they would do next. Cadwallader’s plan was to fly to a place called Martha’s Rest, a well-known trading hub. It was far away but they had just enough fuel to reach it. There, he hoped he would be able to sell the Duchess.

  Bryce closed the door after the children left and sat on the lower bunk where Carina was lying. She’d borrowed an interface to look up information. When Bryce sat down she laid the device on her chest.

  “Not hungry?” she asked.

  “I thought it would be good to have some time alone together.”

  “I guess it would,” said Carina, smiling.

  Bryce took her hand. “When that destroyer was attacking us I thought we’d had it.”

  “Me too,” she admitted, covering Bryce’s hand with her free one. She’d explained to Bryce about everything that Lomang had told her and Cadwallader in the mission room.

  “You know,” she continued after a pause, “it di
dn’t even occur to me to ask Darius to Cloak the Duchess while we were being attacked.”

  “I don’t think it would have made any difference,” Bryce said. “The destroyer’s crew would have seen where the pulse cannons were firing from.”

  “Yeah, but we could have moved, though I don’t know if Darius could have Cloaked both ships. Still, it’s something to remember if we ever find ourselves in a similar position.”

  They lapsed into silence again for several moments.

  “When I thought we were all going to die,” Bryce said, “I tried to say sorry for being an asshole.”

  “I know. It’s okay. I think I kind of understand, and, you’re right, I’ve been difficult to live with. I didn’t realize how much I’d slipped back into being a merc once I was around them again.”

  “It was strange, seeing you change. You weren’t different all the time. Not around Darius, for instance. And it wasn’t like the changes were that bad. In fact, in some ways…” The corner of Bryce’s lip lifted into a half smile. “…It was pretty hot.”

  Carina raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?” She lifted herself up on her elbows. The interface slid onto her stomach and she moved it onto the bed. “How about you show me how hot I was?”

  Bryce leaned down to kiss her. After a moment he pulled away and said, “Do these room doors lock?”

  “Huh,” said Carina. “What do you think?”

  “Hmm, that’s a pity.” He kissed her again.

  “Not that it usually stops people,” said Carina after a while. “I mean, if someone were to come in and catch us it wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened. Not by a long shot.”

  “But if it were one of the kids that would be traumatic for everyone concerned.”

  “Ugh, good point.” Carina lay down and picked up the interface. “We’ll just have to wait a little bit longer.”

  Bryce sighed.

  “I’m trying to figure out what to do when we get to Martha’s Rest,” said Carina. “I can’t decide if we should continue on to Ostillon and try to find out how to get to Earth, or if we should try to reach the inter-sector vessel Lomang gave me the coordinates for. We need a ship like that so badly, and we could try to figure out how to get to Earth later. That’s where Lomang’s going the first chance he gets. No doubt about it. Though I don’t know how he’ll get there with no creds and no ship. Unless his wife decides to forgive him and finds him again.”

  “She’ll have a hard time doing that now that Darius is Cloaking the Duchess.”

  “So maybe we’re safe going to Ostillon for a short time before setting out for the inter-sector ship.”

  “I don’t know if safe is the right word,” said Bryce. “But, yeah, maybe. Unless Lomang left a skeleton crew behind with instructions to leave or do something else if he isn’t back within a certain time.”

  “He might have,” said Carina. “It would be risky to leave a ship like that entirely unmanned, even if it was in the middle of nowhere.”

  “We have a lot of time to think about what to do next,” Bryce said. “Let’s go and eat.”

  ***

  The mess was emptying when they arrived. The kids were sitting together at a table, three on each side. Carina and Bryce filled plates from the buffet food that remained and joined them.

  “This food is disgusting,” Castiel said as they sat down.

  “Welcome to the military,” Carina said. “And don’t say that around Lieutenant Colonel Cadwallader, or he might decide to halve your rations as a punishment.”

  “I’ll eat yours if you don’t want it,” said Ferne. He’d recently started eating everything he could get his hands on, and shooting up before Carina’s eyes.

  Castiel pulled his plate closer and folded a protective arm around it. “Get your own.”

  Carina began to eat. The food wasn’t really that bad and even if it were she was in no position to complain. She would be relying entirely on Cadwallader’s generosity all the way to Martha’s Rest. She would have to think of a way to show her gratitude somehow. Perhaps she could perform some Casts that would increase the final payout to all the Black Dogs before they disbanded.

  She looked up and noticed Bryce was staring at something behind her. She turned and saw Stevenson walking over.

  She tensed. Was Bryce going to get all jealous again?

  He wasn’t taking his eyes from the pilot. Then he seemed to come to some sort of decision. As Stevenson arrived he stood up and held out his hand across the table.

  “I don’t think we’ve met,” he said.

  Stevenson shook his hand a little warily as the two men introduced themselves.

  “Is it okay if I sit down?” the pilot asked.

  “Sure,” Carina replied. “We’re nearly done anyway.”

  “I bet this brings back some memories,” said Stevenson.

  Before she could reply, he went on, “I was talking to Cadwallader just now about what’s in store when we reach our next destination.”

  “Yeah,” said Carina, “He and I had a similar conversation. I wanted to thank you for forcing him to wait for us on the rogue planet, and apologize for the fact you’re losing your job. Only it turns out everyone’s losing their job anyway.”

  “Don’t speak too soon,” he said enigmatically.

  Parthenia stood up. “We’re going back to the cabin.”

  “Okay,” said Carina. “Thanks for looking after the children, Parthenia. Try to get them to keep the noise down, all right? The mercs aren’t used to having kids around.”

  “It’s more likely the mercs will disturb the kids,” Stevenson joked. “Hey, Nahla. Could you stick around?”

  Carina shared a glance with Bryce. What could the pilot want with the little girl? It wasn’t likely she’d been naughty while he’d been looking after her during the rehearsals. She was the best-behaved of the whole set.

  Stevenson said, “Cadwallader happened to mention something Lomang had been talking about after he brought him aboard. Something about some jewels.”

  At the word ‘jewels’, Nahla gasped and turned scarlet.

  “It’s okay,” said Stevenson gently. “You aren’t in any trouble. Well, maybe just a little bit. But it’s all going to be fine.”

  Nahla’s hands rose to her face and she began to cry.

  The pilot touched her shoulder. “Don’t worry. Just show Carina and Bryce what you showed me.”

  “I just wanted to look like Mother,” Nahla sobbed. “They’re pretty.”

  “Stars alive,” said Carina. “Nahla, show me what you have.”

  The little girl reached under the neck of her dress and pulled up a string. Hanging from it was a pouch of soft, fine, rich material typical of the stuff Lomang carried on the Zenobia.

  “I really don’t think she thought she was doing anything wrong,” Stevenson said, “or she wouldn’t have shown them to me.”

  Carina wasn’t so sure. Nahla’s behavior indicated she knew she’d done something that wasn’t quite right. But none of that mattered if the contents of the pouch were what she thought they were.

  Nahla handed it to Stevenson, who pulled open the top. He looked around the mess, which had emptied. Only the four of them were there to witness the reveal. Stevenson upended the pouch, and a mess of silvery chains and precious stones spilled out.

  Carina lifted a chain out of the pile, disentangling it from the rest. It was a necklace, probably made from platinum, but it was the stones that drew her attention.

  From Lomang’s description she’d expected them to be bigger, but most were only about the size of her thumbnail. She rested the mounted stones in the palm of her hand and held them up to the mess’s poor lighting. She’d never seen anything like them. Light seemed to emanate from within—firelight that flickered and shifted as she watched.

  “They’re so lovely,” Nahla said. Her tears had dried and the stones held her gaze as if she were mesmerized.

  “Nahla,” Carina said, taking the girl’s ar
m. “Where did you find these?”

  “I saw a funny sign on the map of the ship.”

  Carina recalled the hours her sister had spent poring over the Zenobia’s blueprints, apparently fascinated by the ship’s design and engineering.

  “I wondered what it was,” Nahla continued, “so I went to take a look. I found a secret cupboard in the back of another cupboard in the passenger galley. When I saw the pretty stones someone had hidden there, I thought I’d done something wrong so I didn’t tell anyone. But I liked them so much I didn’t want to put them back either. I’m sorry.”

  “She showed me her secret find while you were away on the first rehearsal,” said Stevenson. “I thought the jewels were probably worth something but I didn’t want to get her into trouble so I didn’t tell you. It wasn’t until Cadwallader mentioned Lomang’s claim that something valuable had been taken from his ship, some jewels, that I put two and two together.”

  “Nahla, sweetheart,” said Carina. She held out her arms. “Come here.” As she hugged her sister she said, “I think you might have saved us all.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  The jewels had changed everything. Carina felt kinda bad for not giving them back to Lomang, but not bad enough to actually hand them over. Besides, technically, they weren’t even his.

  Though she had never heard of the precious stones, they were apparently famous and highly prized throughout the sector. Called ‘ember gems’, their rarity had lent them an almost mythical status. At Martha’s Rest, Cadwallader had paid for repairs and refit of the Duchess with just one of them. Another gem had bought fuel, supplies, and the latest weapons and armor for the entire merc band. Carina had given Cadwallader one more in payment for the Black Dogs’ upcoming service on Ostillon and then kept the rest. She wore them around her neck as Nahla had done, sometimes shuddering at the thought that for a time they had been a little girl’s playthings.

  Carina was sitting with Stevenson in the Duchess’s cockpit after another lesson in flying starships when her hand strayed to the pouch around her neck. At the same time her mind strayed to the question of how all their lives might have turned out differently if Nahla hadn’t been curious about that symbol on the Zenobia’s blueprints.