Crystal and the Stars

By Lazette Gifford

Prelude

"We must go," Abby whispered. He looked back at Sandy, Brendan and Shafara, and wondered what they could see in his eyes. The Gods knew -- the Gods truly knew -- that he didn't want to go. He wanted peace. He wanted...

But Tristan, at least, understood. And as much as his friend wanted to say they could stay, he did not. There would be peace someday, somewhere.

But will we be with friends? Abby asked, and looked away from the three.

We'll be with each other.

Abby bowed his head, accepting that as an answer that soothed yet another parting. They could not stay. Better to go now, and quickly.

Tristan lifted his hand and reached for the magic again. Shafara's, hair caught in the breeze as she spun a ward around them, her power strong and sure.

Tristan opened the door to somewhere else. Aubreyan looked up at a portal to somewhere--darker, he thought. Very different. I don't want to go! He glanced at Shafara with such open regret, loss and longing that she must have felt it. Her ward wavered for a moment and then steadied again. Abby's fingers held tighter to his friend's shoulder as he and Tristan... stepped away toward a blackness lit by diamonds, a night sky without a world.

Going....

Brendan played for them in those last moments, sweet, soft music filled with subtle hopes and whispered longings. Tristan wanted to stay and listen. Gods, he didn't want to go again. And neither did Abby.

They could have turned back. They could have returned and stayed -- but they would have to leave again, some day. Abby glanced back one last time to etch the place and the people in his mind....

But when he looked ahead, he saw even Tristan shivered at the blackness ahead of them. Empty places, lost places, where they had no right to go.

The Kiya dragged them forward, through a corridor of magic where time had no meaning, to places they could not name. The Janin hummed the tune Brendan had made for them.

Part One: The Cost of Freedom

Chapter One

Etric looked up as the small craft swept across the dull early-morning sky and dipped toward the private landing port behind the hill. Wes Ias had returned from his tour of the other fields. It wouldn't be long now.

Etric moved slowly away from the huts with the others following in a line down the narrow, well-worn trail. Bane had fixed his sandals last night, and at least he wouldn't cut his feet on the charred, hardened stubs of jungle growth. He'd have to find some way to thank the boy...

Though if what he planned worked, it might be thanks enough.

The foul air tasted of mingled jungle rot and the too-sweet fragrance of the midori field. The bright-green flowers bloomed in profusion above their pale white stems, each blossom worth a thousand credits when picked, processed and sold on the black market. The end-result drug slowed the metabolism and gave humans prolonged dreams so vivid that reality paled. Midori was the strongest hallucinogenic in the Empire, and being caught dealing in it landed the person a mandatory twenty years in prison.

Of course, dealing in slaves was even worse.

Rays of orange sunlight touched the upper edge of the encircling jungle as the slaves reached the fields, ready for the day's labor Humid, fetid air hung like smoke, so thick that more than a few gasped and coughed, some unable to move on even when the overseer's prodded with stun sticks. They would not live much longer. Wes Ias would be bringing in fresh blood soon.

Etric looked up toward the two-story house on the flat-topped hill, and glared at the sight of prosperity and oppression. Wes Ias stayed inside that compound on his frequent visits to Ahira, safe behind the grid work of a fence that killed at a touch. The guards lived there all year round. The white walls of the building gleamed like some temple of hope, though Etric knew the white was only a covering to protect the building from the mold that destroyed the slave huts. The laser cannon, mounted with a clear view of the field, caught the light.

Wes Ias walked over and stood by the weapon and its guard. Tall, massive, well-dressed -- he made Etric angry just to look at him.

Not that he had time to stare for long. The guards signaled the group forward, one person per row of plants, and handed each a basket that they hung from their shoulders. Etric moved to his row and bent to pull one of the errant jungle growths that always encroached on the field. The blue sap stung his fingers and he wiped them on the rags of his shirt before he began to carefully pick the midori flowers and place them gently in the baskets at their sides. Any damaged flower would earn half a dozen blows from a guard.

It didn't take long before the guards retreated back to the edge of the fields, finding places at the shadowed edge of the jungle. They had little fear of the slaves trying to escape. Except for another ten of these small plantations, there was not a single settlement on the world. And no one survived long in the jungles, where seekers waited in the trees, looking like limbs that caught and strangled, or willies crawled over a person as soon as they slept and burrowed into the softest tissue they could find.

The work went on...but when the sun stood directly overhead and even the guards could stand no more, they blew a whistle. Slaves often died if they worked through the hottest, most humid hours of the day, and even Wes Ias couldn't stand to waste so much manpower. For a while they could lie in the shade and rest.

Etric carefully pulled the rope handles of the basket off his shoulder as he sat, trying not to rub them against the whip marks that had only barely begun to heal. The hot day pounded him, and he took short, slow breaths, distancing himself from reality as much as he could. His fingers worked at unsnarling his brown hair as he patiently waited. He had learned patience in the last two years standard he had worked in these fields.

Even so, the lure of running wild in the woods still sometimes lingered at the edge of his sanity. Every day that he looked toward the wall of green, it beckoned him with a stronger call.

But he held back. He had waited, watched...and learned the weaknesses of those who held him here.

Another slave crawled toward him, a mane of golden hair moving through the line of plants. Crystal had been working the fields for at least twice as long as Etric, and he still wondered how the young man had survived this long. Crystal had a look of wildness that had never been quite tamed.

They had become allies in the last few weeks. They worked well together. Crystal smiled when he neared but kept low. The guards didn't like them to visit.

"How did it go last night, Crystal?" Etric asked. "I didn't hear an alarm."

"Of course not!" Crystal said and smiled. He had the look of a child who had succeeded at some little mischief. "The port gate locks weren't a problem. They didn't see me at all. Everyone was far too busy watching you. There has to be a better way of getting their attention, Etric. They could have easily killed you."

"Wes Ias wouldn't want them to waste a slave, not for something as trivial as tripping a guard." Etric shifted, trying to ignore the pain across his shoulders and back. He'd been beaten before, and for less reason. "And it was almost worth it. I couldn't have timed it better if I'd tried. Siper went headfirst into the mud. Best laugh I've had since I got here."

"I wish I had seen it." Crystal's smile finally faltered. His eyes looked toward the jungle for a moment. "I could use a laugh."

Etric hadn't realized Crystal stood so close to the edge. The thought that he could lose this man to madness... that he might not find another with the same abilities again, nearly panicked him. They dared not waste more time finessing this plan.

He took hold of Crystal's arm, surprising him. "We'll have the best laugh. Tonight."

Crystal looked stunned, and Etric wondered if he had stopped believing they would ever really make the escape attempt. Tonight was the best chance they might get. West Ias had arrived on world for the semi-annual harvest; and if they didn't take the ship in the next two days, he would be gone for another half a year. The only other ships that came belonged to smugglers and slavers, and they always had large crews. He, Crystal and their small band of people who knew anything about crewing a ship would never be able to take one of the larger craft, even if they could get up on one with the shuttles. Only the smaller craft landed on planets. Wes Ias's little ship would be their only chance.

Etric wanted off this damn world.

"We better part now." He looked up at the sky. "Eight hours and we'll make our try. Good luck, Crystal. And be careful."

"You, too, Etric. Don't provoke them too badly. I would hate to have to come back and pull you out of trouble."

"You won't." Etric looked into those wild eyes. "You will take the ship and get help."

Crystal blinked. He saw disagreement in those eyes, but it faded away. Crystal nodded and moved away again, a slow crawl back to his own work.

The last time. When the guard blew his whistle -- early, of course -- Etric carefully stood again, shouldered the basket, and went back his work. He wanted to pick a lot of midori today. It would be the final time he walked this field... one way or another.

The day drew on, long and hot as the sun curved across the sky and finally touched the tops of the jungle with blood-red light. The guards called them in; and Etric went slowly, making certain he stood near the end of the line.

Crystal was near the front. He handed over his picks for the day and moved on without any trouble. Although he then moved off toward the huts, he would soon slip away toward the gate to the landing pad. The guards were less likely to see him in the gray shadows of sunset, when they were busy watching the profits placed on the tables before them. By the time the guards prepared to make a count of the slaves tonight-well, they would have other work tonight.

Crystal would have the lock open without a problem -- he knew his work. He'd managed to steal food from the sheds on more than one occasion, along with a few medicines for some of the sicker slaves. The guards had never figured it out, and blamed each other for the losses. The distrust Crystal had sown was worth almost as much as the supplies they had hidden in the floors of their shabby huts. Etric didn't doubt Crystal had been an exceptional thief before someone sold him over to the slavers.

Etric, however, had abilities of his own, and some of them far less common than even those of a good thief. Had this world a moon that showed in this area more than once every few months, he would not have been here this long.

Ah, but it would not be long now. Bane stood in the line before him. Some said the silver-haired young man had been born a slave here on Ahira. The fields might be that old, Etric thought, looking back at them.

The line moved ahead. Only two more. He steeled himself for the next part of his plan. Although he knew the necessity of the actions, he also knew that wouldn't make the wounds any less painful.

Bane moved up, set down his basket and waited with his head bowed and his tanned shoulder muscles knotted. Old scars crossed his back. He wondered when Bane had stopped fighting.

Bane slipped away, and Etric stepped up to the guard's table. One man sat with the computer tally before him while on either side stood others with their stun sticks and whips ready for any trouble.

Etric gave them one mocking bow as he lifted his basket... and threw the flowers at them.

Ninety-three thousand credits worth of midori floated up into the air and fell across the men, the frail green petals tearing, the flowers falling apart, the precious sap flowing in small rivulets across skin, table and ground.

Ruined.

For one long moment everyone stared at him in shocked dismay and disbelief. He'd led them up to this point through the last long days. He'd given them reason enough to question his sanity. And now they never looked anywhere but at him.

A guard finally leapt forward, the prod in hand; but he slipped on the fallen flowers and went down, a moment of slapstick that won nervous laughter from the others still watching -- though none came closer. Etric took two steps back and the other slaves began to scatter. Those few they had learned knew anything about ships would go to Crystal. The others, most of whom knew nothing of what was planned, panicked.

Two more guards came at Etric. He had no intention of dying here. He lifted his hands and whispered, casting a spell for the first time in two years. He hadn't the strength for anything complex. The power released only sent the nearest three tumbling backwards, down and unconscious.

The expenditure of his carefully hoarded magic sent him reeling, and he almost went to his knees; but he fought it and staggered a few steps away from the other angered -- and now frightened -- guards.

Other guards arrived at a run from the edge of the fields and more were coming from the compound. The slaves had gone mad, which he hadn't expected. Before he could recover enough to run, Etric found himself in the midst of a melee of anger and fear. The first flurry of blows and kicks he took could have been from either side. He fell in the midst of hands and feet, and felt the velvet of a midori flower against his cheek. The sickening-sweet smell made him nauseous until a sudden sharp pain in the back of his head sent him into darkness for a while.

Hands had hold of him. Etric tried to pull away, but the pain in his right side brought a gasping cry of pain, and the hands only held him tighter.

"Crystal has the ship, Etric," a voice whispered in his ear. "Come on!"

Friends. He relaxed in their grip, looked back as they carried him away. Some of the slaves had attacked the guards, and others had run out to the field, tearing up the priceless plants. He saw dead lying everywhere. He didn't look too closely at them, knowing there would be familiar faces. It wasn't the first time the slaves had attacked and been killed, but he'd never seen either side react with such ferocity before.

And he had never been the one who brought about this much death, either. The thought sickened him. The night stank of blood. He wouldn't forget it soon.

They could not go directly along the narrow, fenced path to the port that lay beyond the hill. The guards were beginning to gather strength and regroup. Etric didn't want to be carried. He feared he would slow them down, so he used a little of his hoarded magic to give himself strength hen proved he could walk, which relieved the others.

"We haven't much time," he said. "Crystal--"

"Crystal has the ship, Etric," Silis said. She grinned. Only strong women survived on this world, and no one made the mistake of pretending otherwise. They never messed with her, though Etric well knew she had her tender side. "He said that we need you, though. That you know ships."

"So does he!"

"But I have other plans," Crystal said. He suddenly appeared, just a movement in the dark. He'd put a dark cloth over his hair, and he very nearly got a makeshift knife in his side from Silis, and something far more surprising from Etric. "Get to the ship, Etric. Take it out of here and get help."

"Crystal--"

"I'm going to do my best to make certain that laser cannon of his doesn't shoot you out of the air before you can make orbit."

"We can go low!" Etric grabbed his arm before he got away. "We can avoid it!"

"Maybe. There's no reason to take the chance. And I have other ways I can hurt Wes Ias. We need information, even if he gets away. I can get it, Etric. Just get the hell off-world and bring back help! Go!"

"Crystal... are you that good?" Etric asked, a hand on his arm.

"I was the best thief on Delson, Etric. Yes, I'm that good. Go, before you lose the ship. We grabbed some weapons, but the guards are better trained."

"Good luck."

"Thanks," he said, and grinned in a way that made Etric think the man was either very dangerous or very crazy. Or both.

But they parted company. Etric looked back, but Crystal almost immediately disappeared into the dark and the shadows.

They had to get to the ship. If they didn't get it, and get off world, then they were doomed. And they had to get help and come back for Crystal.

"Hell!" Etric began to jog toward the craft. No one argued.

They fought a little battle at the single-pad port. Silis died there, and that very nearly drove Etric to do something stupid. But he didn't. He got his people inside the ship; and when the guards charged, he sent them back with a wave of magic that crackled in the air and probably broke bones. It was magic born of hatred -- the worst kind. It took too much from him, but they were clear.

He stayed conscious, but he knew he had no more magic to spare now. He would need the little whisper of power he had left on the control deck. He shoved the key on the airlock down just as laser fire burnt the side of the ship, but for the moment they would be safe.

Except for that laser cannon. Gods grant that Crystal did do something with it. Even going low out over the horizon might not be enough at this point. They'd taken too long to get here. The cannon would be aiming...

He turned and started up the curve of the ship, one hand to the wall. Ulty, who had stayed by him, took hold of him and helped him along. It wasn't far.

"How did you do that?" Ulty asked, looking at him. "How did you stop them without a weapon?"

"My power," Etric explained as they raced up to the little control deck. Good ship. Good controls, and good code to stop anyone from taking her -- but no one had counted on someone who had the power to pull numbers from the air, if he had to. "Quiet. Just sit still and be quiet for one moment. I'll have this."

"How?" Magam asked, but Ulty quieted him. Etric didn't pay much attention to who was in the ship with him. He didn't care. He had expected Crystal to be here, not him. Hell.

Concentrate.

He put his hands over the control board and whispered words--magic words, words that made no sense in any language, but for him they held certain powers. They were his language of magic, like all mages had, few though they were.

Crystal would have done it the harder way, hacking into the computer. Maybe he wouldn't have had time. He felt an explosion against the airlock door just as he found the code and punched it in.

Boards came to life.

"Damn good," Magam said and slid into one seat. "Can you pilot, I hope?"

"Yes." He sat down at that spot, keying on computers, screens, checking views. Automatic behavior.

"Good. Let's go, Captain."

"Captain?"

"Better you in charge than any of the rest of us. I've worked ships -- we all have. But you got it running. Engines at seventy-three percent, sir."

It seemed to help them to have him in charge. Etric nodded, his side aching to distraction. No more magic to help that. He wiped blood from his forehead and out of his eyes. Concentrate. He could do this. It had only been two years since he last sat at the controls of a ship, and one far larger than this.

Don't remember that now. Don't remember all the people he'd lost...

"Settle in. We're going up and out. Let's hope Crystal gets the cannon quickly. Let's hope he survives it."

"Yes, sir. Scanners on." Ulty reported. "Nothing in orbit directly overhead. That's our only hope."

"Yes, I know. Ready?"

"Ready," echoed around the room.

He put his hands to the controls. It had been too damn long, and for a moment he felt a surge of panic. But he pushed that away and gave himself strength and calm through magic. That reserve was nearly gone. But with luck...Gods, with luck he would be gone in a matter of moments. And they would find the nearest Imperial Guard outpost and come back. The IGs didn't like either slavers or people trafficking in midori. He looked forward to bringing them back.

"Engines at ninety-eight percent, sir, and steady. Two percent accounted for by the ship functions," Tarkin said.

"Prepare to launch."

He felt the power building beneath them, felt the ship shake a little, ready to leap. He suspected people outside were surprised. They probably thought they'd be stuck on this world for a while longer.

No warning to the bastards. He hoped none of the slaves were nearby, but he suspected they had gotten clear when the guards showed up. No warning at all. They just lifted.

The others shouted with joy. Gods, even if they didn't make it -- hell, they'd be off the ground. They'd die up here instead. Higher. They'd die...

He glanced at the scanner, tracking the power source for the laser cannon and knew it was powered and tracking. If it fired--

Etric saw the burst of power, and his hands clinched the controls - but then he realized the cannon hadn't fired. It had exploded. Crystal had done very well.

He turned the ship and felt the drag of gravity, but it didn't pull them back down. He wasn't certain when he stopped believing they were going to die at any moment.

"Ulty, can you call up the star charts and find out where the hell we are? I want the closest major system. We need to get help back here, quickly."

"Yes, sir." Ulty sounded like he could have flown without the ship at this point.

Up and out of orbit. The ship massed very little, so they'd not have far to go to get out of the gravity well.

"Ship on scanners," Tarkin said.

"Star charts on right screen, sir. I've highlighted the best choices."

"Excellent, Ulty. Thank you." He looked at the chart and found a name he recognized, just a few day's slide away. His heart pounded at the thought of days passing, but there was nowhere closer where he could guarantee an IG post. "What about the ship out there? What is it?"

"Gaining, sir. I suspect it's one of the ships coming in to pick up the harvest. And cannons coming on line."

"Do they think we're Wes Ias?" he asked, hoping for a friend this close.

"No, sir," Tarkin said. "I've got the comm on. Wes Ias said to take us out."

No choices, then. Etric looked at his controls, keying information into the slide computer. "Make certain you're secured, all of you."

"More magic, sir?" Ulty asked.

He looked at the man, startled, and Ulty nodded.

"So, it is true. And I assume that's not something you want told."

"I would appreciate it if you would... not mention it." Etric looked around at the crew -- Ulty, Magam, Tarkin and Rime, who looked stunned and lost even while her hands worked the in-ship systems. "Magic is a very rare art, and we like to keep out of the limelight."

"No one shall hear of it from us." Ulty promised.

The others nodded. He pushed his hair back and suddenly wished very much for a shower. Well, if he got away from the incoming ship...

"No magic this time. But we're jumping early."

"Oh. That's dangerous," Ulty said, looking at him.

"Yes, it is. But even with shields up, we won't stand a chance against that ship if they get much closer. And they're going to be more sorry about our leaving than we will be, even if we don't survive. Have you been caught in the vortex of a ship that slides too soon?"

"No, but I've heard it's not good. All right. I'll be content with that," Magam said.

"Any arguments?"

"Not now," Tarkin replied. "Maybe later, when we're actually out of this mess."

He laughed. He urged a little more power into the engines while they still had the mass of the planet to propel them outward. He tried to find a way to use magic, the last of his strength, but he knew that would as likely knock him out as well. He had hidden most of the pain of his injuries behind a magical shield. He needed to hold on to it a while longer.

"Sir, they're within range."

He looked at the boards. "Too far into the well yet. Ulty, does this thing have weapons?"

"Yes, sir. But we have to lower the shields--"

"I know. But we might scare them."

"They're awfully big to be... scared. Or maybe not." Ulty gave a little, unexpected laugh. "I forgot this is Wes Ias's ship. We have weapons up the ass, Captain."

"Good. Can you handle them?"

"Yes, sir. With joy."

"I thought so."

"Shields in your control, Captain?"

"Yes. Are you powered? Be ready. Five-second window. And don't drain our power!"

"I've got a cut-off, sir. Just to make certain I don't get carried away."

"Good work. On the count of ten?"

"Yes, sir."

They worked well together. That came as survival instincts overcame fears and the knowledge that they had no time to work out intricate plans. He counted down, dropped shields. Ulty fired, and he sealed the shields again. One shot grazed the side of the ship. They took damage, but a quick survey and--

"We're going," Etric said. "Hold on."

He found the star path, locked in, and kicked in the slide engine. The ship rocked. He held the path by sheer physical force. They were not going to be lost. They would not fail now.

The craft steadied. He checked the reading.

They were going to make it.

And he was no longer a slave.

Chapter Two

Crystal wanted very many things before he left this damned world. However, he couldn't even think about attaining any of them until he made certain that Etric and the ship got away. If he failed in that he would still see that Wes Ias paid for everything he had done here -- but it wouldn't be nearly as much fun.

He had sprinted away from Etric and the others, heading for the compound that stood just outside the fields. He stopped at each of the bodies of five guards along the way, but he found stun-sticks on only the last two. He had wanted more...but he could work with these. He hadn't time to waste.

The fence still had power to it, but Crystal didn't have trouble taking care of that little problem. It cost him a stun-stick, but since he despised most weapons on general principles, it didn't seem too bad a trade. The fence sparked as he held the powered weapon against the junction of three cells. He felt a tingle up his arm, unpleasant enough to put his teeth on edge, but he held on. The arm would ache for days, he knew, but he hadn't the tools to do this with any élan. He hated being so blatant.

Well, if he got back to Delson, he'd take time to do something... exciting. Something perfect, and daring, just to prove he still could.

The tingling grew and even his ears seemed to buzz...and then suddenly the sensation vanished. His arm muscles twitched as he dropped the stun-stick. The end of it had turned black, and the power supply sparked and died. More power in the fence, then, he thought. And it had taken longer than he'd expected.

He pulled himself up to the top of the fence, cursing because his hand still trembled and it slowed him. The sun hadn't quite gone down yet, and he stood out too well as he scrambled over and dropped to the other side. He was within the compound. No one yelled in alarm.

He paused for a dozen heartbeats, shaking his arms and hoping the twitching faded quickly. Then he kicked off his shoes -- they were held together by twine now, and were apt to impede him if he had to move quickly. Besides, the grounds on this side of the fence had been leveled, and the mossy growth felt like soft carpet beneath his feet.

He jogged toward the white building on the hill, staying in the shadows and moving off to the right when he heard others coming. He stopped, dropped to the ground and waited as a large group ran past, heading for the gate. The guards had brought out the heavy weapons -- lasers to kill with rather than the stun-sticks. He hoped the others knew enough to scatter. He didn't want to see any more of them killed.

But he didn't want to see any more die from slavery, either, and at least those he had seen among the fallen died fighting.

By the time the guards were past he had nearly gotten his breath back. Out of shape, but that wasn't surprising in this hellhole with its thick, foul air. And they hadn't exactly had the best of care.

He got back to his feet. His arm no longer twitched, but it hurt like hell. He looked up at the lovely mansion on the hill and that gave him strength, especially when he saw people gathering around the laser cannon set on the embankment. He had to help Etric get off-world or this would be for nothing.

He ran this time -- quick and straight, since he could see clearly now. No one stood between him and the cannon; and since the guards had just been through, they wouldn't expect anyone to be hiding down here. With luck, they wouldn't even see part of the fence had powered-down since they'd be going through the gate.

No time.

The cannon sat in a small indentation at the top of the hill, where it had a clear shot at the slave huts and the fields. He scrambled up to it, well away from the path, and right under the laser cannon mounting.

Amateurs on the cannon. He could hear them arguing about how best to get the weapon to power up more quickly. One did not do that with a laser cannon. If he'd trusted them to be really stupid, he might have just forgone this little bit of danger and headed straight for the house.

But then he heard the rumble of the ship's engines starting to gain power.

"How the hell are they doing that!" a voice shouted. Familiar voice -- Wes Ias himself. Oh, yes...that kept him where he was and made this work well worth the risk.

For a moment Crystal feared he wouldn't be able to find a way into the works, and at the rate the cannon began to gain power, he feared what would happen if he did - but, hell, if he didn't stop it, Etric would never get away. Even if he died doing this, it would at least be for a reason. There had been damn little reason in his life the last five years.

He slid up under the barrel and found a small indentation in the casing. He used the edge of his second stun-stick to pry at the service panel, wishing to hell he had any kind of real tools. This would, if he recalled correctly, expose a small area beneath the actual cannon used to inspect the firing rod to make sure there were no flaws. The power supply would be farther back, so he should be safe from it even as it charged.

No time. They were started to aim, and he had trouble staying with it as the barrel turned above him. His hands shook, but the panel finally came free. If they hadn't been so frantic, they would have heard it drop to the ground and slide downward.

"They're lifting! The bastards are lifting! Get them in the sights! Let the cannon track them!"

Crystal turned on the second stun-stick and shoved it in the hole and up on the cannon barrel. It didn't want to stay there. Damn! He tore his shirt off and shoved it in around the stun-stick, wedging the thing--

The cannon gained power, but he could already see a spread of blue inside -- and then the fragmenting lines as the charge reached the stun-stick. He scrambled off to the left, trying to get as much of the hillside between him and the weapon as he could. The ship had begun to lift. He looked back at it and wished the travelers good luck. But they would need more than that if his trick didn't work.

"Fire!"

And then shouts, worry -- people scrambling away. They knew something had gone wrong. Too bad they'd figured it out. He had hoped they would stick around just a moment longer. He hoped Wes Ias didn't run too fast--

The world went white around him. Nice explosion, even with bits of red-hot stone and metal raining through the air. He curled up, protecting his head, and felt bits hit and burn his unprotected back, but he heard people screaming, too. He tried not to shudder at the sound. They deserved it. They did.

But it was the sound of their screams that drove him away from the area more than the fear of being caught. He crawled along the edge of the hill, and when he finally found a shadow, he slipped up over the top and across the fine, moss-covered yard. The mansion, which also housed the guards, stood before him, tall and bright. Rich.

He looked back toward the cannon. People swarmed around it. He couldn't see Wes Ias. He didn't care, really. He slipped up to the fine wood walls of the building and began looking for his way in. It wouldn't be hard. The last thing Ias would have planned for was a professional thief getting this close.

Crystal moved carefully along the back edge of the building. Another part of the fence stood just a few yards away, the jungle beyond. He needn't fear detection from that direction. He could hear movement inside, and took his time getting the patterns of where they were before he tried to get in. As much as he wanted to stop Wes Ias (if the man still lived) from calling in another ship, he had begun to suspect that surviving would be revenge enough right now. In some ways, in fact, he would be just as glad if Wes Ias and his men packed up and left...

But not before Crystal made certain they left a little poorer for having been here. He examined the back wall of the building and went to a spot he had seen on the first pass. The wood had worked free at that point, and he had little trouble prying enough out to get his hands around. Even as out-of-shape as he was, he still reached the first window with little trouble. And kept going upward.

He'd seen only one room on the top floor with no traffic. He suspected he knew which room he would find there, especially since he had heard two of the men speaking at a window about Wes Ias's injuries and that they had taken him to the medical unit. Not dead, but at least he suffered.

Crystal almost put his hand right on the glass before sanity hit. The rest of the house might be pretty much without alarms or traps, but he had no doubt Wes Ias made certain of his own space, especially since the guards he employed couldn't exactly be trusted. A quick check revealed nothing. He looked closer...and there it was, a thin little silver wire, hardly as thick as a hair, running right along the bottom edge of the glass.

Crystal pried very carefully at the wood beside the window. The silver ran up the side and into the wood again. He'd have to go to the roof, he suspected, to find the box. He'd hoped to avoid that because he usually saw guards up there. But he had no choice, unless he went in through another window and started wandering through the house. That sounded very unwise right now, considering how unhappy the people inside sounded. If nothing else, he could at least throw himself headfirst from the roof and die before anyone got their hands on him.

Things had gotten quieter out in the fields. He hadn't heard any yells since the sun had finally gone down. However, it was a sullen, hot night, and he expected worse again in the morning. He hoped the others who knew the plan had spread word to take to the jungles and hold out for a few days, but he suspected that too many of the slaves wanted revenge rather than life.

After all, look at him.

He reached the roof and took hold of the rough, hard covering before he stopped and took deep breaths. He hurt. He was not ready for this kind of activity -- but he had no intention of backing down now. Maybe that was a flaw. Maybe he should be glad to have his life, and let the rest go.

He looked up at the stars, hazy and nearly lost behind the steam rising from the jungle. They twinkled. He wondered where Etric had gone.

"The ship took damage," a voice said, startling him, since it seemed to answer his own question. "Wes Ias had to call a ship in from one of the other systems, but he says it'll be here long before those bastards can get back with help."

Crystal grinned. The gods were kind sometimes. The words gave him strength. He finally peered up over the edge of the roof. It had a high pitch for the almost daily rainwater to run off. He could see someone's head on the other side, but they were interested in the fields still. He was as safe as he could be right now.

He had to look carefully in the darkness before he found what he wanted -- a square metal box up by the house exhaust chimney. He carefully pulled himself up and, remaining flat, slithered to the box. The two men on the other side talked now and then, and Crystal stayed still in the moments when they did their rounds--always on that side, looking down at the fields. It was taking him too long to get to the box. Patience, he reminded himself. Patience had been his ally back on Delson.

This used to be fun, he thought. This used to be what I did for the joy of it. I never cared about the riches. Just the adventure.

The slavers had broken him of that. He wondered if he would ever have that joy back again. He wanted it more than the anger that drove him now. He wanted free of everything that associated him with this damned place, and he feared the only way he would gain that freedom would be to take that dive off the roof.

Not yet. No. He'd wait for Etric to come back. Then he'd see... After all, there were other, taller buildings on other worlds.

He got the box open without much work but had to wait while his eyes adjusted to the little bit of light. He found the silver line mostly by tracing the direction it went, and another that seemed to come in at the same place, so he carefully worked them both out.

"Damn them," someone said close by. "Wes is going to flatten this place before we go. This and as much of the jungle as he can."

"Don't blame him. Wouldn't want all those slaves out there, hunting us," the other answered. "Damn, how did this happen?"

"I don't know. I hope we can catch the ones that got out on the ship, though. Wes got the names of the leaders. Etric and Crystal. You can bet they won't live long."

Crystal grinned. Oh, he wouldn't be that easy to take out. And if Wes Ias wanted him dead, he sure as hell wasn't going to take that leap and do it for him. He carefully moved back down the roof, but he really didn't think he'd get away until he was over the edge of the roof and working his way down.

Hadn't lost his touch after all.

He made it back to the window and pried at the glass. It came open, lifting upward... and then stuck. He'd lost a lot of weight. It wasn't hard for him to slip inside.

The room smelled fresh and clean. A fan on the ceiling kept the air moving and gave off a faint, flowery scent. The bed looked huge and comfortable, and for some reason that sight brought tears to the edge of Crystal's eyes. He didn't know why. He couldn't imagine why something that mundane, when he had seen so much else, would almost break him.

He finally forced himself to look away. A low, soft light diffused the room--apparently Wes Ias didn't like the dark. It gave Crystal more than enough illumination to examine his surroundings. The bed, the table beside it with the little bowl that held something that glowed a faint green. Ah. Processed midori. Wasn't that interesting.

But it wasn't what Crystal wanted. He kept looking, first along the floor, and then another turn up the walls, and another a little higher...

Oh, it couldn't be that obvious, could it?

Only one painting hung on the walls, a badly painted rendition of some flower. He walked over to it and gently pulled the frame outward.

Yes, that's where the safe had been hidden. He studied it, found the trap, and disengaged it before he put his hand to the surface of the safe. Nice work. He hadn't seen one like this in years. But it was an older model, and he knew the tricks. A pressure point, an ear to the bottom of the metal. Careful and calm. Touch...

He didn't know how long it took him, but he knew when he had the combination. His fingers played over the surface one last time, and the safe slipped up and open. Lovely. He grinned and felt that spark of joy he had thought he'd lost.

A small light came on inside. He saw just what he wanted -- a small metal box, a cloth bag larger than his two hands, and several computer chits. Crystal pulled out the bag first and opened the top. Oh, yes. Jewels glittered even in this faint light, more jewels than he had ever seen in one place. Gods. Every slave would be rich by the time they split the credits from this find.

He grabbed the comp chits and shoved them into the bag as well. Those, he hoped, would bring him a far more personal joy.

He picked up the small, narrow box next. And felt odd. Or maybe just dizzy -- too much work that he wasn't ready for, he suspected. It hit him right in the guts, and for a moment he thought he would be ill right there. Puking didn't appeal to him, though doing it all over Wes Ias's bed...

But he got control. His fingers had tightened around the little box. The metal felt slimy, but he thought that came from his sweating palms. Never used to do that on Delson.

Someone moved out in the hall. He pushed the safe closed, the painting back into place, and slipped back to the window, ready to leave. But no one came in, and he could hear voices retreating again. Good. He thought he might like to check the room for a weapon. It suddenly seemed like a very wise decision to get his hands on one.

But first, he wanted to know what was in the box. Standing by the window, he carefully examined the opening, but he could find nothing that indicated a trap. His hands shook as he pressed the release and the top opened.

A piece of wood. Strange -- carved with squiggles, and brushed with color. His eyes swam looking at them, and he felt dizzy again. He ran his hand down the surface that would have fit in the palm of his hand. Half as wide as a stun-stick. Why the hell would Wes Ias have something like this in his safe?

His hand tingled. He felt ill.

Gods. The wood? Was it some sort of drug or something? He looked at it, feeling a strange growing dread because...because it suddenly seemed strangely alive, and dark, whispering to him. Wanting him. Promising him power and wealth, and secrets that none here knew. Power....

He had lifted the piece out of the box and let the metal case fall to the floor. He didn't remember doing it, but the wood sat in his hand and his fingers curled around it. The squiggles... moved. He could feel them.

Sounds in the hall. That drew his attention as fear overrode the less-pleasant feelings.

"I heard something!" Someone stopped outside the room.

Crystal looked down at his feet in dismay. He had dropped the metal box. Of course, they heard something.

He put his hand on the window then stopped. Someone had started to open the door. He'd never get out. Oh hell! How could he have been this stupid!

Kill them. It's the only way.

He moved toward the bed to grab the laser from beneath the pillows. He knew it would be there. How odd, though. He had grabbed the weapon with his left hand, and kept the wood in the right, as though it, too, were a weapon. Or ...as if he couldn't let go of it.

The door opened. Bright light. He threw himself down beside the bed, weapon and wood in hands.

"Something is in here! The other side of the bed!"

Kill them!

The man came around the side of the bed -- fool. Crystal fired straight into the man's face. He gurgled and choked and fell dead at Crystal's feet.

He'd never killed before. The shock froze him while something else screamed in his head. But he pushed the body away, retching.

Something burnt against his side -- laser fire. The other guard. He went down, crying out, and heard the other coming for him.

Kill him. Kill him and survive. We can go. We can be powerful.

We?

He brought up the weapon and fired. Killed that one as well, and felt just as ill, while something else felt pleased. Not part of him. Not his thoughts.

He looked at the blood-splattered wood in his hand.

No!

He threw it away. And then he dropped the laser as well.

Pain wracked his side. He staggered to his feet, went down again. Panic took him to his feet one more time. He had to close the door. So far, no one had followed the others in, and he thought he might still have a chance. He stumbled over and pushed it closed then stood against it, finding it too hard to breath for a moment. Gods -- he had done stupid things. The wood.... why did he keep thinking it was the wood?

How the hell was he going to get out of this? They would look for the men soon. Wes Ias might even come up here now. He had to get out.

But even walking back to the bed made his head swim, and he knew he would never be able to get back down the side of the building in this shape. He couldn't see much of the wound in this light. He'd grab a shirt from the closet. But how the hell would he climb down? He couldn't--

The glow of green on the table. His only hope.

Crystal knew what midori did to people. He'd seen it on Delson when a friend slipped farther and farther into dreams. But right now, it was his only hope -- the drug that eased all the pains of the world and would give him the power to step away and move without being in touch with what happened. Luis had done it, those first few times he took midori. Crystal just had to hold on to the idea that he needed to get away from the danger.

He dipped his fingers into the green, took a deep breath, and licked them clean. It tasted sweet. He almost did it again, but instead he took a handful and dropped it into the bag with the jewels. He didn't know how much he would need.

He grabbed a shirt from the closet. And picked the laser back up. He'd need it for the fence.

Needed to get away. Get out of this building, get to the safety of the jungle. Go. Now.

He slipped out the window and down, splinters tearing at his hands. He didn't care. But when he reached the bottom he looked back up at the window with a whisper of dread. He'd left the wood behind. The wood...the wood had killed those men, hadn't it? It wasn't him. He wasn't...

He thought of home, and for a moment he stood there, still as a statue, thinking about Delson, Liron, Fairchild. Gods, he wanted...

And shook himself out of the dream. He couldn't go there. Not yet. He had to get away.

He ran to the fence that surrounded the back edge of the compound and pushed the laser against the contact point for several cells. He fired once, a quick brush of light and fire, but the power arced and died all along the stretch. He climbed up and heard someone shouting. Laser fire burnt his leg. He looked at the wound, surprised. They should have killed him in that moment. Maybe they thought he was about to surrender. Instead, he threw himself over to the other side.

He shouldn't have been able to walk away. He knew the burn had hit bone. But with the midori to spur him on...well, it didn't matter. He kept going into the jungle. On and on...

And then, finally, he sat down by a tree. Just sat down and leaned back, looking toward the compound. He couldn't see it. He might have gone just a few steps with the jungle between him and the building, or he could have been running for half the night. He didn't know which, and he didn't really care.

He should have died by now. He knew it. The jungle creatures were already prowling, and he sat here, alone and hurt. He should have had someone wait for him. No one could survive the jungle alone--

Daylight. He'd been sitting for hours and not even realized the passage of time, although he remembered firing the laser at creatures who came too close. He'd held to the weapon, thank the gods. He stared out at the sky.

Ship. He heard it come in, distantly, and thought it might be a shuttle. Fine. Let Wes Ias go. He had the jewels, after all.

He pulled the bag out. The jewels lay dusted with midori. He ran his fingers over them, licking a little now and then, and letting it take him this time. If he were going to die in the jungle, he'd just as soon dream his way through it.

The ship did not stay long-he heard it lifting again within minutes. And then he heard the sound of explosions. Distant, though. And the shuttle -- he knew they were firing laser cannons as they lifted, burning the fields and the jungle. Flattening everything. Hadn't he heard they would do it? Had he warned anyone?

He watched, the jungle colors swirling, the faint taste of smoke... watched all day. The ship gone. Creatures fled past, running from destruction. They mostly left him alone. Or perhaps the predators had found plenty else to eat back at the compound.

Maybe he had inadvertently found safety here.

Another dip into the jewels, a little more midori. And another. And another... and finally, he let himself go into the dreams that had been calling him.

Calling him home: Delson on a cool, breezy night, and a visit to Liron's Place, his favorite tavern at the port. Liron would laugh when he arrived and order up Crystal's favorite food and drink. They'd talk about politics, the emperor, and maybe about some daring theft in the last few days. And Fairchild would sing his favorite song.

He wanted to go to the tavern again. Wanted to be there so badly he accepted the dream with all his heart and lived it with a joy he hadn't felt in the five years standard since some bastard at the port sold him to slavers, and sent him to this hell...

Chapter Three

"Damn lot of damage." Lantil leaned over the seat behind Etric.

He said nothing, hoping she would go away. Instead, Lantil slipped up beside him, the IG giving him yet another look of dislike and distrust. He'd had enough of them in the last three days aboard this ship, but he held his tongue as he sat here in the cabin with the her and Prasic. He concentrated on watching the screen as the small flagship came down, the pull of gravity making his body ache. Two larger ships sat in orbit, ready for whatever orders they might get, in hopes of hunting down Wes Ias and his men.

Etric feared they were not going to find him. Looking at the ground as they grew closer to landing, he began to fear they would not find anything at all. Even the pad had been destroyed, the surface cracked and bubbled so they dare not set down there. Captain Main said the engineers had found a spot at the edge of the field. He kept them informed as they came closer to the hell he really did not want to walk through again.

"Amazing what a few weaponless slaves can do." Lantil said, her hazel eyes watching him.

"Most of that damage was done from the air," Etric said, his fingers brushing over the screen. He didn't want to be here, and yet he couldn't stay away.

"Yes, I see that." Lantil looked at him, her eyes narrowed. "How much of it is your work?"

He spun on her, rage finally getting the better of his good manners. "Listen to me, you stupid bitch. I've gone through hell on this world, along with several hundred others. I wanted to come back and see them to safety, but from the looks of things, I doubt we'll find any of them alive."

"And that means you and those others that got off with you get the ship for yourselves."

"Is that all you think about?" he said. He started to reach for her, but the pain in his side stopped him. Maybe for the better. Regen and a couple nights of dull moonlight had not fully healed him. But he had left Farlight despite the concerns of the medics and come back with Captain Main. The others from the escape had not.

But then... they hadn't promised Crystal that they would.

"We're all in it for something," she said. "And I'll figure what you're after. I will."

"Leave him alone," Prasic ordered. He looked up from his compbook. "Not everyone is as cold-blooded and ruthless as you."

That drew Lantil off to argue with him. Etric suspected that Prasic did it on purpose. He didn't care. He just sat at the computer screen and watched as they made a relatively soft landing out in the already-ruined field.

Crystal. Where the hell would Crystal be? Had he been in that building that had been burnt to the ground? Damn him for staying behind...

The captain came to collect Etric a few minutes later. Main had a shock of short gray hair, a lined face, and an attitude that brooked no games from the others. Even he glared at Lantil when she started to say something, and for once she didn't argue. Nice to see that someone could shut her up.

"We're going out now. You will stay with the guards, Etric, until we see how things stand."

"Yes, sir."

"So, don't trust him after all--" Lantil began, but went quiet again when the captain looked at her.

"Lantil, you are staying with the flagship, sitting the comm," Captain Main ordered. She went wide-eyed and red-faced. "And don't even think about arguing. Are you ready, Etric -- or should I call you Captain Etric Deray?"

Etric and Main left the cabin with Prasic at their back. Even Prasic grinned and looked relieved to be out of the cabin.

"She's not happy," Etric said as the door sealed behind them. He had felt her glaring at them, and he didn't like the feel of someone that angry at his back.

"She's a pain in the ass," Main admitted. He slowed, and that embarrassed Etric, who realized he had begun to limp again. "She's also being retired at the end of this run, but she doesn't know it yet. I suspect she's getting worried about my attitude though, and I don't think she'll be horribly surprised to find herself dropped from the IGs."

"And she wants out on Ahira to see if she can grab... things to help her future," Prasic added.

"Like midori leaves?" Etric asked, appalled at the thought that someone who came in to help rescue people might look for that sort of gain instead.

"Yes, I'm afraid she would." Main frowned. "That's why no one is going out alone. I hope you understand. I believe you have come back for just the reason you said, but still..."

"I don't mind having a guard," Etric said. "They can help me find Crystal."

The captain looked at him, saying nothing for two steps, and looked away again.

"I know I sound unreasonable," Etric said as they reached the airlock. Ten more guards stood in place, ready to go out. "But I don't want to have survived at the cost of his life."

"It's a wonder any of you survived, you know."

"I know. It does not make my wish any less real."

Captain Main nodded. Then he put a hand on Etric's shoulder, surprising him. "The medics told me to watch you. You should have stayed for more regen rather than coming back right away. I've seen the readings outside. It's hell."

"I know it's hell." Etric felt uncomfortable under the stares of the other guards. "I lived out there for years. But I'm going out to and see if I can find Crystal."

Main nodded and signaled the airlock open. Etric closed his eyes for a moment, hoping for a miracle. He felt the wave of heat and humidity, mingled now with the scent of burnt wood, damp decay, and scents he didn't want to name. Too many had died here.

"Damn!" someone mumbled as they started down the ramp. "People can't survive here!"

Etric opened his eyes and followed the group. He reached the bottom of the ramp and paused, looking down at his feet -- but he wore good boots now, and he didn't need to worry about cutting his feet. He felt odd. Changed - and not changed.

Burnt jungle lined the field on all sides. They must have made several passes. He could see up the hillside to the charred framework of the house. He wished it still stood so they could see...

"Someone survived!" Captain Main said. He had stopped by Etric and looked out toward the line of jungle across the fields. "Order the medic team out, Lt. Prasic."

"Yes, sir!"

A few figures came out of the shadows, and even at this distance Etric could tell Crystal was not with them, though he did recognize Bane by his wild silver hair. The loss and worry must have shown in his face, though.

"We're barely down, Captain Etric," Main reminded him. "Give it a little time."

"Yes, sir, you're right."

"Prasic, you stick with Captain Etric. Make certain he has whatever help he needs."

"Yes, sir."

Etric looked at Prasic, who nodded as they stepped out into the soft muck of the fields. He hated to get his new clothing covered in the gunk. He wanted none of it to go away with him again.

But it would. He would take a part of Ahira with him wherever he went, even if he could wash the stench of it away.

They were nearly to the group when Bane unexpectedly let out a shout and jogged -- though limping -- forward. "Etric! I knew you'd come back for us!"

He hadn't expected that reaction. But he took Bane into an embrace while the others were placed in the care of medics. It was good. It helped ease some of the guilt.

"Have you seen anyone else, Bane?" he asked, taking the younger man toward the station the medics were setting up. Good training.

"A couple more in the jungles. They were crazed, you know. No guards survived, none that didn't get off world with Wes Ias when the drug ship came. I don't think there's going to be more than a dozen survivors from the slaves, though. The bastard burnt down the compound and as much of the jungle as he could get as he left. A lot of people died there."

"We saw the damage on the way in." Etric looked into Bane's young, tanned face. "Do you know anything about Crystal?"

"I haven't seen him, not dead or alive." Bane glanced back at the jungle and shook his head. "I don't know, Etric. People said the two of you planned the break. I thought he went with you. I never saw him after you started everything."

"Crystal was supposed to be on the ship. He went to stop Wes Ias. Obviously, he failed."

"That doesn't mean he's dead," Bane protested. That drew a surprised look from Etric, who hadn't expected optimism from Bane. He'd never shown any before. "I know it sounds odd, but... well, he always struck me as someone who was going to survive. I hope you find him."

"Me, too. Let the medics look you over. We'll be leaving Ahira soon."

"Leave?" Bane looked startled. "I've never -- never been off Ahira. I was born here."

"Born here," Captain Main repeated, coming up beside them. "Good God, boy!"

Bane gave the man an even look -- the stare he would have given a guard. Show no emotion, stay calm. That could be a problem, Etric realized.

"This is Captain Main of the Imperial Guard, Bane. I'm sure he's going to want to talk to you."

"Talk to me?" he said, and for a moment worry flickered in his dark eyes.

Etric trusted Main to work carefully with the boy. The man had done well with him and his crew, after all.

He left Bane in the care of the captain and the medics and headed off toward the ruins of the house. Prasic stayed with him, wiping sweat from his face as they started up the incline. Pieces of half-melted stone and metal lay scattered across the moss. Crystal's work. Had he died doing it?

At the top of the hill he stopped and looked at the guard, who wiped perspiration off his face again and took short, panting breaths.

"Sorry. I'm sure this is not exactly what you want to do."

"Captain Main told me to stick with you. And I'd rather be out here with you then on the ship with Lantil right now."

"I don't think I'm going to find him."

"Maybe not," Prasic said. "But you have to look."

He nodded and went on, pain stabbing at his side. He'd put his hand there instinctively, and saw Prasic shake his head -- but they didn't stop.

The house had stood over the slave fields like a picture of unattainable heaven. He felt sudden joy as he kicked at the charred wood of one wall. He'd cursed that house so often he felt as though he'd had part in the destruction.

"We aren't going to find anyone alive in that." Prasic put a hand on his arm to hold him back. "And it looks like what's left is apt to fall down at any moment."

"True." Etric put his hand to his side again. The pain had grown, and he feared he might have re-injured bones -- the medic had warned him. But he had to find Crystal. One way or another, he had to know the truth. "Crystal headed to the house to stop the laser cannon and maybe the comm equipment. I know he made the laser because it blew even before we got out of the atmosphere. I want to know what happened next."

Prasic nodded, wiped sweat from his forehead, and looked around. Etric surveyed the ruins, wondering how he could safely check for bodies. As much as he didn't want to find a certain one, he still wanted to know the truth.

"Look there, at the fence."

Etric turned away from the building, surprised to find Prasic heading around the burnt corner and toward the far fence that had stood behind the house, a barricade against the ever-encroaching jungle. He'd had to come up here once with guards to help clear the yard...

Prasic looked back and paused, waiting for Etric to catch up. "Laser marks on the wall," Prasic said, waving his hand in that direction. "They were shooting at something."

"Someone," Etric said. Laser burns cut across several of the cells and up to the top. He let himself grin a little at the sight. "Good catch!"

"We're trained to look for that kind of stuff." Prasic shrugged as they neared. "Power is down on those cells, too. I'd say it was down before someone tried to climb, or they'd be a dead heap on this side."

They reached the fence, which stood just a little higher than Etric's head. He saw what looked like blood toward the top.

"I need to know what's on the other side," he said and reached.

"Don't be a fool. I'll look."

"Thanks." Etric started to offer a hand up, but Prasic just shook his head. "Be careful up there. This is a dangerous world, and for all we know, it may have been guards trying to make the safety of the jungle."

"Good point. Thanks." Prasic leapt and grabbed the top of the fence, pulling himself up. He balanced there for a moment. "Nothing down the other side. I'm going over to take a look at the woods. There's not a lot of damage here."

"Be careful! Keep your laser in hand and watch the branches! Seekers pretend to be limbs. If they wrap around your neck--"

"I'll be careful. You just stay put!"

"I will."

Prasic dropped to the other side and jogged off. And that, finally, gave Etric a moment to do something he'd wanted to do since he stepped out from the metal shell of the ship. He cast the one spell he had held in his mind for the last few days. It was not an easy spell. He called up the power and the image, and whispered words that tied the hunter spell to that image before he carefully-very carefully-sent it off.

"Find Crystal," he whispered to the little bit of intelligence he had created, the tiny flittering of invisible wings. "Crystal, find me. Crystal, find me. Follow back to me. Crystal, find me..."

"Captain Etric?"

He spun and found Captain Main coming around the ruins. The spell flittered away, and he hoped he had made it strong enough to find his friend. He'd done all he could. Now he sagged against the fence, spent from the work and the magic.

"Are you all right? Where's Prasic?"

"He went over -- should be right back," Etric said, waving a hand to the fence.

"Oh. Laser marks. Good catch."

"His catch." Etric tried to stand up straighter, but his hand went to his side again. He leaned there and met the man's look. "I'll be fine."

"I'll believe that after the medics look at you. Ah, and here is Prasic now."

"Captain, sir," Prasic said, scrambling down from the top of the fence. He landed and saluted. "I found nothing -- no sign of a body, either."

"That's good," Etric said. "If they were firing at Crystal, he might have gotten clear then."

"Maybe," Main said, his eyes looking at the fence again.

"Yes, I saw the blood, too, but there's not much of it, and it looks as though the person made it over the top, so that gives me hope as well, since the body isn't on the other side."

Main looked up at the wall and nodded. "Are you ready to go back to the ship? I've set people out with scanners. I don't think you can do any better."

He thought about the spell, but he nodded anyway. "Yes, I think I'm ready to go back. I never did like this world."

"Well, more sane than I had expected." Captain Main started back, walking slowly again. "I haven't asked what you did before you were captured, Captain Etric."

"I was the first officer on a free trader, the Marisken. They grabbed us at a slide point between Alkin and Verla. Only five of the crew survived, and I'm the last of them."

"I'm sorry."

"So am I. The Marisken was a family ship. I have no one left now."

Main looked at him for a long, silent moment. "Good luck, then."

"I'm going to find Crystal," he said.

"You can't bring your family back. You can't bring Crystal back if he's dead. You know that."

"Yes, I know it. I know that I'm keeping a promise to him that I failed with my family. And I know it's irrational -- but it got me through this, and I am not going to give up on it until I have to."

Main started to say something. Etric looked at the building as they passed. Ruins, destruction, death -- that's all he was likely to find on this world. But he had done the best he could.

He returned to the ship with the captain and let the medics look him over. They said things about bone damage, malnutrition, and other lectures he'd heard back on Farlight. He listened and nodded, but he kept thinking about the compound and the jungles. When they were done, he went out the ship's airlock and sat on the side of the ramp, waiting.

But the day grew dark, and the captain asked that everyone go into the ship. There wasn't much they could do in the dark, and he feared the creatures some of his men had seen wandering close. He put out guards, but even they did not go far.

Etric went to his room, the one he shared with Prasic and the more-than-pissed Lantil. Her bad manners drove him back out. Well, that and the need to just stand inside the open airlock and watch.

Captain Main joined him there.

"Sorry," Etric said. "I just... this is my last day here. I want to remember it."

"We leave midday tomorrow. I'll send another pass out into the jungle but..."

"But if he hasn't shown up yet, it's unlikely he will. I know. Damn. I had hoped -- Crystal had a knack for coming out on top of things. I hoped he could do it one more time. He was the one who was supposed to take the ship, but I think that he had always intended to stay behind and deal with the cannon."

"Did a damn good job of it, too. Put one of those weapons you told us about, the stun-sticks, right up on the barrel. My men found it fused to part of the firing rod. Must have been a spectacular misfire."

"Good." Etric looked toward the ruins of the house again. "He wanted to stop Wes Ias from getting away, but it's obvious Ias got a ship in so he must have failed in that. I don't care, really. We're going to take down his fields. I've culled a great deal of information from his ship's computers, too, that will help us track him. But I wish Crystal could join in the fun."

"Yes, I know. Come in and have dinner with me, one captain with another."

"I shouldn't be the captain of that ship."

"Of course, you should. You deserve it just as much as Crystal would. Come on, friend. You've gone through hell. It's time you stop thinking like a slave, you know. It's time to let this go."

"I can't. Not quite yet. But I would love to have dinner with you. Can you keep the medics away that long?"

"I already talked to them about it. They suggested the meal. Now come on. I don't want my food to get cold. And we can talk regulations and free trading, and what you really plan to do with the future. And I'd like to ask you about the boy."

"Bane?" he asked.

"Yes. He isn't doing well."

"What's wrong?" Etric asked. He'd been blind to everything else.

"He doesn't have much of a physical problem. Being born here and having survived it made him strong enough. But he doesn't want to leave this world. The medics say he's afraid and doesn't even know it. I don't know what I can do to make this easier for him, because we are not going to leave him behind, no matter what he says. He'd never survive."

"No, he wouldn't." Etric turned back to look one more time then shook his head and started away. "He lost too much here, and he's never known anything else. You want my suggestion? Drug him until we're well away, and then let him start learning about the ship and the other worlds out there. He liked to build things for the slaves. He was the one who mostly kept our huts in shape. Give him something to do."

"Good idea. But drug him?"

"Don't let him suffer through leaving. Just get him away and present him with the fact of it afterwards. He's good at having his life controlled. He's used to it. Don't ask him for choices right now. He's not ready for them."

"Ah. I hadn't considered that," Main said. He nodded to the hall to the right. "He says he was born here."

"I think he was, but that was long before I arrived."

Main nodded again and touched the palm lock on his door. It slid open to wonderful aromas, and Etric felt half-faint at the smell. How odd. He'd been eating well enough, but for the first time the food really drew him. Maybe that came from being here, and having stood out in the sun of Ahira. He sat down and barely had the manners to wait for the captain.

They had a good, long meal. He didn't eat as much as he would have liked to, but, then, he really hadn't the capacity for it now. They discussed a good many things, like the fact that the old emperor had died the year before.

"Not that he'll be missed," Main said. "He ran the IGs like his private little toy soldiers, and from all I heard, he was a real bastard to deal with. Begging your pardon--"

"No need. I was a free trader, remember? We weren't exactly his favorites, and we knew it. Who took the rule?"

"His son, Kadrien, and the boy's mother, from all I've heard. They're still better at ruling than the old emperor. I heard he was a real sadist in the true sense of the word. Just as well to have him gone. Some of his last laws were not helpful to the empire, to trade, or to anything else. Paranoia, I guess. But no matter. They were all rescinded. We're doing well enough now, under Kadrien."

"I'm glad to hear it." Etric leaned back, letting himself relax for the first time... in years. "I suppose I'll have to find out about the trade rules if I'm going to take the ship and a crew and go back to my old work."

"Will you?"

"My other choice is to sell the ship and settle down on a world," Etric said. "I've had enough of that. Yes, it's time to think about what I intend to do. A ship of my own... it's more than I had when I came here. More than I deserve."

"Not from what the others said who reached Farlight with you. They said you were a damned good captain, and they wouldn't have survived the slide if you hadn't been so good at the work. Will they go on with you?"

"No. They all want to go home. I can't blame them... but I don't have a home, you see. I was born on the ship the slavers destroyed. What else am I going to do?"

"Is there nowhere you want to go?"

"Yes, there is." He smiled a little, surprised by the wave of longing. "I want to go back to the stars."

"Good. Now let's get you back to quarters."

"The company here is better. Lantil is not happy."

"Oh, I bet she isn't. And I'm glad of it, though I do apologize for putting you in there with her. Prasic, on the other hand--"

"He's a good man. Makes up for it."

"Good." He started to stand when the comm buzzed and he hit it with a sigh. "Well, at least we made it through the meal. Yes?"

"Captain, the guards report someone coming out of the jungle. They want permission to go get him. He's gone down to his knees twice, and they're afraid he won't make it much farther."

Etric stood. "I'm going to the airlock, just to look."

Main started to say something then nodded.

"Tell the guards to get him. Two guards, the rest to stay put and keep watch."

"Yes, sir."

"I'll go with you, Etric," Main said, getting up from the table.

"There's no need, Captain. I know there's very little chance it's Crystal. But I have to see."

He nodded. "I like to walk after a meal."

"You're afraid to let me out of your sight, aren't you?"

"Yes," he said. He opened the door. "Though not for the reasons Lantil might think. My ship's medics told me tonight they thought you had a very high index for suicide. Your family gone, nearly everyone here dead, and your obsession with finding Crystal might push you too far."

"I'm not suicidal."

"I'm not so certain. So, you will have company."

He frowned but then shrugged and nodded. No use arguing.

"And that's another problem. You accept orders too easily."

"Don't worry, I'll get over that when it matters most." He laughed.

Main seemed to be worried still, but he said nothing before they reached the airlock and he opened it again. Heat and the stench of the world slipped in, even this late.

"This is a damn horrible world, Etric. I'm surprised that any of you survived it."

"I know." He took a short breath of the fetid air and frowned. "I'll be glad to leave. I really will this time."

"Good." They walked down the ramp to the six guards who stood there, weapons ready. "Where is this person?"

"Over there, sir. On the side of the hill by the house."

Etric looked, squinting. He thought he could see something move beyond the two guards moving in that direction, but he wasn't sure.

"Here, Captain Deray. Take a look through my night glass," one of the guards said.

Etric took it with a nod of thanks, wishing he could just go back into the ship, go to sleep, wake up and believe this was over and he was a different person now that he'd been freed. He wanted to get away from this nightmare, and to make a new dream.

Looked through the glass. Stared. Blond hair. Head bowed. But he knew.

"Gods! Crystal!"

He tossed the glass to the guard and took off at a run. He heard the captain shout something, but he never paused.

The guards heard him coming, stopped and turned -- and he passed them. He reached Crystal before they did and dropped down on his knees right beside the man, winded, hurt, and nearly faint.

"Crystal!"

He took hold of his friend. Crystal looked up and blinked and offered a very wan smile. "I heard you call me. I heard you call for me to come back--"

As the guards brought up a light he could see a burn across Crystal's chest and side, seeping blood and worse. Etric caught him as he started to tumble. And then the guards caught up with them, winded and cursing.

"How the hell did you do that! We nearly passed out when... when we ran!" one exclaimed as she dropped to her knees beside them.

"I spent a lot of time on this world," Etric said. He hoped he didn't pass out now. "You get used to it."

And then Main arrived, not looking very happy, either. "Damn, Etric. The medics would have killed you if they saw you take off like that. Can you stand?"

"Probably not."

Main nodded. He knelt frowning. "This is Crystal? He doesn't look good. Call in a med team, stat!"

People moved, shouted orders into comms, took up positions around them to protect the group. The captain stood looking around. They heard something in the woods--and for a moment it was just he and Crystal, there on the ground.

"I heard you call," Crystal said again.

The others would think him delirious, but Etric felt the little spell flitter around him. He killed it with a whisper and saw Crystal look at him, eyes wide for a moment.

"How the hell did you make it this far?" Etric asked. He feared to touch the wound. It would kill Crystal.

"Midori," he whispered. "Gods, Etric. I dreamed I was home. I wasn't here at all. And it was wonderful. I still have some left. I want to go back--"

Crystal had fumbled for something in his tunic and pulled out a soiled bag. Etric grabbed it, and Crystal looked startled, tried to take it back.

"No. You don't need this now."

He started to throw it out. Crystal grabbed his arm and shook his head. "No. Mine. Not the midori. Don't..."

His friend had started to panic and that didn't help. Etric nodded and pushed the bag into his own tunic - and realized it felt bumpy. There was something more than just powdered midori in there.

But the med team arrived, sweeping down on them. They pushed Etric aside, and Main pulled him up. They looked frantic.

"He's been taking midori," Etric told them.

"That explains how he survived, I guess," one of the meds said. "It's not good."

"We found him," Main said. "He made it this far. We'll do what we can."

Etric nodded, accepting that they might not save Crystal. But somehow he thought they would. Somehow, despite everything he saw, including some very bad readings on the medical scans, he believed Crystal would pull through.

He had done the best he could.

They went back to the ship. Hours later the medics ordered him to his own room to rest. Crystal hadn't gotten worse, but they still wouldn't promise he would get better, either. They were doing their best to keep him alive. Sitting with him had been too painful.

He went into the privacy cubicle and started to undress to shower. And that's when he found the bag again. He opened it.

Well, that explained why Crystal had nearly panicked, at least. The comp chits pleased him but the jewels took his breath away. A lot of jewels, dusted with probably a few thousand creds worth of midori. For a moment he felt a strong temptation to give it a try, to escape... but, no. Instead, he adjusted the microfilter in the sink and put the jewels and chits in, running water over them, rinsing them and his hands and the bag. They glittered.

"Hey, you gonna be all night in there?" Lantil demanded. And did it, he suspected, just to annoy him.

"Yes, actually, I thought I would."

He heard her snarl a curse and Prasic laugh. Etric finally climbed into the shower. When he came out, the jewels and the chits were still there. Amazing.

He began to wonder what kind of life he would have once they left Ahira. He would hold these for Crystal and ask what he wanted done with them -- but he had a ship and Crystal had wealth, and the rest of the slaves were getting passage home, at the very least. He thought about Bane...

"Get your ass out of there!" Lantil ordered.

He growled something short and rude, gathered the jewels back in the bag and put it under his shirt, and finally came out. He smiled at Lantil. She didn't look at all amused as she pushed past him.

Life would be better. Crystal would survive. He knew it.

Chapter Four

Crystal awoke in places he could not name, and couldn't even be certain of their reality. The dreams overlapped and spread into the waking world of pain and fear. Only Etric seemed real in those days of glass boxes, beeping machines, and harried faces.

Time passed.

The last year had been a nightmare for Crystal. There were long months when only the meds kept him alive. Regen and replacements, drugs and... dreams.

Gods, he hated the dreams now. Even a year after taking the last little touch of midori, he still dreamed too well. He mistrusted reality because of it.

The medics called him Cris instead of Crystal, and he never corrected them. He didn't feel like Crystal anymore.

Etric had stayed with him. In fact, Etric refused to go, even when Crystal recovered enough to realize that considerable time had passed.

"But your ship," Crystal said, setting aside a cup of juice. "Captain Main... didn't he say something about your ship? It costs to store those things!"

Panic had inched up, and alarms on the machines he was attached to started to go off... but they died down again. He'd gotten better, and Henri, the on duty medic, only peeked in, nodded, and left again.

Etric looked at him and finally shrugged. "I sold the ship."

"Gods, Etric. You should have gone!" The monitors spiked again, but this time he glared at them and calmed, and Henri didn't even look in.

"I wasn't ready to go," Etric said. "I'll get another ship when I'm ready. The gods know I have more than enough funds."

"Etric--" he began, feeling the weight of the last few months again, knowing he had cost his friend--

"I didn't want the ship." Etric's dark eyes narrowed, and he lifted a hand to stop Crystal before he even spoke. He hadn't done that in a long time. "I stripped it of everything I could. Captain Main and I gutted the computers for any information on Wes Ias we could find. And then I sold it. I didn't want a ship that had belonged to that man."

Crystal almost believed him.

It took another couple months before they finally let him out of the hospital to live in a nearby apartment with Etric. He still had trouble breathing, and found it difficult to walk from the bedroom to the dining room, where he might sit and read for a while. He didn't go out. He didn't trust anyone.

Except Etric.

And that finally worried him. He began to understand what the medics had warned him of-- the trap he had created by making Etric his anchor to reality. He couldn't live like this forever. And it wasn't fair to his friend, either.

But he couldn't just let go of that anchor and walk away.

Some days they studied the chits, working their way through the codes, delving farther and farther into the web of power Wes Ias held. Captain Main and Lt. Prasic came by whenever their tour brought the ships to Farlight. The captain personally took what they found to give to the authorities and made certain it didn't get traced back to them. The information began to pull his empire apart at the seams but they never quite caught the former slaver.

By the time they finished going through the chits, Wes Ias had lost nearly all his power. Crystal contented himself with that for the moment.

The jewels helped. He had traded many of them in for credits and given most of that money to the other slaves with Captain Main's help. But he and Etric were still rich enough. They'd even picked up a few rewards.

But time still passed, and he could not always account for it The medics said it would be a long time before the drug truly left his system.

Crystal took the jeweled broach from his right shoulder and looked at it, turning the piece over in his hands so it caught the light. Lovely. Etric had arranged to have it made from the last of the jewels. It commemorated the date they'd gotten off Ahira. He wished he had been there to experience the moment, but this helped.

A year ago standard ago he had brought this piece to the hospital. Crystal looked at the broach and felt, quite inexplicably, as though he had just wakened from a long half-sleep. A walking dream... or maybe a nightmare.

Etric had done more than his share in the last year. That thought came suddenly, and sparked a wave of embarrassment. Emotion. Real emotion, that didn't come from dreams or drugs. Etric shouldn't have stayed to take care of him. Etric...

Etric came into the apartment, carrying food from the restaurant down the street. He looked haggard.

"You doing all right?" Crystal asked.

Etric looked at him, and Crystal could see the surprise in his face. Had he been that self-centered that a simple question about someone else came as a surprise? Maybe so.

"Fine, Crystal."

Crystal stood and helped carry the food to the table. His legs shook from even that short walk, but he did it and felt better for helping. They sat together and ate, and Crystal asked questions he should have asked a long time ago. Where they were, what had happened... And with each question he asked, Etric looked more alive.

The meal had been over for some hours, and Etric tilted his head and smiled. "What would you say to a nice trip? We have the money. Get off this hell hole of a world."

Crystal looked out the window, surprised by the words. But he understood when he studied the other buildings. Even in the middle of the day, Farlight sat sheathed in shadows, ugly and unfriendly. Why hadn't he noticed?

"Yeah, maybe it is time to go. Where?"

"I thought we'd try Delson."

He panicked.

Half an hour later, Etric had gotten a tranquilizer into him and he managed to sit on the sofa, his head in his hands, gasping for air. He trembled. He looked up when Etric sat across from him, feeling like a fool and afraid still.

"All right, not Delson." Etric said.

And that made him laugh, finally. It had a half-hysterical sound, but it was still a laugh. He threw himself back on the cushions and finally took enough of a breath to speak again.

"I don't know what happened," Crystal said. "But I can tell you that I'm not ready to go home."

"I noticed that. We'll go somewhere else. But I want to see a world that doesn't make me ache for the sun again. And one that has a real moon, every night."

"You could go on without me."

"Like hell. No, we're going on together until you're ready to go on alone."

"Etric--"

"Don't argue with me."

He started to. He stopped. "Why are you staying with me? Really?"

"Because I want something good to come out of what happened. Because I don't want to just walk away and not look back."

"We don't talk about it much."

"No, we don't. Do you want to?"

"No. Except -- you are a magician, aren't you?"

He grinned. "I wondered when that was going to come up. Yes, I am. I came from a family of magicians, Crystal. And you are a thief."

"Yes. Or I was. A good one." He looked at his hands. They trembled. They had all year, and he had grown tired of seeing it. He shook his head. "But not the rest of my family."

"Why don't you want to go back to Delson?"

He thought about it for a moment. No easy answer except for the obvious one. "I'm not ready to face them. I can't go back like this."

"They would be upset?"

"No. But... I want to be better than this, that's all. I want to go back when I don't feel like I'm running for shelter. I might never leave it again."

"Good." Etric smiled. "That's a damn good reaction."

"Without the panic would have been better." The tranquilizer started to make him sleepy again. "I'm sorry, Etric."

"It's all right. We're getting there. But we're leaving Farlight as soon as I can get us passage to somewhere nice. We're rich. We can afford to enjoy it. And I'm tired of this place."

"Yes, I think I am as well." Crystal put both his hands through his hair. "I hate to sleep. I don't want to dream. The nightmare about the wood keeps coming back. You didn't see it?"

Etric shook his head. They'd had the talk before. All Crystal remembered was a piece of wood, and killing people. Nightmares. It could not be real. Crystal knew that now.

It was his first step back into the real world.

In a few days they packed up their few belongings and took a ship for Cherish. They settled in the capital, Terris. More expensive to live, but the sunlight felt good. Within days Crystal started taking walks around Poet's Park, a lovely tree-lined area filled with fountains and lovely statues. The slightly lighter gravity helped.

He accepted the freedom he had not allowed himself to feel before now. Walking, at first when the park remained mostly empty and then gradually when more people were there, took on a new meaning. It gave him back the strength to trust others as well as Etric. And maybe even himself. He started returning greetings with less than a feeling of dread. He started...

Started feeling alive again. He hadn't realized how little he'd allowed himself to feel until now. The midori had taken part of his soul and had done far more damage than the four years of slavery had inflicted. However, the drug had saved his life. Now it was time to live again.

That night he sat at his bedroom window and looked out across the gleaming lights of the city. Jewels. He looked at his brooch and thought about all the credits he had, even after horrendous medical bills. And what would he do with that money? What did he want to do now? He didn't want to stay sitting here staring at the city until he had to sleep.

No. He didn't want to be trapped here.

His hands stopped trembling. That took him by surprise. He'd felt like a palsied old man for so long that looking at his long, slim still fingers suddenly made him feel young. Made him feel alive. How odd.

He smiled. He looked at the city again, with the park below and the Governor's Palace on the ridge behind it. And he began to plan to do something daring that would make him live again. And he laughed.

Three months later, he came out of his bedroom to find Etric at the table, waiting for him. He went over and threw himself in the chair, leaning back.

"Sorry I overslept. Past noon already? I was dead tired."

"I bet you were."

Crystal grinned. He wondered if Etric would catch on. Etric pushed a printout across the table at him.

"I pulled this off the compline this morning."

Crystal reached for it, but Etric pulled it back and read aloud: "Daring robbery of Prince Itlyn's crown, and recovery of it from the top of a tree in the Poet's Park. The local police are still puzzled by who would make such a daring and dangerous gesture."

Crystal grinned. Etric looked at him, but laughter hinted at his eyes. "Okay, why?"

"Because every time Prince Itlyn wants to go for a walk, he clears the paths so he and his friends aren't disturbed by the 'rabble.' I got tired of it. There are too many Imperial Governors with titles who think that makes them gods."

"Well, that's true enough. But still..."

"I did it to be sure that I could, Etric. I did it as a final test of my... coming out again. And it worked."

Etric started to say something. Stopped. He grinned.

"Good."

Crystal laughed. "Let's go out and celebrate. Know any good portside taverns?"

"I haven't exactly been hanging out down there lately."

"Always the best entertainment," Crystal said. He stood and grabbed their jackets from the wall hook. "Come on. My treat."

"You have no money."

"What, you think I only took the crown, and nothing to pay me for all that work? I grabbed a few hundred creds from the bastard. Let's go spend them at places he'd never enter."

He saw Etric start to argue again, and then shake his head. He stood and took the jacket, stopping again at the door.

"Are you really this dangerous?"

"Yes. I'm afraid this is the real me."

"What are you going to do now?"

"Enjoy life. I'll be damned if Wes Ias is going to take that away from me."

"Ah. Yes. Good point."

Etric stayed quiet for most of the trip to portside, and Crystal could see the adjustments flittering through his friend's eyes. He realized for the first time that Etric really hadn't come out of this any better than he had, as far as emotional scars. He'd thought Etric had stayed to watch over him... and while that was true on one level, obviously he also hid by staying.

Damn. Crystal felt as though he'd been blind now for... two years standard? How could Etric have kept the truth hidden away so long?

They drank at the taverns, they listened to middling music, and afterward they walked the port fence, looking at the ships, despite the guards' eyeing them with a little worry.

"I want one." Crystal stopped and looked out at the field of shadowed ships, each promising escape and adventure. "That's what I want to do, Etric. I want a ship. A small one, just a few crew."

"We can get one--"

"There is no we, friend." Crystal met Etric's startled look. "There is no we this time. I want a ship, and you want a ship. We will not want them for the same reasons. It's time we both go our own ways."

"Crystal--"

"I sound like an ungrateful bastard, don't I?"

"No, I know what you're saying. And I know you're right. But... I don't know if...if I'm ready for it yet."

"You are. You're just holding on for my sake, Etric. And I appreciate it, but you should have taken that other ship while you had it and gone on to the life you wanted."

"No," he said. He stopped and leaned against the fence, looking through the panels toward the ships. "No, I didn't want that ship. I wanted one of my own. I still do. I want to go back to the life of a Free Trader, and do the work my family did before the slavers killed them. Maybe find someone who has the promise of magic, and teach that as well. It's not a gift many can handle."

"Then do it."

"And what will you do with a ship, Crystal?"

"Trade, but in things that... some people don't want traded. Oh, not weapons or drugs. But there are things denied to some worlds that others have, and I'm damned tired of it, Etric."

Etric nodded and seemed to realize that it suited Crystal, to operate on the edge of illegality. "I want something tame, Crystal. I want things I can never have again -- like my brothers, my parents, the uncle who taught me to pilot, and the cousin who helped me with my first spell."

He stopped, bowed his head.

"Etric?"

"Gods. I never mourned the loss of them. I went straight to slavery, and my life filled with hatred, and fear I would never be free."

"I understand. It's all right, Etric. Tomorrow we start over. Tomorrow we go on to new lives. It's about damn time."

"It is. You're right."

Etric bought his ship, a lovely little trader with a six-to-eight-crew capacity. He named her The Freedom and spent several more days provisioning and hiring. Crystal went with him on the first voyage, to a world where he would be more likely to find his own ship. They parted company at Easton.

He stood there in the port tower watching Etric walk away and felt such bone-wrenching fear at being left alone that he almost ran after him. But he held his place. He stayed and watched The Freedom take to the skies with her new crew, and he wished Etric the best of luck wherever he went.

Still, he didn't sleep well that night. He feared the dreams again...

Chapter Five

The line of Tabor's blood glowed as it spread along the fine cracks in the piece of mirror. Braith held tight to his fingers, as though Tabor had fought the knife that cut his palm. He'd not been that stupid. He knew the payment for such an action -- the immediate payment, with Gix sitting on his throne watching.

The walls glowed red behind the black throne, casting bloody shadows around the demon lord in this room, the heart of his castle, the bedrock of his power. The floor burned beneath Tabor's knees and would leave blisters where bare skin touched stone.

The room stank of carnal lust and death. Something moved in the shadows, and Tabor's eyes narrowed as he watched it slither up the glowing wall and ooze through the broken cracks in the rock.

Braith chanted and let go of his hand. The High Priest's fingers painted pictures with the blood on a mosaic of broken mirror glass. At least his relationship to Gix had proved useful for his father, who was not about to shed his own for some minor spell.

From the looks of Braith, this was no easy conjuring. The man's face shown in the dull red light with a glint of perspiration, and his eyes bulged as he stared into the broken glass. He grabbed Tabor's hand and pressed it to the mirror again, blood oozing across the edges. It glowed. And in the broken depths, things moved. Even Tabor watched, interested.

"Oh, yes, the gods play their games," Braith whispered, looking into a shard of the broken mirror. Perspiration dripped down onto his bony, naked shoulders, and his breath came in gasps, the ribcage moving with exaggerated force. "The gods manipulate, even in that far, dark place--"

"I could have told you that much," Tabor said, looking up at his father.

Braith growled and slapped at him. Despite the chains, and the knowledge of what would happen, he slapped back, leaving a line of blood on the man's face. He knew the touch of his blood on human skin would burn, and he knew he would pay for that little act of defiance. Subservience achieved him nothing. Nor did obedience. Whatever torture Braith had in mind, he would do it. Tabor accepted that as he knelt, his hand still bleeding.

And he watched very carefully. And listened. He'd learned far more than his father's priest realized. Most importantly, he had learned how to manipulate his father -- how to play to the demon's pride.

"Soon they will reach their destination, Lord Gix." Braith looked up from the glass, panting with the effort the magic took from him. "And I have the path now. You can strike when they are least expecting it, when they are the most helpless. They are nearly there."

"Why there?" Tabor asked, looking into the glass. "Why in that place, so far from power? What help could they find there?"

"None," Braith said.

"Except that this one is a mage," Tabor said, tapping the face in the glass.

Braith spun back, startled and angry. He touched the glass, his face blanching with the effort. Tabor refrained from a feral grin. What took hours of effort for Braith came naturally to him, but he did no more than hint at that ability... for now.

"A minor mage," Braith reported, glaring up at him at last. "He will not stop Lord Gix."

Tabor said nothing. He looked to his father, whose demon eyes glowed red, his inhuman face glowering at them. But the demon looked at Braith and lifted his head.

"Show me this path."

For one brief moment, Braith radiated fear so strongly that it nearly overwhelmed even Tabor. This man feared his plan would be unsuccessful. He, who served the Lord Demon Gix as high priest and torturer, knew full well what to expect from failure.

But he bowed his head, and began preparation of the portal.

And in that moment, with Braith busy and Gix watching, Tabor took a tiny piece of glass from the pile they had made of the ruined mirror. Barely the size of a fingernail, it was no trouble for him to slide under the already-cut skin of his hand. Nothing but a little more pain, and he'd already trained himself against showing reaction to such minor things.

Neither Gix nor Braith noticed. He would be back in his cell soon. Alone. And he had blood enough to spare for his own magic. He would have the answers next time.

And when the time came, Braith would bleed for him.

Part Two: The Dark Places

Chapter One

They were between the stars when the universe went mad.

A whisper of magic, like a breeze against his skin. Etric shivered, distracted. He looked up from the boards, wondering if Rquana had started working on his spells...

And then he heard the music.

"What the hell is that?" he whispered.

Yintri looked up, curious at first then startled as he finally heard the music as well. By now Etric knew something very strange and dangerous was heading their way. He felt the swell of magic like a pressure against his heart. He almost couldn't breathe for the pure power of it.

They both stood, Etric with his hands raised ready to do defensive magic… but he stopped. He knew no ward would hold back what he felt heading toward them.

"What is going on!" Yin whispered, but his words were all but lost as the music came clearer, almost recognizable now as a haunting voice of words and sounds that didn't seem human. "Captain--"

"I don't know!" He looked back at the scanners. They'd gone mad, the magic surging through the controls. Screens flickered, cleared, settled again. He thought he saw something moving across the scanner, coming for them. "I can't hold it out of the ship! Be ready, Yin!"

It hit -- a vortex of sound, light, and magic so strong it took his breath away. Etric had never felt so much power in one place; it poured and swirled around him in a flood of fire and energy, fear and longing. Colors brightened, sounds became infinite echoes in a corridor without time or place.

Something came through the corridor and into the ship. Human-shaped -- and two of them. He saw them in the vortex of light, shapes that appeared, became solid, stood... where they had no right to be.

Looking beyond them, he could see other people, a building -- it looked as though he could step into the tunnel of magic and walk there. Someone played a musical instrument --

The vision of that place suddenly went dark, as though something stepped in front of him. Shadows moved behind the two strangers, and Etric felt it didn't belong, though he couldn't say why. He saw them look back, felt their shock and dismay magnified through the magic.

The ebony darkness, tinted now with a hint of red, reeked of such malefic corruption that it nearly overcame the sensation of magic. It coalesced into the shape of a creature with head, arms, and legs... but this new intruder was not human.

Captain Etric began to cast out of instinct, throwing a wave of power at the dark creature. He didn't want this on his ship. He considered turning all three away but knew his power wasn't strong enough to counter that much magic at once. The darker one looked more dangerous. He created a wall against it, shoving the thing back into the void.

He startled all three of the strangers, but it worked. The inhuman one tumbled away, cut off from the magic, and the two others arrived...

The magic swirled around them, a vortex of power their own ward barely held in place. Etric wanted to weave another as well; but he'd put too much into the attack, and he feared to use any more of his magic now. He couldn't be certain these two were not enemies as well. His reserves were already weakened.

Gods, he could sense more magic in them than he had ever felt in one place in all his life. He remembered his family, barely a quarter of them with the ability to use any magic, and how wondrous they had all seemed. These two outshone all of them.

He still missed his family, even five years after leaving slavery. Remembering now brought the pain back, even while he fought an almost mind-numbing panic that came with knowing this was not right!

"What the hell happened, Captain?" Yin demanded, a hand on his shoulder. "How did they get here? What is he holding?"

That drew Etric back from the verge of an older nightmare. He blinked, bringing the scene back into focus. The light-haired man held a pole. And the pole had a face. It looked at him.

And sang.

Etric sat down. He hadn't meant to, but he looked at that staff and knew it lived and held more magic than he'd encountered anywhere in the universe.

The rush of power began to fade as the strangers' ward died in a sprinkling of colored stars, flaring and vanishing as it waned. The two men and their staff remained.

"Gods," Yin whispered. "Who the hell are you?"

Heads came up, but slowly. Weary. That actually relieved Etric. He had experienced such overwhelming awe at the power they had used he'd felt like a gnat before a god. But they were not gods. He was almost certain of it.

"Captain!" A shout came from the comm., startling all of them-- including the staff. Rquana sounded panicked. "What's wrong?"

Alarms had gone off automatically, not to mention the magic Rqua most certainly must have felt. Etric hadn't even heard the cacophony of the warnings until now. He looked back, scanning boards quickly, then shut off the incessant beeps. The abrupt silence startled the strangers again.

"Captain? Are you there?"

He cut in the comm., taking a quick breath. "Here, Rqua. We've... been boarded. Get up here. Bring Tathis."

"Boarded?" Rqua repeated, sounding frantic. "Pirates? Are we off-path?"

Etric hadn't even thought to check but a quick glance showed they appeared to still be well on the slide path. "We look fine. Just get up here. Carefully."

"Yes, sir."

Etric turned around and looked into the face of the closer of the two intruders. Dark hair hung to his shoulders, and the clothing he wore looked... archaic? The stranger didn't even blink, but he lifted his hand slowly and spoke. The words sounded like music. Etric wished he knew the tune.

The staff sang. The other young man, the one who held it, pounded it against the floor then looked down as though surprised to find a floor beneath him. Well, maybe he was, given how they had arrived. At least, the staff quieted. Beautiful as her voice was, it only added to Etric's growing headache.

"Captain?" Yin asked. He still looked stunned, and in the two years they'd been together nothing had ever fazed the man. He had ice for blood and stones for eyes -- but right now his face was flushed and his eyes wide.

"I don't know, Yin. I really don't know." He leaned back in the chair, studying the strangers, and realized they didn't look any more certain than he did. In fact, if anything, he thought they looked frightened. Lost.

Etric remembered the place he had seen -- the building of stone, the people standing by, the music. Yes, they might very well be quite lost.

The comm beeped -- one of the lesser crew who didn't have the override that Rqua, as second-in-command, did. Etric gave one quick glance to the staff, but it obviously would not go silent. He keyed the comm on and spoke quickly.

"Sorry about the alert. We had a… comp malfunction."

The crewman muttered a curse. Etric didn't check which of the transients it was. He didn't much care at this point.

He turned back to the strangers, finally feeling as though he had some bit of control. Rqua and Tathis would arrive soon.

"Do you understand me?" he asked. When he got no answer, he tried a couple other dialects. Nothing. It didn't surprise him.

When the dark-haired one spoke again, the words still sounded like a song. Etric shook his head, wishing…

The door slid open behind the two strangers, and they spun in surprise, the quiet one reaching for a sword Etric hadn't even seen until now. The other stopped him, which was good. Etric had already started to call up his own magic, but let it go. His head pounded.

Tathis took a step inside the door before he halted and looked at the strangers, wonder in his eyes. He lifted his hand as though to touch them then looked past to Etric.

"Magic," he whispered. Though deaf, he could speak, though he rarely did.

Etric nodded confirmation. He thought Tathis didn't quite realize the full magnitude of the problem, not by the way he grinned, excited and thrilled. Tathis could sense magic, but he didn't have the capacity to use it. That ability to sense it was how he and Etric had met.

However, Rqua's reaction drew his full attention. His second came into the room and froze, one hand going to the back of his head as though a sudden pain had hit him. Before Etric could react, Rqua nodded and took a deeper breath.

"Telepaths, Captain," he reported. He came around them, looking wary. "They're in constant contact."

"That explains why they're so quiet. Can you understand them?" He hadn't considered Rqua's psi ability when he brought him up here, but it might help. He hoped. They needed anything that might help communicate with these two right now.

"I had to cut myself off, but I can still hear the whispering." Rquana stood with a hand on the wall, plainly still recovering. "And I think they can hear me... but we don't use the same words. I caught some images. The language sounds like music, tones without meaning. I might be able to get more if I prepare."

"We need to know who they are," Etric said, though he didn't like to push. His second already looked pale and shaky. "We need to know how they got here. This is too bizarre, Rqua. Are you willing to try?"

"Yes." He took another breath. Etric hadn't expected him to do it right now, but he bowed his head, brown silken hair falling over his face.

When he looked up again, both the strangers looked at him with astonishment, and even the staff went quiet for a moment before she began to hum. Rqua showed only a moment's worry, a touch of fear; but before Etric could suggest he stop, he started to nod. Wonder replaced the worry.

They exchanged stares for a long, silent time while the equipment beeped and Yin dutifully went back to making sure they didn't drop off-course. Tathis crossed the little room and sat to help him, though he did look back now and then, curious still.

"Lord -- Captain Etric," the lighter-haired man spoke suddenly, startling them all, even Rqua. "Forgive me. The words are still unclear. I am Aubreyan Altazar. No, that's too formal. Call me Abby."

"And I'm Tristan," the other said with a grin. "Only Tristan."

"How did you do that? How did you learn the language so quickly?" Etric asked. Rquana only shook his head, obviously as surprised as the rest of them.

"We... traded a little information. And we have done it before," Tristan said, looking at Rqua. "Thank you, friend. This makes the journey much easier for us."

Rqua nodded and leaned back against the wall, pale but steady. He looked very much intrigued.

"Can you answer questions?" Etric dared to ask.

"We can try," Abby said. He looked doubtful he would have answers. Then, quite unexpectedly, he sat on the floor, placing the staff beside him. "Forgive me, but the journey was difficult. And now we can thank you. You stopped Gix, surprised him. I had feared for a moment he would have us both."

"Gix?"

"The demon you stopped." Tristan sat as well, his hand moving across the flooring beside him as though he still wasn't certain of this reality.

"Demon," Etric repeated. He didn't think he much liked the sound of that word.

"I think... we have much to discuss," Abby said. "From what I gathered from Rquana, your world -- no, not world, but universe -- is very different from our own."

"We can go below-deck where we can all be comfortable," Etric offered. He was being a bad host. But then, the guests had arrived rather unannounced. He almost laughed, but that had the feel of hysteria.

"Below deck?" Abby looked confused. "Never mind. Don't try to explain. This will do. At least it is solid."

Tristan appeared to agree, leaning against his companion. Etric found that made them seem far less intimidating, despite how they had arrived. Fine. He could deal with this. Maybe.

"First," he began, leaning forward with an ease he really didn't feel, "why did you come here?"

"I can't be certain," Tristan said. "The Kiya is not here or we would feel her. Perhaps we made a mistake. You couldn't be this close to her without being tainted. So, I don't know why we are... here. Are we truly between the stars?"

"That's where starships travel best," Rqua offered with a smile.

The two looked stunned, as though that confirmed something they hadn't wanted to accept.

"Forgive me, my lords," Abby said. "This is all new to me. I have known many wonders, from elven magic to music that makes the world sing, but I have never thought to find myself in so strange a place as this."

Etric played those words over in his mind and began to understand. The implications made him very uneasy.

"How did you get here?" he asked.

They both shrugged, but Abby offered an answer, smiling in a way that made it only partly a jest. "It was magic."

"Where did you come from?"

"I don't know where we are. How can I tell you were we have been?" Tristan said.

It had been too much to hope for.

"What are we going to do with you?" Etric asked. "What do you expect of us?"

"She must be near." Tristan lifted a hand, looking worried. "But I can't sense her. The Gods wouldn't abandon us now. We're winning."

"Perhaps this is the work of the demons," Abby suggested, his eyes narrowing, his hand going back toward that sheathed sword.

"They would not have dropped us among... friends," Tristan answered. He smiled.

Abby nodded and pulled his hand back again. Etric could only accept what they said; and short of pushing them out an airlock, he appeared to be stuck with them. Even if they could travel on the way they had arrived, obviously neither had the strength to do so at this moment.

"I guess we'll just have to sort things out at the next port-of-call," he decided. He had little choice, he supposed. "That will be Delson in four days standard. I'm not certain what we'll do with you in the meantime."

"I'll move in with Tathis," Yin said as he stood, carefully putting weight on his braced leg. "They can have my quarters for now. It has an extra bunk. I'll get them settled. You get to deal with the transient crew -- whom I notice you didn't call up here."

"This is bad enough as it is without drawing them into it." Etric watched as the travelers stood, looking weary more than wary. "Take them down to the cabin. Don't tell the transients anything."

"Good plan, hard to execute. They're going to be lined up down at the crew's lounge."

"Hold on," Etric said. He went back to the comm equipment and hit the ship-wide key. "This is Captain Etric. We have had an incident. Everyone report to their stations and do a full check of equipment immediately. I will expect reports in fifteen minutes standard. Mark."

Yin grinned. "Good. But I don't think we can keep these two hidden for four days."

"No, we can't. I just want the reports, to be honest, and as little trouble right now as possible. Our friends here arrived with a lot of magic, and I really don't know how that might have affected the ship. Check the engines on your way back."

"Our apologies for this inconvenience," Abby offered. "I had not meant to cause anyone trouble."

Etric managed a little smile, trying to get his own manners in order. It would not do to annoy these two and their unusual staff, not matter what he might have thought of their mode of arrival.

"It looks as though you've done us no real harm. Welcome to The Freedom. Yintri will show you to a cabin where you can rest. We'll talk again over a meal in a few hours."

He barely stopped himself from saying something inane, like he hoped they had a pleasant visit. His mind still hadn't quite wrapped itself around the idea of their presence and their uncommon entrance. And the Gods knew what he would tell the rest of the crew.

"Thank you, Lord Captain Etric," Tristan said with a polite bow of his head. "You are quite kind."

"I'll check those engines." Yin gave Etric a reassuring nod, as though he really thought everything was fine. Then he led the two strangers to the door. Etric noticed Abby had a limp as bad as Yintri's, and for some reason it reassured him. Not Gods. Not all-powerful.

The pair looked anxiously through the door and into the short hall beyond -- these men who had traveled from the Gods knew where, and by magic, were afraid of the sliding door on a starship.

Oh, Gods, he really didn't want to think about those implications. No.

The doors started to slide closed. Abby looked back, frightened, as it snapped shut.

"Well, that was certainly bizarre," Rqua said. He crossed the room and took the seat by Tathis, giving his friend a quick grin. Tathis turned back to the controls, and Etric kicked his chair around to face Rqua.

"You think that was bizarre, you should have been here for their arrival."

Etric leaned back, hoping that the knots in his shoulders eased soon. He flicked on the in-ship vid and set it to track the three as they followed the curving corridor that took them down through the ship and toward Yin's quarters. The two strangers looked around, worried and mystified.

"We have problems, Rqua."

"If you're worried, put them off at the next port."

Etric looked back, surprised. "That's a quick judgment from you. Did you pick up something I should know about?"

Rqua shook his head as he considered the question. He still looked pallid and shaky. "They held nothing back, but I have trouble assimilating some of the very basic pieces. They fight a war against demons."

"Demons," Etric said, remembering the word had been used once already. "I don't understand."

"Neither do I. They fight for the side of the gods... but from the inherent anger I sensed in them, I can't say that the war is exactly good versus evil. They don't... trust the gods."

"Is this some sort of religious war?" Etric hated getting involved in anything with those kinds of fanatics.

"No. It's more fundamental," Rqua tilted his head and looked worried. "No, not religious. They seem to think that if they lose this battle we all fall."

Etric looked at the vid screen. Yin was showing them their room, and how to use the door. They looked stunned.

"Fall?" he said, looking back at Rqua.

"To the demons. Destroyed, perhaps... or enslaved."

Etric barely suppressed a shiver at that particular word. He didn't usually react that badly, but right now everything strange and horrible seemed too close to the surface. His crew did not know about his past; but whatever was happening here, he sensed that was why he had been drawn into this -- whatever it was.

"Why did they come to me?" he wondered, though he really didn't expect an answer. Abby and Tristan didn't seem to know themselves.

"I have a good psi ability," Rqua said.

Etric nodded. He suspected that good did not say half of it.

"It's very hard to lie at that level, when you're dealing mind-to-mind. Captain, I don't believe they had intentions of coming aboard The Freedom. They have no idea what a starship is, or where they are. I believe they are everything they claim -- that I saw everything they had to offer. I have no idea what most of it means."

"Magic brought them here. You and I, we have as much magic between us as I've seen anywhere. But the two of them... Gods, Rqua. I didn't know so much magic existed. I want to know how and why. I want to understand."

"So do I. I have to," he said as he stood. "It's in my head now, and I'll go mad if I don't sort it all out. And I can hear them, Captain. They aren't hiding it from me, though I have trouble understanding the implications of what they are thinking. They are thinking as much as they can in the words they got from me, but there are still things that just don't translate. I have to understand better before I can offer any real answers."

"Thank you, Rqua. You've already provided far more than we would have had without you. Rest. You look like you need it."

"I'm going back to my room. I'll see you for dinner."

Sitting with only Tathis, Etric turned the audio up on the vid. Tristan and Abby stood looking around the cabin. He wondered what Yin had told them.

"I don't like this place," Abby said and paced to the limits of the room. "Or is that you?"

"Me," Tristan answered. He brushed his hand against the metal of the wall. "This place is not natural, and I am of nature. Sit down, Abby. You're very tired."

"I am," Abby agreed. He sat in the chair, but even that made him uncomfortable. "Tristan, I've never felt so lost in all my life. I didn't think it could get worse."

"I know." Tristan settled on the bunk and lowered his head. "Abby, maybe this is just a place to rest before we go to war again. Maybe the Gods have offered us a little peace. We could use it."

"If so, that would be the first time they've given us a blessing on this quest," Abby said.

Tristan looked up, startled. "Humor at last!"

Abby smiled, but it passed. He looked around the room and shook his head again. "I don't know how long I can stand to be here."

"This is such madness," Tristan said. "But at least we have not fallen into the hands of our enemies."

"I think I won't have to carry the sword or the Kiya while we're here." He leaned the staff against the wall and stilled her growing song with a single quick look. Then he pulled the sword free and laid it beside her. "I would like very much not to have to fight for a while."

"Lie down here." Tristan patted the bunk next to him. "Rest for a while. Who knows how long this peace will last?"

Abby crossed to the bed and lay down, slowly stretching out as though every movement ached. Tristan settled on the other bed, his eyes closed.

Etric watched a while longer, but he was really only staring at the screen. He finally turned it off and leaned back.

Tathis looked at him and signed - Trouble, Captain?

He nearly laughed. Yes, trouble. Of course, it's trouble. What the hell am I going to tell the transient crew? That we have stowaways? And I gave them my engineer's quarters?

Tell the transient crew to take a long walk out the airlock. Bastards, all of them.

That brought Etric back to more mundane problems. Did Tathis have trouble with the transient crew? They probably thought Tathis, being deaf, would be easy to shove around. He almost asked, but Tathis lifted a hand, glanced at the screens, the boards, back at the screens. Calming himself, Etric thought.

Don't worry about them, Tathis said, his hands moving quickly. The transient crew, and what they think, means nothing. Rqua told me about the problem. You need to deal with that.

"Yes," he said aloud and leaned back again. Tathis went to work.

He'd never had to think about the ancient myths of the gods and demons. It was not what he had expected to deal with now, but apparently, he had no choice. He had guests who had brought their war and their myths with them, and now...

Now he knew he would be part of it, one way or another.

Chapter Two

Abby did not rest well. He looked at gray walls without windows, dark blankets, a light that shown without candle or magic. He could feel no attachment to this world. It didn't seem real to him.

Not a world. This place where he and Tristan found themselves was smaller than one of the towers of Sanwind. And it flew....

He stayed on the bed with the Janin beside him, her soft hum of words barely loud enough to be heard over the constant roar of some distant monster. Ship's engine came to mind as he sifted through Rqua's words, Rqua's understanding. Ship. Stars.

He shivered. He couldn't stop.

"Abby," Tristan whispered. His friend rolled over on the bed that intersected his in a V, putting their heads close together. Tristan looked worried.

"I'm sorry. I just…"

"I feel the same way. I don't like this place. I want to go back to Brendan's world and hear more music. I wish we hadn't left so soon. I wish a number of things."

"That you'd never met me?"

"You know better. But that we had met in better times, yes. That we had already finished this damned quest and could really rest."

"And that we were home."

"Yes, that, too." Tristan stopped and tapped his knuckle against the wall beside them. "Sword metal. The amount of it fills me with wonder. These are people of power, Abby. And they are not unfriendly. As much as I feel uncomfortable, I still realize how lucky we are. Captain Etric stopped Gix."

"He did." Abby realized he had forgotten that part in the insanity of finding themselves in such a strange, empty place. Nothing alive, save the people. No chance to walk away.

"Rest a while, Abby," Tristan said aloud, obviously unable to reach him mind-to-mind. "Rest while you can. The Gods know how long we'll be here."

"I doubt even the Gods can find us here," Abby replied. But he gave a silent apology to Tristan and let the elf's relative calm pull him down into rest. Ah, and better to be here and dream of home, after all...

***

A crewman came to escort them to dinner -- silent, dark-haired, dark-eyed Tathis. Courteous, smiling... and unreachable.

Just as well. Abby had no idea what to ask. He tried not to think about where they were as they walked the windowless hall in this place that stood between worlds, with no sky. No life here.

He had slept a little, and dreamed things that were not his own. Some of it came from Tristan and much from the information they'd received from Rquana. He had begun to understand the concept of the nothingness outside this ship, though he couldn't comprehend the size of it. He desperately tried to keep calm, but it hardly helped that Tristan felt much the same way. Large emptiness, small, fragile ship.

They came around the curve of the hall and into a large room they'd passed through on their way to Yintri's room. The others fell silent, and Abby felt even more of an intruder. He wanted comradeship. He wanted... friends he knew they would never see again.

Rqua looked up, his eyes suddenly haunted by Abby's loss as his natural telepathy entwined with their magical abilities.

I'm sorry. Abby bowed his head.

Peace, Abby. Welcome.

"Welcome, gentlemen," Lord Captain Etric said, almost an echo of Rqua's thoughts. He waved them to the table. "Please be seated."

"Thank you, my Lord," Abby replied, and bowed toward the group. Tathis, Yin, Rqua and Etric. He still hadn't seen any of the others. "You are being uncommonly kind to uninvited guests."

"Our only other choice would be to either lock you up, or shove you out the airlock. The later seemed a bit harsh, and the first... well, I would not think you'd allow yourselves to stay locked up for long," Etric said.

Abby shrugged and sat, Tristan to his right. The captain knew, then, he wouldn't have held them for long, not if they had found any reason to leave. At the moment, Abby considered he might welcome a nice, quiet locked room for a while.

Rquana looked up and grinned, catching that thought.

"Rqua told us a bit about your quest, but there's quite a lot he didn't understand," Yin said. "Do you think you could explain?"

"I don't know that you would ever fully understand." Tristan rubbed his fingers against the table. Not natural. "Your universe is different from ours. You speak of the Gods, but you don't feel a kinship with them. I think even the Demons must find such emptiness between worlds daunting."

Etric frowned. "Is there a chance your enemies will find you here?"

"I don't know." Tristan lifted his hand, and Abby sensed only the slightest whisper of magic as Tristan felt out the world. "You and Rquana understand magic, and it clings to you. But nothing else... I fear that Abby, the Kiya and I shall stand out like flames in the darkest night. If one of our enemies happens to come close, he is bound to see it."

"Ah." Etric reached over and keyed up the control deck. "This is the captain. Put the ship on full alert."

"Why?" someone demanded. "We're in slide. There isn't--"

"Put the ship on alert," Etric said, his voice far too calm given the look on his face. "Do it now, or you are going to find yourself arrested and dropped into the first cell I can find on Delson."

"Yes, sir. Alert." A bar of green light appeared along the edge of the ceiling, and would be in every room and hall in the ship. Abby understood that, a little hint of knowledge from Rquana.

"Thank you." Etric turned off the comm and turned back to the table.

"I'll be glad to get rid of this bunch on Delson," Yin said, shaking his head. "We should be able to pick up good crew there. I'm tired of these ill-mannered and ill-trained-transients."

"I agree," Etric said. He stood. "Do you have preferences for food?"

"No meat," they chorused and then blushed.

"Ah, so that's the trouble with constant telepathy!" Rquana laughed. "I can see where it might be a problem."

"We seldom have real meat on board anyway," Etric explained as he walked over to a shelf and began to press buttons. Abby watched in fascination. Not magic, but he knew food would appear.

"Captain, may I ask questions?" Tristan asked.

"Certainly. I intend to ask plenty of you."

"Thank you. I can sense that you know magic, as does Rquana, but from what I gathered in our contact with him, magic is not common here?"

"No, it isn't." Etric leaned against the counter, watching them. This was clearly not a subject he liked to discuss. "Magic is an ancient art, and very hard to maintain between the stars. Man has technology instead."

"I learned this concept of technology from Rquana." Tristan ran his fingers over the tabletop again, as though he had never felt... ah, it had been manufactured. The table was created out of synthetic material. "This technology gives power equally to all men."

"You understand that concept very well," Yin said.

"Combined intellect," the two chorused.

For a moment everyone stared, silent -- and then Tristan laughed. "Sorry. That happens more often when we're both tired."

The others had at least smiled this time. As soon as the equipment beeped, Etric began to pull out plates of food, handing them back to Yin. The scents filled the air, and both Abby and Tristan lost all misgivings about the food.

"Far better than hunting up a suitable bush of berries," Abby said.

"As though you ever bothered." Tristan grinned as Abby started to protest. "You'd starve if it weren't for me."

Abby decided not to argue the obvious truth. Etric apparently found that amusing as well. He relaxed a little -- and then looked at Rqua.

"Can you tell me just exactly what you are doing here?" he asked as he sat down.

"We've come searching for another piece of the Kiya Chanda Andee," Abby said softly.

"And I can tell from that tone the journey has already been hard and long," Yin said. "What is this thing?"

"An evil staff, created by demons, partially destroyed and scattered to other realities," Tristan replied.

Abby could see distrust and disbelief in their eyes, but he let Tristan tell the tale. He could not bring himself to speak of the places they'd been, the friends they had left behind. But Rquana, who heard them but had such trouble speaking to their minds, understood and even believed.

"I wouldn't believe," Etric said, "except that I was the one who pushed this Gix away when he tried to follow you into my ship. A Demon? I think I might have been more circumspect in my actions if I'd known."

"And died of the delay." Abby looked straight at Etric this time, focusing on him and trying to drive away the rage that even thinking about the Demon brought him. "Gix would have shown no mercy for your kindness, my Lord Captain."

That didn't seem to help his state of mind, but Abby thought it wise that these people hear the truth. They seemed to understand so little about gods and demons.

Then, when Tristan pulled out the two pieces of the Kiya, Etric leaned closer, curious. He reached toward them -- and quickly pulled back again, looking stunned. The others did the same, and doubt disappeared from their eyes. That helped, at least.

"It feels... evil." Etric clasped his hands, his face pale. "I've never felt anything like that before."

"I had hoped, once you saw her, you would realize what we are searching for." Abby felt a welling of new despair and shook his head as Tristan put the Kiya back in the pouch he carried.

"I would remember if I had ever touched something like that," Etric said. "I'm sorry. That can't give you much hope, can it? I don't understand how Tristan can so easily handle that thing."

"He's an elf," Abby explained, repeating a word that apparently meant nothing to Etric or the others. No gods, no demons, no elves. So little magic that it hardly even mattered. "Captain, where do you get your magic?"

"Abby…" Tristan began, and then fell silent again.

"What's wrong?"

"Tristan's people live entwined in magic, and there is no moon here. He's already growing weaker. How do you get your magic, Captain?"

"From the moons on various worlds," Etric said. He looked at Tristan and nodded. "We're only three days from Delson and it has moons -- Delson! Of course!"

"Captain?" Rquana said, looking startled.

"I have heard of your Kiya, my friends. From Crystal."

"Crystal?" Abby asked, leaning forward. He wanted to hope, but didn't know if he dared.

"He and I were both slaves, and we managed to escape." Etric gave a quick look to the others. They apparently hadn't known that much about their captain, and the surprise showed in their faces. "I went for help in a stolen ship, and while I was gone Crystal was injured. He only survived because he took a rather large dose of midori."

"Midori?" Abby asked.

"That's a dangerous drug," Yintri explained. He had begun picking up the empty dishes. Abby hadn't eaten much, but he didn't feel inclined to more food, even as good as this had been. "People who take it fall into a drugged stupor that slows metabolism, and at the same time excites the brain. They dream, extraordinarily intense and life-like dreams. Many find they cannot tell the difference, and that leads to madness. For many, it becomes totally addictive."

"While Crystal recovered he told me about a dream -- at least, we thought it was a dream. He said he had found a piece of wood, old and carved with symbols. He said it felt… wrong, and after touching it he killed two people who attacked him and felt no regret. He threw the wood away, because he didn't like the feel of it."

"Did he?" Tristan tried not to doubt this was a tale of the Kiya. "That takes a very strong man. The Kiya is powerful."

"Where did he see her?" Abby sat up straighter and for the first time no longer felt entirely lost.

"Crystal never said, and I thought it was only a dream so I did my best not to encourage him to talk about it."

"Can you find Crystal?" Tristan asked, leaning forward. Hope and fear passed through them both, and even Rquana showed it this time. "How do you find someone out here amongst your wide stars?"

"We're already going to Delson, so we'll try there. That was Crystal's home world. He had friends there, but I can't say if he ever went back. He'd not felt comfortable with the idea the last time I saw him, and I know he's been busy elsewhere since then."

"Crystal," Yintri said, standing with a plate in hand. He had been putting them into a box. Abby didn't doubt that next time someone reached in for one it would be clean. Technology seemed to have some advantages over magic. "I know that name. I've heard it, haven't I?"

"Far too often, although usually he's called Captain Cris. He's owner of The Fame." Etric laughed at the reaction that won from his people.

"You know him? The smuggler?" Rqua looked at his captain, shocked... and perhaps a little pleased.

"We can't all be free traders," Etric answered and smiled more brightly still. "Crystal is a bit on the wayward side, but he's all right. Bear in mind that he threw the Kiya away, which Abby and Tristan indicated is not usual. We'll help you find him, Abby. I'll enjoy seeing him again."

Chapter Three

Etric looked back to make certain Abby still followed them as they left the ship. Etric and Rquana carried Tristan; he had insisted when the elf sagged against Abby, who could barely hold him up. Those links obviously tied more than just their minds -- Etric had watched, day after day, as Abby began to show the same signs of weakness as his companions.

However, by the time they reached the edge of the airlock, Tristan had already begun to recover, reaching toward the flood of moonlight on the thick, humid air. He pulled away from Etric and Rquana but leaned against the airlock opening, taking deep breaths like a man who had been suffocating.

"I'm better, Abby," Tristan said suddenly. "I survived. I'm all right. Let's not make this worse."

Etric didn't want to think how much worse it might have been. He stood on the edge of the ramp and stared out at the rows of lights beyond the pad. Two other small ships sat to the right, and four shuttles belonging to ships too large to land in a gravity well. This was his first trip to Delson, and he was glad to see it looked like a lively port of call. Gods grant that they find Crystal here or somewhere close. Or perhaps they could wait for him, if there was a way to lure him in. Granted, that might cost more money in pad fees than he could afford, but...

Tristan smiled as he lifted his hand. "This world is very much alive."

"Jungle." Etric looked out at the trees, trying to suppress his own dislike for such places. "Too damn much life to my tastes, but I was born on a ship. What now?"

"We go with you as you tend your business," Abby said. He'd regained his color as well, but he looked out at the world with a little less excitement than Tristan showed. Etric liked him better for it, though he suspected it was the technology, and not the jungle, that bothered him. "Afterwards we can go and seek out anyone who might know about your friend."

Etric nodded agreement and started down the ramp. The two had learned about ships and trade and understood business. Etric, on the other hand, felt more than willing to dump his cargo on the pad and let the scavengers grab it. He couldn't stay interested in it-too much to worry about, too many odd things going on. Lucky for him he had Yintri as cargo master. He had started arranging for sale and shipments as soon as they came off slide.

Etric just wanted to find Crystal as soon as possible. He didn't like the feeling that... something… was coming after them.

Abby looked much better. Relieved. He didn't quite understand the trouble they might have with port authority, but Yin had fixed up passable IDs - had a real knack for it, in fact, which surprised Etric. He didn't ask where his oh-so-proper crewman picked up that ability.

But the IDs got them past the gate without a problem. Tathis had stayed with the ship, Rqua and Yin were a few steps behind them, so they wouldn't be caught up in the trouble if anything went wrong.

His temp crew had already taken off, and were no doubt spreading tales about the two strangers who had shown up on the ship. The permanent crew had tried to make as little of it as possible, hinting the two had been paying guests who just weren't seen for the first few days. That was bound to create questions, but at least they couldn't guess at the truth.

Just a few steps beyond the gate something swept down at them so quickly Etric yelped and reached for his weapon. Tristan lifted his hand, and Etric expected magic -- feared he'd do something and others would see--

A greenish-colored animal, palm-sized and winged, dropped down on Tristan's hand. Etric stared, holding his breath expecting... he really didn't know what to expect anymore.

"I don't know this creature." Tristan rubbed his fingers over the top of the scaled head. "But it still knows that I am of nature, and not a threat."

"All creatures do this with you?" Etric asked, feeling the alien-ness come between them again.

"Most, I think. I don't know." Tristan patted the head and sent the creature flying, and then waved a few others away as well. "But it helps me to know that this place, so far from anything I've ever known before, is still linked to nature in the ways I understand."

Etric nodded, even though watching Tristan with that animal had made him feel far less assured of his place in the universe. He hadn't expected something new and strange when they reached Delson. He had almost gotten used to them, and now he feared he might have to readjust his feelings yet again.

He didn't need something more to think about. Etric had decisions to make before he left Delson. He hadn't contracted to take these two across the stars... but he had often thought about seeing Crystal again. He wanted to see Crystal well.

This gave him an excuse.

Abby and Tristan followed Etric through his duties at the dock, silent in their wonder and doubtless communicating in their own way. Etric saw people look at them with open curiosity, and it was more than just the crowns that lay nearly hidden behind their long hair. Even though the two had on the common black singlesuits and jackets almost everyone else wore, they still looked exotic. Wherever they went, they would always attract attention.

They, however, didn't notice the stares. How odd. Abby and Tristan seemed to have no clue they would stand out in any crowd. Etric worried, too, about what would happen on the next leg of their journey. That thought never strayed far from his mind. He began to plot out short jumps from world to world, trying to recall which ones had suitable moons. He used to remember that knowledge better than he did now. Magic used to matter more to him.

At nearly midnight, local time, they met Yin and Rqua in a tavern Etric had wanted to visit after the many tales Crystal had told him about the place. The frontage showed only a large neon sign --LIRON'S PLACE-- and the warning that Liron didn't care what people did elsewhere, he would be the first to call in the IGs if someone started trouble.

Dozens of tables lined the walls and sat haphazardly scattered across the floor. They all looked full, though the door sign had indicated room for his party. The stage stood directly back of the door, and a woman with short fire-red hair sat on a chair there, playing a lap drum and singing.

She had a beautiful voice, and the audience sat quietly and attentive. It seemed no one in the room breathed until she put aside her lap drum. Then, polite applause sprinkled through the crowd and voices rose again.

"She has a lovely voice." Tristan closed his eyes while she sang, and even Abby had gone very still. "I hardly think our Brendan could teach her much."

"Brendan?" Yintri asked.

"He's somewhere else. The Keeper of the Song," Tristan said softly. "And where he passes, hope remains. I only hope to hear him sing again someday."

Abby bowed his head, and Etric wondered what they had left behind, and what they would go to... and if they could ever go back again. Such a long journey, so many places...

"This is a place Crystal told me he used to visit," he said, urging them forward and to the table he could see at the far right. They sat, and almost immediately a man carrying glasses came from a door behind the stage, heading for them. "I would guess, from the looks and sounds of her that would be Fairchild who just sang. She wrote a song for him once. I wonder if Liron is about. He would be the one who would have the information we need."

"Liron doesn't come out for every patron, sir," the man said as he put drinks down on the table. "If you have business you might relate its nature to me, and I'll see if he's free."

"Fair enough. My name is Captain Etric of the Free Trader Freedom. I would like some information about someone who used to frequent here. A local."

"We never got many locals."

"This man told me many wonderful tales of late nights here. That is Fairchild, isn't it?"

"Yes," the man said, and looked suspicious now.

"The man's name is Crystal."

"Crystal!" He smiled brightly, and the reaction hardly surprised Etric. "Where did -- when did you know him?"

"After his unfortunate abduction from Delson--"

"I'll get Liron!"

He darted away, almost pushing patrons aside. They looked startled.

"This should be interesting," Yin said. He leaned back, sipping his drink -- flavored water, it appeared. Abby and Tristan tried it as well, and looked relieved to find it nothing dangerous.

A man came from a back room and hurried toward them. Liron looked every bit as unusual as Crystal had painted him. His hair hung midway to between his neck and shoulders and the colors changed and changed and changed from one step to the next. His bright-green eyes showed excitement as he came to the table, grabbing a chair from nearby and sitting down with them.

"You know something about Crystal? Really?" Then he caught himself and bowed his head. "My apologies. I'm Liron. May I join you?"

"You are certainly welcome here!" Etric gave a quick little laugh. He saw the way Liron looked around the table, pausing for just a moment at Abby and Tristan before returning to Etric. They seemed unusual even here.

"Tell me what you know about Crystal," Liron said, leaning closer again. "Tell me that you really have seen him since he disappeared."

"Five years ago, he and I worked the same fields on Ahira as slaves under a man named Wes Ias."

"Ahira, Ias... the midori fields? We heard the tale when it fell, and then everything else started coming apart for that bastard Ias. Tell me that Crystal had his hand in it."

"Crystal and I helped engineer the uprising." Etric sipped the drink, trying to bury the remembrance of blood. "It got out of hand. We never meant for it to go that badly. He and I did what we could to bring Wes Ias down after that, with the help of the IGs. Crystal and I parted company about three years ago. I need to find him."

"He hasn't come home." Liron looked troubled. "Why not?"

"He had problems. He was badly injured, and only survived by taking a considerable amount of midori. It was another year before he... trusted anything again."

"Ah, poor Crystal." Liron had plainly known Crystal very well in those days when the young thief came here. "I understand. He'll come home when he's ready."

"I had hoped that you'd seen him," Etric said, worried now that this hadn't panned out. He couldn't imagine where to look next. "Or at least heard where he might be. His ship has garnered some attention these last couple years."

"His ship? He has his own ship now, does he? Gods, the Empire isn't safe, is it?" Liron laughed.

"No, not safe at all," Etric said, his own good humor returning. "The Fame has made quite a name for herself--"

"Gods! Captain Cris of the Fame -- that's our Crystal? You're certain?"

"Oh, yes," Etric said. He only now wondered if Crystal hadn't been careful of his name to keep it from being heard at home. Too late now. "You have heard of him."

"Yes." Liron still grinned with delight. "Yes, indeed. And, in fact, it makes sense out of some unusual gifts that came our way a year ago. Someone sent both Fairchild and I some rather expensive jewels." He held up his hand and flashed a bright blue stone in a silver ring. "A gift, the note said, for good memories. We thought some royalty came through incognito and just appreciated the tavern more than he should have, but I traced the courier all the way back to the Fame."

"Well, he always told me great stories about this place," Etric said. "I'm glad I finally got a chance to stop by. I wish I could stay longer, but it's important that I find Crystal, so I best get back to the ship and start preparing a new search."

"There's nothing wrong? He's not in danger?"

"Crystal is always in danger," Etric said. "Can you imagine he'd want it any other way?"

"No, I couldn't" Liron agreed. "Stay here. Dinner and drinks are on the house for you and your companions. Give me a couple hours. I have connections."

"I would be grateful for any help."

The man stood and put a hand on Etric's shoulder, surprising him. "You've lifted a weight that's a decade old. I'll do all I can to help you. But realize this, friend. If you are, in fact, chasing after Crystal for some other reason--"

"I wouldn't have come here. He wouldn't have told anyone but a friend about Liron's Place, would he? Or the night he came here and you hid him under the stage while the local guard searched for the person who had replaced their banner with a rather risqué sign inviting people into the local brothel?"

Liron laughed, delight replacing the warning of a moment before. "They deserved it, too. Had a revolving door for whores in the back. The Governor-General of the sector was in town, too -- did Crystal mention that part? Having their banner stolen was bad enough...ah, such memories. Stay put. I'll see what I can learn."

"Thank you."

Etric watched as the man crossed the room, pausing at a table by the kitchen door where Fairchild had sat down. She looked up when he paused, and Etric watched her face. The world grew brighter in that smile and the rush of color to her cheeks. She stood and hugged Liron, inspiring a few whispers around the room, but they made no announcement.

Etric leaned back and finally looked at his own people. Abby and Tristan seemed more pleased than he had expected, given they really hadn't any lead on Crystal.

"It may be harder to find him than I first thought," he admitted.

"Nothing that we do is easy," Abby said. He and Tristan gave identical little shrugs. "This hasn't been unpleasant. It's nice to see other people get news that makes them joyful."

Etric nodded. "Yes, that can make up for a great deal. Let's have a nice, long, quiet meal. If Liron can find some lead to Crystal, all the better for us. I'm limited in the avenues I can try."

"That's what I was thinking, Captain." Yintri bent over the table menu and nodded. "Good. They do specify some meatless dinners. And from the way this place is packed, I'd say the food must be excellent."

Since even Abby and Tristan looked happy enough to give it a try, Etric decided to enjoy the evening. He frowned a little when the table wouldn't take his credit chit, but that only meant Liron really meant to have them as guests. It made him feel odd.

Generally, he didn't like to spend much time on any world, and especially in portside taverns, which tended to be rowdy. But for all the tales Crystal had told of this place, it seemed well-mannered. Most of the clientele appeared to be regulars, even if they were spacers. They laughed, they greeted each other, and once someone got a little too drunk and the rest of his crewmates hurried him off.

Crew, captains, Portside workers - he thought the young man in the far corner might even be royalty, but no one made any show of preferential treatment even for him. Etric had spent worse time on worlds, but he still wanted to get back to the ship soon.

He tried not to look relieved when Liron finally came back to the table. He and his friends had enjoyed the place. However, every time he looked at Abby and Tristan, the feeling that doom was slipping up behind them became even more pronounced. They didn't have time to waste.

"You are in luck, friends," Liron reported as he settled in the chair again. "Last word on Fame was that she had put in at the Taru Colony about four days standard ago, and they appeared to be waiting for a delivery there. Taru is only a three-day slide. You might still catch him there, but at worst you'll only be a few days behind."

"Thank you!" It was all Etric could do to keep from leaping up and rushing off. "I can't begin to repay you--"

"Yes, you can." Liron smiled again. "When you see Crystal, tell him I've got a fine old Taruan brandy with his name on it, if he'd ever care to stop by."

"I'll tell him. We need to get back to the ship. I'm going to have to grab some temp crew and run for Taru as soon as I can."

"What kind of crew? I might be able to point a couple in your direction."

"Systems techs, mostly. Anyone who can sit a board for a few hours. Engineering would be nice, but I'm not going to hold my breath. We haven't had good luck with crew of late."

"I hear that from a good many crews these days. Seems like all the good people have found permanent bunks," Liron said with a shake of his head. Hair color changed in that movement; Etric found it disconcerting. "I'll see if I can help. And, Captain Etric, any time you and your crew are on Delson, come by here. I've tales of my own to tell, and I think it only fair you hear my side of some of those stories."

"We will. Thank you again. The meal was wonderful," Etric said as he stood.

"Small payment for the joy you've brought this place. I'll keep the news quiet. His family might not be quite as understanding about why he hasn't come home yet -- or about his current work, for that matter. But then, they never really understood Crystal much at all, I'm afraid."

"I'm not surprised."

His people had stood, and Etric gave the man a bow before they headed toward the door. He had almost gone out when he saw someone coming from the side -- Fairchild. She put a hand on his arm, a timid touch, and leaned close.

"Thank you. And tell Crystal to come home," she whispered.

"I will."

She kissed his cheek then pushed him out the door, as though that would make Crystal reach her all the sooner.

"If I had her waiting for me, I certainly wouldn't have stayed away this long," Rquana said, looking back at the tavern door.

"Maybe he's forgotten. Or maybe he thinks she was just part of his dream world. Midori can do that to a person. Or possibly he's just not interested in women. Even after spending a few years together, I couldn't say. They were not particularly good years."

Etric realized he had just said more to his people about that time then he had in all the years they'd been together. Yin and Rqua looked at him, perhaps troubled -- but he waved that away.

"Let's get back to the ship and put in a call for crew. I want to lift as soon as possible. Yin, I want you to run a check on any quick-load material we can sell at Taru. I seem to remember not a lot of ships go there... small port, low population, as I recall."

"Seems an odd port of call for a smuggler," Yin said. Then he shook his head. "Or maybe not. At least with fewer people, they'd not have to worry about an IG ship being in port under other colors."

"True." Etric hadn't really considered how difficult or dangerous finding Crystal might be. "You know, if either of you want out of this--"

"We're trying to get more crew, not drop some!" Rqua said with a laugh. He pushed Etric out onto the walk and toward the port. "Come on, Captain. We have a lot of work to do before morning!"

Chapter Four

Abby tried not to worry about going back to the ship. He hoped the emotion didn't show in his face, but he feared the metal craft and the places it took them. He feared leaving this world and taking Tristan away from the bright green moon.

He looked up at the sky, wishing they could take that magic with them. Wishing they could…

Rqua put a hand on his arm, startling him. He'd forgotten, again, that this one could hear his thoughts, just as Tristan did. To have him listen, but not take part--

"I'm sorry," Abby said aloud. The others looked around at him, surprised. "Rquana knows how I feel, and I'm sorry to be so..."

"Lost?" Rqua asked. He winced a little at the feedback that doubled the emotion between him and Tristan. He lifted his hand before either of them could speak. "I understand, you know. You don't have to apologize to me. If anything, I feel like a spy, always in there listening when you don't expect me."

"But it helps," Tristan said. "You've realized right away when we have some problem we can't explain or don't even see. But, yes, we are lost. We're going to be lost for a long time -- while we're here and after we leave."

"And you're afraid of traveling in the ship," Rqua said.

"Oh, yes." Tristan nodded emphatically. "How would you feel about putting yourself in the hands of magic and going wherever a piece of wood might lead you?"

"I don't think I'd take that very well." Rqua laughed suddenly, and the others looked relieved, taking their cues from him. "But you two don't mind that part?"

"Of course, we mind it," Abby replied. "We're not crazy. Nevertheless, we go. As we do here. Did I understand right that this trip will take only a few days to the next world? And it, too, has a moon?"

"Yes, I believe Taru does," Etric said. "We'll have to check that to be certain, but nearly every settled world has a satellite or two. Otherwise, it's very rare for the world to be habitable. They facilitate the tides, the movement of air... all the things that help create atmosphere and life."

Abby nodded, and almost understood. He had to wonder if moons didn't help create life because they brought magic to the worlds as well.

Rqua looked startled then smiled. "You could be right. Etric, he wonders if the magic of the moons hasn't helped to create life as well."

Etric looked back and smiled. "Now, there's an interesting thought. The ancient scholars used to write about the theory of magic long before we took to the stars. It might be interesting to look up some of the old theories and see what holds up on different worlds."

"Where do you find such books?" Yin asked.

"My family ship had a library of them," he said and shook his head. "Destroyed with the ship, I think. But if we had them, others should as well. I might try to trace a few of them. Later, when we have time."

After Tristan and I have gone, Abby thought. He would have liked to spend time researching in books, looking for answers to something that didn't leave so much hinging on what he chose to do.

Rquana nodded but said nothing.

"Someone is following us," Etric said.

Abby looked back. They'd left the brighter area of the dockside businesses, and he could see shadows moving along the edge of the street behind them. He felt a little chill and didn't exactly know why.

"Magic, Abby," Tristan said. He stopped just beyond a puddle of light from a high lamp, and the others gathered closely around him. "That can't be right. They have magic, Captain Etric."

"Damn!" Etric stepped closer to Abby and Tristan.

"This is our trouble," Abby said. "Go."

Captain Etric looked at him, head tilted. "Do you really expect us to do that?"

"Ah, no. But I always believe I should try. I don't have the Janin or the sword, Tristan."

"I know." Tristan smiled -- more of a feeling than a look. "But the rest of us are not exactly helpless, even if you are."

Etric looked shocked by the words, but Abby laughed. He didn't like the feel of danger coming, but it was good that Tristan could still jab at him and push him back from...

From danger. From something in the air.

"Demon magic," Abby whispered, and startled everyone but Tristan.

Tristan agreed. "Not strong, but directed. Gix must have been able to track us to this world, and he's found allies here. They want the Kiya. They must not have it."

"No matter what happens, get Tristan back to the ship," Abby said. The Elf made one inarticulate sound of annoyance. "You have the Kiya, Tristan. That's the point, isn't it?"

"And you're unimportant?" Etric demanded. "If we believe in this battle at all then we have to accept that you are the son of a goddess! What the hell would she do if you fell?"

"Create another child," Abby said.

Tristan didn't argue, although perhaps only because there wasn't enough time.

Shadows moved from the darkness and into the edge of light. A dozen men came into view, shadowed faces in the near-dark, blades in hands catching the edge of light. Still more moved behind them. Abby shivered as he fought against the touch of demon magic and the urge to go mad with the curse Tristan only barely held in place.

Someone ran. Wise person to get away from this madness. Tristan wanted them all to run, but he didn't even suggest it aloud. Yintri, he thought but didn't look at the man with the cane.

"You don't want any part of this trouble," Etric said, stepping forward to put himself in front of Abby and Tristan. He had a weapon in his hands, but one Abby didn't recognize. "Go."

The first man stepped fully into the light, his face a mask of lines and scars, scraggly beard and narrowed eyes. He might have gone, Abby thought. He had the look of someone who didn't want a part of this... but he had no choice. Perhaps the fact that so little magic existed in this place of stars and distant moons made people more susceptible to its power.

The man looked at the weapon Captain Etric carried and paled, but he still came forward. The others spread out around them, but their movements looked uncertain, as though someone controlled each step. Only their numbers might prove to be a problem. Abby counted twenty, and thought there might still be more following.

"Rqua," Etric said, never looking away from the first man. "Get the guard."

"Yes, sir." Never a question, never a pause; Rqua pushed past four men who hadn't expected the move and began to run. Abby nodded, relieved that they might get help.

But some of the stalkers followed their new friend. He hoped Rqua could run fast.

No time to consider anything else; metal caught the edges of the light as weapons came up and the enemy moved forward. While the initial approaches had seemed awkward, now they attacked with one mind, and that mind directed everything toward Abby and Tristan.

Madness...

Tristan, using his own powers, tried to break the bond between the men and the demon, but that ploy put Abby far too close to contact with the demon at the same time. He tried to control his madness, but that didn't keep the enemy away from him. He hadn't his sword, either, and the combination of growing madness and helplessness vied to take control of him.

Tristan pulled his own short dagger and pushed it into Abby's hand -- that hardly helped, but at least it gave him some safety and the ability to protect his friend. Purpose gave direction for his thoughts away from what Tristan did.

Barely in time. Something cold and sharp cut across the side of his arm, and he swung back with the blade out of instinct rather than intent.

The knife he held cut deep, drew a shout of anger and fear as the man fell back, hands clutching his chest. Spell broken, Abby thought -- but he would not want to do the same for the others.

Closing in.

Two of the scaled animals that had greeted Tristan earlier circled overhead then dove at the enemies, keeping them back from him as best they could. Allies everywhere, Abby thought, but he hoped they stayed out of harm's way.

His human friends had weapons far more dangerous than the knife he held. He didn't like the flash of light that burned through cloth and skin, but he said nothing. They had the right to protect themselves in a battle that should not have been theirs.

Abby had never liked confrontations that went to weapons, large or small. It had, he thought even now, marked him as different from his father. He fought because he had to, protecting his friends.

The demon-controlled group surged forward, ignoring the sweep of Etric's light weaponand the flash of his and Yin's blades, and Abby knew they couldn't fight them all back. Tristan had apparently severed the ties of three or four of the attackers -- they backed off, ran. Abby didn't know how many had fallen. He, Etric and Yin kept Tristan in a protective circle - he would not let his friend fall...

If he had a choice. Another blade cut him on the arm, but as he turned, something hit him hard across the side of the face. He started to go down, but Tristan spun and grabbed him, letting go of his spell.

"It wasn't working anyway," he said. He cast light into the face of the man who came at them. "The more I cut free from Gix, the stronger his hold became on these others."

Healing magic, swift and sure, poured through Tristan's hands. It helped steady Abby. He heard a shout, turned to see five men push past Yin, grab for Tristan--

"No!" He not only let himself go to the madness, he pushed himself there. He saw a long, jagged blade swinging at Tristan's neck; and he grabbed it with his hand, shoving his dagger straight into the man's neck. The enemy's weapon smashed into his hand, and if it had been a better blade he would have lost fingers.

But he killed that one, swept the blade around and cut another across the face, tried to get the last. Etric fought beside him as more moved up to take the place of the fallen. Yin had gone down. Hurt? Dead? Somewhere in the back of his madness Abby still cared.

Until they grabbed Tristan away from him. They shoved the Elf to his knees, trying to tear free the pouch holding the Kiya. Abby shouted again, rushed forward even in the face of those blades all turned to stop him.

Tristan's control and Etric's physical hold pulled him back just in time. He fought still.

"Tristan!"

"There's help!" Etric shouted in his ear, and Abby realized men in uniform had converged on the area, and that Rquana had thrown himself into the battle again, fighting his way to them. The soldiers had the others nearly surrounded, and they would not get away with Tristan, who used a little magic to break free.

Another grabbed the Elf, knocked him down.

Shoved a long-bladed knife into his back.

Fire swept through Abby, and he went down on his knees. He felt Tristan still alive, each breath agony. He saw more weapons turned on his friend, and he threw himself at the man who had attacked the Elf and only stopped when someone struck him across the back of his head.

He fell. Tristan lay unconscious, just beyond the reach of his hands...

Chapter Five

Etric thanked the gods, whom he believed in far more these days, that they were closer to the ship than to any med unit. The guards had helped transport the injured -- Abby, Tristan and Yin, who at least remained conscious.

One guard, Jonath, remained to take the report, talking now and then into his private comm and getting other information. He waited quietly while they bandaged Abby, treated Tristan - the man obviously had no medical training or he would have seen that the readings on the med scanner Tathis quickly shut down had shown nothing even remotely human. Elf, huh?

Etric had used magic to begin healing Tristan's dangerous back wound, even while they carried him to the ship. Now, he just wanted the guardsman off his ship, or at least away from this room, so he could do more.

The readings weren't much better for Abby, and he shut down the scanner there as well. Etric feared to use any medications on either of them, but he did manage a little magic while Rqua talked with the guard. It slowed the bleeding from the back of Abby's head and...

He found another, much older cut that seeped magic and blood. It could not be healed. That realization almost made him ill, but he treated it as best he could before he turned back to the newer wound.

Etric had seen the attacker swing what had looked like an old pipe made into a jagged-edged sword. He'd cast magic, turned the blade as much as he could.

But the weapon had left deep, short cuts across the back of Abby's head, and he feared a skull fracture as well. Tathis helped turn Abby onto his side, and Etric tried to pull the hair back to find--

Tristan moaned again, and this time Rqua had to grab the bed before he went down as well.

"Shit," Etric whispered. He looked at Rqua and realized the problem. A quick look showed that Jonath was outside the room, talking to his comm. "I have to take the crown off, Rqua. It's just making this worse for you and Tristan."

"He -- he needs Tristan."

"To survive this? Will he die if I take this off?" Etric asked, half-panicked that he could do something so stupid without thinking about the possible consequences.

"N-No." Rqua put a hand to the side of his head and closed his eyes for a moment. "Panic. Fear to lose Tristan. But do it. I think it will help Tristan."

"And you," Etric said, but stopped before saying more since Jonath had come to the doorway again.

Aubreyan had made no show of pain until Etric pulled the crown free, and then his hands fluttered, as though to pull it back. Etric hoped that was a good sign. The blade that had hit him across the back of the head had done more damage than he first imagined. He ran magic through the wounds, sealing cracks, easing pressure. Gods, if he hadn't turned the blow with magic, it would have crushed the back of Abby's skull. He didn't think even the Elf could have helped him.

They had tried to kill Tristan first, very likely to make certain he couldn't help Abby. But Tristan had held on to the pouch, and Abby wasn't dead. The enemy had underestimated them again.

Etric did what he could, feeling breathless and dizzy at the end of the work. Abby looked better now, and he thought the pulse felt stronger, but turning on the scanner again just made him nervous. The readings were not right.

Abby needed more help, but Etric needed more magic -- he would spend a few minutes out in the moonlight before he tried the next step.

A check of Yin showed that his injuries weren't serious, although his bad leg had gotten banged up again and had swollen within the brace. Etric and Tathis had some trouble getting it off, but Yin would be all right. The drugs, though he fought them, would help him sleep before too long. Etric knew from a couple years' experience that would be the only way to keep his friend off that leg for a few hours -- especially at a time when the ship or his friends might be in danger.

He left Tristan for Rqua to tend to, afraid he hadn't enough magic remaining to do any of the more delicate work needed there. He thanked the gods again Rquana had taken to healing magic as well as he had. Of all the spells and powers they might have used, healing had always proved the most useful.

Etric took Jonath out into the crew's lounge, where he ordered up tea and sat down, hoping he could sound reasonably coherent. He wanted this done and the guard off his ship before anything else unusual happened. The best way to do that was to be polite and not look as though he wanted the stranger gone. So, he brought them both cups of tea and sat down at the table in the crew's lounge just outside the med unit. He did make certain Jonath had his back to the room, though.

"Looks like your crew got off lucky, considering the number of attackers," Jonath said. He sipped at the tea and nodded appreciation. "There are eight dead."

Etric winced. He knew at least five of those were from his laser. He hated killing. The remembered smell of burned flesh very nearly made him ill.

"You had a witness, by the way. A guard just off duty -- he ran to get help, but your man outdistanced him."

"Rqua is a good runner. That's why I sent him." Etric sipped his drink as well, trying to bury the sour taste that had come to his mouth...trying to distance himself from the memory. "We didn't provoke the fight."

"No, I would imagine not -- five against twenty or more. We traced you back to Liron's Place. He reported no trouble there at all, and he asked that word be sent back about your crew when we have it."

"I'll send word," Etric promised. He leaned forward, his fingers curled tightly around the cup in hopes the guard wouldn't see how badly they had begun to shake.

"Do you know if they had a reason to attack you?"

"I don't know if they did, or if we just looked like easy pickings," Etric said. Better to live with that lie than to try to explain with demonstrations of magic. No, best not go that way. Etric felt queasy at the thought.

He looked up when Tathis approached, giving a quick bow of his head followed by a flurry of words, his hands moving nervously. Even Etric had trouble following him, but he understood enough to know that Yin worried about the ship coming under attack. He nodded and sent Tathis up to the command deck to keep watch.

And found Jonath looking at him, curious. "Odd crew," the guard said.

"Oh, yes, they are. Tathis is deaf. He's good at his work, though, and that's good enough for me."

"And there is the difference between free traders and the Imperials," Jonath said, standing slowly and giving a leisurely stretch. "The IGs don't give a damn how good you are at the work, just so long as you fit their mold. I'll be back in touch if I find out anything, Captain."

"But I shouldn't expect it. I've been captain long enough to know the guards have a hard enough time handling local crime, and since we'll be gone in a couple days, this is not going to be top of their list."

"True enough." Jonath looked relieved that Etric sounded reasonable.

"We're contracted for a short haul to Taru. We're going to go, unless there is some reason you think we'll be held in port?"

"None. I've already had that confirmed by city and port guards. You had a witness, and you're not the ones in trouble. I'll set up a box for any information on the case and key it to your ship so that next time you're in port, you'll have the news."

"Thank you."

"Check with the port authority before you lift, just to make certain they have no more questions. They like to feel they have some control over you people. Good luck."

Etric walked with him back to the airlock, trying not look as though he wanted the man off the ship right now. Odd things were apt to happen with Abby and Tristan aboard. He didn't want someone else involved.

He stood and stared out at the night, letting moon-fed magic seep back into him. Maybe it helped Jonath, who looked back and waved, seeing that Etric didn't hurry to get somewhere else. He could feel the edge of other magic in the air -- not the natural kind but something directed. Damn. The sooner they were off this world the better.

"Captain?"

He spun on Rquana, who lifted his hands in an unnecessary gesture of peace.

"Sorry," Etric said. He leaned back against the airlock doorway again, exhausted. "I'm a bit jumpy."

"Like the rest of us aren't?" Rqua offered a little, weary smile and stood with him, for the same reason. They could draw magic from the air of this world, but they would get it faster standing in the moonlight. "Tristan seems to be doing better. Abby, as well. Tathis is checking records to try and track down any of the people who attacked us. So far, it appears they weren't locals, according to the report the guards sent us. That's not good."

It took Etric a moment to track that one. Then he realized that if they were not locals it meant the attackers came from some other ship, and might turn up again anywhere. Even as he watched, a shuttle lifted for one of the larger transports in orbit. They didn't need someone watching over them, tracking their every move.

"Damn," he said. "I don't think there's enough magic in this world to take care of this trouble, Rqua."

"We're safe in here -- safer than anywhere else, at least. And we fought them back, even though we were not prepared for the battle. We won't be caught by surprise like that again."

"Yes, you're right." Etric slapped his friend on the shoulder, and Rqua grinned. "Good thing you've been thinking. I haven't had a coherent thought since the battle."

"You never told us you were a slave," Rqua said.

"No, I didn't."

Rqua didn't ask more, but then he wouldn't. Rquana Aprath hadn't come from the kind of background he liked to discuss, either.

Etric knew he would tell them -- Tathis, Yin and Rqua -- more of the story at another time. Not because they had any need to know, but because they would wonder about it. A few years ago he couldn't have told anyone, with the wounds still fresh. Now he thought it might be good to exorcize those ghosts and move on.

"We need to get back." He stretched, trying to ease aching muscles. He could have slept here in the moonlight and still felt weak. He hit the lock and watched as the door sealed then reinforced it with a ward. Even that much magic wore him down. It would take longer for him to replenish within the ship, but he could do it.

Rqua took hold of his arm when he staggered away from the door. "Thank you. Damn, I'm tired. And I get the feeling it's going to be a long night."

"With several more long nights to come."

That thought didn't reassure him. They slowly climbed the long curve of the hall, passing the bay and engine level, up past general ship systems then crew's quarters and finally to the lounge and med unit. Etric could hear the computers buzzing, and the steady click of Tathis typing beyond the last curve that lead to the command deck. He wondered if that meant some communication from the port, but he didn't press on to find out. The chairs looked comfortable enough, and Rqua didn't complain when he sat.

They were within view of the open door to the med unit controls as well. All three of the patients appeared to be asleep.

"None of you signed on for this sort of job," Etric said as he looked back at Rqua.

"Maybe Tathis and Yin didn't, but I wouldn't have studied magic so hard if I hadn't thought there might be a good use for it," Rqua said. He leaned back in his chair, brushing his hair away from his forehead, momentarily showing an old, long scar. Etric hadn't asked about it. "Have any of us argued over this?"

"No. We are losing credits, though. You know that, and that means all the crew is losing money. We can't go on with this trip for very long before we lose too much of our trade."

"I know it. Abby and Tristan probably don't realize how things work here, though. Are you going to tell them?"

"No," Etric said. "No. They've got enough to worry about."

"I've been listening to their thoughts for days now," Rqua said, reminding him of the link. "Most of the time it's just a whisper until we're close, or they are upset. Etric, we don't want them to lose this battle."

Etric nodded, burying his petty thoughts about lost credits - at least until this went on for a couple more ports and he stood a chance of losing the ship. They'd do all right on the Taru run anyway. He knew it would be easy enough to pick up a few perishables for that and at least cover expenses. After that, they'd have to wait and see.

"Let's get a few hours sleep. I'll put in a call for crew, none to arrive for another five hours standard. I'd like to have at least four more people, Rqua -- but then I think about our guests and..." He stopped and shook his head, imagining all kinds of disasters.

"Yeah," Rqua replied. "Let's sleep on it. I don't want to run the ship shorthanded, but we'll have to be careful. And I think we both need sleep before we face anything as challenging as choosing people to help us in this insanity."

Etric agreed. He thought about sleeping right here in the chair, but Rqua stood and took hold of his arm, pulling him up.

"Are you sure you can't read minds?" he asked.

"Sometimes I don't have to." Rqua laughed and shook his head. "But, no, I can't, most of the time -- not unless the other person is also a psi or is in a highly emotional state. Everyone's thoughts screamed tonight, Captain. Even Jonath. He could feel something odd about the entire situation, but we seemed harmless enough."

"Thank the gods for that small favor," Etric said. "It must have been hard for you."

"For a while it was. By the way, the ones who attacked us -- they were reading null. No emotion there at all. Whatever propelled them into the battle didn't do it by making them angry, and it didn't stay in their minds. I wish I could have gotten more, but I can't even contact Abby and Tristan with any ease. I can hear them, though, and that helps."

"Does it bother you?"

"Sometimes. Sometimes I want to shout at them and at others, to be heard the way I hear them. Sometimes I don't want to know their anger and fear." He stopped and shook his head again. "Never mind. Captain, I did what I could for Abby, but I'm afraid to put the crown back on just now. I think the pain might hinder even Tristan. But Abby is going to have serious problems without the crown. Tristan has a very calming effect on him."

"That's not good. The thought of the child of a goddess needing control--"

"No, that's not quite it." Rqua looked over his shoulder toward the med unit. "There's something else... something more troubling. Demons, elves, curses. They don't consciously think about it, except during that battle, and so many others shouted in my head then I couldn't really listen. But Tristan helps him, Etric. We need to get Abby better and get the crown back on him."

"Whatever the reason, it's still something that worries me," Etric said. He started toward the door. "Let's check on them and get a little rest."

Rqua nodded agreement and followed, a slow movement that showed he might be just as tired as his captain.

Yin already looked better. Good. He might even get enough sleep to be coherent tomorrow, which Etric feared he would not be.

Abby and Tristan both looked restless. Etric thought he might spare a little more magic to help them rest better. It would help. But before he could cross to the bed the Elf awoke with a start, his hand going to the side of his head then reaching…

"Abby!"

Etric and Rqua froze. Etric shook his head, unwilling to believe, and fearful.

"Abby! Who-- Where is he?"

"He's here," Etric said, crossing to take the Elf's hand. "It's all right."

"Praise the gods you're all right. I can't... he's not wearing the crown?"

"Just removed for the moment." Etric's heart pounded. He had to take several breaths before he dared speak. He needed calm. He didn't like the pallor he saw in Tristan's face, or the short breaths he took. Etric took hold of the Elf's hand. The fingers were too cold. He did not want Tristan to get worse. "Abby took a blow to the head. Every time I tried to work on it, both you and Rqua reacted. I needed Rqua clear-headed, and I wanted one of you two free of that wound."

"Even I didn't realize," Rqua said, looking stunned.

"But he'll be all right?" Tristan asked, still panicked in ways Etric had not expected.

"Rqua, can you help me push the bed closer to Abby's?" He pulled until there was hardly room for him to slip in and out. He took the Elf's hand and put it on Abby's arm. He felt a whisper of magic, and in that moment even Abby looked better again.

"Thank the gods," Tristan whispered. "The injury is serious, but you've done well, Captain. Thank you. We dare not lose Abby, no matter how little he thinks of himself in this war."

"And he doesn't dare lose you," Rqua said. "Don't argue. I have heard you two from the first, remember. I know he needs his contact with you."

"I never meant for Abby to become so dependent on me," Tristan admitted. He brushed his hand over the blanket, frowning a little as though he could only now start getting his bearings again. "We're on the ship? I don't remember much after I went down. The others?"

"We're fine, Tristan" Etric said. His voice shook a little. "We had no idea."

"That I'm blind? I have been all my life. Only my link with Abby gave me vision through his eyes. No matter. We both survived this battle."

"I still can't quite fathom this trouble. Did they just hope to stop you?"

"I think so." Tristan started to sit up and changed his mind before Etric could even protest. "They didn't get the Kiya, nor the Janin, for that matter. Captain, everything will be fine. Don't despair."

"Tell us what we should do," Etric said. "I'm lost in this."

Tristan closed his eyes, one hand going to his chest. His breathing still appeared labored, but his color looked better, and his face showed calm. "We should continue as we planned. We must go on to find your Crystal and the other piece of the Kiya. That's our most important purpose."

He even sounded assured, although Etric saw the flickering of worry in his face.

"I'm getting some rest. Will you two be all right?"

"Yes." Tristan reached out again, using a little magic to find Abby. He held to his friend's arm, and Etric could sense the magic, but he didn't stop the Elf. He thought it probably helped them both. "I can feel the magic in the air. I can help him if he needs it, but you have healed the worst of the damage. Go rest, Captain. We'll need you later, I'm sure. Let me do what I can here."

Etric nodded, and then realized Tristan hadn't seen him. "I'll rest for a few hours. We need to hire new crew, especially since Yin hurt his leg -- nothing serious, Tristan. He'll recover. But I don't want to make this run short on crew. We'll see what we can acquire before sunset and then head for Taru. Rest, both of you."

Tristan said nothing, but it was real silence this time; and the loss showed even in Rquana's eyes. He hoped Abby didn't go long without the crown.

Chapter Six

Tabor fell back against the hard, icy wall and gasped for breath while pain pounded through his heart, stronger than anything Braith could have inflicted. His head throbbed, and he feared he would lose consciousness. He didn't want Braith to find him helpless.

The dark cell closed in on him. He dragged a breath through parched lips. Another.

He gently held the tiny sliver of mirror with trembling fingers. He could still feel his link to that strange world where they had found Abby and Tristan. He'd held to the path of magic Braith and his father used to reach that place, and where they had…failed again.

Gix, in his rage, didn't feel the whisper of magic Tabor took away with him, the link that came through his blood.

His secret. He had been very cunning, and unlike his demon father and the inhuman Braith, Tabor understood the enemy. He knew how to hurt them, how to manipulate them. He had watched long after Gix and Braith gave up. He planned.

Ordinary weapons would not stop those two. He had watched Gix send his puppets against the enemy, as though Abby and Tristan -- and their friends -- would stand by and be slaughtered.

But blood was all his father had ever understood. Tabor had other plans. Subtle ideas that neither Gix nor Braith could even imagine. He had only to wait for the right moment.

A deep breath now. It almost didn't hurt this time.

He ran his finger over the ragged piece of glass once more then closed his eyes to the emptiness of the dark cell. Patience. He could finally understand the value of patience.

But when he slept at last, he dreamt of Aubreyan Altazar and his Elf companion... and of being with friends rather than alone...

Chapter Seven

Abby awoke, panicked and alone. He'd not been alone for a long time, not in his head. He feared it. Gods, what had happened to Tristan?

He sat up.

"Calm, Abby. Be calm."

Tristan lay on the other bed. He caught his breath, not really surprised Tristan knew he had panicked. Tristan had managed far more difficult things than that without the crowns. Only Abby had felt incapable of the work. He had never felt equal to the job forced on him, and now without even Tristan's guidance…

"Abby," Tristan said, reaching with a little magic. "Just be calm. You hurt your head. They thought this would be better for Rquana and me."

"Oh." He took a couple deep breaths then touched the back of his head. It hurt.

He pulled himself up, moving slowly while his head pounded and his sight blurred. Yinti sat on a bed across the small room, looking at them with a tilt of his head. Abby wondered what the man thought about the two odd and magical creatures who had fallen into his life. Sometimes he thought he might like to hear those thoughts, to better understand himself through the eyes of others.

"It never occurred to any of us that Tristan was blind, you know," Yin said. "Did you fail to mention that on purpose?"

"Just an oversight," Tristan said with a shrug. He looked well, and Abby quelled the moment of panic that washed over him, remembering Tristan going down under the blade of the enemy. "There's been so much else since we arrived here. And we've felt…"

"Lost." Abby looked at his crown, sitting on the table beside him. Even a slight shake of his head left him dizzy and ill. "Lost, and now I am more so. What should I do?"

"Whatever is wise," Tristan said. "Don't doubt yourself, Abby. It's not like you're the same child who wandered into Ishan, you know. You've learned. So have I. And we know the enemy."

"I feel too ill, Tristan. But I need the crown, the link--" He tried to keep the panic from his voice, but even Yin gave him a worried look. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't…"

"Abby, when I first suggested the crowns to my grandfather it was so I could help teach you." Tristan' reached out, unerringly catching Abby's arm, like he had in those first few days before they wore the crowns. "And you've learned. We'll survive a few more hours. Rest. I can hear the pain in your voice, even if I can't feel it."

Yin had the look of someone who wanted to ask very many questions but didn't think he'd like the answers. He started to speak, and stopped when Tathis came into the room. Even he looked haggard and unhappy. He signed to Yin, gave the two others quick looks, and left again.

"Damn," Yintri said.

"Problems?"

"The local guard suddenly thinks we're hiding something," Yin explained. "They were fine last night after the battle, but a few hours sleep and they seem to have gone crazy. Everything has gone crazy."

He started to move and stopped, putting his hand to his knee and frowning. Then he looked at them and shook his head. "It's fine. This is an old injury. Sorry, Tristan -- I'm having trouble with my leg, and Abby looks ready to apologize for things that are not his fault."

"It's my fault you fell under attack," Abby said. "I'm sorry. I never meant for others to be drawn into my war. Not even Tristan. People always get hurt."

"I've listened to the story of this battle you fight. I've heard how you got involved. If I believe you fight for the good of everyone, should I be angry with you that I'm part of the battle for good as well?"

"I can regret that I am not strong enough to fight the battle myself," Abby answered, wishing his head would stop pounding.

"But here we are. And we have problems. I'm going to go talk with the captain. Will you two be all right here?"

Tristan swung his feet off the bed. "We're -- I'm fine. I want to know what's going on. Abby, please stay here."

"Tristan--"

"I can sense magic, Abby," Tristan said. "Yin, Abby has no magic of his own, not in the sense that your captain, Rqua and I do. He has powers, but they are not... well, they're different. Even I can't explain it. Abby, just rest."

"We're only going to be just beyond the door," Yin explained, waving out toward the area where he could already see Etric. "You can see us from here. But please don't get out of the bed. You look ready to fall over, Abby, and you're not even on your feet yet."

Yin was right -- before he even moved his legs he felt the room move and his head pound. Abby carefully lay back down, pushing away panic and fear. He needed calm. His head hurt too much, and he knew he couldn't really help the others even if he could get to his feet.

"Are you all right, Abby?" Tristan asked, coming to the side of the bed.

"I don't like this."

"Yes?"

Tristan made him laugh. Yin looked relieved as he limped over to a cabinet and pulled out a cane.

Tristan hated to leave Abby behind, but for reasons he didn't dare tell his companion. He had come to rely on Abby's sight and Abby's feelings far more than his friend probably realized. Now, as he sat in the chair by Etric, he felt a welling of panic he'd never known before. He let magic flicker around him, testing everything as though he suspected the very table couldn't be real.

"Tristan?" Etric asked softly. "Are you all right?"

"I've always used magic to feel my way. But that was in the Elflands, in Ishan," Tristan said. "I had unlimited magic there. I'm going to have some problems once we leave this world."

"I had planned to leave this evening. Perhaps we should wait until after moonrise," Etric said. "I don't think it will hurt for us to gather as much power as we can. That's even supposing I can get crew to sign on. The port guards are questioning the validity of your fake IDs, Yin."

"Are they? I wonder why. They passed all the tests, Captain. Someone set them to this."

"Ah." Etric leaned back against his chair. Tristan heard it squeak and tried to imagine...he could still see them all in his mind, at least. It helped. "Good point. We have a member of the Guard at the hatch. Tathis is bringing him up. We'll meet the man here."

Tristan heard Tathis arrive -- knew the sound of Tathis's step, at least. He came slightly ahead of a man with a heavier tread... but was there something more?

He suddenly realized he could not tell if this man had the feel of a demon clinging to him or not. That had come from Abby, the ability to sense such things. For a moment it almost panicked him.

"I'm Captain Etric Deray. I assume you must be IG May?"

"I am. And I want to register a complaint about being met by that man."

"Tathis?" Etric said. Tristan didn't like the feelings passing between the two, but he sat still. "He is a crewman. You're here without trouble. I assume that's sufficient?"

The Guardsman grunted a reply and dropped into a chair.

Tristan didn't like the man. Magic? He did feel that touch against his skin, the little whisper of power. And that wouldn't be natural here, would it?

"I have questions for the two passengers," the man said.

"This is one of them, Tristan. The other is still under medical care. Tristan is just out of med treatment. I insist that you be polite and calm."

"Insist?"

"Yes, I insist." Etric replied. Tristan heard the first whisper of anger in his voice. "This is my ship. You are here as a guest, May. No matter what you may think is out of order, you obviously have no proof of wrongdoing. So, you will be polite."

"Polite," May repeated, but his voice changed; and Tristan felt the surge of magic that very nearly filled the room.

"I didn't think this would be so easy." The lilt of the voice sounded different, a dissonance he could finally trace, out of sync with the world around him.

"You don't have us yet." Tristan caught hold of him, and magic surged so quickly he heard the others gasp. "Did you think we wouldn't notice the magic your pawn radiates?"

"You are no match for me, Elf," the man said -- only it wasn't his voice. Not Tabor's, either, or Gix, from what Tristan could tell. He could feel the magic, the taint of evil, but he didn't know this one. It worried him that they might have another enemy he couldn't even name. "I can feel your weakness."

Tristan felt the insinuation of magic slipping over him. He started to pull his hand back, but the man grabbed him.

"I learned from you. Too many to control the first time, but as you severed some, I grew stronger. One--"

"The only thing you didn't take into account is that Tristan is not alone," Etric said.

"You haven't the power."

Etric proved him wrong, and did so with such speed and decisiveness that even Tristan hadn't been prepared for the rush of magic that enveloped the stranger and dragged something alien and evil from his body. Tristan felt it in the air, flittering around in panicked desperation. He could almost hear the cry of fear.

Then the sensation disappeared. The guard, freed from the hold on his body, stood suddenly. He shoved Tristan back. Etric caught the chair, one hand on the Elf's shoulder.

"Calm, friend," Etric said. "Be calm. It's over."

"What…?" May sat down again. His fear coursed through the room, almost palpable with the strength of the emotion. Tristan quickly pulled back his own tendrils of magic, afraid the man would misjudge his attempt to help as another invasion of his soul. "What happened? What was that?"

"Evil. Demon touch," Tristan explained, though he suspected the man didn't understand. "But you are free of him now."

The guard's breath caught. Tristan wished for Abby's view of this stranger. He'd learned to judge too much by sight lately. Right now he could only interpret the stronger of his emotions-fear laced with growing anger.

"Who are you people?" he demanded. "What are you?"

"Magicians," Etric said, forestalling any other answer. Tristan stopped himself from adding to it. May had enough to consider just with that explanation, as well as what he'd gone through. "And we are the ones who just got you out of a rather difficult situation, wouldn't you say?"

May started to say something, stopped. His breath came in quick gasps, and Tristan heard the chair move again.

"I can't believe--" And stopped again.

"I suggest you leave the ship, report that all seemed well, and don't mention what happened again," Yin said.

"Oh, you can bet I won't mention it." May's voice had steadied, but he moved nervously around the room. "Like I'm going to tell anyone about magic and demons and... They'd lock me up. I'd lose my commission. What -- No, I don't even want to know what it was about. You're leaving, right?"

"We'll be gone soon," Etric said.

"How can I protect myself from it?" May whispered, the panic barely held at bay. This one would take a long time to recover. Tristan wished he could give the man peace, but May turned and hurried away, Etric following to let him out.

"Damn, what a mess," Yin said. Tristan heard him sit down. "When Tathis said he sensed magic, I didn't know what to believe."

"It was not a demon, but whatever held May was demon-touched," Tristan said. He leaned back, exhausted. "I think it underestimated what Etric could do."

"And you people handled it before Tathis could even get me," Rqua said, startling Tristan. "Sorry. Thought you realized I was here. I will never get used to the fact you are blind."

"Only blind until Abby wears the crown again. But even so, I wouldn't see you now if he were in another room. You're just used to seeing us together."

"Good point." Rqua sat down, sounding tired. "Yes, Tathis. Tea and cakes might be good. I could use the energy. It's about time to start looking at new crew, isn't it?"

"That sounds like a plan destined for disaster," Yin answered, humor in his voice. "But we need crew. Tristan? Would you like to go back to bed now?"

He'd put his hand to his chest, feeling pain from wounds that had only started to heal, even with the magic. "Rest, near Abby. Yes, I would like that."

But he didn't really remember going back to the room. He only knew that he was closer to Abby again, and that he could rest here, safe…

Chapter Eight

Etric would have liked a bit more sleep before he began looking at new crew. But here he sat, patiently waiting for the first applicants to arrive. Like most ship's captains, he interviewed in the bay at the quartermaster's temporary desk rather than let some stranger wander up through the corridors. For the first time he truly appreciated that custom. He didn't want strangers in the ship, not after the trouble with May.

The first three people who applied did not fill him with any hope. The first couldn't produce a valid ID, the second reeked of liquor, and the third managed to insult free traders and the ship in the first five minutes.

This is hopeless, he signed to Tathis, who stood guard by him.

Tathis shrugged. He looked tired as well, and that reminded Etric that they couldn't make the jump shorthanded. He needed crew he could trust, at least for the next few days.

A woman came in through the bay door -- thin, tall, short-haired. She moved with the kind of steady step that said she wasn't long out of the Imperial Guards. Etric gave Tathis a covert glance, and he responded with the signal -- no magic. Having Tathis so close allowed Etric not to use magic in order to sense magic, and that seemed wise right now.

She gave a quick, polite bow. "I'm Otaka, Systems tech and second-grade engineer." She produced her ID without being asked.

"You're just out of the IGs," Etric said as he popped the ID into the comp.

"Three days out and happy for it. I learned what I came to learn from them. Now I'm looking to go on with life."

"And Free Traders don't bother you?" Etric asked, handing back the ID chit. She had good qualifications, but he wasn't going to leap too quickly.

"My uncle is an FT. I'm hoping to catch up with him eventually. He promised me a position if I learned a useful trade, and I intend to take him up on it, after I get a little more experience. Should I tell you that?"

"Hey, good to be honest. We're making a run to Taru. I don't know where we're going from there. I won't drop you at Taru unless there's a serious breach of conduct. This is Tathis. He's deaf, but he reads lips very well. He'll take you up top and introduce you to Rqua, my second, and Yin, who will be your immediate supervisor. They'll go over the ship's contract with you. If you agree to everything, you're in. And welcome."

"Thank you, Captain Etric." She started to salute, caught herself with a laugh and nodded once. "I appreciate that you're so fast. I didn't expect it."

"I hope to be off-world no later than dawn," he said. "We're taking a consignment of green goods they're loading in a couple hours. I don't have time to waste."

She accepted that as an answer. Tathis grinned and signaled her to go with him.

Etric hoped she worked out for more than just this run. Her ID looked like she would make good crew material, and he had gotten damned tired of running short. Even if she only stayed for a few runs it would be better than what they'd had lately.

He passed on another four applicants before he found someone he thought he could work with and sent her off with Tathis, who had returned to his post. Utrani didn't look nearly as happy about being on a Free Trader as Otaka but at least she seemed to know in-system maintenance. One or two passages, and maybe he could replace her.

Etric had started to feel genuinely nervous about the lack of qualified people applying for positions on the ship. He suspected the fight on the streets might have dissuaded a few, thinking that the ship and crew were involved in some trouble. And they were right, but for the wrong reasons.

Damn, he needed crew. He needed off this world, though he worried that Abby and Tristan wouldn't have recovered from their injuries by the time they reached Taru. He would use a little more magic on Abby tonight, but after that there would be little to spare.

When he looked up a tall, thin young man stood before him.

"Gods! I didn't hear you come in!"

That won a little flicker of surprise and a look that bordered on amusement, though it passed quickly. The stranger gave a quick nod and held out his ID.

"I am Kamil." He had a peculiar soft accent. "From Taru. I would like to work my way back home."

"Ah!" Etric started to push the ID into the computer slot, but Kamil lifted a hand, stopping him. The young man looked troubled.

"I was released from prison six months ago for killing a man. The death was unintentional. I felt I should tell you immediately, before you even see the ID. I am not trying to hide anything."

"Unintentional? And they still sent you to prison?" Etric asked. He leaned back, ready to hear about it from the man before he saw the official report. He had found he could usually judge the truth when he watched a person telling such a tale.

Kamil bowed his head and then looked up again before he spoke. His eyes stayed steady, but Etric could see bleakness in their depths, as well as hopelessness. Kamil didn't think telling the story would help.

"The death was unintentional, but the locals on Taru -- they felt I needed a reprimand anyway. I had been in trouble before. However, in the last few months I had started working at a local shop, changing, until someone from my past came to rob it. I tried to stop him, and in the end... his knife ended up in his own heart. But they said I had set it up."

"You hadn't," Etric said.

"I hadn't," he replied, and his eyes narrowed for a moment, anger overcoming other emotions. It passed quickly. He looked at Etric and shook his head. "But they did not trust me. I am a psi, Captain. A strong one. And I am deaf."

"That explains it!"

"Sir?"

"I have a deaf crewman named Tathis. Not a psi, but I should have recognized the similarity in the way you watch people."

"Do you, truly?" Kamil looked surprised at that moment, and then shook his head as though to dispel any optimism from his thoughts.

Etric pushed the ID into the slot. The information about the imprisonment came up first, and confirmed what Kamil had said, except that the person prosecuting the case had been Kamil's own cousin. Had his family always shunned him? Psi's were often viewed as a disgrace since so many people feared them.

And, according to the record, he needed his family's permission to return to Taru.

Etric looked up at Kamil, who watched him with the attentiveness Tathis often showed.

"Does your family want you back?"

"No." He bowed his head and this time did not look back up. "No, I don't think they will. I hope... but until I am there I won't know."

Etric looked at him, looked back at the ID. Kamil had learned comps in prison and stayed out of trouble there, despite that the prisoners thought he would be an easy target. Well, hell. One run wouldn't hurt.

He waved a hand low on the desk, getting Kamil's attention. He looked up, his face set.

"One run, to Taru, standard pay. We'll talk about further work once we're there."

Kamil blinked. And then he swayed and started to go down. Etric leapt up and grabbed him by the arms.

I am sorry!

"Gods, you are strong!" Etric said, startled to have the words in his mind.

“Oh. I'm sorry, Captain. I...I try not to, but emotions-…I…"

"Calm. It's all right."

He blinked again, and looked at Etric's face as though he expected to find some darker answer there. Etric feared that, if he let go, Kamil was going to fall and hit his head. He looked not just thin, suddenly, but like someone who had lived on short rations for a little too long.

Kamil bowed his head again, taking deep breaths, then reached out and steadied himself on the desk. Etric let go, ready to grab him, and looked back in time to see Yin arrive, leaning heavily on his cane and looking worried.

"Tathis is up with Otaka. He apparently likes her."

"Move slowly, Yin. He's deaf, but you'd not know it to talk to him. And a psi. He's trying to get back to Taru."

"And we're going to take him, aren't we?" Yin said with a grin.

"He can do comp work. That's all we need to know."

"True."

Etric waved a hand again. Kamil looked up at him as though expecting to have all hope taken away again.

"This is Yintri, Chief Tech and Cargo Master. He'll take you up and introduce you to the others. Do you know sign? Tathis can speak, but he signs better."

"Yes. Standard Sign." His hand fluttered with the words as well, as though even talking about it made the signs come to him. "Captain, sir -- there are reasons you shouldn't take me--"

"I haven't seen any yet." Etric popped the ID out and handed it back. "Even the reports say the killing wasn't your fault. You were being punished for being a psi, Kamil. You know that."

"Yes," he said softly.

"My second-in-command, Rquana Aprath, is also a psi."

His eyes went wide this time. And for just a moment he smiled, looking a decade younger... and closer to his real age.

Yin came, bowed a little, and took hold of Kamil's arm and started toward the exit. Kamil kept his head bowed, looking unsteady still.

"Make lunch, Yin. And bring something back down for me. Make sure he eats something but don't make a show of it."

Yin gave a little lift of his head to show he understood what hadn't been said.

Etric sat back down. Damn. He suspected it might be crazy, taking that one, but he hated injustice -- and that had gotten him a damn good crew so far, including Tathis and Rqua. But just the same, maybe this wasn't the best time to take on another problem.

No, he wasn't going to think that way. He had hired Kamil because Kamil could do the work of sitting boards. That was all that mattered right now.

Still, in some ways, he felt guilty about not warning the new crewmembers about the problems they might face. He'd do that before they lifted, at least in part. No use going into long speeches and explanations about magic, gods and demons, but he could warn them that they faced unusual dangers.

He'd barely sat down when someone totally unexpected arrived. Liron came through the door, and he brought another with him who looked far too well-dressed to be looking for work. In fact, there was something about the man with a dozen rings on his fingers and a nice, neat travel case that made Etric nervous. Then he remembered seeing him sitting at a table in Liorn's Place. He still looked like royalty, slumming his way through the empire...

But that he came with Liron deserved at least a little consideration.

"Captain," Liron said. "I trust everything is better today?"

"We're recovering." Etric tried not to look at the other person with worry.

Liron smiled, and Etric wondered if that meant he wasn't going to like this much at all. "I came along with my friend here, since I know you're looking for crew and Prince Tamaris might be what you need."

"Prince?" Etric glanced at the dark-haired man.

The prince gave an unexpected grin -- perfect white teeth in a tan face, dark long hair well cut-this one did have money. "Yes, Prince Tamaris. And I was raised at court... the Court, Captain Etric. I knew the previous emperor far too well, and the current one I count as a friend."

"Ah."

"I'm telling you this because it gets all of that reaction out of the way. You need not pale. I don't know why so many do that when I tell them."

Liron laughed. Etric wondered what his reaction had been, but the fact he still stood here by this prince said something. Etric managed at least a bow of his head, though he didn't trust himself to say anything just yet.

"I am heading for Taru," Prince Tamaris said. "I would like to get there quickly, and there are damn few ships heading that way. I am willing to pay passage if that helps, or to work if that's what you need. I know ship's weapons... but one hopes that isn't a system you'll need to run, even given the word on the streets about your trouble. I also know engine mechanics."

Etric stared at him. Started to shake his head. Looked at Liron.

"We're going to look for Crystal," he said.

"Yes, I know. And, yes, you can trust Tam. I've known him for years. I wouldn't have brought him here if I thought it would be the least bit of trouble for Crystal."

"Crystal of the Fame, right? I've wanted to meet him," Tam said. He lifted a hand at both of their looks. "Just meet the man. He did a wonderful job of diverting some of the late emperor's spoils to a world in the midst of a financial crisis, and I wondered how he managed it. It was masterful."

Etric started to say something. Stopped again. Looked at the prince for a long, silent moment.

"Liron, close the door on your way out, will you? This is all the crew I need. All the crew I think I can stand. The gods know what madness might wander in next, and I don't think I can take any more strangeness this trip."

Tam smiled and looked intrigued.

"See you next time through, Tam." Liron put a hand on the smaller man's shoulder. "Stay out of trouble."

"Yeah, right."

Liron laughed. He gave one nod to Etric. "Remember to tell Crystal to come home."

"I will."

He nodded and left, the door sealing behind him. Etric quickly keyed a full crew roster to the port tower and canceled his call for more people. He looked up to see Prince Tamaris waiting patiently for him to finish.

He'd not dealt with many members of the royal line before now, and certainly never one this high up in rank. In fact, he didn't think he'd ever met anyone who had even been to court before.

"I don't bite, you know," Prince Tamaris said.

"Biting doesn't bother me. You have the ability to do far worse."

Tamaris grinned and gave a regal bow. "Good point. But I've traveled with Free Traders before. I've even worked for them before. And if I wanted all the pomp of court, I certainly wouldn't be out here wandering around without even a servant or two. You can trust me. Liron says I can trust you as well, and, believe me -- I wouldn't be here without that recommendation."

The reminder that Liron had brought him made Etric rethink his sudden urge to open the door and politely invite the prince to leave. He took a deep breath and started closing down the desk, pushing it back into place in the wall.

"My crew is going to be... amused."

"Much as you are amused?" Tamaris asked, helping to secure the cabinet lock.

"Oh, probably more so."

"Ah. And you have an unusual crew?"

"Unusual crew and unusual guests. Two of the crew are deaf, Prince Tamaris. Two are psis. Is that going to bother you?"

"Hasn't before," he said with a shrug that did not look faked.

"Good." Etric started out of the bay with Tamaris beside him. He could still ask the prince to leave. They had hours before they lifted. And the prince might hear the tale -- as much as he was going to tell -- and decide to take another ship.

"Am I working this trip or paying? Or both?" Tam asked with a grin.

"Work. Though pay might be good, too," Etric said and shook his head. "No, work. I need people who can work. What are you doing out here like this?"

"Instead of with an IG cruiser at my beck and call? I've gone that route. I get bored too easily. Somehow, this doesn't look like a boring ship."

Etric laughed. "No, not a boring ship. I can guarantee that." He wished that hadn't sounded so much like an omen.

Chapter Nine

Banning walked into the café, drawing the drooling admiration of the startled men she passed. Long blond hair, legs that went on forever - if she'd had the slightest interest in men, she'd have had worshipers everywhere she went.

She crossed the room with a disdainful lift of her head, and eyes followed her. When she sat at Crystal's table, men glared. They always did. It was as though he had stolen all their dreams.

He keyed in her favorite drink and nodded a hello. "You got the news?"

"Yes." She leaned forward and unexpectedly put her hand over his.

"That bad, is it?" Crystal said.

"Wes Ias has put a bounty out for you and Captain Etric. Half a million credits--"

"Ha. He must have fallen on hard times," Crystal said with a grin.

"Let me finish, Captain. Half a million credits for you dead, Crystal. He's offered five million for either of you alive."

He did wince this time. He'd been hearing whispers from some of his regulars on the last three worlds, but Taru had been the first place he had actually tracked down the truth. Banning drew her hand back as the drinks arrived, and she sipped hers, looking troubled.

"I have to find Etric," he said. Banning frowned. She was not usually an altruistic person, although she'd enjoyed playing Robin Hood games with the Empire funds now and then. That, Crystal knew, had been the game, not the result. "He saved my life, Ban. I owe him at least a warning. He doesn't run in the same circles we do."

"Captain--" she began, and then stopped. She sipped her drink, and then finally nodded. "Yes, I understand. Let's get back to the ship and see if we can put a trace on him. It'll take a couple days for the local port to find any info. Damn backward world. But even so, we might be wise to hole up here while we do it rather than try a more modern port."

"Yes, I think so. Far fewer chances of Wes Ias showing up unnoticed. Okay, I'll keep us in port for another five days. We can afford it. Besides, I want to see if we can pick up a couple more crew, and this seems the most likely place."

"I trust you, Captain," she said. "I trust your judgment. And I trust your avarice. I know you won't run the ship into the ground."

He smiled because he could tell she wasn't entirely certain of those words. "Shall we have dinner?"

"You just like to torment them, don't you?" She tilted her head toward the people behind and around them.

"One of my few true pleasures in life, Ban," he said.

She smiled. "One of the few that you and I can both agree on, at least."

"Well, outside of making money," Crystal added.

She laughed. That drew more stares. But she had dinner with him, and even let him take her arm when they left, though he knew better than to hold on once they were out into the dusty Taru street.

Night had fallen, praise the gods. The heat still felt stifling, but at least the blinding sun had set. He looked down the street, little more than a stretch of shops, taverns and brothels that lined the long road between the port tower and the empty land beyond. Taru had farms, mostly. He had seen them as they came down--clumps of unexpected green that dotted the gray world. He knew the planet held only a few small towns, most hardly more than marketplaces. Port Town had the largest population, numbering about eight thousand. The IGs had ships with larger crews than that.

They slowly walked toward the tall port tower. Dust rose with every step, covering clothing in a fine coating of beige that made them look as though they were part of the world. Crystal didn't like this place much, but then, there weren't many he did enjoy. Too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry - he had yet to find paradise.

But he had his ship, so what did he care about worlds? He looked ahead past the fencing at the pads. Only two ships were parked there right now -- his Fame and the old Viceroy, a short-run ship that made supply jumps to nearby worlds. He liked this place. Calm.

Sometimes, even with his dislike of worlds, he thought he'd like to settle on a planet like this where he could buy a piece of land and watch the crops grow; but he'd have to...well...work. And work had never suited him. Farming least of all, since it still reminded him far too much of Ahira.

If he looked up in the sky he could find Delson's star tonight. He started to lift his head, and changed his mind.

"Captain?" Banning stopped then stepped in front of him when he started to go past with a shrug. "Don't do that. You're worried about something, and we've gone through this before. I'm your second."

"It's personal, Banning. Has nothing to do with the ship."

"Everything that affects you has to do with the ship. Haven't you figured that out yet? Tell me what's wrong."

"I'm too close to home," he said, looking at her. She blinked, surprised, then started to get that calculating look.

"Delson," she said.

"Good guess."

"Good world. Rich world."

"Nice, easy place for Wes Ias to find me, too."

"Does he know where you're from?"

He shrugged and started past. She let him go this time and walked with him in silence the rest of the way to the port gate. The single guard waved them lethargically through and went back to his comp game. Crystal would have been worried about that lack of interest if he hadn't seen the same man snare five teens looking for a little fun the night before.

"Captain, is there a reason why you shouldn't go home?" she asked softly.

"Aside from the fact that I'm a well-known smuggler, a thief, and I have a damn big and tempting price on my head?"

"You think someone there would turn you in?"

"In a heartbeat," he replied. He sounded far more bitter than he had expected. "Someone there sold me into slavery, Ban."

"Ah. True. But there have to be some people you still trust?"

He looked at her, surprised. Banning, as far as he could tell, trusted no one more than she had to, including him. "We're not going to Delson. We're going to sit out here until we get some trace on Etric. Then we're going to look for work in whatever sector the Freedom last went through and see what we can pick up there."

"Ah, not entirely altruistic, then."

"I don't care about the smuggling. I just don't want to get bored."

He made her laugh again. Good.

They walked the long stretch between the gate and the ship. She sat, small and sleek, on the pad. Although she was built to be run by a six-person crew, they had managed with four for nearly a year now without trouble. They did very well, and he'd stopped even talking about finding more crew. They'd had to literally kill the last new crewmember when he tried to take over the ship, and none of them thought it worth the trouble again.

Crystal loved the Fame, but he still hated everything that had brought him to her. Ahira, the midori -- he had not told any of his crew about that part of his past.

They'd understand. They'd still trust him, probably more than he trusted himself. But he couldn't do it, not yet. He might if he had Etric at his side.

Because he still wanted to feel that anchor before he even looked into the abyss again? He didn't know. But he saw the way Banning glanced at him, and he gave her a nod, hoping it looked reassuring.

Istanan met them at the airlock door. They were always careful going in and out of the ship. They rarely left her unattended, and no stranger came in without there being one of the crew on the inside to make certain they came alone. They had enemies, and they were well-known. People had tried to get in before.

He liked being a smuggler. Not as much as he had liked being a thief but...

Crystal looked at his hands for a moment. Steady. They had been for years. Then, he thought about Ahira, about slavery and about midori, and he could see the slight tremor again.

"I'll get to work and start the bots doing a comp search for records," Banning said, startling him. Istanan looked worried. Crystal realized he had been too quiet. "Get some rest Captain. And don't go out without one of us with you."

Crystal stopped, ready to argue that one. Banning put her hands on her hips and stared him down. He reconsidered the words he had been about to say, especially about something that made sense.

"No one goes out alone," Crystal said. "One of you tell Darien. We don't want my enemies grabbing any of you and trying to lure me out, right? And it's not like the crew of Fame isn't known."

"True," she agreed. "I'll fill Istanan and Darien in on the trouble while you rest."

"I don't need to sleep."

"Yes, you do. Stop arguing with me over everything," she said, sounding frustrated again. He did that to her on purpose sometimes. Like now, playing on the edge of danger with her. "Go rest while you can. If I happen across something about your friend, we might be leaving far sooner than you expect."

He nodded, though he still didn't want to cooperate. It went against his nature, but he nodded for them to go on without him and turned down the short corridor to his room.

He was not going to sleep, at least not yet. Banning knew it, too. He seldom slept at all, except from pure exhaustion. He sat down at his desk and reached for the key on the computer, but she'd read that on the boards and come down and turn it off. She'd done that before, too.

He grinned. People had no idea how hard it was to live with Banning. If he'd known what a pain in the ass she was going to be when he grabbed her out of the IG prison...

Ah, well. They were stuck with each other. She watched out for him, and he let her order him around now and then. He stretched out on the bed, staring at the ceiling he knew so well and wishing they were at least in space. He slept better with the gentle rumble of the ship around him. He didn't like being dirtside.

Gods grant that they find Etric soon. Gods truly grant that he stayed out of the hands of Wes Ias...

Part 3: To Stand with Friends

Chapter One

Somewhere between the stars insanity again struck the ship. This time Etric hadn't even a warning, despite the wards he had put around the ship.

He awoke in a cold sweat, the feel of something slippery and unclean passing over his cheek. He sat up with a start, and the room's sensors activated the lights to a sudden brightness.

A shadow moved by his door. There had never been a shadow there before, let alone one that moved. Etric touched his cheek and his fingers came away tipped in black-and-green slime. With fear and disgust he grabbed the edge of his blanket and rubbed his face until most of the feel had gone. Then, his heart slowing and his mind kicking in, he finally grabbed his clothing from the pole beside the bed, pulling on pants and a shirt. The incident had unnerved him, dragging him from a deep sleep to madness. Only now did he grasp that something had gotten aboard the ship.

He reached across to the desk and pounded the comm button on his comp, but nothing came up. He tried different rooms. The screen brightened, dulled, and went dead.

"Oh, damn, oh, damn." The sound of his voice startled him. Too quiet here, though he could still feel the soft rumble of the engines if he held his breath and forced himself calm. His heart pounded too hard the rest of the time.

He looked around the room, afraid to find moving shadows again, then darted to the door. He pounded the lock and slipped out before it barely had time to open.

The hall turned out to be worse. Lights flickered and dimmed, and a shadow passed just at the curve, heading upward. Etric shivered, half-ill. Something aboard his ship. Something magical. Now that he had some of his wits back he could feel power playing against his skin, and he brushed it away with a wave of his own magic.

Thoughts cleared. This was more than just trouble with something in the ship. No alarms had gone off, despite system failures. No magic wards -- and he had put them in place -- had awakened him. He started up toward the control deck, where Yin and Otaka should have been on duty, and prayed to the gods this wasn't as bad as it looked.

Gods, please...

He wondered if whatever had attacked the ship now hadn't come on with May somehow, and sat dormant in the shadows, waiting. He lifted his hand and tested again... but the wards still held. Except - there… a little tendril that clung tenaciously to the ship. He tried to dispel it, but it would obviously take more concentration than he was capable of right now.

The silence worried him more than anything else. He feared that the others were...gone. He hurried to Rqua's room, which he currently shared with Tamaris. Etric used his palm to override the lock -- no door stayed closed to the captain of the ship, though this one opened slowly.

He found an entirely new nightmare. Something stood between he and his men, who lay fully clothed across their bunks as though... as though they had been sitting there talking and suddenly fell over. The lump of black, red and green shifted shape but never seemed to solidify. He thought it breathed, each movement expanding and contracting the viscous exterior as though it panted as it moved closer to the beds.

"Rqua! Tam!"

They should have awoken before now. Magic -- the same that had stopped him from thinking clearly until he recognized the source -- touched these two. He had stepped inside, preparing to spellcast the monster back to hell. Instead, he turned the spell that had freed him of the last vestiges of control on his two men.

Just in time, since at that moment the creature reached out with curling tentacles to grab them. Rqua awoke with a cry of pain and terror; Tamaris awoke with barely a moan. Etric moved toward Rqua, ready to cast something more substantial to help his friend. He glanced at Tamaris -- and the prince did something so unexpected it stopped him for a brief moment. He reached beneath his pillow and pulled out a long silver dagger, slashing the creature as it tried to wrap around his neck.

The thing howled and pulled away -- but the prince came after it, leaping past the oozing tentacle and toward the bed where it still had Rqua in its hold. Etric did the same. Tamaris slashed the tentacle, and it let go of Rqua with another squeal, retreating and turning toward Etric.

He stood between it and the exit. Two blood-red eyes, a mouth of dagger teeth set low in the body - this creature could not be real! Yet even as Etric thought that, he knew it would kill him if he didn't act quickly.

Before he could move aside it swept a black blood-oozing tentacle forward, catching his legs and pulling him down. Etric tried to kick free and cast--

And stopped, because Prince Tamaris attacked the creature again, this time shoving the dagger into the side of the head just behind the eyes.

It threw Tamaris off, and the tentacle convulsed, tightening until Etric thought the bones in his legs would break. Then it let go, staggering.

Etric cast, the burning blue light searing flesh. It bellowed and backed up within range of Tamaris, who waited with his dagger in hand and a look of grim determination on his face.

The dagger bit deep into where Etric -- and obviously Tamaris -- had assumed the brain was housed, but that did nothing more than annoy the creature. A tentacle whipped back and sent the prince flying toward the wall. Gods! If he got killed on this ship--

Panic brought Etric to his feet once more. He wasn't entirely certain what had brought Prince Tamaris back into the fray. The prince pushed away from the wall, dagger in his hand still, and waited while the creature turned to him. Calm. Gods, the man had nerves of steel. Waiting, waiting -- only a few short heartbeats, not long enough even for Etric to pull up another spell, but it had seemed forever. When the creature lunged forward, Tamaris blocked one tentacle with his left arm, sliced the second with the dagger then shoved the blade hilt-deep into one of the eyes.

The bellow filled the room and died in mid-tone. The creature didn't so much fall as shrink and slide away, leaving the dagger behind. It reached the shadows at the edge of the wall...and disappeared.

Tamaris grabbed up the dagger from the sludge on the floor, wiping it on his shirt. He staggered back to his bed and sat down, going from flushed to pale in those few steps.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked. "What was that?"

"I don't know," Etric said. "How do you feel about magic?"

"Well, I would be more worried about it if I couldn't kill it with the dagger," he admitted. He rubbed his hand gently across the side of his face where the thing had obviously hit him. Then he looked up and frowned. "Magic?"

"Rqua and I are both mages." Maybe not a good person to confess to, but right now Tamaris needed to know anything that would help. "We've never had to deal with anything like this before, and there are reasons why it shouldn't be here now--"

"The wards held," Rqua said, his hand lifting to test the magic. "No alarms. How the hell did it get in here?"

"I suspect with May and whatever controlled him. It has a link to the outside, and it's going to take more than a passing wave of my hands to break it. Besides, this thing wasn't the only one on the ship. I had something in my room, but it retreated when I awoke. I can't raise Yin or Otaka at the control deck, either."

"Oh, hell." Rqua looked panicked for the first time.

"Captain, I have something that may help," Tamaris said. He pulled his travel case back from a cupboard and darted his hands over the electronic lock to open it. "As you saw, I always sleep with a dagger under my pillow. It's an old, bad habit of mine--"

"No complaints from me, though I do usually like all the weapons locked up during the journey." Etric stopped talking when Tamaris flicked open a compartment of his case, which was lined with bladed weapons.

"You can chastise me after we reach port," Tamaris said.

The prince grabbed three more blades and waved Rqua and Etric to take what they wanted as he withdrew a harness from beneath the blades and snapped it on his left arm, and then another that fastened low around his neck. He pushed a dagger into the sheath at his back, one on his arm, and then picked up his boots and put a dagger in hidden sheaths in each of them. Rqua and Etric still stared at him as he pulled the boots on.

He looked up at them and shrugged. "It's not uncommon for people in my family to have an affinity for blades. They're the only weapons we can easily carry without detection."

"And that's important?" Rqua asked.

"It is if you are raised at court." His eyes narrowed for a moment. "Take a dagger. It's better than nothing at all, unless you feel that your magic--"

"Magic is limited. Magic takes power we can't regain," Etric explained. He finally took one of the blades. "Thank you."

He nodded as Rqua took one as well, looking from the blade to the odd prince. Tameris grabbed a couple more. "Others might need them."

"True. Let's go."

They slipped with caution into the dimly lit corridor. Shadows moved, retreating before them. Etric didn't know if he liked that any better then standing and fighting them.

The next cabin door, Tathis's room, stood open, but they found no sign of either him or Kamil. Tameris touched the frame and brought his hand away, the fingers tipped with red blood. He shook his head and looked worried.

Etric led the way, a dagger tight in his hand. At the moment, the Freedom felt alien to him, each familiar turn of the passage shadowed and uncertain. And silent, though he could still feel the slight throb of the engines. That, alone, kept him from panic.

Tamaris stayed by his side. The shadows grew darker as they walked upward along the curving corridor. Twice something reached out of the darkness in the corners; but whatever they were, Tam's blade drove them back, and none of the three followed the creatures into those shadows. Etric wanted to reach the control deck, not get caught in another battle along the way.

But it wasn't going to be that easy. Something larger and louder moved in the unnatural twilight before them, the flickering light casting shadows everywhere. Etric brought up his dagger, and Tamaris started to do the same then stopped.

"Crewman," the prince said with a sigh of relief.

Utrani came around the curve of the hall. Although she was not the person he really wanted to see, Etric tried not to look discouraged, even in the face of her glare.

"What's going on?" she demanded. "I went all the way to the control deck, but the doors are sealed. What are these creatures? What the hell were you transporting that got loose?"

"These were not--" Etric started, then stopped and shook his head. "I don't know what these things are. I don't know where they came from."

"Tathis and Kamil are up by the control deck door. I think they're going to try to get it open. I couldn't get much out of them." A little of the glare disappeared this time. "They looked like they'd been in quite a battle, though."

"Did you go down the hall to Abby and Tristan's room?" he asked.

"I looked. I saw darkness and more shadows." Her eyes narrowed. "You think they're involved."

He started to deny it then changed his mind. "It might be trying for them. We need to get there."

"I would think getting to the control deck would be top of your list of things to do," Utrani said, her face growing darker again.

"You told me Tathis and Kamil are there already. I trust Tathis's ability to get the door open, if it can be opened. I hope to be there when it happens. But first I'm going for Abby and Tristan."

She nodded, but he saw rebellion in her dark eyes, just waiting for the right moment to spring. That feeling looked only barely assuaged when Tamaris handed her a dagger. At least she knew enough not to argue now, in the midst of danger. Besides, perhaps she'd realized that they'd have to fight these creatures at some point. Better at least to find out what they faced right now.

Damn that he'd agreed to let those two go back to their own room rather than stay in med center, where it would have been easier to reach them; but on the first day out from Delson he realized the difficulty of keeping the new people away. Even with the sensors off, the pair seemed far too peculiar, and neither they nor Etric had wanted attention on them.

Only, now they had to go off the main corridor and down another. They could hear the battle long before they arrived. The metal door to the room lay in scraps along the floor, and two of the amorphous creatures stood between them and the room.

"It wasn't like this when I went by a few minutes ago," Utrani said. Etric believed her. She didn't look the type to avoid a fight.

"That doesn't look good," Tamaris said. He shook his head. "We better move quickly, Captain Etric."

Tamaris and Etric rushed at the creatures, even though Etric knew it was madness. And he knew they had no choice.

Tamaris shoved a blade into the eye of one, barely avoiding the frantic waving tentacles that came for him. It died or dissolved or whatever they did. Etric hadn't as much luck. Tentacles caught him around the arm, then around the waist, squeezing so suddenly he couldn't breath. He grabbed the dagger out of his nearly numb fingers and with his left hand sliced at the rubbery skin holding his arm. The creature screamed, and Etric fully saw the mouth -- teeth in three layers, needle-like and deadly. He panicked again and, still hardly able to breathe, shoved the knife at the face. He wanted the eye, but he missed, and the knife skidded across the leathery surface.

He spied Tamaris, briefly, behind the blob; and although he could see nothing but darkness in the room, he could hear a battle. He also heard Utrani cursing. Then he saw one of Tamaris's blades skewer the creature through the side of the head and another drive in through the eye. It convulsed, tightening tentacles as it died.

Rqua got him free of them, and he gasped... and could hear singing. The Janin! Tamaris and Utrani were already heading into the room. Once they saw the Janin they would have far more questions before they finished this business -- if they survived.

He struggled back to his feet and stepped into the darkness. Something with wings and talons died at his feet, disappearing in a heartbeat. He could see Abby swinging his sword with one hand, holding the staff with the other. Both weapons glowed, punctuating the unnatural dark with streams of silvery light. The Janin sang battle and power, and did more damage with a touch than Abby did with the blade.

The rest of them needed light to see the enemy, and that proved the best use of magic right now. Still gasping, Etric cast a light up toward the ceiling, lines that radiated outward and showed... nightmares.

Dark creatures clung to the walls, wings overlapping as they gripped whatever perch they could, so thick that the room looked coated in living black paint. Heads turned toward the newcomers, showing blood-red eyes in narrow faces.

"Damn," Utrani cursed softly. "What the hell…?"

But she stopped herself, and she didn't retreat.

Dangerous creatures. They swept in around Abby whenever he killed one and never appeared to lessen in number, as though they had a door into the ship. Abby swung -- sword, staff, sword -- and never seemed to slow.

Behind Abby, Tristan was on his knees, pressed up against the corner of the wall, obviously exhausted. He held a dagger in one hand, and Abby did his best to stay between his friend and the enemy, sweeping around to knock them from the wall as well when they tried to reach down toward the Elf.

He still didn't wear the crown. Abby had thought another night of rest might ease the headaches that still plagued him, which he didn't wish on Tristan and Rquana.

Etric thought all of that in the moment it took him to prepare to spellcast, a wave of power that killed a dozen of the creatures, clearing half the wall beside Tristan as they fell and died... and disappeared.

Utrani made another sound of dismay, but she would have to learn to live with the magic she experienced first-hand in this room. They had little choice now. The enemy began to turn on him and his party as well, and he thought he could hear more in the hall.

No time. He brought up the dagger and attacked the first of the beasts within his reach. No time, except to fight his way to Abby's side. He needed help.

The look Abby gave them showed more desperation than hope. His arm started to falter. Something nearly got past, and Abby swung at it hopelessly. Even without the crown, Tristan seemed to have picked up on his friend's condition. He struggled back to his knees just as Tamaris won past two of the creatures to come to their side -- and barely avoided a wild swing from Tristan's knife.

"Careful!"

"You've come," Tristan whispered. He looked pale and spent, and fell back against the wall again, his dagger held up, waiting for the enemy.

Tamaris took on the creature to Abby's left, fighting it back with the flash of the silver dagger. Etric had only a moment to think that the weapon wasn't very much against those talons -- and then he found himself in the same battle with the same weapon.

Etric, Rqua and Utrani finally got in around Abby and Tristan, allowing Abby a moment of rest. Then Etric took hold of Tristan and pulled him all the way up. Rqua stood with his back to Etric's, slashing at something that came down the wall.

"We're going out," Etric said. "Up to the control deck. I can't contact the people there. We need to make certain we have control of the ship."

Utrani looked at him, but if she considered complaining she stopped short at another attack from the creatures. Small blessing, that. Etric knew he'd still have to deal with her later.

Tamaris went ahead, his dagger moving so fast it seemed to leave light trails of its own. No magic involved, but damn the prince was fast!

Then another of the creatures tried to move in on Tamaris's left, and he drew a blade from his neck and threw. The knife embedded itself directly between the blood-red eyes. The wings fluttered as the creature fell and disappeared. Utrani lunged forward and scooped up the dagger.

They reached the doorway, and that brought a flurry of movement behind them, the scream of creatures trying to reach--

"Out!" Tristan ordered. "Out quickly. I'll ward the door. Hold them back!"

Good idea. Even Abby didn't pause. Tamaris went out first to guard them against whatever waited there, and then Abby and Etric. Tristan came next, already chanting. Rqua was last, one creature catching his arm; but Etric shoved his dagger into the clawed hand and it let go.

Tristan threw up a ward so strong it looked solid. And then he went to his knees again. The ward flickered. Rqua reinforced it -- and that won yet another look of surprise from Utrani.

"Let's go," Etric said before she could speak.

Tamaris killed something out here in the hall, and the thing died and disappeared, leaving the way clear back to the main corridor. Etric started to reach for Tristan, but Abby took hold of his friend. He had thought Abby too weak to go much farther, but Utrani and Rqua stayed close to them so he didn't argue. They moved. They headed upward.

Etric and Tamaris took the lead. Rqua, he saw, kept watch behind them. Good. They moved as quickly as they could, up and around the corner--

Something reached from the darkness and grabbed Prince Tamaris. Claws caught the light at the last moment and cut straight through his shoulder, holding on and dragging him off. Etric caught him. Abby swung the Staff up and around, hitting something in the dark just over Tamaris's head. For a moment Etric saw a new nightmare there in the dark-white, flat face; red eyes; dagger teeth that had been about to engulf Tamaris, who barely had the ability to swing at it with his free arm.

The Janin caught it in the face. It howled and let go. Tamaris started to go down, pale and damp-faced as blood rushed from the wound. He made his knees and the thing grabbed again, claws digging into both forearms and starting to lift him upward.

Etric attacked, grabbing the prince with one hand, stabbing upward with the knife when the head came close, teeth ready to bite. The hideous creature growled deep in the throat and tore one clawed hand free of the prince's arm, swiping at Etric. It might have ripped his throat out if he hadn't pulled back and won a scratch that stung like hell.

But now Abby had gotten close enough to bring up the sword. He severed the creature's head with one stone-faced swing. It fell, but they still had to pull the claws out of Tamaris's arms before it slipped into the darkness and disappeared.

"Damn!" Utrani yelled. "What the hell--"

"From hell, truly," Abby replied.

Maybe the softness of his voice stopped her tirade, or perhaps she only heard the certainty of his words. Then again, she might just have seen the insanity in his face and decided she didn't want to follow there.

"We must go."

Rqua had dropped down, torn cloth from the prince's ragged shirt and wrapped it around the wounds in his arms. He used magic on the shoulder wound, but only enough to stop the bleeding.

"We need to carry him," Rqua said. He looked up at Utrani. "You want to help me?"

"Sure. Closest I'll ever get to royalty." She grabbed Tamaris, and not very gently. Etric didn't stop to reprimand her. She had a look in her face that asked for trouble right now, from any of them.

They had trouble enough.

Chapter Two

Tabor knelt on the hard floor, his hands still dripping blood on the shattered glass and his breath coming in painful gasps. The thread of magic Braith had drawn from him into that far, dark place had finally broken, and if he had been anything less than a demon's son he would have screamed at the rush of fiery pain.

Instead, he sat like stone, barely breathing as the wounds on his hands slowly sealed. The use of magic to do it left him weak, but not so weak as the loss of blood would have.

Gix stood. His growl shook the tower, and Tabor heard screams of terror elsewhere from those who knew the great demon had failed in some undertaking and they would all pay for it. Tabor, who had already paid for the failure in blood and pain, looked up at his father without fear. Gix kicked him -- ah, but it was nothing compared to the kick that sent Braith flying back against the wall, shattering bones. The demon healed those bones with a wave of his hand -- no less painful, of course. Braith proved himself only a man in that moment. He screamed at the agony.

Tabor didn't move. Gix stared at him.

"You knew it would fail," Gix said. His red eyes flashed, his teeth pulled back in a snarl.

"I knew nothing," Tabor answered, his voice as calm as his body appeared to be. Patience, calm. He glanced at the man, who glared from his skull-like face. "But I suspected Braith had underestimated the human mages. Again. Magic doesn't come easy in this place so far from moons. Whoever wields such power must be strong."

Gix still stared, silent. Tabor saw molten lava beneath the leathery skin, ready to erupt.

Go carefully, he told himself.

"You understand humans too well." Gix's eyes narrowed as his clawed hand moved, ready to strike.

"I thought that was why you created me," Tabor answered.

"I made you too human."

"Perhaps so, but that doesn't change the fact I understand them better than your lapdog."

Gix stared at him, and Tabor considered pushing the limit a little farther... but not yet. No. The great demon lord could not admit a mistake, could not look at his son and accept he held answers the father did not even see.

No matter. Tabor went back to his cell, enduring the pain and humiliation Braith dealt him. They both knew their relationship would change. Braith already feared it, even with every blow of the whip.

Chapter Three

Abby wanted out of this ship. He wanted to be somewhere he could trust, somewhere with ground beneath him and a moon above and reality within his reach.

Nothing here was real, except for the Janin, the damn sword, Tristan and the friends he had dragged into this hell. He couldn't trust anything else, not the ship, the shadows, or the powers that surged around them.

If he called his mother, would she take pity on him? Would she whisk him away to some pleasant world?

Thank the gods neither Tristan nor Rquana could hear those treacherous, miserable thoughts. He shook his head, pushing away from them and back to the present. The gods knew -- or at least his mother must by now -- that he wouldn't run away and leave these people in danger, even if he had a choice.

They stood at the end of the hall, waiting -- he didn't know what for anymore. He could hear sounds he didn't understand, feel the brush of power from machines he didn't know, but no magic. Even the Janin had started to feel that loss, though she still hummed dark music, waiting for the enemy.

He wanted the crown back. Right now. His head still pounded, but though he would have saved Tristan that pain, they no longer had a choice. He started forward, and Tristan caught his arm, holding on as though he feared Abby would run.

"Nowhere to go," he said softly.

Captain Etric looked back at him and gave a solemn nod of agreement. He hadn't expected the man who belonged to this place to feel like he did. It didn't help.

"We're going to have to make our stand, up at the control deck," Etric told them. "It's the best we can do."

Apologizing to him. Abby's instant of shock gave way to shame as the man turned away, weapon in hand, trying to make certain they made reached the safety of the control deck.

"I am the one who brought this trouble down on you," Abby said.

"Did you?" Utrani asked. She had anger enough for everyone. Even with the prince slung across her shoulder, she looked formidable and ready to take him on. He didn't want to antagonize her, yet he feared anything he said now would bring that dagger up at his throat. "What the hell is going on? Did you bring some mutant aboard? Did it get lose?"

"Mutant?" he asked, confused.

"Don't play stupid," she growled.

Tristan lifted a hand, a gesture of peace. She slapped it away. Abby brought up the sword and laid it on her neck. She stopped breathing, blinking her only movement as she looked into his face. Whatever she saw there, she obviously believed he would kill her.

"Don't ever touch Tristan like that again. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she said. Though he saw no less anger in her stare, and no less menace, they did understand each other.

"I did not bring this danger to the ship," Abby explained, lowering the sword.

He leaned on the Janin. Utrani looked at it and away, shaking her head as though she didn't quite accept what she saw.

"I would not purposely endanger others. But I do believe it followed me."

"There's no way anything could follow--" She stopped, looked at the Janin, looked at Etric and Rqua. "I want answers."

"Right now?" Rquana asked as he slipped up beside her. He glanced back over his shoulder. "Right here? Or shall we try to find a safe place first?"

She cursed but demanded no more. Etric started out, pretty much ignoring everyone around him. They were not far from the control deck. They might yet make it.

"Trouble coming!" Tristan turned, lifting his hands, whispering words that not even Abby understood. Magic words. Draining power--

"Tristan!"

But too late. Tristan threw a magical wind that drove everything back. He started to fall. Abby dropped the Janin and grabbed him. She screamed, and Rqua started to pick her up--

"No! She will not allow it!"

Rquana pulled back and nodded. "Yes. Right. I remember that." He took hold of Tristan instead as Abby grabbed up the staff, shaking her several times until she quieted down to a hum.

Utrani looked at the staff, shaking her head again as she shifted the unconscious prince on her shoulder. That couldn't be comfortable for either of them.

"She is magic," Abby explained, though he suspected that word meant as little to her as mutant did to him. And he didn't have Tristan to help explain, either to him through the crown or to her with words.

"We better go," Captain Etric said. He looked at Utrani and shrugged. "Double pay if we make it out of this mess."

"And if we don't make it out... expect to deal with me anyway," she said, her dark eyes flashing.

"It is not his doing," Abby explained again.

He felt a little rise of anger, pushed it back... and realized this anger was the first true emotion he'd allowed himself since he lost his contact with Tristan. Maybe she saw the change in him. Her hand with the dagger moved, but she stopped again. He could not really blame her for her indignation, only that she misplaced it.

"I am the one who brought this danger -- unintentionally, but I brought it. I didn't mean to come to this place. You should not turn your anger on Lord Captain Etric."

She looked at him, blinked. "What the hell universe did you come from?"

"We're not entirely sure," Etric said. She looked at him, startled. "No, that wasn't a joke, Utrani. Now, let's get the hell up to the control deck. You know all of this might be moot. We might be so far off-course--"

"I'll kill all of you," she said, and from what Abby could tell, she meant it. "I don't give a damn whose fault it is."

Abby allowed that point with a bow of his head, though she had to know they were far from helpless. She caused no more trouble nor asked anything more as they headed upward again. They were close to the controls, but the others looked more and more worried the closer they got. He wished he understood why.

He saw the crew's lounge just ahead, and the door to the med unit. Good. He hadn't been entirely certain they were on the same path they'd been on before, though he began to suspect there was only one main corridor that spiraled around and around the ship, intersecting shorter ones to rooms before it let out at the bottom.

"Lord Captain Etric, we must get the crown." Abby put a hand on Tristan's arm when his friend began to protest. "We dare not hold back. I need the contact, Tristan."

"It's on the way," Etric said. "Rquana, can you get it? I put it in the locked case in the med unit."

"Yes. I'll be quick," Rqua said and offered a quick smile. "And grab some supplies as well. We don't want Prince Tamaris bleeding to death, right?"

"Right." Etric glanced at the still form Utrani carried and looked even more worried.

Abby felt sorry for the captain. He wanted to take this trouble and go-but he couldn't. He needed more knowledge about this place so to be able help these people. What he had gotten from Rquana earlier had made little sense at the time, and less now. He thought Tristan would be better at understanding things. Tristan had known more of their own world, Tristan had a better grasp...

He needed to stop making excuses.

Darkness spread out around them, hiding metal walls hardly an arm's length away. They came out into the crew's lounge, an area with hardly any better light. Rqua started to leave, and Abby quickly followed, making certain he did not go into danger alone.

The med unit was dark, but the Janin cast light. Shadows retreated, and Abby couldn't be certain if they moved naturally or not. He glanced back; the others were crossing now to the last little stretch that would take them up to the control deck.

"I've got it," Rqua said a moment after they entered the room. He moved quickly, collecting a box from the same cabinet and pushing other things into it. "Let's go."

Abby didn't argue. He didn't even try to get the crown he so longed to wear. Not until they were somewhere safe -- if such a place still existed.

By the time Rquana and Abby caught up, Etric had reached the final turn. Abby had expected to find disaster but instead found Tathis working at the closed door, Kamil standing guard with a long piece of metal they'd obviously pried free of the edge. Resourceful people.

Kamil dropped a hand on Tathis's shoulder. He glanced back with a start then looked both relieved and worried. He turned, his hands moving quickly.

"He almost has the door open," Etric explain to the others. "They've not had much trouble up here. I suspect that's because it was all coming after us."

"And still is," Rquana said, looking back. "But I think Tristan's last spell drove them away for a while."

Etric nodded and turned his attention back to Tathis. Discussion passed between them, and then Tathis bowed his head and turned back to the door. A moment later he lifted his hand.

"All right. He has the last link ready to open. I don't know what we'll find in there." Etric looked back at them, and Abby saw the worry in his eyes again. "Abby, you have the best weapons. I would be grateful if you would come up here and stand ready."

"Certainly, Lord Captain Etric." Abby stepped forward. This, at least, he could do.

Rquana held out the crown, but Abby shook his head and refrained from even running his finger over the golden band. As much as he distrusted himself, with the feel of demon magic so close it made his heart pound, he knew this would not be a good time join minds again.

"Not until we're done. It might prove too much of a distraction."

"Wise," Tristan said. He looked likely to fall over if he didn't find rest soon. "I always told you you had wisdom enough of your own."

Abby contented himself with a hand on Tristan's shoulder as he passed. They would have peace soon, at least for a while. He would protect his friends and destroy whatever danger might try for them. He could do that work well enough.

When Abby nodded, Etric put a hand on Tathis's shoulder. The younger man moved his hand. The door opened.

Yintri stood on the other side, weapon in hand, ready. Abby pulled back the Janin and leaned on her, glad he didn't have to fight. He felt shaky with relief.

"Captain!" Yintri looked just as surprised and pleased as Abby felt. "What the hell is going on? We sealed the door when we saw something coming for us, and we've not been able to get it open since, or reach anyone else in the ship!"

"We have trouble, Yin."

"No shit. I hadn't noticed, Captain."

That got the group laughing. Etric went onto the control deck, but Abby stayed guard while the others followed. Shadows moved just at the edge of his sight, but they came no closer. When everyone was inside, he stepped just within the door, still watching until Etric sealed the door again, and warded it as well.

They put Tamaris on a small couch along one wall, and Rqua helped Tristan to another one. The Elf leaned back, eyes closed. Abby considered the crown again. Not just yet. He had the best weapons for this battle, and he couldn't be certain everyone was safe.

In a moment, Etric finished checking the controls. The relief on his face made him look far different again. "We're doing fine, people. Yin and Otaka kept us on the line, even when they started getting fluctuations.

"Give them double pay," Utrani said. "Hell, give them my pay! That's the best news I've had all day!"

Etric nodded and leaned back against the command chair, though he didn't yet sit. Exhaustion had obviously caught up with him. "We're still not out of danger. We've two days to go, and far too much trouble on the ship. We have people who are injured, and I know Tristan is going to have special problems. There's no place he can regain the energy he used."

"Worse." Abby tried not to sound panicked. He had kept some of his worries about Tristan at bay during this latest madness, but he knew his friend had put himself in danger. "Tristan not only uses magic, but his people are... entwined with magic. It is like air to him."

"Oh, hell. I hadn't thought of that." Etric turned back around and crossed to Tristan, putting his hand over the Elf's heart. Before Abby could say anything more, he whispered a spell and fed magic into the listless form. Tristan's color improved almost immediately.

"There, that's better," Etric said.

He didn't sound any worse for the expenditure, but Abby thought that might well be an act since he kept his hand on the side of the couch and looked likely to fall if he moved too quickly.

"I don't know these things, Abby. There's so much I don't understand."

Abby laughed, which startled Etric and the others. "My apologies. I was just thinking the same thing. I don't understand about this ship, about how you find your way, even what to worry about going wrong."

"We'll worry about what can go wrong with the ship," Yin said. "You worry about fighting what you do understand."

"Gargoyles," Abby said. He looked at Tamaris, hoping the prince recovered quickly. "And other creatures of magic I've never seen before. But they are not directed, only sent. We can hold them back."

"They've caused some problems with the power to the controls," Yin said. "We held, but it's not good when it happens. I doubt we can do anything else, though."

"Go hunt them?" Rquana suggested. He was bandaging the prince. He shook his head before anyone could speak. "No, that's insanity. The only way we all made it here was as a group. We aren't all going to go back out there and hope to survive again."

"You saved us," Abby said. "I am grateful."

"I've had the impression saving you might be damned important," Etric replied. "To everyone. And besides, I like you two."

Abby looked at him, stunned. "Why?"

And that, in turn, seemed to shock Etric. "Why shouldn't I?"

"Because Tristan and I have brought nothing but trouble since we arrived? Because you would not be caught up in a war--"

"A war between good and evil," Rqua interrupted. He put aside the box he held and straightened Tamaris so he looked more comfortable. Then he turned back to Abby. "I want to be part of this, Abby. I want to help make the universe better."

The others nodded, except for Utrani, but she did look thoughtful. And she didn't comment on anything this time.

So, Abby stayed by Etric while he explained about the ship and the controls, and he at least tried to understand what problems they faced. He hated to think that he depended too much on Tristan, but at the same time he hated being cut off from him. Floundering, alone in this world without an anchor.

But then, that had been all his life, even on the world where he was born. Perhaps he shouldn't expect anything else.

When all had finally settled as much as it would, he sat down by Tristan and asked for the crown. Rquana brought it.

"He's been unconscious too long," Abby said, trying to keep the fear from his voice. "I wanted to spare him some pain, but I suddenly wonder why he didn't argue more."

"We can't tell about him...what might be wrong," Rquana said. "Neither of you read properly on the scanners."

"I'll know." Abby took the crown in his hand, feeling a little bit of Rquana there... a longing to be able to talk as well as hear. He looked at the young man, but Rqua shook his head, no doubt understanding what Abby had sensed.

Tristan turned his head a little, starting to blink as he felt Abby's hand on the crown. Abby slipped it up over his head, wincing at the sore spots beneath his hair, frowning when Tristan did the same.

But in a moment he felt Tristan's relief at the contact, even though the elf hardly had the energy to lift his head. Abby had feared as much so the reality didn't surprise him.

He did feel a little whisper of amusement, though. Tristan didn't understand this strange place any better than he did. At least now they could share their mutual ignorance.

Kamil looked suddenly startled, turning to Abby then Tristan. Psi, Abby remembered, like Rqua. Kamil and Rqua nodded at that thought.

But then Kamil frowned. "Not the same," he said aloud. "I can hear you, but... I could reach the others, if I needed to. Magic stops me from speaking with you."

Etric looked at Kamil, nodded then went back to work. Abby watched them all. That helped Tristan, in his light, restless sleep. The elf had gotten used to seeing others, and it was a little thing Abby could give him, before he finally drifted to sleep as well.

Chapter Four

Etric heard something odd in his sleep-words that did not belong here, a voice he did not know. Exhaustion had driven him to rest on the cold, hard floor, and even this oddity could not fully pull him back.

Later...

"This is Taru port. Please acknowledge. You are three degrees off line and drifting."

The words again, and this time they meant something. They'd made it. They were off-slide and heading for Taru port. He sat up with a start and found Rquana slipping over to the communications station. His second looked back with a nod and a smile before he spoke.

"This is the Free Trader Freedom, last port of call Delson. We are in need of aid. We've suffered massive systems failure and internal explosions. We have injured and unconscious crew members, and are working with manual control only. I suggest you put us on beam for an emergency landing field. Please reply."

"Message received, Freedom. Please stand by for landing beam." Then the man's voice softened, losing the formality. "Just hold on a bit. We'll help get you down. You're almost there."

"Thank you." Rqua sounded shaky. "Please try to get us down immediately. We will make as many orbits as are required, but we have crew in need of medical attention."

"We'll get you down as quickly as we can. Are you able to hold a beam?"

"We'll hold it if you get it to us," Rqua said.

Otaka already sat at the comp board, Yin right behind her.

"Hold this line open. I'll be right back."

"I'll be here."

Etric saw the way Rqua's shoulders relaxed a little, though they were far from out of danger yet. Landing was going to be a bitch. They had lost too much power.

But they'd made it this far when he'd begun to doubt the ship would come safely out of slide. A few hours ago, when he finally succumbed to sleep, he had feared he would not wake up again, and maybe...

Maybe he had taken the coward's way out. He was the captain, and he should have been there!

Now, embarrassed, he stood and headed for the chair by Otaka. She looked over at him and smiled. Her eyes had dark circles under them, and Yin looked much the same.

"Glad to see you up, Captain." Otaka gave him a weary smile as she ran a hand over her short hair, looking nervous and tired. A light on the board blinked, and she darted fingers at the keys, compensating for power that still hadn't stabilized. "I really didn't want to be the one sitting shotgun. Yin, you take my place now."

Yin nodded. They traded places quickly while Etric began bringing his board online, ready to take full control. The power still fluctuated. He frowned and once again used a little of his hoarded magical power to stabilize the controls with an influx of energy. He wouldn't be able to do that for much longer.

He looked up as his screen came on and smiled. Taru stretched across most of the view, a huge yellow-and-white world, occasionally spotted with green. He'd not considered what seeing a planet would do to him again. He swallowed and fought back the emotions. Hold on a little longer.

"You should have woken me up when we came off-slide," he said.

"We considered it," Yin answered. His own expert hands ran over the boards in front of him. "And discussed it. We thought it would be wiser if at least one of us had more than a few minutes sleep when it came time to take us down for the landing."

"Ah. Yes. Good plan. How's the rest of the ship look?"

"We haven't seen sign of any other problems. The in-ship cams aren't picking up anything, either." He kept his voice down after a quick glance at Rqua's station, reminding Etric that they had an open link to the port.

He nodded, and kept his references to their trouble generic. The last thing they needed was to start talking about magic, gargoyles, demons and gods. Which reminded him...

He looked back to see Abby and Tristan strapped into one couch together, the elf looking pale and so nearly lifeless he stared until he could see him breathe. Abby sat with his eyes closed, the Janin leaning against the wall beside them, humming softly. Etric didn't think he slept. He knew Abby had been able to funnel a little of the Janin's magic into Tristan. Not much - they had all agreed, even Abby, that keeping the staff powerful seemed wise.

Tathis and Kamil sat beside them, crowded onto the same couch. He couldn't tell if they slept or not, but even as he thought it, Kamil opened his eyes. Maybe he felt the draw of his home world.

All is well.

He heard exhaustion in those words... perhaps even unintentionally, from the way Kamil blinked and closed his eyes again. Damn strong psi, as well as a good worker. Kamil had done more than his share during the last day, willing to help in whatever way he could.

Tamaris still sat on the opposite couch with Utrani, who had made the prince comfortable even though she still looked angry. Otaka crossed to settle beside them. He suspected Utrani would not be going on with them from Taru, but he'd make sure she had enough funds to buy her way off-world, if need be. He only hoped she didn't cause them more trouble.

"Freedom, do you read?"

"I read. This is First Officer Rquana Aprath, by the way. I apologize for not identifying myself."

"You're doing fine. We are about to kick in the beam, and I'll see if I can maneuver it toward you. We've cleared all other ships out of the path and put emergency personnel on alert. You are seventy-seven minutes from landfall."

"Praise the gods," Abby mumbled behind them.

"Thank you," Rqua answered. "Captain Etric, do you have the beam?"

"I... there. Have it. We're locked in, but I won't guarantee we'll stay there."

"I'll check back at the thirty-minute mark, Port. We have to get the ship aligned as best we can right now and make sure all our people are secured."

"We'll be here. Good luck."

Rqua hit the mute and looked around at the others, giving Etric a weary smile. "We're going to make it down."

"Yeah. You people did an excellent job."

Rqua shrugged and looked back at the screen again. He played a little magic into the boards from his end, but Etric could tell his first officer was close to unconsciousness.

"I'll take that from here out, Rqua," he said softly. Rquana looked at him, his eyes narrowed. "You did well. I mean it. I can't imagine coming out of slide was very easy."

Rqua shrugged again, but his right eye twitched. Etric wondered if he knew about that nervous tick that showed itself only during the worst strain. Which told him more about what it must have been like. He felt worse, but then when he looked down at the boards and saw the power fluctuate and quickly ran his fingers over the controls before Yin had even started to react.

Ah, and that did say a lot. They'd been right. He might have sat through the transition from slide to real space, but he couldn't have done it any better than Yin and Rqua had. His reaction time was better now. And with the planet already exerting a pull, he had work to do that might take a fine hand, given that nothing had stabilized yet.

Etric made one quick check to make sure everyone was belted in, and then he concentrated on getting the craft down. It wasn't going to be easy, especially with a ship that had power problems. The boards went dead twice in the next half-hour, and he barely held them online while Rqua and Yin shunted power back to him. He held the last of his magic in check, hoping it could make a difference if this went badly.

Communications went down, and by the time they got it back up, they were in the last moments before they had to commit to the landing or abort and hope it didn't get worse before the next orbit.

"We're here, Nolin!" Rqua said to a frantic man at the port. Etric had missed getting the man's name, but he committed it to memory now, with a mental reminder to send him a thank you, if not a gift. "Damn bad time for that to happen. We're ready to commit."

"Do it. I couldn't go through this again!"

Etric locked in the landing info. The computer didn't want to take it, but he did it again while manually continuing to bring them down. Landing on manual was not really legal, but no one on the line complained. He had started to feel a bit like Nolin. He didn't think he could take this again.

He knew the landing would be rough. Far worse, in fact, than the first time his father sat him at the controls and stood back, saying he had been trained and this was the time. He'd been fifteen then, and not exactly legal to do that work, either.

Gone, dead. And now he had to make another landing that scared the hell out of him.

He no longer needed the beam. He could see the pad below them, far off from the city, in a wasteland of yellow and white. Desert, he remembered. Good. He didn't have to worry too much about what he would kill if he didn't do this well.

Except for his friends, of course. He had to worry about them.

Correct the drift. Transfer power to gravbrakes.

Shit. Transfer power to...

"Yin!"

"I'm on it! I'm on it!"

Yin threw himself under the board and shoved at things. They raced downward, less than fifteen kilometers from the pad and moving too fast. He could hear Nolin praying. The rest of the crew had gone very silent.

Less than ten kilometers.

The board lit. He jabbed, and the power cut in. The ship jerked and bounced. He fought it back online for the pad and overshot. Nolin cursed, but Etric had already brought the ship back again. Five kilometers. Yin scrambled back to his chair as Etric upped the gravbrakes. They were still going too fast, and the power pounded into him. He feared he would pass out. He thought Rqua might have. Gods...

So close he could see boulders scattered out across the land, but no sign of people.

They hit.

He had pulled his hands away from the controls in that last half-second because he knew it would be rough and he didn't want to hit anything by accident and make it worse. His head bounced back, and he felt the ship hit all the way up through his legs and spine. Alarms screamed, and he reached up and cut power as quickly as his hands would move.

Yin, beside him, ran systems checks as best he could with a board that went live and dead in no particular cycle.

"Freedom! Do you read?"

Etric looked over. Rqua's head lolled to the side, but he made sounds and his arms moved.

"Yin, talk to them. Just cut power. We're down. Don't worry what survived."

Yintri nodded and stood, one hand on the board as he moved. Damn. Etric hadn't considered how rough that had to have been on his friend's leg. But it was only a couple steps over, and he leaned against the board as he talked.

"We're here, Nolin. This is Yintri. Rqua is unconscious, but he looks like he's not badly hurt. I think…" He looked around the room. "I think we're all no worse than we were."

"We have people on the way. They just held back in case you didn't come down well. Good landing, by the way. I didn't think you could do it."

"I'd like to say I never had a doubt, but... well, we have no power, and we need to get out of this ship before the emergency people arrive. We'd like to see you later--"

"I'll find you," the man said with a little laugh. "Believe me, people will know where you are. See you soon."

Chapter Five

Crystal cursed as he hit his hand on the underside of the small indentation where he had started installing the new halo-shield. Nice equipment, bad location--but it would keep strangers from looking into the corners of the bay. Not that they'd been boarded by anyone unwanted in the last three years, but it never hurt to be safe.

Besides, he had to do something to fill the downtime here on Taru. There were only so many times he could walk up and down the long main street, marveling at how dull the place was.

When Banning and Darian came into the bay he took one look at them and put down the tools in his hands. He knew better than to be holding something dangerous when he got news he wasn't going to like -- and he could tell from their faces this wasn't good.

"What now?" He stood, frowning, hoping they wouldn't have to cut and run.

"I turned on the comm, checking the reports." Banning looked upset. Hell. "There's a ship coming in almost entirely on manual and with damn little power. They're putting it down out on the emergency pad."

"And?" he said. Banning didn't get upset about strangers and their problems. In fact, Banning didn't get upset about other people very often at all.

"The ship is registered as the Free Trader Freedom, just out from Delson."

Crystal started to curse, but the word caught in his throat. He shook his head instead and started past them. Banning took hold of his arm and didn't let go, despite his glare.

"They'll be down by now." Her voice steadied, and she met his look. "I arranged to go in with the emergency people and the guards. I wanted you to know what I was doing, but you are going to stay here, Crystal."

"I am the damned captain of this ship, not you," he said, his voice harsher than he expected. He jerked away from her, but Banning stepped in front of him again. Darien looked worried, but Crystal didn't have to guess which side he'd be on. "Don't do this, Banning."

"Shut up and listen!"

He started past her; but she grabbed his shoulder, and Crystal came very close to swinging on her. He wasn't sure how sanity caught him in time. And a glance at Darien showed he was ready to step in to hold him. Damn!

"I am going to finding out if this is a trick to draw you out. You are not going to go until I give the all-clear."

"Banning--"

"No. You are not going out there. You remember what you said when you hired me as second? You said you needed someone whose judgment you could trust when you get hot. Well, this is the testing point, Captain. You are not going out there until I tell you it's safe. And I am going because I do not have a price on my head."

He glared at her. She did not glare back. She stared with those cold-as-ice eyes of hers and dared him to say another thing or try to walk past her one more time. She'd knock him down and then have Darien sit on him.

"Damn you. That's Etric in trouble!"

"It might be him. It might not. It could as easily be a trick by Wes Ias to draw you out using the only person you would run to."

He took a breath. Held it. Damn. She was right on that one. And it wasn't like she was going to go worlds away and leave him waiting. Hell, they'd be in comm contact the entire time.

He unhooked a jeweled brooch from his shoulder. He always wore it, and Banning looked surprised when he handed it to her.

"If it is Etric, show him this. He'll trust you. Go. Stay in touch."

She touched the comm in her collar, the secret link they always set to a frequency the locals didn't use. He nodded and didn't say anymore. Banning slipped back out of the bay, leaving Crystal and Darien to face each other. He didn't look happy to be in this position.

"She's right, Captain," he finally said.

"I do not easily turn my back on my friends."

"And what does that make us? We've all been with you for a long time, Captain. When are we going to start counting as your friends as well, so that you trust us to help?"

"You are my friends," he said, appalled that Darien might think he felt differently. "But Etric saved my life at a time I couldn't have done anything for him. And he saved my sanity--" Crystal stopped and looked at his crewman. "We were slaves together for a few years."

"Slaves?"

"Working a midori field. And that's why Wes Ias is after me. Etric and I destroyed his empire. We had access to information."

"Information you had gotten your hands on in the usual way?" Darien asked. He leaned against the wall, staying between Crystal and the exit. Crystal pretended not to notice.

"Oh, yes," he said. "I stole the information from him, along with a small fortune in gems."

Darien smiled, and Crystal tried to return it. But he wanted to know what was going on out there. He wanted to know if Etric had arrived, and if he had landed safely.

"If it is Etric's ship, I want to know how it was damaged, and if Wes Ias is following close behind," he said, new worries slipping in on top of the old ones.

"Let's go up to the deck and listen to what they're saying. We recorded the conversation between the port and the ship. You can listen to that."

"You should have told me! I could have told you if that was Etric!"

"First, you could only have told us if it sounded like your friend -- but he wasn't the one on the comm., anyway. Come on, Captain. Banning will let us know what's going on soon enough. I think you want to be up there when the word comes in."

He nodded, looking back at the holo-shield, only half-installed. If this turned out to be a trap--well, he would never get it done in time. They didn't have a shipment to hide behind a false wall, anyway, but he hated to leave something that obvious sitting there where anyone might see it.

He went up with Darien to the deck, where Istanan already sat at the comm board. He nodded and looked relieved to see them both.

"They made it down safely, Captain. I think the ship must be in hellishly bad shape, though. They did most of the landing on manual, and I did a scan -- I couldn't read any fully powered system anywhere."

Crystal sat down, listened to the playback of the communications and read all the scan reports. By the end he had convinced himself this wasn't an ambush to draw him out, but he stayed there and waited for Banning to contact him.

"It'll be good to see Etric again," he said, startling both of his crewmen. "And if I believed in some power beyond luck and fate I'd say the gods brought him here to us so I could give him word about Wes Ias."

"I don't trust it," Istanan said. No surprise there. He trusted very little.

"I know. But he's here. We don't have to go wandering off across the known worlds to find him."

"Captain, there are four hundred and twenty-three known ports," Istanan reminded him. "It can't be a coincidence that he turns up here."

"I doubt it is. Since he came from Delson, I suspect he came looking for me. That is my homeworld. Maybe he's had the same word I have, and he's come to warn us."

"Delson is your homeworld?"

"Yes. And, no, I'm not ready to go home." He shifted uncomfortably in his chair and then shook his head again before either of them could speak. "And it has nothing to do with being a smuggler."

"Ah -- hold on. Banning's on the line." Istanan keyed it up with a quick tapping of his fingers across the board. "We're listening."

He could hear the sound of voices and the soft hum of an engine, which probably meant she was inside a floater. "Looks legit, but the airlock hasn't opened yet. We're about to land. I'll do a close scan, although I don't think the damage is faked. The readings I get so far are... strange. I'll let you know where to meet them. I don't think anyone is staying out here, not in a dead ship."

"Thanks, Ban," he said softly.

"I'll report soon."

The line went quiet again.

Crystal realized he was going to see Etric soon. He smiled brightly. It was well past time, even if the circumstances could have been better. Darien and Istanan still looked worried, but they knew they could trust Banning to make certain all was safe. Crystal leaned back and impatiently waited for her to let him leave the ship.

They might have to look over the ship's rules and regulations again soon....

Chapter Six

Yin finally gave up trying to get power to the airlock door and shut down the boards. He looked back at Etric and shrugged.

"We may have to blow it open when we get down there, but I'm hoping we can just manage with the manuals. Let's go, Captain. Life support is out, and if we have to fight anything on the way down we dare not take too much time. We don't want anyone coming in to look for us."

Etric nodded and slowly stood, looking around at the others. Abby had helped Tristan to his feet, but they both looked unsteady. Otaka had Prince Tamaris, and Utrani had a weapon and a glare. He left her with those and reached to help Yin with Rquana, although his first officer did look steadier already. Tathis and Kamil came to help them.

"We've got him, Captain," Yin said. Tathis put an arm around Rquana's waist and nodded. "You get a weapon. Utrani won't be able to hold off trouble by herself if we run into it again."

"True." Etric pulled the knife from his belt, surprised to find a little blood where the blade had pressed into his thigh during the pressure of the descent. Stupid place to put a weapon when he knew they would be going into a gravfield. Lucky he hadn't severed an artery.

Tathis got the door open again after Etric dropped the ward. By the time they made it out of the little room, Rqua was walking, with one hand on Tathis's shoulder and the other on the wall. Everyone looked dull-eyed, worn, and not as happy about survival as they should have been; but then, they weren't out of the ship yet.

Etric saw blood across Abby's chest, seeping through bandages and the shirt. That had to be from the landing and from half-carrying his friend. Hell, hell -- but Tristan seemed to be responding. He lifted his head, blinked.

"Tristan?" Abby said softly. He looked worried, but he kept his voice calm.

"We are there?" he asked, holding tight to Abby's arm.

"We survived the trip," Abby said. "We still have to get out of the ship, and we don't know what trouble we might face on the way down."

"I can feel it already, the power of this world. Life, though not much."

"Desert world," Etric said. "But they have a small moon. It won't be up for another ten hours standard, I think. It's going to be a long day."

"Yes." Tristan raised on arm, though it shook. He whispered words and closed his eyes, falling back against his friend. "I sense nothing below us. I think whatever invaded has left."

Etric hoped Tristan truly had enough power to feel the rest of the ship because he hadn't any. He'd used his last little reserve to hold that board together as long as he could and keep power to the crucial controls. If Tristan was wrong, it would be a hand-to-hand fight to get out.

And he wanted out.

Etric took the first steps through the open door. The air smelled stale, and the hallway was hung with darkness. He hated it already.

Then the Janin sang, and lit the area with her power. He looked back at her, worried again. He appreciated the light, but...

"Abby, we need to hide her in the ship. And your sword."

Abby looked at the Janin and nodded. She glared, and Etric realized with a start that she understood them, even if she didn't speak the same language. For some reason that made him even more uneasy.

"We can put her in the bulkhead down on the bottom deck. Nearly soundproof there by the engines," Yin said. He walked with one hand on Rqua's arm, and another against the wall. "That way, we'll have her for light most of the way."

"Ah, good. As long as no one gets in before we can hide her."

"They won't," Yin said. "They weren't at the pad yet, and they'll have to cut their way in. We'll be down there by then."

Etric lifted his hand and whispered, pulling a fitful touch of magic to him. Tested. Nothing. Nothing close, anyway.

"All right. Let's go and be quick -- but careful." He looked back at the others, pausing at Prince Tamaris. His wounds were clearly not those caused by an explosion, but that had been the best story they could think to tell the others. Once the medics looked at Tamaris, the story wouldn't hold up. Never mind what the officials thought when they came aboard the ship and saw the damage.

Etric shrugged. They'd deal with it. Too late to change their story now.

The walk down the corridor nearly made him ill with both anxiety and the destruction they found. Not only were walls shattered at Abby and Tristan's room, but elsewhere as well. He wasn't going to have the funds to fix this ship.

And that suddenly hit him harder than everything else had on this damned trip. He barely refrained from turning on Abby and Tristan and blaming them. They hadn't done this, but their enemies had. Etric hoped he had a chance to strike back some day.

"This is a mess." Yintri laid a hand on the wall again, but Etric realized he only meant to open up the secret panel so Abby could put the Janin inside. Yin looked at Etric as though he could tell the captain had dark, dangerous thoughts. "But we're all alive."

Etric nodded, although he still dared not say anything. He couldn't see a way to save the ship, and that would leave them all stranded here. Never mind Abby and Tristan's war. They would have far more mundane worries.

Abby carefully placed the Janin and his sword in the crevice, quieting the wail of musical protest from the staff with a few short words. She sulked and hummed and glared at him as he pulled his hand away. Etric would never get used to the idea the staff held intelligence and magic.

Yintri sealed the door and nodded to him. "Let's go and face them, Captain."

He started for the airlock, trying to get control of his anger. He thought probably Yin, Rqua and Tathis understood. He could see the knowledge of loss in their eyes. But he couldn't be certain of the others who had not been on the ship for long. Utrani didn't feel it, but Tathis might. Abby and Tristan just looked troubled and guilty.

The airlock door had no power, of course. He and Rlin had to manually force it open and the ramp down from the inside; and by the time they were done, Etric lost any energy he had left for anger. Then he stepped out into suddenly blinding light and burning heat that felt like an assault. Etric swayed at the sudden change as the dry, biting air burnt his throat. For a moment, all he could see was white-and-yellow desert, blurred by the tears of pain in his eyes.

Then he saw movement not far away across the pad. Floaters, several people moving toward them. Help. They had survived, and the loss of the ship carried little weight against what might have happened.

Etric glanced back at the others. Tristan stood on his own two feet, slumped against the airlock door and looking hardly more than exhausted. Even Tamaris only leaned on Tathis, showing a little more interest than he'd exhibited since the attack.

Gods, this was going to be impossible to explain. But Etric stumbled down the ramp and started across the pad, hoping to head off the people before they went straight into his ship. He wanted a little while longer before he had to deal with questions about the damage.

"I'm Captain Etric Deray," he said. He saw the woman--gorgeous woman, he realized--look at him with her eyes narrowed, as though he lied. It disconcerted him for a moment until he turned back to the gray-uniformed IGs. "I have several injured crew members, and I'd like to get them to medical care as quickly as possible."

"I'm Braken, this is Nucal," one of the guards said, indicating the other man. He did not, unfortunately, introduce the woman. Braken held up a scanner and nodded. "Nothing dangerous. We have orders to examine the ship for potentially dangerous conditions before we send another team out to assess damage. What caused the explosions?"

"We feared structural damage and the chance of decompression, so the entire crew has been holed up on the control deck since the accident. I haven't had a chance to investigate the cause myself."

"Wise. This won't take long." Braken started toward the ramp.

Tamaris stepped forward. He looked unsteady and sallow-faced. New blood showed on the bandage on his arm. Braken looked at him, uneasy.

"It will not be necessary for the Imperial Guard to have anything to do with this ship," Tamaris said, holding out something that flashed golden in the bright light.

For a half-dozen pounding heartbeats Etric feared Tam had just offered a bribe to the guard. His mind leapt for some way out of this mess before it got worse. Fevered! The man had a raging fever from his wounds; he didn't know what he was doing! They might get away with that excuse…

But as he moved to stop Tamaris, Etric saw that what he presented was not just some fancy gold chit but rather an ID, embossed with the Imperial Coat of Arms. Those IDs, as far as he knew, went only to close family members of the emperor himself.

Oh, Gods. He must have looked as shocked as Braken, but luckily no one was turned his way. Well, except for the woman, who appeared both worried and amused.

"I... see." Braken gingerly took the chit in hand, looking as though he expected it to bite. "Prince Tamaris. I apologize, but I must check this for authenticity…"

"Of course." Tamaris waved one shaking (and bleeding) hand toward the man. "Do so."

Braken spun and ran back toward the vehicles. That didn't look wise in this heat, but Etric could hardly blame him. He felt the need to run himself, and when he looked at Tam -- at The Prince -- he saw worry in his friend's face.

Maybe… Gods, maybe the ID wasn't real? Should he hope for that? But he dared not say anything with Nucal and the woman right there. He did note that Yin, who had been at his shoulder, had slipped back to the others by the airlock. No doubt he would spread the word about this wonderful new kink in their lives.

Tristan and Abby had settled down on the pad, looking worn, afraid, and very hot. They looked out-of-place, even in ship's clothing. Right now, though, Tamaris had drawn all the attention. Maybe that worked, but Etric decided he could have damn well used a little warning.

Tamaris glanced his way. Embarrassed? Worried?

Braken leapt out of the floater and came running back. That told Etric and the rest of his people all they needed to know. The chit had passed the test, legitimate or not. Etric had begun to fear it was all too real. Not just a prince, but a close member of the royal family. Gods. He felt the urge to collapse right here on the pad.

"Sire." The IG bowed as he handed back the disk. Tamaris pushed it back into a pocket in his belt. "Your ID is in order. The world stands at your orders."

Shit. Etric felt a lightheaded. It kept getting worse. A reaction like that must mean rank so high…

"I shall require little more than transportation for my friends and myself... at least that's all for the moment," Tamaris said. "The ship is in need of repairs. I shall expect expediency and discretion."

"Yes, sire."

Just like that, and all of Etric's worries about how to explain things and how to deal with the locals were no longer important. No one would ask what had happened. No one would dare ask.

Etric wouldn't lose Freedom. And right now he stood as the friend of a very high-ranking Imperial Court family member. Things could have been worse.

Tamaris looked at him, a little of that worry showing in his face again. He looked about to collapse, and Etric carefully took hold of him.

"The prince should not be standing out here in the sun," the woman said.

The two guards looked at her, startled, and then back to the prince as they realized what they'd done.

"Oh! Of course! We have transportation here. We can get you to the city, the medical center--"

"That would be best," Tamaris said. He looked back at the ship. "Yintri, I believe you can seal the ship for now. We'll want crew on hand when the repairs begin."

"Yes, sire." Yin gave a credible bow, despite that he could hardly stay on his feet. Tamaris looked amused.

"Is there anything else?" Braken asked, though he looked as though he really didn't want to know any more. Wise man.

Etric started to say no then remembered one more matter. "I have a temporary crewman from this world -- someone who is not certain of his welcome. His name is Kamil, and he's deaf."

"The psi," Nucal said, though he had not spoken before this. "I remember the case."

"I would appreciate it if you would learn his status as soon as possible. In the meantime, I'll keep him with the crew."

The guards glanced at Tamaris, worried.

"Captain Etric works with my full authority. Whatever he or his crew requests should be handled expeditiously."

"Yes, sire. This way."

They did not run toward the floaters, praise the gods. However, even a slow walk wore Etric down; and by the time they reached the vehicles, Rqua had slipped up to the prince to help him.

The woman waited for Etric, glancing at him with a frown and a hand on his arm to hold him back.

"May I ask why you came here?" she asked as Rqua got Tam through the first open door.

"I came to find a friend," Etric said then shook his head. He couldn't think straight, and this wasn't the time to go into the details. However the woman still had a hand on his shoulder, waiting for more. "It doesn't matter now. He's likely going to run fast and far when he finds out about Prince Tamaris. I need to reach him."

She reached into her pocket and then held something out. A brooch. Gems. He knew it.

"Where's Crystal?" he asked, startled and hopeful. "Do you know him?"

"I'm his first officer, Banning."

"Are you?" Etric looked at her and laughed. She almost smiled. "It figures."

Yin had stopped by them to listen, and now looked relieved. The woman, however, glanced back at the floater where they had put Tamaris. It began to lift, kicking up dust and dirt. She nodded to the second and waved Etric in. He gratefully started into the cool interior.

"We were uncertain it was truly you, Captain Etric. Given the price on your heads--"

"Pardon?" He stopped halfway into the floater.

"Ah. You didn't know. I assumed you had come to warn Crystal, since he intended to do the same for you."

"I didn't know." He stood there, shocked. Too many shocks, too close together. She gave him a slight nudge into the vehicle, and even helped Yin up the single step inside. Tathis and Kamil had already taken seats; the others had gone in the first floater with the prince. Maybe it was good that Abby and Tristan had gone with him, but it made Etric very nervous to have them all out of his sight.

He settled in a chair with a hard back then leaned forward and relayed the news with quick signs to Tathis and Kamil. Banning watched with a little bit of surprise but said nothing.

"Just reassuring them," Etric explained. He leaned back, his head pounding. Thank the gods they had gotten out of the heat and sun before any of them passed out. "They may not have followed everything that happened back there."

"Yes." Banning glanced their way and back at Etric again. Ice eyes, he thought, even if she was lovely. He wasn't as certain he should envy Crystal for having this woman as crew after all. "About the bounty. Wes Ias has put a sizeable price on your heads. I have reason to believe he may be closing in on Crystal, and perhaps also on you. Tell me why you are here, Captain. If it sounds legitimate I'll arrange for you and Crystal to get together. If it does not... I'll make certain Crystal is off-world before you can reach him."

Etric looked at her, taking a deep breath. He didn't think the driver of the floater, Nucal, could hear them; but he wasn't going to go into a long tale of magic, demons and other insanity now.

Besides, she would never believe him.

"Take Crystal and go," he said softly. He surprised her. The craft lifted, slow and easy into the blinding blue sky. He could see the city now, low and flat in the desert, with bits of green sprouting in unexpected places. He turned back to Banning. "He's in no danger from us, but what I could tell you would sound so outlandish you'd never stay. I came looking for information from him, that's all. Information about a piece of wood he once held. Something he told me felt dark and evil."

"The one from his dreams."

He frowned this time, and her eyes went even colder. A person could freeze under that stare.

"Yes, that one. I have lately discovered it's not just a dream. The wood was real. I need to know where he found it. Has he told you?"

"No," she said. "It can't be anything more than a nightmare."

"That's what I always thought. I didn't ask him where he saw it, because I didn't want to make him think it was real. Just ask before you go. Send me the message. And thank him for the news on Wes Ias. I hope... I hope we can get together under better circumstances."

She stared, unblinking. "You didn't know about your prince, did you? I saw it in your face."

"I knew he was a prince. I knew he grew up at court. He signed on as crew, and that's all I had time to think about."

"What happened out there? What happened to your ship?"

He remembered the shadows, the creatures that had no right to be on his ship, any more than Abby and Tristan had. He could wish, right then, that none of this had come his way. Why had they not gone directly to Crystal? What had drawn them...?

Magic? That made sense. There were damned few mages in the universe, and perhaps one connected with Crystal…

"Captain? What happened?"

He looked at her and shook his head, trying to pull his thoughts back to here again. "What happened... is too much like Crystal's dream, Banning. Far too much."

She looked at him and shook her head, but for the first time he saw worry in her eyes.

Chapter Seven

They flew.

Abby hadn't expected the building to lift up into the blinding blue sky. He had stepped out of the sun into the pleasant little room that held only chairs and windows, and the welcome breath of spring cool air. He and Tristan found a seat and he leaned back in the soft breeze, closing his eyes. He could have wished for a stream just then, a place beneath green trees in Ishan. But they had made it to solid ground, and he knew enough to be grateful for survival even on this world of sand and heat.

He didn't know what they would do next. He could not endanger Etric and his people again by going in their craft to some other world.

And then the little building moved upward. The sheer panic of it nearly caused him to cry with dismay. He grabbed Tristan's arm, and his friend came awake…

Delighted. He wanted to see. He loved to fly. Abby took several breaths and looked out the window for his friend's sake, let some of Tristan's delight overcome his panic; but it wasn't easy. The world sped away beneath them, a swirl of gold-white with touches of green. Ahead he could see low-lying buildings.

Better than flying on a horse, Tristan teased.

Gods, it was good to have him back in his head.

"Abby?"

He looked up with a start to find Rqua leaning close over the chair where they sat. He must have seen Abby's reaction.

"I--"

"We should have warned you," Rqua said. He kept his voice quiet; but they were toward the back of the flying building, and Abby didn't think the guard could hear them. "It's all right."

"I...I didn't expect the building to move," he whispered. He looked at Tristan, who still grinned with delight. "He likes to fly. I never have, not by magic... less by this."

"We're going to a place with medical personnel. You two need to stay clear of them. We'll run as much interference as we can."

"We'll try." Abby worried about Tristan and wondered what care they could find for him. Tristan laid a hand on his arm, and he felt the connection between them redouble. That reassured him. The elf had grown much stronger just since they came out of the ship.

"We'll help you," Rqua said softly. "Trust us."

"We do." He smiled, because he felt Tristan's agreement, even over the pounding of his head. Rqua knew it was truth, too.

Abby looked back through the window, because Tristan so loved to see the world laid out below them. The city had grown a little closer-low buildings and an unexpected larger line of green that seemed to stretch far beyond. At the other end of the city stood a tall tower like the one on Delson, and two ships on the pads beyond it.

"There doesn't seem to be much life here," he said.

"Ah, but there is." Tristan lifted his hand, and Abby felt a whisper of magic reaching out to touch the world. Tristan smiled. "I can feel it, Abby. Not so much as... other places, but it's still there. I can sense the life even in the sand, moving through the world in their own way, at their own pace. It's just different from the other places we have known."

And for a moment Abby remembered those other places, where they would never go again. He felt sick with the loss. Each step farther away from home--

"Hold on, people," the guard suddenly shouted. "Wind just picked up! Where the hell did that storm come from?"

Abby looked out the window. A cloud of sand and dust had risen between them and the city he could see so clearly only moments before. The hair on his arm started to tingle. He didn't need Tristan and Rqua lifting their hands to test to know what they faced.

"Magic," Rqua whispered. "Damn!"

"Ward," Tristan said. "Where to ward!"

"I'll do it. Front." Rqua bowed his head, words whispered, but Abby could see they were not easy for the mage. He had not regained much of his power yet.

The wind had already hit the craft, and Abby saw the others look up, surprised.

But Rqua had spun his ward. It flashed around the front of the... floater. He remembered that now from the contact with Rqua. The driver yelped, but he didn't appear to think the flash came from anything more than the storm. Good.

Tristan cast magic as well, but not for warding. Testing... and in the next moment the elf nodded.

"Tainted," he whispered. "Demon magic, but not very strong. I think... I don't think they understand this craft or world any better than we do."

"Demons are here?" Abby asked, trying to keep his heart from pounding. Demons.

"They had to have followed us, Abby." Tristan lowered his trembling hand and laid his head back, his own head pounding. "If they followed us through the stars, how can we hope to ever escape them?"

The floater danced through the swirl of sand, dust, and magic, Braken fighting the controls and cursing softly. Abby looked back but couldn't spot the other vehicle. They had Etric to help them, at least. They must keep such things in mind in the future, and make certain the mages could protect everyone.

Tamaris turned from his seat near the front and looked at Abby. Abby nodded. The prince understood, and didn't look any happier for it.

Then, Abby shivered, feeling the tendrils of magic brush over him-demon-tainted magic, whispering to his soul. He started to move, but Tristan grasped his arm...

Rquana caught the surge of their emotions and started to fall. His ward weakened, sending the floater bucking, the nose dipping toward the ground. Tristan and Utrani grabbed him, held him in place. Rqua whispered words again, this time with a counterpoint of magic from Tristan. Utrani looked from one to the other, but Abby couldn't be certain even now that she understood or believed in the magic these two spun to protect them.

The storm, though magic-fed, was not strong-it had already begun to dissipate. An experiment, perhaps. Besides, this place was short on the power they all craved. Tristan lowered his trembling hand, looking pale and unsteady again. Rqua pulled himself up into the seat by Utrani and lowered his head into his hands as he took long breaths. She shook her head and shifted away from him.

"Damn strange storm," Braken said then looked back with a shock, realizing the prince sat just behind him. "Begging your pardon, sire--"

"It was an incredibly damn strange storm," Tamaris said. He looked back again at Abby and Tristan. "The universe is filled with oddities these days."

"The other floater has come through fine. They're still behind us." Braken sounded troubled now. "Two minutes to the medical center."

And he didn't look back at them for the rest of the trip.

Chapter Eight

Braith failed. The storm had been a pitiful employment of useless magic, and all that saved the high priest from suffering for this embarrassing failure was that Gix wasn't watching this time.

Tabor hung, panting for breath, on the wall where Braith had secured him. Desperation showed in Braith's wild eyes, and the curses the high priest flung had power enough to sting.

He had failed in something he shouldn't have even tried, and failed so spectacularly that he revealed the very depths of his inadequacy.

And Tabor knew. Tabor, pawn in this play for control, knew the High Priest had, in trying to subvert the war to his own cause, failed in power as well as pride.

Braith brought the knife up, his eyes blood red, his terror so palpable it seemed to Tabor it filled the torchlit room like a fog. He stepped forward, ready to cut Tabor's throat for what he had seen. Tabor saw death in the man's mad eyes. "I am Gix's son." He kept his voice calm, devoid of the fear he could almost taste in the human. That was the demon blood in him, the part of him that came from his father. Fear and pain gave him power. He suddenly understood why his father kept this useless piece of human flesh as his High Priest. The man's fear had been honed to so fine a thread that his failures tasted very sweet.

Braith wanted Tabor dead... but Gix did not. Braith dared not kill him.

The knife cut deep, though not a killing blow. But Braith knew... knew Tabor would never forgive. At last they understood each other.

Braith didn't see Tabor had ambitions of his own. He never looked into Tabor's eyes, and that was his mistake. He might then have killed the demonling, because he would have seen his own future in their depths.

Chapter Nine

Captain Etric came out of the second vehicle, his heart still pounding with the fear from the magical storm. He hadn't been ready for it. He looked back at the sky, where the last of the sand caught the bright light and glowed like gold suspended in the air. Half of that came from magic, and for a brief moment appreciation of the beauty transcended the panic he had felt when he saw the first floater engulfed in the tempest.

He took several more breaths before he turned away and headed for the door into the Medical Center. Tamaris had already been escorted in, but he saw Abby and Tristan standing just outside the first vehicle, looking no less lost than they had on the ship. He tried to imagine what it must be like for them, dropped into this madness of starships and travel between the stars.

Ah, but they brought madness all their own with them, so he couldn't feel entirely sorry for them.

"Are you two all right?" he asked as he reached them. "You look pale, Abby. Let's get you inside."

"We flew," he said. His voice trembled, and his hand rested against the side of the floater.

"Ah. Of course." Etric hadn't even considered it might surprise them, not after they had traveled through space. He took too much for granted.

Contrite, he carefully took hold of Tristan and began to lead him toward the door. Abby followed, of course. He just wanted them inside and into some corner, out of sight. If he could have felt safe leaving them behind at the ship, he would have. They dared not go near the medical staff.

The inside of the building was a hive of activity. Imperial Guards rushed in one doorway while Etric and his friends came through the other. Etric stopped, his crew scattering before the onslaught. He looked around, wondering where Tamaris had gone, because he had the feeling only their prince would have the power to get this mess--

"Please, be calm!" Tamaris suddenly ordered, his voice rising above the tumult.

Etric found him at the doorway to one of the rooms, medics hovering around him. The words had all the effect Etric could have hoped to see. Guards and medical personnel stopped where they were, looking at the prince. Etric suspected that some of them didn't breathe.

"Thank you. Captain Etric, may I have a word in private with you?"

Etric glanced around, worried about leaving Abby and Tristan; but Rqua and Yin took charge of them, heading off into the waiting area and out of the immediate sight of the medics. He hoped the medics didn't notice Abby had blood on his shirt.

He gave the prince a bow and followed him into a private room. Tamaris dismissed the medical people with a wave of his hand, and they scattered with bows and looks of worry. The door closed.

"I'm an idiot!" Tamaris sounded remarkably panicked in that moment. It didn't help Etric's state of mind. "Gods, that was close. Here, take these! If they found them on me--"

He pulled the knife harness off his arm and reached back to remove the other from his neck. Etric helped then found a bag he could slip them into while Tam took the knives out of his boots. He handed those over and finally looked relieved.

"Etric, I am an assassin. You had figured that out, right?"

"I'm not as surprised as I should be," Etric admitted, though having heard the prince say it aloud did make his heart pound.

"I work for the Emperor." He looked up, his dark-blue eyes wide. "And having told you that means I really trust you, Etric. I haven't told anyone else."

"I'll say nothing. You really are related to the emperor?" he dared asked.

"One of the three heirs to the throne."

Etric sat down. He had not meant to sit down, but he did. "You can't be… you aren't… heir? Gods, Tamaris, what the hell are you doing out here running with free traders?"

"And assassinating people," Tamaris added. He settled on the edge of the bed, looking troubled. "Let's not forget that."

"I don't understand."

"The late emperor was a bastard who nearly let the Empire go to hell. If he'd lived another five years we'd be in the middle of a war right now. But he... died."

Oh, shit...

"After his death, my cousin and I decided we needed to get things back in line. But we needed to do it with as little show as possible. He is emperor and didn't dare make a move against certain powerful groups. I left the court. I'd always hated it there, and everyone knew it, and that gave me leave to be eccentric and travel where I liked."

"But..."

"Etric, there are people whom the old emperor allowed to go their own ways for far too long. They've become powerful, corrupt... and because they are related to the royal line, they are pretty much untouchable by the normal law systems. You aren't blind to such people."

"No, I'm not," he agreed. He'd not paid much attention in the last few years. Had many of those people died? Had it been obvious?

"They can't be taken out by legal means. Too many of them would suddenly band together, and we'd be in the middle of a rebellion. So I... lessen the odds. I'm sorry if it offends you--"

"No, not offends." Etric realized, with a little surprise, that it didn't. He even found he was relieved, knowing the emperor wasn't blind to these problems the rest of them had to work around so carefully. "Shocks me, yes, but I knew the legal system was out of balance already."

"You realize how careful I have to be. If word got out... I've been very careful not to let anything link back to Kadrien."

The idea that right now he stood one person away from the emperor himself sent a chill through Etric. He didn't dare stand yet. He sat silent for a long time.

Tamaris watched him, waiting for some judgment. When the hell had his life gotten this strange? What god had he pissed off to bring all of this down on him?

Tamaris waited still.

"We better let the medics in to see you." Etric stood, wrapping the braces up in the bag and holding it under his arm. "I won't repeat your secret, Tam. I'm not certain how many of the others have guessed, but we can hope Utrani is not one of them."

The prince nodded, and then he looked up and bit his lip. "I -- I don't want to be left behind, Captain Etric. I want to help in the problem Abby and Tristan have brought you. I want to believe I can do more than kill people to make the universe better."

The confession surprised Etric. He nodded agreement, but right then he couldn't be certain how he felt about any of this -- sons of goddesses who fought demons, cousins to emperors who assassinated people.

His head hurt.

When he came out of the room, he found the rest of his crew had mostly gathered in the waiting room. He saw a medic looking over Yintri's leg and others dealing with other wounds, from half-healed claw marks to lesser cuts and scrapes. Four medics went into the room behind him to help with Prince Tamaris, and guards slipped up to stand before the door, eyeing him suspiciously.

He didn't care. Etric stumbled across the room to the rest of his group. Rqua stood, waving him to a chair; and Etric took it without argument. He held the bag and leaned his head back and closed his eyes...

"Captain Etric?"

A hand touched his arm. He came awake with a start, and the medic standing over him didn't look very surprised.

"Are you allergic to anything I should know about?" he asked.

"Not that I know of. Why?"

The medic held up a vial attached to an injector. "Antibiotics and other aids. Whatever your crew came in contact with, it left behind some nasty germs. Don't get that look. I'm not going to ask what happened." The man leaned down and pushed the injector into the side of Etric's neck. He felt a little whisper of cold and heard the hiss of compressed air below his ear. "I've been told that whatever happened is the concern of Prince Tamaris and we need not worry about it."

"At the moment, I wish I didn't know about it," Etric mumbled, but stopped himself from saying more. "The others?"

"Yintri's leg has taken a beating, but if he goes easy it should recover. Tathis collapsed from fever about half an hour ago -- easy, easy, Captain. We've already handled that problem. He has a room next to the Prince's, and Kamil is staying with him. We've treated cuts, sprains and incipient fevers. The crew will all recover."

"And Prince Tamaris?"

"The wounds needed considerable care, and he's going to be slower to recover, but he will. There are two others -- but the prince has let me know your own people will care for them." He looked more bothered by that than he had by anything else so far. The man took his profession seriously. "Feeling better?"

"Ah, yes," Etric said. He did, in fact, feel a little lift in energy and a touch more clear-headed. He appreciated that last part. "Fast-working medications."

"Good. All in all, I've decided the sooner your group recovers and gets out of here, the better. As nervous as your crew is, I have come to suspect we could all be in danger."

Etric fought to quell a surge of panic those words sent through him. He hadn't considered danger might follow them here. "Maybe we're just nervous about being with the prince."

"Right." The medic looked up as the door opened, worried.

Guards stepped forward to stop whomever tried to enter, but Etric knew Tamaris would never want someone injured or ill turned away because of his presence. He started to stand to order them to stand down.

Banning came in, accompanied by someone with a familiar halo of golden hair.

"Crystal!"

He moved more rapidly than he should have. The medic grabbed him when he started to fall. So did Rqua, who had been standing close by, though Etric hadn't noticed.

And in the next breath Crystal had hold of him as well, looking worried as he helped push Etric back into the chair and knelt before it.

"Are you all right?"

"Damn glad to see you!" He put a hand on Crystal's shoulder, confirming the reality. He hadn't been sure until then, not in a universe where... things… sometimes appeared. "You're looking very good!"

"Better than you," Crystal said and still looked worried. "What the hell kind of mess did you get into? Banning said you looked like you'd been through a war."

"I -- can't talk about it just now," he replied.

"Because of this prince you're traveling with?" Crystal asked.

"That, and other things." He flicked his eyes toward the medic and away. Crystal knew about the magic, but this wasn't the time to bring it up, with the stranger still hanging around too close. He took a breath and smiled again. "Damn you look good! And before I forget in all this mess -- Liron says to come home."

"Liron," Crystal said and looked startled. Then he smiled. "I... Maybe I should go back to Delson soon. I hadn't thought much about the friends I left there."

"When you're ready, they'll be waiting -- Liron and Fairchild. And some damn good food and Taruan brandy Liron says he's holding for you."

Crystal smiled when Banning pulled a chair over for him. "Hell of a way to meet again, Etric. Banning said you wanted to ask me about something."

Etric glanced at Banning. Obviously, she had not told him what this was about.

The medic had gone off to check on other patients, and this might be the best chance they had to discuss the matter. He didn't know when they could get back to the ship. They might not have time to wait. The medic had awakened him to the rather obvious possibility that danger could strike again at any moment.

"Rqua, can you get Abby and Tristan?"

His second nodded and stood, crossing the long room to the sofa by the window where the two slept. Etric wished he didn't have to disturb them, but at the same time he so badly wanted answers he would have dared just about anything right now.

"Is this trouble something I would be involved in? Or is more in the sphere of your specialty?" Crystal suddenly asked, looking uneasy.

"More mine then yours," Etric said. Crystal shook his head, frowning. Obviously, he had not expected that answer.

Abby and Tristan came quickly, though Abby limped badly and kept a hand to his side. Even Tristan winced at the movement. Someone had gotten Abby a clean shirt, though, and Etric hoped the wound had stopped bleeding, even if it didn't heal.

He shivered at that thought, and Banning didn't miss that, either. However, by then Abby and Tristan had arrived, and Crystal stood, offering his chair.

"Abby, this is Crystal--"

"Truly?" Hope lighted Abby's face. "Can you tell us where it is?"

"What?" Crystal asked, looking confused.

"I haven't told him anything," Etric said, though he didn't admit he really hadn't a clue where to begin.

"Perhaps if he sees, it might help." Tristan reached inside his tunic and pulled out a small cloth pouch. Etric realized Tristan always kept the pieces with him. They didn't dare leave such things sitting around.

When Tristan pulled the piece of rounded wood from within, it felt as though the room went cold. Crystal stared, his eyes going wide and then his face paling. He reached out... but didn't touch. Banning held her hand out toward them as well, and then drew back with a look of shock. At least she no longer doubted.

"I thought it was a dream," Crystal whispered. Banning put a hand on his shoulder, but he didn't seem to notice. "I made myself believe it could not possibly really exist, something that radiated such evil. How can you bear to hold it?"

"I am not... like your people." Tristan looked nervous about that admission as he put the Kiya away. The room settled into normality again, as though some door had closed to cold and evil. "I have only two pieces of many. We seek the others before they do more harm."

"Do you remember where you saw the Kiya?" Abby asked, worry tingeing his voice.

"Yes. I thought--" He stopped and looked at Etric. "When did I tell you about it?"

"While you still... dreamed."

"Midori." Crystal raked a hand through his curly hair and looked troubled. "I made myself believe I had only dreamed the darker things. But you believed me, Etric?"

"Not until chance brought me in contact with these two. We need to find the wood, Crystal. Where did you see it?"

"Ah, such irony." Crystal finally grinned. His color looked better. "I found it when I robbed Wes Ias."

"Ias," Etric repeated. He wasn't happy with the revelation, but it did make sense. "And you left it behind?"

"I wasn't taking it with me," he said, and wiped his hand against his pant leg as though he could still feel the taint. "I left it there in the room. I'm sure he got it before he left world."

"Damn," Etric said. "It's not going to be easy to find him."

"I wouldn't count on that," Banning answered and looked bothered, but he couldn't say if it was the Kiya or Wes Ias that troubled her.

"Unfortunately true," Crystal agreed. The look in his eyes made Etric worry for new reasons. He remembered it from the dark days they had spent on Ahira, planning their escape. "How desperate are you to find him?"

"The sooner we can locate and retrieve this piece of the Kiya, the sooner we can go... elsewhere," Tristan said. "Considering the trouble we've already created, I believe that would be best. So, we are very desperate. So much so that I would even take to the stars again, if need be."

Crystal looked at him, weighing those words. Etric couldn't be certain he fully understood, but then he nodded.

"Wes Ias is hunting us -- Etric and me," Crystal said. "He's just one step ahead of the law, and apparently he wants to make certain he takes the two of us down before he goes. We set the IGs in motion against him, and he's never recovered from the raids."

"Banning told me a little of this already," Etric said. "I don't need more trouble now."

"One problem might well solve another." Banning looked at Crystal, frowning, but then shrugged. She squatted down on her heels, leaning closer and lowering her voice. "If I had not felt that evil, I never would have believed you. But now I see the need to be... daring. Captain, I think it time that Wes Ias finds you, and Captain Etric. We can lure him close by spreading the tale that the Freedom is stranded here, damaged. That Crystal is staying to help you. We can lure him in."

"That makes sense," Crystal and Etric chorused.

And that drew nervous laughter, even from Abby and Tristan.

Oh, yes, they could be dangerous, Crystal and Etric.

Chapter Ten

Crystal and Banning left the medical center several hours later. Although closer to sunset, the day still felt too hot and dry to Crystal as they stepped out into the light. Nothing moved.

But he smiled, whistling as they headed for the floater they'd left at the edge of the lot. It had been good to see Etric, to make daring plans again, like they had on that damn jungle world a lifetime ago. He felt... alive again, in ways he had not since then, no matter how daring his acts.

"You're in a good mood, Captain," Banning accused as they reached the floater. "A remarkably good mood for someone who is about to risk his life on the hope that Wes Ias wants his hands on you more than he wants to blow the hell out of you and your friend."

"I know Wes Ias at least that well." Crystal slipped into the floater, taking the controls. Banning frowned. She liked to fly and didn't often trust him at the controls, since he tended to play games with non-moving and large obstacles. "I know he's going to want to take as much time killing Etric and me as he can."

"That's nothing to be cheery about," she said, strapping in as they lifted. "The man is very dangerous."

"Ah, but he doesn't know about you, does he?"

She snorted. "You take a damn lot for granted, Captain. What makes you think I'll even stick around for this madness?"

"Aside from the fact that you're crazier than I am, and this plan was your idea?"

She made another disparaging noise, but a glance her way told Crystal all he had to know. She had that look, and he knew it meant she was taking every aspect of this insanity into consideration. Banning, for all her wildness, looked logically at every situation.

"I don't know where the prince fits in," she said suddenly. "I don't know what he wants in this."

"Me, either." Crystal had not met the prince, and that was probably just as well. Etric had very odd reactions every time anyone mentioned Tamaris. "I know this entire situation is madness, Banning... but I'm relieved. I found out I'm not crazy, you know. I still dream about that damn piece of wood, and it's haunted me for years. Now I have a name for it, and I know that it really did have control over me. And I know that, in the end, I turned out to be stronger than its evil."

"I never thought you were crazy. Not in that way, at least. What do we tell Darien and Istanan?"

"The truth. All the truth. If need be, we'll bring Tristan out with the other pieces of the Kiya just to make certain they understand all the implications. I'm not going to hide anything. Like Etric, I'll let the crew decide if they want to stay through this. It's not required."

"Your crew has remained loyal through other bouts with madness."

"But nothing like this. You do understand what happened to Etric's ship and crew, don't you? We're talking magic, Banning."

She shook her head, denying it. They said nothing further. She didn't even make a comment when he darted down low across the road, dancing between two buildings on the outskirts of the port.

He loved the feel of flying so close to danger, though he had made certain no one was out. The locals seldom were this time of day, so they were unlikely to hear a complaint or get a fine this time.

They left the floater at the gate with the rental service and headed across the wide expanse of walkway at the edge of the port's regular pads. Crystal wished Etric's ship had come down here rather than landing the hell and gone out in the desert. At the same time, while that might make it harder to protect both craft, it did make what they were doing look more legit.

"I don't believe in magic," Banning said, breaking the silence.

"Then explain the Kiya to me."

"I..."

She shook her head again then turned to him, anger in her eyes. "I don't want to believe in magic. I believe in mechanics, logic. The Kiya and your friends change everything."

"Nothing has changed." Crystal smiled when she glared, her face settling into the hard lines he knew meant she didn't like any of this. "Ban, the universe is just the same as it was yesterday. The magic didn't come into being just in the moments we talked to Etric about it."

She blinked, and narrowed her eyes this time. "You knew about the magic before this, didn't you?"

"Yes. Etric's magic kept me alive years ago."

"And you said nothing."

He looked at her as they paused in the shadow of the Viceroy, which was scheduled to go out in a few hours and already sealed up for the trip, all crew aboard. Apparently Etric's Utrani had found a berth there, and everyone seemed to feel that might be the best luck they'd had so far. He hoped she didn't create more trouble for them.

This was not a high traffic port, and it occurred to him that the locals would be talking about him and Etric for the next ten years.

When he looked back at the city, he could see the domes of the adobe buildings, low hovels that looked like giant dung heaps in the sunlight. How could people tie themselves to this place? How could they watch the ships come and go, look up at the stars and never take that step away?

He turned around to discover Banning still stared at him, waiting for him to say more. She wasn't going to let him walk away from this conversation, even out here in the damned heat.

"What could I have told you so you would have believed, Banning? You already knew about my dream with the wood, and you didn't much like that, did you? I would have had to tell you about the midori and about how Etric kept me alive with his magic. Were you likely to believe any of it?"

"I'm not sure I believe it now," she confessed. But she walked out into the bright light again, picking up the pace as Fame came into view. "It's madness."

"It always was. But Banning -- we were going to have to face Wes Ias at some point. You and I knew that the moment you found out about the bounty. Better here and playing by our rules than somewhere else playing by his. If this doesn't work and I somehow survive it, I see no reason for the crew to stay with me--"

"Don't be a fool." She grabbed his arm as though he had turned to leave right then. "Do you really think we'd turn away from you now? The four of us have been a good team, and that isn't just luck. Besides, there are damn few people out there with your skills, Captain. So few with the patience or the finesse to slip into places and find information without it being discovered. I've known more than a few thieves. None of them have your touch."

He looked at his hands. The fingers trembled for a moment, and then stilled. He would not go back to that nightmare. When he looked up she glanced at him, silent again.

"I won't do anything stupid, Banning."

"I won't hold you to a promise so obviously impossible for you to keep. But I will watch you, Captain. And I won't rely on their magic to help us."

"Very wise, Banning." Crystal held up the credit chits he'd just taken from her belt and she shook her head with a touch of amusement and took them back. "All in all, I'd rather trust what I can do with my own hands."

She finally nodded agreement. "I'll work with your friends, Crystal. We'll get through this. But if you have any more of this insanity in your past, you better hope I never find out."

He laughed, but he didn't offer her any other tales. She glanced at him, worpied. Good. He grinned, knowing that would drive her crazy.

What good was being captain if he couldn't have a little fun with the crew now and then?

Chapter Eleven

Etric awoke in his own cabin aboard his own ship. He closed his eyes again and stretched, letting the kinks ease in his shoulders. Home.

The moment of peace shattered in the next breath. Odd sounds in the hall outside! His heart pounded, remembering the last time he had awakened in this room. He rolled from the bed and staggered to the door, calling up magic as he hit the button/panel to open on the lock.

Banning and Yintri stood a few feet down the hall, Banning with a hammer in her hand. She looked back at him, her head tilted.

"Good day, Captain Etric." She gave a belated bow of her head. "Good to see you awake. Crystal will be relieved to hear that you are feeling... better?"

Yin grinned and leaned against the wall. That look relieved Etric of"the last surge of fear, but embarrassment quickly replaced it. He realized he should have at least grabbed his robe though, praise the gods, he was not completely naked.

"Forgive me. I awoke badly. Come in, and tell me what's going on."

He turned back inside and grabbed a robe from the closet, pulling it on before the others entered. Yin took the seat by the door, adjusting his leg with a slight wince of pain, though he looked much better than the last time Etric had seen him.

"Sit down, Banning." Etric waved to the other chair by the desk. He settled on the bed, trying to calm his surging heartbeat and remember how he had gotten here. He couldn't, and that worried him. "Tell me everything I should know. How long have I been asleep? And how did I get back to the Freedom?"

"We left the medical center about sunset," Yin said. "You, me, and Rqua came back to the ship to start working on what we could. You were asleep long before we reached the pad. Rqua got you to your room -- seventeen hours ago."

"Seventeen? Gods, I guess I was tired." He ran a hand through his hair. It felt grimy and dusted with sand. He'd have to take care of that soon. "What time is it local?"

"Mid-morning. We were starting to get worried about you," Banning said. She didn't look worried.

"I'm fine. Where's Crystal?"

"Crystal is back on Fame." Banning tilted her head and something close to a smile -- or maybe a snarl -- came to her lips. "You do remember the plan, don't you?"

"Ah... no."

She shifted in her chair, and Yin looked amused again. Maybe he didn't want to know.

"You better tell me now before I look any more of a fool." He ran his hand through his hair again and grimaced. "I seem to remember the word 'bait' coming up a few times."

Banning bowed her head. He thought she might be trying very hard not to smile. He looked to Yintri instead.

"Basically, we're going to use Freedom as bait to draw Ias to us," Yin said. "We've already started word spreading that the ship is grounded and Crystal is remaining close until we're ready to leave."

"Really?" Etric felt more amused than he suspected he should.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. We're hoping Ias doesn't hear about our relationship with the prince before he arrives. Tam has moved up to the Governor's Estate for the time being. He thought it wise that it didn't look as though either ship had powerful friends to support it."

"Tamaris is such a help." Etric remembered the damage to the ship and began to worry again. "How long do you think it will take Ias to get here?"

"We hope not before we finish the repairs on the ship," Yin said. "We got lucky. The landing did not do any structural damage, but we did fry systems we're replacing one at a time, finding the pieces in as best we can. Taru doesn't have a great parts base to work from, but we're managing."

"How's the rest of the crew?" Etric asked.

"Much better, though I can't say they're fully recovered." Yin rubbed his leg. "Kamil is with the prince at the Governor's Estate. The locals do not want him back, but as long as he's with Tamaris no one will do anything. He would like to go on with us when we leave."

"I'll take him. The prince wants to go on as well. Where are Abby and Tristan?"

"Those two," Banning said, shaking her head. She played with the hammer in her hand, and he suspected Abby and Tristan were lucky not to be within range. Obviously, she didn't like them very much. "They're odd, aren't they?"

"What odd things have they been up to now?"

"Just being themselves," Yin reported and smiled. "That's enough."

"True."

"Utrani did go out on that short-haul cargo ship last night. Even if she comes back with them, it won't be for about ten days."

"Just as well," Etric said, though he still felt uneasy about not having her close. She knew too much. But what harm would that do? At worst, she might direct Wes Ias to them sooner. He shrugged. "If I hadn't been so desperate for crew I wouldn't have taken her. How about Otaka, Tathis and Rqua?"

"Otaka is doing very well. I think she likes the adventure," Yin said.

"Fool," Banning mumbled but shook her head. "We're all fools."

"True enough," Etric agreed. "Tathis and Rqua?"

"Holding up, though I think they're both pushing too hard. Rqua and Darien from Fame hit it off. Like backgrounds - they both come from fanatically religious worlds."

"Now that you're awake, I'll arrange for you to meet all the crew of the Fame," Banning said. "It's best we all know our allies by sight, don't you think?"

"Yes, that's a good idea."

"Prince Tamaris would like to see you as soon as you're up to making the trip out to the Estate," Yin added.

"How is he doing?"

"I'm not sure. We try to keep comm contact with him to a minimum." Yin looked a little bothered, but Etric suspected that might only be his reaction to Tam's authority. "I talked to him for a bit this morning on the vidcomm. He looks better, but I think he's worried. And he said you have something of his he'd like to have back as soon as possible. Said something about feeling naked without them."

"Gods!" Etric looked around and found the cloth bag from the medical center sitting by the bed. "Yes, I had better get cleaned up and go see him."

"I'll fly you there," Banning said. "It's a hell of a long ways out to the Governor's Estate. Don't argue. It's better if none of us go anywhere alone."

"Thank you, I accept." Etric stood, feeling as though time pressed in on him, and he didn't like the sense that sleeping had been a waste, and that danger had drawn closer for it.

"I'll be down at the airlock," Banning said. She had the look of someone who saw time racing away as well. It didn't help.

Yin followed her out, pausing at the doorway to look back at his captain. "We're doing all right, Etric. Relax. We've gotten lucky in all our allies -- magicians, princes and smugglers. Wes Ias can't have done nearly as well."

Etric smiled as he stood. Time for a quick shower and clean-up before he saw the prince.

They had not talked much during the flight, and then only about ship's functions and repair work. Banning put the floater down outside the brick walls of the green, ornately gated acreage. An IG in full shield armor stood at the entrance, another in regular uniform beside him. Standing in shield armor in this heat had to be hell, Etric thought.

It was a wonder they wasted that kind of equipment here. Damned expensive, even for the IGs. The other guard, who opened the gate for someone coming out, didn't look very happy, either.

Three other floaters sat close by and a fourth had just taken off, heading up into the blinding sunlight. Etric opened the door, trying not to wince at the heat that seemed to pound at him. He paused a moment, fighting back the urge to be ill. He wanted to look good when he went to see Tamaris.

Finally, he climbed out of the floater. He couldn't even see the town or the port from here. Obviously, the local ruler kept contact with his people to a minimum.

"Can I ask you a question, Banning?"

"Certainly," she said, but her eyes shifted with a hint of mistrust.

"Why are you going along with this? You don't like any of it."

"Oh, but that's not true. I like the part that says we won't stand alone when Wes Ias catches up with us. Captain Etric, you saved Crystal's life a few years ago. We would not be here at all, except for that. And, believe me, we've not done badly in our... field of work."

"I'm a Free Trader. These days, with the laws and restrictions, that's only one step away from smuggler. And not a very big step most of the time."

"True. Do you think your prince will do something about it?"

Etric looked toward the gate, where the armored guard eyed them with suspicion.

"I don't know."

She nodded. "Well, that doesn't matter. The crew voted on it, and no one is abandoning Crystal, or you, yet. Now go see your prince. I'll be here to take you to the Fame when you're done."

"There's no need--"

"There is. We have no idea whether Wes Ias is close enough to contact anyone here. Neither you nor Crystal will go out alone, Captain. Accept that now, because if Crystal couldn't argue me out of it don't even believe that you can."

He didn't think he should take orders from someone who wasn't a part of his crew. He wanted to rebel, but one look at Banning's face told him he wouldn't like the result.

"I won't be long." He grabbed Tam's case from behind his seat, glad he'd thought to put the harnesses inside. Her plan made sense, after all. She nodded and sealed the floater as he stepped away. At least she'd be comfortable waiting there in the cool floater. He couldn't guarantee the same for himself, especially given this heat.

Walking to the gate was a test of endurance. He did not want to look weak when he stood before the glaring sentry, especially since Banning hadn't yet left. He held the case, determined the man would not look inside, no matter what else happened here.

"Your business?" the guard said, his voice even, but his eyes narrowing.

"I'm Captain Etric of the Free Trader Freedom. I believe the prince wants to see me."

The guard looked at his pocket comp and his face changed. Clearly, friends of the prince rated pretty high. Etric managed not to grin.

"Yes, sir. Go straight in. Follow the path to the house. I'll call ahead and say you're here."

"Thank you."

The guard keyed the gate open, and he stepped past the metal scrollwork and into the yard. The temperature changed the moment he stepped within the greenery. Odd. Then he realized a soft mist filled the air, a cooling touch of water that helped revive him as he walked down the path between towering trees and bright blooming flowers. The change from the world outside the estate left him disconcerted. It felt as though he had walked into another world.

A young servant waited for him at the door to the long, low building and gave one silent nod before she led the captain through dark, cool halls lined with vases and sculptures. All very proper, and pretentious. He didn't like it here. He wondered if -- in fact, worried that -- Tamaris felt more comfortable with this lifestyle than he did on the ship.

And why should that bother him?

Tamaris was waiting in a dining hall with a portly man Etric immediately assumed must be the governor. Tam didn't introduce him. The governor glowered at the interruption, and the fact the Prince's mood obviously improved the moment Etric stepped in didn't help.

"Captain! It's good to see you again. Do sit down."

Far too formal, reminding him they were in public again, even if the audience only included two people. Etric gave a belated bow.

"Thank you, Prince Tamaris. I brought your case, as you requested, and I understand you wanted to see me?"

"Just for the company." That seemed a very pointed attack against the governor, whose face grew red. "Frana, would you be kind enough to take the case to my room? Thank you."

She took the case with a bow of her head. Blushing, too, most likely because the prince called her by name. Looking at the governor, he suspected such courtesy didn't happen often here.

"How are things going with the ship?" Tamaris asked.

"Well enough." Etric sat in the chair across from him, trying not to feel as though he were on display. "Yin says we fried quite a few systems. I'm not sure if we'll be able to find all the parts we need."

"Yes," Tamaris said and looked at the governor again. "This world is lamentably lacking in a proper repair facility."

"But I explained…" the governor began then fell silent at a glance from the prince.

"Yes, you explained," Tam said. "I'm sure you're doing the best you can."

Etric began to feel uncomfortable, wondering what he had walked into, and whether or not he should make a quick escape. It wasn't as though he hadn't troubles of his own to think about, after all.

"You must excuse me, Prince Tamaris," the governor said, giving a curt bow. "I do have work."

"Oh, of course. Don't let us stop you. Etric and I have a few trifling matters to discuss. And we'll track down Kamil. Do feel free to go."

The man nodded and stood, his eyes blazing and his face pale. He barely remembered to bow before he left the room. Etric glanced back at Tam, and the change in his friend's look caught him by surprise. Tam grinned but gave a little wave of his hand, indicating that they should be careful. Beneath the billowy sleeves of the shirt, Etric could clearly see the lines of bandages. At least the prince didn't appear to be feverish.

"Shall we go out into the garden, Captain?" Tamaris asked as he stood. "It is quite the loveliest place around here. So calming, too. I should like to know how much it costs to keep up such a paradise on a world where water is sold to the populace by the liter."

Etric pushed back from the table and stood, feeling a little more at ease. The cost of that water might explain some of the problems here. He had begun to suspect Tamaris took the relationship of the rulers to the common people very seriously.

"I would be honored to walk with you." Etric said, giving a nod of his head.

"Yes, I'm sure you would." Tam hardly hid his impish grin.

The return of Tamaris's good nature eased the growing worry that something had gone very much wrong. He walked with Tam out into that fine, cool mist, and even the prince lifted his head into the brush of moisture.

"It's a waste, but it does have it's allure," he said.

"You're feeling better?"

"The fever broke yesterday. And I've managed to keep my wits and not go crazy sitting around this hovel."

"Hovel?" Etric glanced back at the building.

"Cheap gilt and poor imitations," he answered, but then he looked contrite. "Sorry. I shouldn't be so hard on the man. He is a pompous bore, and a bit too greedy for his own good, but Gods know I've seen far worse."

Etric bowed his head then looked up startled when Tam put a hand on his shoulder. The prince shook his head, looking a little amused.

"You're too tense, Etric," he said softly. "Is it Princes of the Line who bother you, or just assassins?"

"I'm out of my league," Etric answered.

"Very diplomatic." Tam laughed and urged him along the path. He bent close. "Careful. I've tested -- there are listening devices here and there in the garden. And guards are apt to turn up at odd times when we should be safe to speak."

"He's that blatant about spying on you?"

"Oh, yes. The man is very worried about what I'm going to say about him to those higher up, as though anyone else would want a post at Taru. That's just his paranoia."

Etric nodded, and saw the warning confirmed when a guard suddenly appeared ahead of them, pausing to look their way before he went on. An IG, at that - but, then, they would be under the governor's command, and most likely locals besides.

They found Kamil sitting by a fountain just outside a long greenhouse containing even more plants and flowers. He looked up from a compbook, startled when their shadows fell across him, and then smiled.

"Captain!" he said. A little nervousness returned to his face. He almost looked away, as though afraid of what Etric would say to him. "I'm glad to see you."

"And I'm glad to see you looking so well. Are you still interested in a berth when we leave?"

His hands moved, quick and surprised. Yes!

"Good. I wanted to make certain you were interested and I didn't have to look for more crew. Not that I'm likely to find any on this world. Not exactly the most popular port in the empire."

"No, it's not," Tamaris agreed. He sat by the fountain and dipped his hand in the water, frowning at that additional sign of flaunted wealth. It must bother him, which made sense. Except for a few rings, Tam didn't exactly display his own wealth, which must be considerable, now that Etric thought about it.

Etric looked around the place and wondered what it must be like have lived somewhere that made this look cheap. He couldn't imagine it; but then, he had spent most of his life on ships, and measured wealth in smaller ways, in little shows.

"Anything we should know about?" Tamaris asked softly.

"Nothing specific, yet." Etric knelt by them, making certain Kamil could see his face. "I'll let you know. I think if Kamil is willing to stay here with you it will give me a reason to come back that won't draw too much attention."

"Yes, if Kamil is willing," Tam said and looked at him. "I like having him here. He's far better company than anyone else in the place."

Kamil grinned and gave a willing nod.

"Good," Etric replied. "I don't know how this will go. But I thought you should know what we're preparing."

"We live in strange times." Tamaris still ran his fingers though the water. "You'll think I'm crazy, Etric... but I'm glad to be part of this."

"Why should I think you're crazy for that? Can the insane judge the insane?"

He smiled again. Etric realized their Prince of the Line didn't belong in this place. He'd been much happier on the ship. He had freedom there he must miss when he had to play his very proper role, even for a backwater world's governor.

"I need to get back and meet with Crystal and find out what he knows about Wes Ias." Etric felt guilty for leaving Tam so soon. He obviously really did like the company. "We have too many enemies. I don't know what to expect or where the attack might come from."

Tamaris nodded and stood when Etric did. "I'll get you a floater back--"

"No, Banning is flying me. We think it best to keep together right now."

"Wise." Prince Tamaris nodded goodbye to Kamil as they started away. Etric did the same, and Kamil waved before he went back to his book. At least he looked calm.

Tam walked with Etric back to the gate, passing two more guards who watched with very little concern about how obvious they were in spying. For a moment Etric stared back at them, considering what it must be like for Tam. Perhaps this place reminded him too much of being back at the court. He almost understood the prince a little better for that revelation.

Banning still waited with the floater. Good. He made a rather formal farewell to the prince, daring his look of amused embarrassment, and hurried across the hard, hot ground to the craft. Banning keyed the door open, and he hurried inside, sitting back with a sigh of relief.

"Go well?"

"Well enough, meeting with someone who makes me so damned nervous, even if I do like him. Let's go see Crystal."

She nodded and pointed the floater up into the sky. By the way she looked back down, he had the feeling that meeting princes wasn't exactly high on her list of things to do. He wondered what she would think if she knew he was also an assassin.

The world had gone strange, and he suspected it would never be the same again. Damn good thing he preferred things a little exciting.

Part Four: The Price of Fame

Chapter One

Abby stood by the ship and looked out at the world. The sweep of colors drifted subtly from beige to blue with a distant hint of green, hardly discernable at this distance. A farm, he thought. He wondered if the people there looked up at the ship, saw it glare in the afternoon light.

He hadn't felt so helpless since the days when he'd been his father's prisoner, with no hope of ever being free. This new universe overwhelmed him. And what would they face next, he wondered -- assuming that they won here. But he had to assume that much, or else he could not take his friends into danger again.

He couldn't see the stars in the blazing daylight, but not seeing them didn't help. He knew they were ther, and that he had traveled between them on paths that made the work of magic seem small and a child's game.

"You're too quiet, Abby."

He jumped. Even with Tristan there, sharing his thoughts, he had lost himself for a moment. His reaction embarrassed him even more, and he turned his head away from the view of the world, the fear of the stars, and his lack of understanding.

"Stop panicking. Calm down."

"I'm overwhelmed, Tristan. I am truly overwhelmed. I don't know what to do. I can't help these people…"

"They're perfectly capable of helping themselves." Tristan pushed him down on the walkway and sat beside him, right there in the pounding heat and light. Tristan's thoughts radiated acceptance, concern. Abby tried to center himself on that, but his head still pounded. "We are not here to help them, Abby. I think this time we need only worry about getting our hands on the Kiya. I suspect, having spent time with these people, that because they do not deal in magic on a regular basis it isn't as much a danger to them."

"Oh." He tried not to feel as though... as though he were even more useless.

"You know there are days when you could drive even me quite mad." Tristan laughed.

His friend's good humor drew him back again. Tristan looked up at him -- seeing himself, not Abby. He could feel humor in the link, fed back. And something more.

Tristan nodded. "I think the piece of the Kiya is close. That's our work, Aubreyan Altazar. That's why we are here. I don't want to tell the others, not yet. They have their own worries with Wes Ias."

"Wes Ias has the Kiya."

"True, but we might be able to divert at least that part of the trouble."

"There are so many people at risk." Abby looked around as though he could see through the metal walls of the ship. "I don't want to put them in danger. What if another one dies helping me, Tristan? What could I do then? Would I dare ask my mother for another gift?"

"Why not?" Tristan asked. "What more could the gods ask from us? What new demand could she make that would be worse than having a friend die?"

A fear that had been sprouting in the back of Abby's mind suddenly withered and died. He feared entirely the wrong things. He should not worry that he would have to ask his mother for another gift; rather, that she would not give it to him -- but for some reason he didn't fear her denial.

Abby leaned back on his elbows, squinting into the brightness. "I think, perhaps, that I worry about all the wrong things. What do you think I should worry about, Tristan?"

As though he couldn't see it there in his friend's mind... but sometimes he understood it better with words. And Tristan obviously hadn't quite defined the problem in his own thoughts yet.

"I don't think you should worry so much that we have friends, but rather than we have enemies. Gix knows we're here. He's holding back. I don't trust his inaction."

"True."

"Rquana is coming," Tristan said.

Abby could hear him now, and still marveled that his companion could pick people out by the sounds they made.

"How can you two stand it out here in this heat?" Rqua stopped at the doorway above them, still standing in the shadows, as though that made a difference. "Or is your world desert?"

"I come from a place of forests and hills," Tristan said, and for a moment he recalled that place in both Abby's vision and his feelings for a land filled with life. Rqua must have shared it, too. Even Rqua sighed. "And Abby's lands were much the same, with less forest. But it's nice to be here. It's a world, at least."

Rqua laughed. "You two really don't like starship travel, do you?"

"No," they said and laughed.

"Would you like to go to the city with me? I have a floater on the way. I need to pick up a few supplies and some parts for Yin."

"I think I would like that." Tristan stood, catching hold of Abby to help him up. "I want to know what this place is like. So many different worlds, so many different peoples. They all fascinate me."

"I can't imagine the journeys you've made," Rqua said. He looked up into the sky as the floater came toward them.

"I suppose, really, that in the end it's not so different than traveling from world to world in your ships," Abby admitted. Rqua nodded. "We still go to new places, and see strange things. Rqua, we think the Kiya might be on-world already. We just realized that we have the feel of her, but... but she may not be here. Just close. We can't tell."

"Ah," he said. He relayed that news through his communit back to those inside. Yin sounded as though he wanted to abort the trip. "No, I'll go and I'll be careful. We still need these supplies. The sooner I can get them and get back, the better."

Abby didn't think he liked it, either, but he didn't argue. "How is Captain Etric?" he asked. "Are things going well?"

"He's gone to see the prince and then to visit with Crystal. I suspect things are going to start moving quickly soon. We need to be prepared. Here's the floater. Do you need anything from the ship?"

"I'd love to have the sword and the Janin," Abby said, brushing sand from his legs. "But I suspect that might be a bit too obvious."

Rqua grinned. The craft set down, the driver giving them with a little nod. Tristan did a quick test for magic... and grinned when he caught Rqua doing the same.

"That's why they're sending me," Rqua said as they started toward the little craft. "I've more of a chance at finding the sort of trouble we've been running into lately."

"And you are taking us along so we don't attract the trouble here," Tristan added as they reached the floater.

"Yes," Rqua agreed.

That seemed reasonable, though Abby didn't like leaving the ship without any magical protection.

We aren't going far, Tristan silently reminded him. And they aren't helpless. Most of them survived the last attacks without any magical help.

Relieved, Abby climbed into the small floater and sat back. The ride proved far nicer this time since he knew what to expect, and the pilot had a steady hand. No storms grew from thin air, and before long they set down at the edge of the port.

"We'll walk from here, if you don't mind. As much as I dislike the heat, flying through narrow, crowded streets does very little for me."

"I would much rather walk." Tristan closed his eyes and tilted his head. "There is far more life here than out by the pad."

"True." Rqua started down the long road into town. He looked back at the floater with a little regret. "I'll fly us back to the ship after we pick up supplies, and we'll keep the craft for a few days. We may need to get into town quickly. If we have the floater in our care, that shouldn't be a problem for future trips. It was just this first one where we had to worry about who brought it to us, though we could have had one of Fame's crew bring one out. It's just they're a bit busy right now, too."

They passed a few people, who looked at the group and made way for them. Rqua looked uneasy at that reaction.

"They whisper about the prince," Tristan explained softly. "And about Kamil. I suspect they think we have not been keeping good company."

Rqua looked a little less worried. "Ah. Of course. I'm getting too paranoid in general. I thought they saw the magic, and knew about the demons and the other war. I forgot that even just traveling with Prince Tamaris would draw attention. Stay close. We'll make this fast."

"You worry too much about us." Tristan put a hand on Rqua's arm, startling him. "We are not helpless."

"No, you aren't. I know. I suppose you two have survived a great deal worse than a few irate townspeople."

"We never judge any danger as less important than the last one. And that's why you need not worry about us. We take this seriously," Abby said, glancing back at people huddled in dark doorways, watching them.

"Very wise. I'll incorporate that into my own philosophy." He stopped by the door to a small shop. Through the window they could see the place was already crowded with people. "I need to get some medical supplies here."

"We'll wait," Tristan said. "And we won't wander far."

Rqua started to say something. He stopped and nodded then hurried inside as though he mistrusted his own instincts.

Abby slipped to the side of the doorway. At Tristan's gentle urging, he looked out at the buildings around them. Tristan stood just behind him, taking advantage of the shadows. The city amazed even Abby. Low, round-topped buildings, all of the same color as the desert around them, lined the hard-packed street but didn't appear to go more than a row or two beyond it. Down at the far end, away from the port, he could see a gridwork of water paths and green plants. Some children splashed in a narrow, muddy canal on the edge of the plants, yelling loud enough to be heard throughout the town. Children playing games... probably the only entertainment they had in this area. He wondered what it would be like, growing up with other children like that.

"I wonder as well," Tristan said. "I was never a part of the group, either. But we are what we are, Abby."

Abby nodded and watched a while longer, but a local guard started into the building, eyeing the two of them before he moved on. No doubt they did look different, but Abby still found it disconcerting that people always stared.

Rquana came out with the guard and shook hands before the man hurried away. Rqua looked worried, though he cast one quick glance at the children as well. He had probably picked that up from the two of them.

"Time to go back," he said.

"Trouble?" Tristan asked.

"That was Nolin, the man from the tower who helped talk us down. He heard something in quarters today. A ship landed out in the desert last night, slipping in very nearly undetected -- or maybe with help. He couldn't be sure. Smugglers do it all the time around here. But this one isn't setting up to meet other smugglers."

"Ah. Wes Ias?"

"I would guess so, since you thought the Kiya was close. I don't want to take the chance. Come on. We're going back to the ship to warn the others. We don't want to put the news out over the comm, in case someone is listening. If it is Wes Ias, as long as he doesn't know we've heard, he won't feel the need to move quickly. We can take advantage of whatever time we have."

"Wise." Abby didn't mind heading back to the floater. The day seemed to be growing even hotter, and he really didn't like it, even with the novelty of such an odd world. Besides, now that they had another indication the enemy might be close, he wanted to get back with the others. He wanted, in fact, to be back with the Janin and the sword.

"Ah, good idea," Rqua and Tristan said.

And that startled them all. Abby laughed, and Rqua just shook his head.

"Sorry," Rqua said. "Oh, I know it doesn't bother either of you, but it does me. I'm not used to it like you are."

"It would be better if you could talk with us as well," Tristan said. "But it does help that you can at least hear. It saves--"

Magic.

Demon.

The touch of both hit too suddenly. Even Tristan hadn't been prepared, and Abby found himself swept up in the sudden fire of the curse. He barely heard Tristan call to him, in both body and mind. Demon... there. Close.

He had no choice. He ran, darting between buildings, through the heat that he no longer felt, pursuing Demon magic.

"Abby!"

Tristan nearly caught up with him, his hand brushing against Abby's arm; and the intensity of that contact almost stopped him, but he lost the touch in the next moment and ran again.

He knew Tristan and Rqua followed close. And then he knew Tristan had stopped, not following, not coming to help him...

Because Rqua was hurt.

"Abby! Please!"

Tristan, panicked. That finally overcame the compulsion of the demon magic long enough to bring Abby to a shuddering stop. He looked back. He couldn't even see Tristan and Rqua. Magic brushed against him again, dark and foul. Drawing him...

Drawing him away?

"Gods," he whispered. And he almost asked them for help. He almost... but he had the strength to turn back, to go to Tristan and Rqua without their help. The torment of the demon wasn't real. It was not here. He could turn back.

Too late.

Abby!

Tristan's terror nearly sent him stumbling. He went blind for a moment as the elf's emotions overcame all of Abby's own faltering control. He took uneven steps, staggering as he tried to see...

Someone holding Tristan down. Rqua injured. The feel of hands...

Hands on the crown.

"No!"

The man tore the crown from Tristan's head. Abby felt it - dark thoughts, the far distant taint of a demon's ebbing hold, the crown in a stranger's hands.

Tristan!

The elf couldn't answer him....

Chapter Two

Tabor drew back, too weak to lead Abby any farther through the alleys of that small, hot town. It hardly served a purpose, anyway, except it had given him his first real pleasure in a long time.

He'd been watching the Kiya and the men around her, looking for the easiest way to take her and be done with this before those fools took to their craft and the stars again. When he hadn't found a way to grab the Kiya -- he hadn't the power to do that without the help of his father - he had seen a different chance and taken advantage of the moment when Wes Ias sent his man to the town to get information on the crews of the Freedom and the Fame. He gripped that dark soul and sent it to retrieve the crown.

That was the difference between him and anything Braith, or even his father, could do. They had no ability to act on the moment. They had no...

No feel for time, Tabor suddenly realized. They thought only in terms of plans and futures, both of them immortal... or Braith, at any rate a long ways from his human beginnings and the fear of death. They didn't realize that others moved to the heartbeats of their lives, days passing by too quickly, no time to stop and wait for events to fall into place. They made things happen in the time they had.

Tabor had been raised among humans, still thought as a human. He had considered it his weakness until now. But he had seen the chance to cripple his enemies. He knew the crowns would be his best and easiest way to tempt them. He'd sent Aubreyan chasing a demon-touched wind then taken control of Wes Ias's man, right at the moment when he stepped out and shoved the long, curved blade into Tristan's companion. Animal -- but his animal now, and he thought he might even be able to get the Kiya away from Wes Ias with this creature's unwilling help.

Oh, it didn't like having its soul captive, but Tabor planted his seed of power deep within the brain. Even if he had to draw away, he'd be able to take it over again. His man now and he had the crown.

Tristan's crown. The realization of how easily he had worked them left him giddy. The fact his father and Braith had no idea he even had a link to this world made the game all the better.

Game?

Oh, yes. A dangerous game, but one he enjoyed playing, nonetheless. He moved not only to stop Aubreyan Altazar and his elf but to keep ahead of his father and the damned high priest. Even now the two of them worked together in the high tower, planning their next move without ever considering asking his help or opinion.

Petty.

Tabor used his little piece of the mirror and a few more drops of blood to look elsewhere on the world. His man with the crown would have to go back to Wes Ias. Yes, Ias wasn't far. Easy to find him, in fact, since he had the Kiya in a bag strung round his neck. She glowed with black power, dark and alluring.

Wes Ias didn't really need the Kiya. She had surprisingly little affect on the man, who had long ago traded his humanity for power. Braith better hope that Gix never took too close a look at this man. He might find himself in danger of losing his fine position...

Although, from all Tabor could see, Ias feared nothing. A dangerous ally, and one even Tabor would have avoided at a better time. Unfortunately, he had few resources -- and as long as Wes Ias didn't realize Tabor would not leave without that piece of the Kiya, they might work together.

He could get the other pieces of the Kiya if he worked this right.

He couldn't hold the link to the world much longer. He watched only long enough to make sure his man reached the safety of his own allies -- the crown hidden. He didn't want that in the covetous hands of Wes Ias. No, he would use that... later.

He let the image go and leaned back again, weak and worn thin from the magic. But the job had gone well. And now he had more than just a little piece of mirror. He had started to gain power. Soon... soon, Braith would have a real reason to fear him.

Chapter Three

As the floater landed, Etric saw Crystal slip from the Fame's airlock and dart their way across the pad. He'd been too tired back at the medical center to really appreciate how well his friend looked. In truth, neither of them had ever met under such favorable circumstances as right now. Neither were slaves, nor half-dead, though the way things were going that might change at any moment.

How did they find so much trouble?

As he stepped out of the floater, Etric looked to the ship and nodded his approval. Fame was smaller than Freedom, and no doubt far better equipped, at least in certain aspects. Crystal seemed to have no trouble slipping past sensor grids or sliding in and out of systems without being seen.

"Well, here we are!" Crystal grinned. "Do you think we're crazy to tempt fate again?"

"Very likely," Etric said. "But why can't we ever tempt fate on a world with a decent climate?"

Crystal laughed. "Let's go inside."

"Captain!"

Etric and Crystal both turned, but of course it was one of Crystal's men who came down the ramp. The lanky tall man with long dark-blond hair moved with the grace of someone who came from a low-grav world.

"Istanan?" Crystal said, looking worried.

"A report from the Freedom. Trouble," He stopped to catch his breath.

"Oh, hell." Etric patted Crystal on the shoulder. "Well, you're looking good, Crystal. Hope to see you again soon!"

He turned back to the floater, wondering if Banning would let him just take it.

"Wait," Istanan said. He and Crystal stayed with him. "Someone is injured in town. Two others with him."

"Did you hear names?" Etric asked, his mouth dry now and the heat nearly overwhelming.

"Injured was Rqua. Abby and Tristan with him."

"Oh, hell," he whispered, and jogged the rest of the way to the floater. Banning had already thrown herself back in behind the controls. What surprised him was that Crystal and Istanan slipped into the little craft with him. "You don't have to go with me--"

"We are going to talk," Crystal said as the door snapped shut. "Banning--"

"I talked to Yin at the ship," she said, tapping the comm on the board. "They're already taking Rqua back to Freedom. He said not to worry about Rqua, that he'll be fine. I'm taking you to the ship. It sounds as though there's some trouble with your guests as well. Something about a lost crown."

He felt panic grow again, and they must have seen it. "Gods, we don't need trouble with those two."

Crystal nodded, looking down at his hands, but he said nothing as the floater lifted up again and headed away from his ship.

"Magic makes you nervous, doesn't it?" Etric asked, surprised.

"I'm a thief. A good one-not just a pickpocket but someone who can go into places and take things no one else could touch." Crystal looked up from his hands at Etric. "Tell me that doesn't make you nervous."

"Of course, it does," Etric answered. "Not because you can do it, but because you will. I know you, Crystal. Better than you think. But you haven't answered my question. Magic makes you nervous, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it makes me very nervous. I can't control it. I don't understand how it works. I don't like anything in my universe I don't have control over."

"You've been spending far too much time with Banning," Istanan said.

Banning gave a shake of her head, and Crystal laughed. "Maybe you're right. Or maybe I like Banning because we think so much alike."

"Right," Istanan said. "That's why the two of you argue over whether to set the ship on day or night hours half the time. Gods help us if that's what it's like when you think alike."

"Well, at any rate... Etric, even though magic makes me nervous, that doesn't mean I can't work around it. We have before, after all. It's just that now... now there's the added factor of your Abby and Tristan."

"Abby and Tristan?" His heart pounded. One of the crowns gone? Gods...

"I have come to understand this war they fight, it's basically good versus evil. I have to wonder where a thief and a smuggler falls in those categories of black and white."

"Ah. The problem is you don't know Abby and Tristan. Nothing is ever that simple. You'll have to trust me on this, Crystal. And you do still trust me, don't you?"

Crystal looked at him, shaking his head with a smile. "That's not fair."

"Of course not."

"Oh, you do know Crystal well, don't you?" Banning laughed as she brought the floater up over the first buildings.

Etric grinned, but he looked down at the town as they passed over and shook his head. He thought he could feel the whisper of something latent in the air, magic that shouldn't be there. He almost said something, but Crystal looked worried enough already.

"I think the enemy is already moving," Etric said. "I didn't expect it so soon."

"Me, either." Crystal admitted. "Let me tell you what we've learned about Wes Ias..."

The tale passed those few minutes as they flew out toward the ship. Wes Ias had been on the run for several years now, thanks to the information Etric and Crystal had supplied after they were freed. And, in fact, Crystal had managed to add more to it over the years since Etric last saw him.

Etric began to understand why the man had fixated on destroying the two of them. Wes Ias had nothing left in life but revenge against the people who had ruined him.

He felt absurd relief when they set down outside Freedom. It wasn't as though they were safe here. The ship could not fly. They probably didn't even have the weapons system running yet.

Tathis met them at the airlock door. He gave a quick nod and relayed the news in a sweep of hands and gestures the others would have realized meant trouble even if they couldn't follow the words.

The group had moved into the airlock with the door sealed again before Etric finally held up a hand to stop Tathis.

"Rquana, Abby and Tristan went to the city to collect some needed supplies. The attack drew Abby off somehow, and in those few moments Rqua took a knife to the back. While Tristan saved Rqua's life, someone attacked him and took the crown he wears."

"The crown," Banning said. "I remember it. A nice bauble, but..."

"But more than that," Etric answered as they headed up the curve of the ship. "The crowns link Abby and Tristan by magic. They need them. This is not good."

Crystal looked like he wanted to say something, but changed his mind as they reached the first area of damage to the ship. Etric understood the sudden silence. The strips of metal torn from walls, the bare conduits hanging from the ceiling, and the melted flooring still made him shudder.

"Damn, Etric. How did you survive this?"

"I really don't know. We're still not entirely certain what happened."

Crystal shook his head. Banning looked grim. Istanan had stopped to examine a wall and hurried to catch up with them. He looked unhappy. He understood what could happen to the Fame's crew, now that they had become involved in this madness.

Except they had been involved from the moment they met Crystal. It had just taken years to reach fruition.

Tathis left them at the medunit with a quick sign that he needed to get back to control. Yin sat inside by the bed where Rquana lay. He looked up and nodded when the group entered, and the calm in his face did as much to reassure them as the steady readings on the bed scanner.

"Rqua gave me some information when they brought him in. Wes Ias is already on-world. Apparently, his ship put down somewhere in the backcountry, maybe with help. The news came from our friend at the port, and I think it must be true. There's no other reason for the attack against Rqua and Tristan. And magic drew Abby away, Captain."

"Already here," Crystal said, and looked worried.

"How is Rqua?" Etric asked, though the readings looked good.

"Better than he should be. He took a knife through a lung and it nicked his heart. He would have died, Etric, but Tristan healed much of the wound as quickly as he could--"

"Healed?" Crystal said and looked like he really didn't want to know the answer.

"Tristan used magic," Etric explained, watching his friend's face.

"Magic," Crystal repeated and sighed. "Etric, how many of your crew are mages?"

"Under the circumstances, not nearly enough."

Banning laughed, which drew looks of surprise from both Crystal and Istanan. "You are at least honest about it, Captain Etric. But my thoughts run just opposite of yours -- I had started to think there are far too many mages."

"You might be right." Etric herded the group toward the crew's lounge and waved toward the table. He needed to sit and regain his calm. "Something cool to drink?"

"Just sit down," Crystal said. "We're not here as guests. Don't worry about it. Tell us what we need to do."

"We need, my Lord Captains, to be very careful."

Abby stood at the curve of the hall, his face pale, his eyes bleak. Etric stopped where he stood and wondered what he could possibly offer to help this man.

Abby did not wear his own crown -- probably wise if the other was in the hands of the enemy. He looked uncertain of his welcome, but Banning stood and waved him to her seat while she moved to one on the other side of the table. Etric brought glasses of fruit juice. He doubted any of them had really eaten much lately, and he knew he could use the energy.

"How's Tristan?" Etric asked.

"I can't know--" He stopped and bit at his lip. "No, that's not true. I can't feel how he is, but I know. He's tired and worried. I left him sleeping in our room. Lord Captain Etric, this is my fault. I should never have allowed myself to be drawn away. I need help. Without Tristan..."

He stopped and shook his head as he took the seat Banning had left for him.

"You've been without the crown before," Etric said softly.

"Yes, and that was dangerous enough. I... I have a problem. A curse -- truly a curse." He looked at Etric, his face bleak, his eyes lost. Then he visibly forced himself to calm again. "Back before we left our own world, I fell under the curse of a dying high elf. Today proved that even Tristan cannot always hold the curse at bay. When I feel the presence of a demon, I go mad. I must... destroy them. All of them."

"Kill the demons?" Etric said. Some of Abby's past actions suddenly became understandable.

Abby put his hands on the table and looked at Etric again. "The demons know my weakness. And now, without Tristan to temper the madness, I may well cause more harm than good."

"You need someone to watch over you," Etric said, finally seeing the problem.

"Yes."

"We'll do what we can, Abby. No guarantees." Etric looked at Crystal, who apparently hadn't quite grasped the entire situation, or perhaps didn't really want to know. He decided not to bother him too much with this new problem. They had enough to share.

"We can assume that Wes Ias really is on-world," Banning said. She didn't look troubled by the rest. "And that this attack on your man and the loss of this crown are related."

"Yes," Abby said. "Wes Ias has the piece of the Kiya. I must assume the demons have already found him and the piece."

"Then why are they still here?" Etric asked. "I thought the point was to get the Kiya and move on."

"He wants the other pieces." Abby looked at his hands again. Shy? It never occurred to Etric until now that this child of a goddess might be timid around others. "Tabor wants them. I should have realized it was his feel I had on the wind. He knows that by taking the crown he can lure us out."

"We must all move carefully," Etric said. "We have a powerful and vindictive enemy against us, and with demons on his side. I think, perhaps, we should make plans. Would you and your people care to dine with me tonight, Crystal?"

"I'll go back to the ship," Banning said. "I've some work to do there. You and Istanan stay, if you like, Captain. I think having a plan might not be a bad idea."

Crystal laughed. "There is madness in the air if Banning is going to trust us to make the plans!"

She stood and patted him on the shoulder. "Maybe I just want you here out of the way with your friends while Darien and I figure out what we should all do."

"I'd laugh, but she probably means it." Crystal looked at Etric and smiled. "I'll stay. Istanan, will you remain as witness to our madness? Good. So, what's for dinner?"

Chapter Four

Despite everything, Crystal still enjoyed dinner with Etric, even when the conversation kept straying back to everything that could go wrong over the next few days. Ah, well. Etric could say nothing to shock to him. He expected disaster at any moment.

So, he was not entirely surprised when the crew woman, Otaka, came back down from the control deck looking worried.

"Captain Etric?"

He turned around, shaking his head. "I don't want to know, do I?"

"I don't know. The sensors picked up someone coming across the desert, on foot and heading straight for us. At least, we assume he must be headed for us since the next place on this line is an abandoned farmhouse about twenty kilometers farther out."

"Someone alone?" Etric said, unsure if he should be worried or not.

"Yes, alone."

He stood. "Let's have a look."

Crystal and Istanan had been lingering at the table with him after the rest of Freedom's crew went back to work. The entire situation must have intrigued Istanan, since he hadn't gone back to the ship yet where he could spend a little time in his room, under less gravity. Instead, he stood and followed the two captains up to the control deck.

Tathis tapped the screen with a nod back at his captain. Crystal looked over Etric's shoulder. The single figure showed up very well on the screen, a dot moving at a good pace for someone on foot. Etric shook his head and looked back at Crystal.

"What do you think? Someone from your ship, Crystal?"

"No." Crystal touched his collar and the hidden comm he'd told Etric and his people about. "Banning would have let us know."

Yin arrived, leaning his cane against the wall and sliding into a spot by Tathis. He keyed cameras on in a quick move even while he yawned. "I should have known better than try to sleep."

"I could have handled this," Etric said.

"You have company to entertain." Yin grinned back at them. "I told Tathis to buzz me if anything unusual turned up, Captain. I'd rather be here and ready for it ahead of time than get the call five minutes before trouble strikes."

"Good point," Istanan said. He looked at the vid screens that had just started clearing, though darkness hampered the focus. Besides, even with Freedom's excellent imaging system, they had to wait for the visitor to get within a kilometer before they could see him clearly.

"There he is!" Yin adjusted the long-range view and frowned. The figure came into focus, and for one moment stood still in the faint moonlight.

"Tamaris." Etric felt an entire new wave of dismay. "Why the hell would the prince come to us on foot and in the middle of the night?"

"I suspect he has a problem," Crystal offered, though he didn't like to admit it.

"Of course, he has a problem. And, of course, he's bringing it straight to us. All the problems in the universe seem to be coming to us," Etric said.

He would have traded his soul for one evening without a problem intervening. Although, given their enemy was in league with demons that might not be a good analogy.

"I better go down and meet him." He looked at the screen again and shook his head. The prince had begun to falter. "Or maybe go out and get him."

"Something happening at the city," Otaka reported, tapping the ear link she wore. She shook her head. "I don't know what it is, Captain. Just a sudden surge of communications -- all of it in code -- and now silence. I'll see what I can find out."

"Thanks," Etric said. "Let me know."

Crystal, Istanan and Yin started back down through the ship with him. Rqua, Crystal saw, was now sitting on the bed in the medunit, looking a little confused.

"You want to fill him in on everything that happened, Yin?" Etric asked, waving a hand toward the room.

"Oh, yes. Like I understand," Yin replied. He started away then handed his cane to Istanan. "This will help."

"Thanks. High grav world... well, at least for me."

"You don't have to come down with us," Crystal said. He looked at Istanan. "You can trust us."

"Trust the two of you? After all I've heard tonight on how you met and what you've done in the past? No, I think one member of the crews should always be with you two. That's a matter of survival. You two are not safe left alone together."

Yin patted him on the shoulder with a nod. Etric and Crystal did not argue.

By the time they made it down to the airlock, Crystal had begun to feel like maybe they should just go hunt down Wes Ias and blow the hell out of him. He seriously doubted anyone would complain about the illegality of the action.

But then he thought about the man they were going to meet once the door opened and decided that perhaps illegal wasn't such a good idea right now.

The door opened, and the warm, dust-scented air pushed past his hair, dry and tasting of salt. This world did have the one advantage of being so sparsely settled they could see one person coming across the desert toward them.

A few meters from the ship Prince Tamaris finally stumbled and went to his knees. Etric leapt from the ramp and hurried to him, and Crystal followed, leaving Istanan at the door as guard. It wasn't until he stood over the man that he realized he was about to meet a member of the Empire's most powerful family.

Tamaris looked up with an unexpected smile. "Etric," he gasped. "I have a problem."

"I rather expected that. Do you want to come in the ship? Or should we just stay here and wait for whatever is after you?"

"You may not want me inside," he said and started to stand.

Etric reached to take his arm, but the prince pulled back. Didn't like to be touched? Crystal took a step back, uncertain of what he should do.

"What's wrong?" Etric asked.

"Already bleeding, sorry." Tamaris started to stand on his own, but Etric caught him around the waist this time and held him up. "Let's go into the ship. You must be Captain Crystal. I'm sorry we have to meet under such melodramatic circumstances. You did an excellent job on the Bowie Run, by the way."

"Thank you," Crystal said. The words sounded mechanical while he fought the urge to run in the direction the prince had taken to get here. He still couldn't quite grasp the situation, but he was glad they were heading back into the ship. The airlock sealed behind them, and even the prince looked relieved. He stopped and leaned against the wall, still panting, and wiped the back of his hand across his forehead. Crystal could see blood on the bandages beneath his loose sleeves.

"Captain Etric, I--" Tamaris stopped and looked a little embarrassed. A glance at Istanan and away - Crystal wondered if he and his crewman ought to just slip out right now. "Captain, you know when I took passage on your ship I told you I was anxious to get to Taru."

"Yes." Etric closed his eyes for a moment and leaned against the wall as well, obviously worried. It didn't help Crystal's feeling of impending doom. "After everything else that happened, I forgot that part. Damn. What's happened? What went wrong?"

Tamaris looked at Crystal, worried.

Crystal lifted his hand and started to retreat back toward the airlock. "I need to get back to Fame anyway--"

"No," the prince said. "No, forgive me. I fear the trouble I've inadvertently created is going to fall on you as well. I apologize. I do not trust easily, but you are already vouched for by Etric."

"You know, I get the feeling this might be something I really don't want to know about," Crystal said.

"Very likely not," Etric agreed. "But you better hear it out. He's right. Because you and I are linked, I suspect any trouble he brought here is going to strike at you as well."

Tamaris agreed with a quick nod. He looked at Crystal. "I'm an assassin."

"A what?" He couldn't parse the word. He couldn't... No. No.

"An assassin," he repeated. "And a damn good one, too, or I wouldn't be alive right now."

"What happened?" Etric asked.

"I came to Taru because on Delson I had finally learned that the governor's own Imperial Guard captain has been running a black market--"

Crystal stepped back.

"A black market in drugs, specializing in midori?" Tamaris looked at Crystal. "You do not deal in that type of merchandise."

"Not at all," Crystal answered. His words came a little too fast. "I just skirt the laws of importation here and there. And pick up a few baubles from people who can afford to lose them. Ah..."

"Stop panicking," Tamaris said and even grinned this time. "Don't worry. I have other problems, you know. Etric, I had no intention of killing the captain just yet, and certainly not within a few feet of his men. I was listening to an interesting conversation, since the three of them controlled the entire operation."

"And you moved to end it?" Etric asked.

"No. I'm afraid the injuries to my arms have left me without my normal ability to feel. I didn't even realize it. While I watched the captain from the greenhouse roof, a pane of glass gave way and I fell into the midst of this rather private conversation. I killed all three and ran, but the breaking glass had drawn others. The entire Imperial Guard is out to find me. From what I heard, Captain Bedlin handpicked the IGs who served the governor, and all of them were getting very rich here on Taru. I have annoyed the hell out of them."

"Every Imperial Guard on Taru is involved?" Crystal said, feeling the start of a new worry as well.

"No, only the governor's personal guard. And not that fool of a governor, either. He was a perfect patsy for them. I think the port guards are clean, and likely anyone stationed away from the city as well."

Crystal nodded. His mouth felt dry. He began to factor in new trouble, new enemies...it didn't look good. He saw the same worry in Etric's eyes.

"So, you ran after you killed them?" Etric said.

"Yes. I dared not be seen clearly, Captain. I, a Prince of the Line, one of the three possible heirs to the throne and--"

Crystal must have made a sound. He didn't know he had. He didn't even realize he had backed up again until Etric caught his arm.

"Stop panicking," Tamaris said again and shook his head this time. "Yes, I am a close relative to the emperor. Yes, we grew up together. And I am an heir to the throne. But I'm not exactly on the right side of the law myself, you know. Or did you think we're all assassins?"

"Oh." He stopped trying to pull away. Amusement seeped in around the panic of a moment before. All in all, this just seemed to fit the rest of the madness. He managed not to grin. "Forgive me, sire."

"Gods, this man is impossible," Prince Tamaris said with a little laugh. But he looked back at Etric with worry again. "I had not intended to do anything about the IGs until after you had settled the trouble with Wes Ias and the demons. But I had to kill them after they saw me, and I didn't dare be taken captive by the others. If they held me for ransom, Kadrien wouldn't have been pleased. We couldn't afford to let it out I have been out spying... or worse. I've been careful, Etric. There's never been a connection back to me. I don't want one now."

"So, you ran to us," Etric said.

"I almost went to Captain Crystal's ship, but since they do not know me there, I took the longer trip and hoped they would search the city to find me. I think it worked. Someone will have reported by now, though, that a person came running here."

"Implicating us." Etric just shook his head. "Well, why not. We're already implicated in smuggling because of our connection with Crystal."

"Exactly. Forgive me, Etric. I'm sorry to do this to you. But I had nowhere else I could...run."

"What about Kamil?" Etric asked. "If they think he's involved--"

"I checked on him before I went to see what the captain was up to. He and the governor's wife were working in the estate's library, so he had the perfect witness that he could not be the one. They may ask him about the ship, but I believe he's safe. I'll make certain of it when I'm back as the prince."

"How many local IGs do we have to worry about?" Crystal asked.

"The governor's guard numbers two hundred. No, make that one-hundred-and-ninety-seven." He stopped and took a deep breath. "Right now they really won't know more than that someone spied and nearly got caught. They will have no reason to think 'assassin,' and far less to think of me. I'm usually far more discreet."

"Won't they suspect you're the one when they find you aren't at the palace tonight?" Crystal asked.

"I left with a very pretty courtesan this evening. She's been drugged, and when I bring her out of it, she will swear I never left her and she never slept. Oh, believe me, I've done that part before."

"Let's go up and get your arms re-bandaged," Etric said. "That could give you away."

"Ah." He looked at his arms, and Crystal could see cuts on his hands as well now. That wasn't good. "Yes, bandages might be wise, though they aren't going to help with the new cuts."

Etric took one of the hands and frowned. "Magic," he said. "We'll get rid of the signs of the trouble you were in. Don't argue."

Crystal felt his heart pound at those words. Etric saying them to a Prince of the Line--

And Tamaris nodded. It did make sense.

Tamaris grinned again and shook his head as they started up toward the medunit. "This is the closest I've ever come to being caught. I've never panicked like that before."

"Well, at least you had the wits to run here," Etric said. "We can at least divert attention for a while--"

But as they came around the corner they met Tristan and Abby, and just from Abby's look, Crystal could tell they were in more trouble. He stopped and leaned against the wall, looking at Istanan with a shake of his head.

"What now?" Etric asked, and even he sounded bothered.

"Forgive me, my Lord Captains, but we have news. Tristan has examined my crown. We suspect that Wes Ias is in league with Tabor, and that the crown and the Kiya are very close. I believe they are on their way for Tristan and me."

"Ah, great. That sounds about right," Etric replied. "Let's hope the IGs don't turn on us right away as well."

"Does it seem likely they will?" Abby asked, looking at Prince Tamaris.

"Yes, it does."

"Banning?" Crystal tapped the comm in his collar. "Banning, have you been following this?"

"Oh, my, yes," she said and didn't sound amused.

"Seal the ship and get the crew and weapons over here. Bring whatever other toys you can port over quickly and think we'll need. Blow the hell out of any IG craft you can see on the way, but try not to kill anyone."

"You always add those bothersome little tags," she said. "We're already gathering what we need. Be there in ten minutes."

"You don't have to abandon your ship," Etric said, shaking his head.

"Etric, I've looked at this, and I think we're wiser to join forces here. Wes Ias always goes for weakness, remember. Fame is not the ship sitting helpless in the desert."

"True," Etric said, but he didn't look certain.

"It's safe enough at the port. Only a fool would attack there," Crystal said. "Especially if they aren't certain about the local guards. This is where we'll need help. Your ship cannot stand up to an assault. We're better to join our forces and have some hope of fighting them off. Wes Ias, the demon, the Imperial guard...how long do you think we have?"

"To live?" Etric asked. "Or just until they attack?"

Crystal just shook his head. "Banning--"

"Five minutes. Don't get into trouble before we get there."

"Like I have any control over it." He smiled at Etric who looked increasingly worried. "We have toys, Captain. We've picked them up here and there."

"Let's get Tamaris fixed up and out of here." Etric put a hand on the prince's back.

"I'm not going--"

"Yes, you are. We don't want you found with us, do we? Not after your near disaster already. We'll get you back to the city. It may be you'll help us more from the outside, anyway."

Tamaris stopped and looked back at Etric, eyes narrowed for a moment before he nodded "Yes. Maybe I can help. I am yours to command, Captain Etric. And I mean that."

Crystal didn't doubt him.

Chapter Five

Tabor stood in the room with his father's black throne and the fires of hell burning in the walls. He held his head up, though that was difficult. He couldn't recall the last time Braith remembered to feed him or even give him water. He had managed a little with magic, but not enough. He would not stand up for long.

The room reeked of Braith's magic and Gix's power. They had something set, something that only needed more blood. They would have his, of course -- but it would be the last.

He looked at his father. The demon's eyes opened wider, judging the level of defiance in his son's stare and stance. Tabor saw anger growing.

But he would not back down. Not this time, though he must temper his plans. He didn't dare tell Gix he would not cooperate, not with the amount of magic already set to be triggered.

But he didn't intend to play the pawn for much longer, and Gix saw it. So did Braith, who backhanded him. Tabor staggered, but he stayed to his feet. Braith raised his hand again, his eyes wide and half-wild.

"Enough," Gix growled. He glared, and Braith lowered his arm-slowly, as though he did not trust his own movement. "Enough. We have other matters, do we not? On your knees, Tabor."

"Not until we have talked."

Gix hissed, but Tabor lifted his manacled hands in as near a gesture of peace as he would dare with the demon. It did not help to show weakness before him, and he knew he stood on a thin line right now between defiance and subservience. And death, perhaps, but that didn't bother him as much as it had in the past.

"What you say had better be worth the time," Gix said, his red eyes flashing.

But Tabor could see interest in those eyes. He could even, almost, see hope. And a glance toward Braith showed he could not hide his panic. Good. All the better.

"This... man has been making one mistake after another," Tabor said. "This is the last time I will play Braith's game. Next time, we will act according to my plan."

"Why should I?" Gix demanded, his hands moving, his claws glittering in the dull light.

"Because with each failure of this fool, you are running out of chances, aren't you? There are not an infinite number of Kiya pieces to be found. This is Braith's last chance."

Braith's breath hissed in anger, and Tabor felt it like a blow this time, or a promise of torment. Braith would not forgive him for this indiscretion, but he had never courted the fool's pleasure.

Gix nodded agreement. For a moment, just the briefest moment, Tabor did, indeed, see hope in his eyes.

"We will finish this act," Gix said. "You will go where we send you and do our bidding. I watch, Tabor. Do not purposely fail in this, or you will not have your chance."

Tabor gave a bow of his head. They intended to send him to that far place, and that suited him... to be close to the Kiya and the crown. He'd be wise and careful. He needn't do anything deliberate. Braith didn't need his help to fail.

When Tabor knelt by the broken pieces of mirror their relationship had already changed, and Braith knew it. He looked into Tabor's eyes as he sliced deep into the demonling's wrist. Blood did not just flow, it gushed. Tabor grew dizzy with weakness in that moment.

And in the next Gix healed the wound, quickly and without pain.

"Enough blood, don't you think?" he asked.

Braith caught his breath. Every cell in his body oozed panic. Better than food - Tabor drank it in as he knelt before the man.

But he was no longer the slave.

Chapter Six

Etric shook his head again. "No, Rquana."

"Yes." Rqua pulled on his boots. "I'll be the one to take Tam back across the desert. You stay with the ship."

"But--"

Rquana stood, and for the first time in many years Etric saw anger in his face. He stopped the next part of his argument.

"I am capable of taking care of this. When did you start doubting what I could do?"

"That's not it!" Etric sat on the bed where Rqua had been. "I don't doubt your ability. I'm just not... I don't like any of this."

"None of us do, Captain. Not anyone, from the crews all the way to Abby and Tristan. But here we are. It's time we all start making the best use of our resources. And that means I'm going with Tam back to the city using my magic, because you are needed here where we are more likely to fall under attack. The night is clear, the moon full, and I won't have any trouble with drawing power. I'll come back as soon as I can."

"Yes," Etric finally agreed. He knew Rquana was right, but he still wanted to argue and go himself, and be here and help the others, and do everything. He couldn't do it all, and it was time he did trust the others to help.

Etric looked back to see Tamaris at the doorway, looking worried. The prince shook his head as well and started to speak, but Etric stopped him.

"No, don't you start arguing with him as well. Rqua is right. We all agree you need to get back. You can't be found here, and not just for your own sake."

"I should never have come here." Tamaris looked at his hands, healed now of the recent cuts. He shook his head again.

"You made the right choice," Etric said. He stood. "And I'm glad you did run to us, if for no other reasons than the codes you gave to Banning. You do realize what you've done, right?"

"Oh, yes. I hope she and Crystal make good use of them."

Rqua laughed. He pulled his hair back with a band from a drawer and stretched a little. "Still a bit stiff, but damn... I can't believe I'm this well, even given magic. You and I are just playing with magic compared to what Tristan can do, Captain."

"I had begun to realize that." Etric didn't know if he should feel reassured to have them with him or just inadequate. He looked through the doorway at the table where Abby and Tristan sat. They looked out of place. And worried.

Banning and Crystal were at the other end of the table with a portable comp. Etric suspected they wouldn't notice anything short of an attack in their immediate vicinity.

Rqua put a hand on Etric's shoulder. "I won't be long."

He nodded and watched the two leave the room and cross the crew's lounge. Abby and Tristan bade them farewell and to be careful. Until now, Etric hadn't really considered the danger. They had always stayed together, protected each other.

Now...

"Captain, Darien has some equipment down at the bay. He says you need to okay the installation," Yin said. He looked where Tamaris and Rqua had disappeared into the hall and shook his head. "I know they'll be fine, but damn... never mind."

"Nothing I'm not thinking as well. Let's go see what Darien has."

"Smuggler's tricks." Yin smiled. "I think I'm going to enjoy this part."

"At least for a while," Etric agreed. "I get the feeling we're not going to have that much time. Get the weapons out of storage, Yin, and put them on the racks by the airlock."

He nodded and headed for the locked cabinets. They'd be ready this time.

Chapter Seven

Crystal leaned over the portable comp and watched Banning key her way through the information accessed with the codes the prince had given them before Rqua took him back to the city. Gods, the things he could do with this stuff...

He tried to curb his excitement, but it wasn't helped by Banning moving faster and faster, and the look of pleasure on her face.

"My Lords." Tristan suddenly spoke. He frowned. Crystal wasn't used to seeing him without Abby, who had gone off with Yin a few moments before. "I think we have a problem."

The ship rocked, lights flickering. Alarms came on and went off again. In the next moment Etric darted up the curve of the ship, heading for the control deck.

"Long range lasers from the port. I'd say someone convinced the guard it needs to take us out... or else we missed a coup in the last few hours."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Banning replied, her fingers running over the computer keys again. "I see no indications here, but... I think I can scramble their comp-controlled weapons for a while."

The ship shuddered again.

"Good plan," Crystal and Etric said.

She looked up, shook her head, and went back to work.

"Your shielding fix worked. Thank Darien for me," Etric said.

"Odd things coming up on the computers," Banning reported. "It'll take me a few moments to sort it out. I think something is happening--"

"Magic," Tristan said, and lifted a hand. He dropped it again and nodded with relief. "Rqua."

A moment later Rqua was in the room. Crystal stared, stunned that a person could just appear out of nowhere, arrive without warning - unless you happened to have someone like Tristan on hand. Gods, he hadn't liked magic to begin with, and the more he saw of it, the more he mistrusted the art.

Except in the hands of his friends.

Rqua stood breathless, hands on his knees, but he lifted one when Etric rushed toward him.

"Fine. I'm fine. Made a very long leap. Never done that before." He took a couple quick breaths and stood straighter. "Tam and I did a little exploring in the city, Etric. Kamil is fine, but the governor's IGs have convinced the port guards we are part of a rebellion to overthrow the local government."

"We are?" Etric said. "Why the hell would they think that?"

"A number of reasons, and they do all look damning. Captain of the guard and his men killed, attacker runs to us." Rqua grabbed at a chair when the ship shook. "In league with the Fame. IG equipment destroyed not long after an aircar from Fame heads for us. It didn't take much to convince them. Tamaris apologizes. Profusely. And he'll see what he can do on his end to get control. The governor will be no help. He's convinced whoever killed his men was really there to assassinate him."

"Well, I hadn't exactly counted on his help, anyway," Etric admitted. "Any idea what the rest of our enemies are doing?"

"They will not be long in taking advantage of this attack," Tristan said. He looked at the wall, reminding Crystal that he really could not see. "They may well join forces with others against us."

The ship shook again. Crystal nodded. "The shields will keep them out, at least in an attack like this," he said. "I'm sure they're surprised. We're safe enough in here until they bring in land equipment. They won't get through."

"Captain Crystal... I came in through the shields," Rquana said.

"Yes, but you used..." He stopped. "We don't stand a chance in hell, do we?"

"We have a chance," Abby said from behind him.

Crystal heard an odd humming and turned.

"What the hell is that?" he whispered. He felt Banning's hand on his arm, her fingers tight, as he looked into the face of something utterly unnatural. Silver-blue eyes stared back at him from something that could not possibly be alive.

"That is our hope," Etric answered softly, and for the first time he believed it. "That is magic beyond anything the others have."

"She is called the Janin Abestella," Abby said. In that moment she sang brightly and gave an insane smile. Crystal felt a chill crawl up his body and seize his heart. Alive. Sentient. Magic. "She is whole, and the Kiya is not. That is, as Etric said, our hope. And we have another hope, my Lords. We have more mages than they do. As far as I can tell, only Tabor has any real power on their side. Tristan and I will concentrate on stopping him when he arrives."

"And you know he will arrive, don't you?" Etric asked.

Tristan lifted a hand from his lap and put the crown on the table, his fingers still wrapped around it. Crystal hadn't realized he'd been holding on to it, keeping contact with whatever had taken the other crown.

"Tabor is here, on this world. He has come in the last hour, and he is with the crown -- but I sense that Wes Ias and the Kiya are not there. He is not happy to have missed them. We can expect them soon."

"The new shields will hold up to the IGs attack, at least at this distance," Crystal said. He shook his head. "But they're bound to come in with land equipment. I suggest we meet them at the door rather than have them destroy half the lower deck to get in. If we can keep them away from the engine block, you might still fly away from this mess."

"Abby? Tristan?" Etric said.

"Outside," Tristan agreed. "Out in the moonlight, where there is power and nowhere for the enemy to hide. I see no reason to cause more damage in here."

"Troops loading up and moving," Banning said, looking up from the comp. "Captain -- Captains, we need to get the laser out now. As far as I can tell, they're only bringing in one cannon and one generator. It's coming by land, since they don't have anything large enough in floaters left to fly it in. We have a chance to take it out if they don't realize we have portable equipment as well. But we need to deploy the weapon right now."

"Let's go," Etric said.

Banning left the computer on the table, the codes still running. She glanced back at it one more time, but then she shook her head and touched her collar. "Istanan?"

"Getting it ready," Istanan answered a little breathlessly. "We're hooking into the engine's power line right now. I think we'll have enough conduit to reach the airlock door. If not... we'll only get one shot from the charged generator."

"I don't think we're going to get more than one shot anyway," Banning said. "Just make sure the charge is full and keep the door closed so they don't read the weapon as they come in."

"Darien and Otaka are going out with a scanner now. They'll have the coordinates. We'll be ready."

Time to go face the enemy.

Crystal glanced at Abby and Tristan, and the magic they held. He wanted to believe this Janin would be powerful enough... but he had held a part of the Kiya once, and he didn't underestimate the power of that evil.

Chapter Eight

Etric followed Abby and Tristan out into the warm desert night. He looked back to see that the others had taken weapons, ready to face the enemy as best they could. No more fighting shadows. He knew the true enemy would face them this time.

The air tingled with magic, and the moon hung over the horizon. Etric reached for it, grabbing all he could before...

"Tabor comes," Tristan said. He lifted his own hand, but not toward the moon. Etric looked out across the desert and saw a swirl of sand, glowing in the light. Magic... a great deal of magic.

"And there's our target," Banning said.

Etric looked around, startled - but, yes, he could see lights moving across the desert, coming straight from the city.

She had a hand on her collar. "Captain? Ready to move to the door with the cannon? As long as we're all standing right here, it will mask the power spike for a moment longer. But people, when I say to move out of the way do it quickly."

Abby put a hand on Tristan's arm. The others looked left and right, obviously preparing to jump.

"Ready," Crystal reported behind them. "On the count of three, move. I'll count to eight and fire. Laser is tracking. Do you have the coordinates, Ban?"

"Got it," Banning said.

Etric looked back. The small laser cannon had arrived in parts with Crystal's crew. Darien and Otaka had spent all their time putting it together, and Yin had rigged up a conduit to the ship's power supply. This little surprise might keep the IGs from getting their own weapon in place. He hoped they hadn't loaded up another one...but he suspected they'd be circumspect about doing that a second time -- if they even had time or reason for a second attack.

Too many enemies. He glanced at the swirl of magic. Abby and Tristan had already moved in that direction, a few steps away from the ship and away from the others.

"One... two... three--"

Etric moved off to the side of the ship in the same direction Abby and Tristan had gone. Now that he had slipped out of the light from the door he could see more clearly. Bright stars hung above them, and the city glowed like a distant fire.

"Six... Seven... Eight--"

He looked out at the distant vehicle. Light lanced through the night...and then something brightened. A moment later they heard the thud of the explosion.

"Okay, now they're going to be angry," Banning said.

Etric grinned, but it didn't last for long. He saw the floater coming in just as Crystal called out the warning. The trajectory was out of the arc the laser cannon could fire. He suspected that would be Wes Ias. All their enemies coming at once... well, at least he needn't worry about what might arrive while they were busy with some other matter.

"Tabor," Abby whispered. His hand dropped down to his sword as an erratic breeze blew stinging sand into their faces. The Janin sang so loudly she startled the others.

"Oh, we'll not be that easy," Tristan said and quickly wove a ward that stood like a glittering wall between them and the blowing sand. The wind blew harder for a moment, and then died away. Tristan waved the ward aside as well. He obviously did not intend to waste magic, even with the moon up.

Etric blinked. A man stood just a few feet away, his head tilted as he looked past the dying ward toward them. Unlike with Rqua, Etric had felt nothing extraordinary... as though the magic just came to him without trouble.

Like Tristan, he supposed.

"Demon," Abby whispered and started forward, but Tristan and Yin grabbed him.

"We meet again," the stranger said. Demon? Etric hadn't expected someone who looked so... human. He looked wary, in fact, and far less assured than his two foes. "I've come for the Kiya. Just give me your pieces, Tristan, and I won't need to fight Aubreyan. I want away from this place where there is so much emptiness. We can be done with this quickly, elf. The choice is yours."

"You know I can't give them to you," Tristan said, and even he seemed confused.

"Not even for a gift?"

Tabor held the crown out. The band caught a whisper of magic in the air, and the stone glittered even in the dark night.

Tristan reached out then caught hold of Abby again and shook his head. "I can't. You know I can't."

"We'll be forced to fight unless you end this madness now, Tristan. I'm as tired of this war as you doubtless are."

"Then you give me the Kiya and quit," Tristan said.

"I don't have the choice." Tabor's face, caught in a moment of bright moonlight, showed unexpected desperation. Tristan couldn't see it. "What do you think Gix would do to me? Do you think Aubreyan's mother could be as cruel?"

"And that's why I can't let the demons win," Tristan answered. "Because of what the demon would do if he had the staff."

"Ah, yes." He did, it seemed to Etric, understand as he put the crown into a pouch. Abby made a sound... a soft whisper of fear, but Tristan and Yin still held him. Tabor drew a sword instead. "Let him go. It's the only way, Tristan. I have the crown. You can't hold him and fight me at the same time. This is the way it was always intended to be, demonling and godling against one another."

"I'll hold him," Etric offered. He stepped closer, caught hold of Abby's arm, careful of the Janin. She sang and smiled, and looked far from sane. Abby only looked desperate as he fought against the curse, trembling in Etric's grasp.

"Let me go," Abby said. The Janin turned on Etric. He saw her sweep around at him, but Abby pulled her back. She sang louder and nearly bit Etric this time. He refused to let go, though.

"No... no!" Abby whispered through clinched teeth. "Help Tristan. Don't let him..."

"We've no choice, Abby." Tristan closed his eyes, and Etric felt magic encircle the elf. "I have to fight him."

Tristan had put his hand on the sword Abby wore and now drew it free of the scabbard. At that moment Abby tore free of Etric and Yin. With a cry of desperation, he threw the Janin at Tabor, and she struck him across the arm, sending him sprawling.

But he cast some spell in the next moment, and she slid into the sand at their feet, screaming with rage and fear. Gods, that hope gone!

Abby pulled the sword from Tristan's hand and leapt at Tabor -- not to fight the demon but to save Tristan. Tabor brought up his sword, meeting the first swing almost a moment too late. Etric started after Abby, but Tristan somehow grabbed his arm.

"It's our war," he said, his hand raised to cast magic as he could. "Fight your battle and leave Tabor to us. You don't want to draw the attention of the demons. Your enemy comes."

"Tristan--"

"Let me help Abby! You keep the others safe!"

Etric looked back just as the floater-bus-sized -- finally swept down and settled on the ground with what must have been a bone-jarring landing. The door opened. His enemy had arrived at last. He could see Ias within the vehicle -- a tall, wide man with a square face set like stone, even now.

Ias's people began to leave the floater. Did they expect Etric and Crystal not to have weapons? Ah, no. He just didn't care, since his people wore full shield armor. Gods! How the hell did they get their hands on that much equipment? Wes Ias had lost nearly all of his wealth over the last few years, and the IGs rarely willingly let the shield armor go. It cost a fortune on the black market, when it could be found at all.

Two dozen men -- too many for his friends to fight, though that didn't slow them from attacking. Etric shoved his laser pistol into his shirt and spellcast instead, doing his best to push some of the attackers to the ground, to give his people at least a chance...

Damn. How did they get the armor?

Diversion. IGs.

He turned, reaching for his pistol, and felt something burn, agony through every nerve of his body... but not dead. That still surprised him, even as he fell. He managed to turn his head enough to see that a group of IGs had come in by foot behind the ship.

Working with Wes Ias. Tamaris had warned them the locals were involved in trading drugs, even midori! Damn! How could they not have put it together!

People fell.

Wes Ias stood over him, a mountain of a man -- more immense than Etric remembered him. A bejeweled hand caught Etric's arm and jerked him up. The world went red instead of black, but he still held to consciousness as he looked into the man's face.

"You don't know how glad I am to find you alive," Wes Ias said.

"And me as well?" Crystal asked.

He stepped into the light from the open airlock. He held his hands out in the open, free of weapons. Etric saw the anger in his friend's face. He couldn't be certain if Wes Ias did or not, though he did swing Etric around as a shield, an arm going around Etric's neck and something sharp pricking his side. Crystal had started to step forward. He stopped.

Etric could see the battlefield now. The fighting had ended. Tathis lay facedown in the sand to his right, Rquana just beyond him, Banning a little farther...though Etric thought perhaps she moved in that moment he spared to look at her.

Even Tabor and Abby had stopped -- Abby on his knees and breathless, a cut across his face. The demonling held a sword to Abby's neck -- a quick death, when he decided to give it.

Tristan stood beyond the two, his head bowed, his eyes closed.

All lost. Yin limped forward in the hold of an IG and looked to Etric for some sign. Possibly he saw one there; he straightened, ready.

Etric couldn't let them fall to this man, or to this demon. He had to do...

Prepare!

He almost started at the word, so plainly in his head. But in the next heartbeat he knew the source, and knew why Yin had stood straighter, and why Crystal held back. Kamil! Kamil was nearby and had not been captured, and as long as they had one secret…

"We have won, Tabor," Wes Ias said, and the blade in his hand poked harder into Etric's side, a sharp pain. He laughed. "I've done it! You have the two you want, and I have Etric and Crystal. We both won."

"Be still, you fool. There is something more I need." Tabor didn't sound particularly happy to have won, or perhaps he just didn't care for his allies. Whatever the reason, Ias did stop and watch as Tabor looked to Tristan. "Now, elf, give the pieces of the Kiya to me."

Tristan looked up. Etric had expected to see him lost, afraid, and ready to comply to save Abby. Instead, he had never seen the elf so angry.

"I have your Abby," Tabor said. His eyes seemed to glint with a little glow of red. Not human, Etric reminded himself. "I know you can feel that even without the crown. Don't tempt me to do something neither of us has the power to undo. Would his mother come for you, Tristan, if you asked her to save Abby? Can you risk it? Give me the Kiya."

Tristan started to take a step forward. He stopped. "You know I can't, Tabor."

Tabor frowned, shaking his head. "Gix will find us soon, you know, and after that I won't even have the ability to kill Aubreyan Altazar. It's just the lack of magic in this abominable place that holds him back a little while longer. Once he arrives, I lose any chance to make terms. Move quickly, or all is lost. I'll trade the crown for your pieces of the Kiya, just as before. And this time I give you the life of Aubreyan Altazar as a bonus."

Tristan looked stunned, confused. Abby even blinked, one moment of sanity -- and then the madness came back. Etric wished him sane right now. Etric wished him calm and able to help Tristan in a time when the rest of them could do nothing. Instead, he fought to stand, reaching for the demonling. Tabor waved his free hand, and Etric felt the strengthening of the magical bonds that held Abby in place.

"I can't." Desperation filled Tristan's voice. "I can't betray him. And you'll kill us anyway--"

"No, not kill, not with Gix so close that he would know what I did. He'd never forgive me for that indiscretion. Gix will have him, though. And then I will still come for you, Tristan. What chance will you have against me?"

"I will fight."

"One last chance." Tabor sounded oddly like a man who truly wanted other choices as he drew the crown from his pack. "I have it, Tristan. The crown. The last link to Abby. And I'll destroy it first."

He called up a black fire that played along his fingers, brushed at the crown. Abby whimpered at the sight.

Tristan launched himself at the demon. Tabor tossed the crown aside and blocked Tristan's spell with one of his own that staggered the elf.

For a moment Etric thought Tristan would do something., but he stumbled, nearly went down -- and didn't realize he had been backing up toward the IGs.

Etric started to warn him; but even before he got a word out, the knife drove into his side again -- deep this time, followed by pain that would have put him down if Wes Ias hadn't had an arm around his neck. He nearly choked instead.

"Be still, and watch the nice show," Wes Ias whispered at his ear.

Warn Tristan! Kamil, warn Tristan!

Magic. Can't reach...

And Tristan backed into the soldiers. They shoved him away, laughing. They might not even have known he was blind, but it worked. Tristan tripped over a body -- Darian? -- and started to fall. Tabor leapt forward. With the sword he flat-bladed the elf across the back of his head. Tristan went down this time, though he tried feebly to get back up.

"Hold him!" Tabor waved two guards over who grabbed the elf. "Turn him over and hold him down!"

Above his own pain, Etric could feel the intrusion of a new magic... darker. Angry. He watched as Tabor used the sword tip to pull back the edge of Tristan's shirt, and there he found the pouch. He knelt down and took it... and didn't look quite as pleased as Etric thought he should.

"Abby was always easy, you know," Tabor said. "I could count on the curse to bring him to me. But you... I didn't think I would really win this way, Tristan."

Something glowed behind the demonling. The guards who had been holding Tristan let go and scrambled away. Tristan started to reach for Tabor, but the demonling pushed him back down before he stood.

"Be still, fool. Don't draw their attention. I have Abby still bound, and as long as he doesn't attack, they may well forget him. Especially after I hold up the Kiya for them."

Etric believed him. He wanted to hope for at least that much, even while pain tore through him at each breath and the world kept getting darker. Kamil? He wondered what Kamil would do…

Circles formed in the air: Places and other places stretching into more circles. Then one steadied, grew larger until the death-white face of a man came close, glaring at Tabor. But something -- something else stood behind him.

Etric had not really believed in the demons, not in any real sense, until he looked at Gix. Even Wes Ias quailed before such a creature, letting go of Etric, who went to his knees, a hand at his bleeding side.

"You, Wes Ias -- you have the other piece of the Kiya," Tabor said, turning to him. "It's time to give it back."

Now!

Etric wasn't certain how he knew what to do. Maybe it was only blind luck. He grabbed Wes Ias at the knees and threw his weight against the man's legs, knocking him back and down.

They struggled.

"Let go of me, you fool," Tabor said behind him. "I need the other piece of the Kiya, Braith!"

"Give it to me!"

He heard Tabor growl just as Wes Ias finally held him down. Etric saw beyond Ias to a far stranger scene. Braith, the white-faced man in the circle, had grabbed Tabor, his eyes glaring as he tried to take the pouch Tabor held. Tabor finally pulled free and spun toward Etric and Ias.

And then Tam stepped from the shadows, knife in hand. He threw. The blade buried to the hilt in Tabor's shoulder. The demonling gave a startled cry and started to go to his knees.

Crystal leapt over Etric and Wes Ias, running straight for the demonling. Etric watched, stunned at the new insanity, and almost missed that Wes Ias had grabbed his laser pistol. He and Crystal would have been dead in that next moment, except that Kamil and Tam both arrived, and between the three of them...

Wes Ias died very quickly with the laser pushed against his heart. Etric almost almost regretted not having a chance to make the man suffer as he and so many others had in the slaver's hands.

"Crystal," Tam whispered, looking up his eyes wide.

Etric grabbed the laser from the dead man's hand, turned and fired at a guard who had been reaching for Crystal. He fell, dead with a hole through his chest. They'd turned off the shields! Etric held the weapon two-handed now and fired again--

Crystal collided with Tabor, who had a hand to his bleeding shoulder. They both fell toward the circles, and into them. Abby cried out in dismay--

Tabor shoved Crystal away from him. Away and out. And Tabor looked at Etric, lifted his blood-covered hand toward Braith, who had grabbed him again, dragging him back through the circles. Tabor's mouth moved, but if he said the words, Etric couldn't hear above the yells of anger and inhuman growls that came from that other place.

But Etric, who had worked so long with a deaf crewman, read lips very well.

Shoot him.

Etric aimed and fired at Braith, the deadly light brushing his pale face. Braith screamed, and the circles sealed.

Gone.

The few guards still standing raced toward their floater, abandoning the war now that their leader had died. Or perhaps they had seen too much of hell when the demon stared out at them. Etric fired toward them, but only to make certain they didn't consider looking back. The craft lifted, blowing sand everywhere.

And then silence. Wes Ias lay dead at his feet. Etric started to fall back, but Kamil caught him and eased him down. He tried to see if any of the others had survived, but he could find no movement...

Crystal sat up.

He had something in his hands.

Chapter Nine

For a few moments the feel of both Tabor and Gix, so close, had overwhelmed all the sanity Abby had left. He howled and fought the magic that held him down. Then demon was gone, and Tabor with him. The circles closed, and in that last moment the magic that held him failed. He surged to his feet, but too late to stop the disaster.

Now he felt empty as the rage disappeared. The enemy had gone, but so had the pieces of the Kiya and even the crown. He'd seen it in Tabor's hands, the fire burning along the golden band just before Tristan attacked. He and Tristan would never have that link again.

He hadn't expected to fail so spectacularly. What now? Perhaps he should throw himself to the demon and be done with it. He didn't want to be here to watch the worlds fall to the demons and their cursed staff.

Abby bowed his head. He had never known the taste of such bitter failure before. Even the sound of the Janin, half-buried in the sand nearby, could not give him hope that they might still have a chance. No pieces of the Kiya left. Nowhere to go to follow...

Trapped here forever, in this place with so little magic? Gods, not here. Even with friends...if any of them had survived. He heard voices, but he shivered in the warm night, frightened to know there could be far worse that had happened....

"Tristan," he whispered, afraid to look for fear he might have lost far more than the quest and crown.

"I'm here."

Tristan took a step closer and knelt in the sand beside him. The elf looked drained, and even the magic of the moon didn't seem sufficient to revive him. Or perhaps what Abby really saw was the loss they shared, even without the crown.

"What can we do?" Abby asked. "Gods, I'm sorry. I couldn't -- I got too close to him. I couldn't stop. Tristan, what can we do? They have the Kiya! Should I call her? Should I ask for help?"

"Take this!" Crystal had crossed to them and he held out... the pouch. The pouch. "I can't bear to hold it any longer. Please, take it!"

Tristan must have sensed the Kiya so close. He reached, his hands shaking, and took the cloth bag in his hold. He looked stunned.

"How? How did you do that?" he whispered.

"I'm a thief." Crystal smiled, but he rubbed his hand against his shirt, trying to brush away the feel of the Kiya. "I took it in that moment when we collided. But if he hadn't pushed me back out of the circles, they'd still have it. Damn, I hate that thing. But I would rather it stayed here in your hands than there in his."

"We... we didn't lose!" Color came back to Tristan's face, and even Abby felt an almost hysterical urge to laugh as emotions swept from one end of the spectrum to the other. "I didn't think... I thought we had lost everything."

"No, you didn't lose." Etric came close, with Kamil supporting him, and held out a small pouch suspended from a delicate chain. "Here. I don't like the feel of it, either."

Abby took the piece of the Kiya Wes Ias had worn and pulled it from the little cloth sack.

"Not even this one," he said. "Tristan, he didn't get the new piece, either."

"We are blessed in our allies." Tristan took the piece of wood out, holding it in his hand for a moment before he pushed it in with the others. "Gods, we are blessed."

"You need to rest, Captain," Abby said, looking at the blood that covered his side. "You need one of the mages to see to that wound."

"In a moment." Etric kicked at the sand by Abby and suddenly leaned down, Kamil holding onto him. Abby didn't think he noticed the wound.

Then Abby saw what his friend had retrieved from the sand where Tabor had dropped it when he grabbed Tristan. He held the little circlet of gold out.

"Gods," Abby whispered. He looked at Etric, and he couldn't quite believe the gift could be real. He couldn't touch it.

"Abby?" Tristan said softly.

"The crown. Tabor left the crown behind."

Tristan reached, and Etric put the crown carefully in his hands. The elf closed his eyes, both hands around the gold, slightly tarnished where the black fire had brushed it.

"Safe." Tristan smiled. "I think he left it on purpose, Abby. I think he always hoped he would not have to take you or me with him."

"Why?" Abby asked, confused.

"Because he's not a willing slave," Etric said.

"Yes," Tristan agreed. "Yes, that's it exactly. It seems he was not only an unwilling slave, but our unwilling ally as well."

Crystal, who could as easily have been pulled into the demon's realm, nodded. Abby couldn't quite accept so easily, but he would know the truth soon enough. Tristan slipped the crown on his head and nodded. Abby looked at the elf, and for the first time truly smiled as he took the crown he had kept inside his shirt and pulled it down over his hair. He closed his eyes. The others stood, silent and waiting.

"You've spent too much time with me, Tristan," Abby said. "You don't even realize that your hand is bleeding, do you?"

Tristan laughed and held out the fingers for Abby to bandage...

Chapter Ten

Braith still whimpered, huddling in the shadows back by the glowing wall, his burnt face cradled between his hands. Tabor suspected the shock more than the wound bothered him. Even Braith had taken far worse than that in the past.

Or perhaps fear brought that despair to the man. He could already feel Gix's rage as it filled the air like an unstoppable inferno.

But Tabor did not fear. For him, everything had worked. He had not wanted this last ploy by the high priest to succeeded, not when he had already prepared Gix to let him take over. No, he needed the failure, though he could not have purposely failed. Not in any obvious way.

He looked back at Braith. The wound weakened the high priest when Tabor most needed him out of the way. Tabor, who had also come through the circle nearly unconscious in the end, ignored Braith as he faced his father. His shoulder still bled - the man with the knife had caught him by surprise.

The thief had done even better, but Tabor dared not admit his own mistakes. No. He would lay blame where it most needed to be laid right now.

"I would have had it all." He looked straight at Gix, never flinching. "I had the elf's pouch in my hands. I had Abby in my magic, and I had control of the man who held the other piece of the Kiya."

"And yet you failed," Gix answered, his voice low as thunder. The building shook.

"No. That... that thing whimpering in the corner grabbed me and pulled me out. I had it all, Gix. He cost us everything."

Gix lifted his head, blood-red eyes staring into his son's soul. Tabor suspected the demon saw all the lies there... ah, but they were good lies, weren't they? And in the next moment it occurred to Tabor that his father, being what he was, might not even know the difference.

"I give you Braith to do with as you please," Gix said. "Take pleasure in it as it took pleasure in tormenting you."

Ah, that proved a sweet temptation, especially when he saw Braith's head come up as the high priest's breath caught in absolute terror. He could taste it.

But he didn't have time for such delights.

"I have other plans," Tabor replied. He saw the way Gix's eyes narrowed, mistrusting him in that moment. "I leave it in your hands, father, to play with as you will. A gift."

Oh, and that was worse, of course. Braith shrieked, and a wave of Gix's hand silenced the man, though the mouth remained open in a scream. Oh, yes, Gix would enjoy that game for a good long while.

"And what have you to do that is so important?"

"To find another piece of the Kiya." Tabor knelt and picked up a handful of broken mirror. "To find a piece and grab it first, rather than forever dogging in the steps of the godling and the elf."

"You can do this?" Gix leaned forward, his eyes blinking. Surprise. One did not see that often.

"I saw the paths when the elf sent the Kiya scattering out of our reach. It won't be easy... but far better than chasing after those two until they have all the pieces and the Gods come to claim their prize. All we need is one piece to track the others ourselves."

"Ah," Gix said. "Ah."

And he looked pleased.

Epilogue

Crystal sat in the doorway to the airlock, Etric beside him. The medics had bandaged his friend, treated all the others of their wounds, and taken away the dead. The governor had been by briefly, and gone again. Apparently, he had accepted the report by some of the port guard that his own IGs were behind this trouble. Crystal suspected magic in that turn of events, but he hadn't had time to ask yet.

The crews of both Freedom and Fame sat nearby on the pad, everyone stunned to find they were still alive. No one yet understood how they had survived the attack of the IGs and Wes Ias's men. They didn't even consider the battle with the demons. He thought perhaps even those with magic still had trouble comprehending what had happened.

Abby and Tristan came out of the ship, Tamaris just behind them now that everyone had gone. Rquana prepared to transport him back to the city yet again, drawing as much power as he could from the setting moon. Kamil had returned with the medics, though they didn't realize it. Etric had used a little magic to keep him hidden, hoping to get him back before the governor realized that guest had left the estate.

Crystal looked out at the sands, trying to find peace in the emptiness. He felt the rush of adrenaline through his body, alert for danger still.

But he looked up at Banning and smiled when she came to lean against the ship beside him. The bruise on the side of her neck looked painful, and she had bandages around both arms, but she didn't seem to notice. She looked down at him and nodded, as though something had just come clear to her again.

"I think maybe none of us were meant to die," she said.

"Pardon?" Crystal said.

Etric looked at her, shaking his head. "I don't believe anything stepped in on our side--"

"Nothing magical, Captain. No gift of the gods. I think Wes Ias so badly wanted his hands on you and Captain Crystal that he made certain the weapons used weren't likely to kill anyone outright. I've checked two I got to before the guards took them away, and their power cores were dangerously low. I suspect the only person in any real danger, besides Abby and Tristan in their own battle, was Captain Etric, because Wes Ias already had hold of him.

Etric shifted and put a hand to his side. He looked pale. "That makes sense."

"It's the only thing that really does," Yin added. He didn't even bother to try to stand this time. "We're all battered, but we came out of it. And Wes Ias did not. I think once the shock is past, we'll celebrate."

"Rqua and I are heading back to the estate," Tamaris told them. "It's just a few minutes to dawn. I have to be up for breakfast."

"And we must go," Tristan added.

For a moment, Crystal didn't understand.

"You can't mean to leave already," Etric replied, stunned. "Not yet."

He started to stand, but Tristan came and put a hand on his shoulder, holding him down. Crystal saw the elf whisper words, and a moment later Etric took a deeper breath, and his hand moved away from the wound.

"Thank you, Tristan," he said. But he looked up at the two and shook his head again. "You can't go yet."

"We stayed this long only to make certain all is well," Tristan said. "We dare not tempt fate any longer. I wish--"

But he stopped and shook his head.

"We must go, my Lord Captain Etric." Abby had the staff in one hand, and she hummed softly. "My Lord -- my friends, after all that happened, it is best that Tristan and I leave quickly and take the Kiya away with us. You do not want Tabor -- or even worse, Gix -- to come back here to retrieve her. Not now, after all you people have cost him. We must go - and quickly - and draw him away."

Silence. Crystal saw dismay everywhere, especially from Etric's crew. They had, after all, traveled together through the stars. And even he, who hardly knew these two, felt a whisper of loss.

"Please," Abby whispered. Crystal wasn't certain what he asked for, except perhaps for understanding. What they did could not be easy.

"I wish you... I wish you a safe journey." Etric bowed his head. The loss showed clearly in his voice, but he said the words that needed to be said. "I'm sorry you can't stay. I would have liked a little time of peace to spend with you."

"Will you come back?" Tamaris asked, stopping at Tristan's side.

"Tell us where we are, and how to get here again," Tristan said, his head tilted. "Tell us how to come back, and we will."

Tamaris looked down.

"Prince Tamaris, take care of where you put those blades in the future." Abby smiled a little, bittersweet with the coming loss. "You have made a very dangerous enemy... but one who should be more interested in following us than finding you. And Crystal--"

"I know. Watch what I do with my hands," Crystal said. He forced a smile. "Good luck, Abby. Good luck, Tristan."

Nothing more to hold them here. Crystal wished he could think of questions that needed answered. He wished he could find reasons to make them stay.

But the two walked away from the craft. The others bade them farewell as they passed, and it seemed to Crystal that maybe Abby hadn't expected that kindness. He wondered what it was like for them, always going... somewhere else.

"Rquana? Would you ward, please?" Tristan asked. He had pulled a piece of the Kiya from the pouch. "Sometimes it is dangerous when we leave."

"I would be honored," Rquana replied. But he didn't stop Etric, who slowly moved to stand with him and to help as well.

Crystal watched in those moments when Tristan opened a portal to somewhere else. Banning put a hand on his shoulder, her fingers tightening; and he dared a glance at her face. She looked at him and shook her head.

"Magic. Gods, Captain... Magic to go... anywhere."

She believed, finally. And in some ways she must even envy them. Her eyes had gone wide, her face still.

When Crystal looked back, he could see a place like he had never known before: A lake of sapphire and green, a palace on the shore, the walls laced with moss...

Tristan reached toward that place, but Abby looked out at them instead. He didn't want to go. Crystal hadn't expected that look of loss and longing from someone who went to fight the war that would save the universe.

And who would forever be leaving friends behind.

"May we meet again in some far port," Crystal said. He thought, from the way Abby bowed his head, that he must have heard.

And then they were gone. Sand swam up along the path they took, obscuring that other world in gold and light. The winds died. Abby and Tristan were gone. Etric and Rquana dropped the ward.

"Hell," Etric said. He came back to the airlock and sat again, looking pale and worn. The moon had gone down, Crystal realized. Etric had no way to regain that power now. "What now?"

"Now we rest, put your ship back together, try to keep this crazed prince of yours out of trouble…" Tamaris looked at him and smiled. Etric laughed, a hand going to his side. "Etric, you need to take it easy. This time I get to look out for you for a few days."

He started to speak. He stopped. "I'd be grateful if you'd stay by until the ship is ready to lift again. We can't be certain that Wes Ias doesn't have at least a few powerful friends."

"Good point," Tamaris said. He put a hand on Rqua's shoulder. "Ready to go? Or would you rather I left on my own?"

"I'm ready. Etric did most of the warding. I'll be back a little later, Captain. I'm going to hunt up Nolin while I'm in town and see if he can tell us anything more that we might need to know. I'll be discreet."

Crystal and Etric both nodded. Crystal laughed. A moment later he lifted his hand to shield his face from the blowing sand. When he looked, he thought he saw something moving with the wind, like a shadow in the night.

"I..." Banning began, then stopped and shook her head again.

"Banning doesn't believe in magic," Crystal said.

Etric looked at her, eyebrows raised. And then he lifted a hand and whispered words. A half-dozen marble-sized lights appeared in his palm, and then danced up into the sky before her face and sparked into small fireworks as they disappeared.

She looked back at him. "Are all mages such show-offs?"

"She's not exactly easy to please, is she?" Etric asked.

"Wait till you get to know her," Crystal said. And then he nodded. "Etric, I think even after we get the Freedom spaceworthy again, that maybe our ships ought to travel together for a while. I'd like... I'd like to take you back to Delson with me. And maybe we might go on to a few more places after that, if you think keeping company with me won't ruin your reputation."

Others laughed -- the crews from both ships.

Etric smiled. "I'm willing to go to Delson, at least. The food was great at Liron's place. I'd like to eat there again."

"And afterwards?" Banning asked. That surprised Crystal. And pleased him, that she really cared.

"Afterwards we'll have to see what kind of payloads we can... pick up."

She nodded and got that look Crystal knew very well. She'd find something for them. And then she did something unexpected. She walked over to Yin and started discussing possibilities with him.

They'd make a good team, Crystal thought. Hell, he and Etric always had been a good team. He wondered what kind of trouble they were going to get into now, though.

Then he looked to the stars and wished luck to other travelers on longer journeys.

Gods grant that we meet up again, someday... somewhere.

And he laughed at his new insanity.

The End