Racing Hearts (Shadow Quest 4.5) (6 page)

Darius dressed—same as he decorated his
office—with the purpose of seeming more important than he was. His
suit, expertly tailored, was made from the finest fabrics. Shoes,
buffed to a perfect shine. And his coffee-colored hair was molded
neatly, framing his face.

Darius sipped his cup of steaming
liquid while he, in turn, scrutinized Sebastian. Sebastian's
clothes were simple. His style was more wear-whatever-you-grab and
less preconceived, although today he put a little more thought into
his dress. A pair of black pants—riddled with pockets, buckles, and
secret places to hide his weapons—a pair of thick black boots,
scuffed with overuse, and a dark coat, lined with a light-grey faux
fur over a simple white shirt. Around his neck he wore two heavy
silver chains, which could double as weapons if needed. His short
black hair was purposefully messed, allowing his horns to peek out.
He too knew how to put on a show. His appearance projected danger
and reinforced the common knowledge that one did not want to piss
off a demon, especially this one.

Darius sat silently, giving off his
usual air of superiority. Sebastian matched him with a quiet
reserve, knowing what was about to come.

Negotiation time.

“I'll give you half the agreed price,”
Darius finally declared in a tone meant to end the conversation
there. He put down his mug and picked up his pen, readying to draw
up the new contract.

Two items missing from the
load and the bastard thinks he should get half off!

Stifling his annoyance, Sebastian
replied, “That would not even cover my costs.” His voice was calm,
a slight lift at the corners of his lips, his face a mask of
arrogance. It was the only way to deal with the obdurate
bastard.

“A few of the items I requested are
missing from the load. I cannot pay the full amount we agreed upon.
If I did that, every one of my merchants would bring me only half
of my order and demand full price.” Darius tsked.

“There are only two items I was unable
to acquire and those items are damn near impossible for anyone to
get. I would have to risk my life or the lives of my crew, and you
are not paying me enough for that.”

“I disagree.” A knowing
smile played across his lips. “A few short weeks ago, a competitor
of yours, Kierok, I believe was his name, was able to bring me one
of those items and charged me less than you quoted.” A steely
pause. “Perhaps I should do more business with
him
.”

Sebastian knew Kierok, a rival merchant
and a heartless creature. He also knew that Darius was waiting for
some kind of outburst at the prospect of losing him as a customer.
He probably expected Sebastian to crumble at his words and beg for
whatever pay he was willing to offer.

But Sebastian could not care less if he
and Darius did business. There was something abhorrent about the
man. Sebastian sensed he needed to tread cautiously around him and
always kept his guard up, as though he were a snake in the grass
waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

“Kierok doesn't give two shits about
his own crew and callously risked their lives to procure your
goods. I don't work that way.”

Darius studied him for a
moment, frown in place. “Kierok could provide me with
all
the same services as
you,” he pushed.

Sebastian only smiled, never taking his
eyes from the man in front of him. “If that's how you feel, I will
have my men pack up the cargo and we'll be on our way.”

Darius tried and failed to hide a sneer
before saying, “Unfortunately, I cannot wait for Kierok. But I will
not pay full price for partial delivery.” He slammed his hand down
on his desk to emphasize his point.

Sebastian shrugged, unconcerned. “I
will offer to take three percent off the agreed price.”

Darius, visibly agitated now, leaned
back in his chair. “Make it thirty percent.”

“Eight percent.”

Through clenched teeth, Darius replied,
“I will accept no less than twenty percent off.”

Sebastian pretended to weigh his
options. “Then I am sorry, I'll have to decline your offer.” He
stood, indicating the end of negotiations and his patience. He had
many other contacts that would pay adequately for his
supplies.

He held out his hand in a businesslike
gesture, resolution covering his features.

Darius eyed his outstretched arm with
disgust. “Fifteen percent,” he growled.

Offering him a fake look of indecision,
Sebastian pulled his hand back and contemplated the new offer. If
he had more time, he would have argued further, but he needed to be
on his way. “I think I can deal with that.” He didn't offer his
hand again, and neither did Darius.

Darius bent to unlock a drawer low on
his desk, lifting from it a small black box. He reached in and
counted, then recounted the correct number of chips before tossing
them on the desk in front of Sebastian.

Sebastian gathered the payment, bid
Darius farewell, and proceeded back to his ship, passing a handful
of bodyguards on his way out. He couldn't wait to get back. The
next stop promised to be a big job, one of their biggest. He was
about to negotiate a contract with the Serakians—an ancient and
wise race, known for their peaceful and gentle nature. When riled,
however, they proved to be exceptionally fierce.

To anyone who chose to accept, the
Serakians were offering a generous sum to transport a curiously
small amount of cargo. He'd received the notice just after he'd
negotiated the contract with Darius. Now that the contract was
fulfilled, he and his crew would head straight to the Serakian
rendezvous point. Luckily, it wasn't too far from their current
location, and should only take a week or so of travel.

The commission from this coming job
could feed his crew for months, maybe a year. Sebastian was
protective of his crew. He was their leader, their captain. Every
action he took affected them as much as it did him. Many in his
crew were next to family. Of the more than two hundred crew members
more than half were loyal friends, but only two were blood
relations—his sister Sonya and his brother Calic.

With a sense of satisfaction, Sebastian
crossed onto his ship. Calic grunted a nod at him. Calic was his
second in command. He was a tough leader, and an even tougher
adversary. When they would spar, Calic held nothing back, as if he
possessed a deep rage clawing for release. He demonstrated a
ferocity Sebastian had never seen the likes of.

Sebastian had the same rage bubbling
inside him. However, he was able to hone it differently by focusing
on the survival of his crew and on each commission.

He understood where the malice came
from, though. They'd both been betrayed by the women they loved.
Calic's beloved mate and their own mother had turned their backs on
them at the worst possible moment.

As a result, both Calic and
Sebastian kept their women at a distance, using them for what was
necessary and discarding them the moment after. The only difference
between the two was that Sebastian never slept with anyone
aboard
Marada
,
though more than enough women lived on the ship. A few had even
propositioned him. It was a strict policy he tried to enforce with
everyone, including Calic. But, like many, Calic refused to
submit.

“Is everything unloaded?”

Calic nodded. “Yeah, how did it go with
Darius?”

“He got fifteen percent
off.”

“Huh. Not too bad.” Calic pressed a
series of buttons on the control pad and the docking hatch began to
close. Metal screeched against metal as the heavy locks moved into
place and a faint hiss issued as the door sealed shut.

They made their way to the bridge,
where Sebastian claimed his position at the center console. As
ordered, the crew was at their posts with the ship ready for
departure.

An unfamiliar fragrance filled the
space around him. He sniffed the air. It was feminine. “Cale! Have
you had a female in here?”

Calic laughed carelessly. Conceit
dripped from his words, “Depends on when you're referring
to.”

“Keep them out of the control room,”
Sebastian scolded. If Calic was going to consistently break the
rules, there were plenty of more appropriate places to do
it.

So help me, if he had her
on my console!

Calic just shrugged in
response.

Not soon enough, the ship roared to
life. Sebastian was eager to get to the rendezvous and accept the
contract before anyone else beat him to it. His ship was fast, but
they'd been delayed due to the contract with Darius. In hindsight,
he regretted accepting the commission, but the deal had already
been struck, and Sebastian always fulfilled his contracts. He just
hoped the delay hadn't cost him.

He wasn't too worried, however. The
Serakians stipulations were extreme, to say the least. Even though
the pay was great, he doubted many would be eager to take on the
job.

His crew barked out their
actions as the thrusters fired, surging
Marada
forward. With the course set,
Sebastian eased into his seat. The crew seemed to relax along with
him.

For a long while, he watched the stars
as they twinkled like trapped firebugs, thinking over his checklist
of supplies. They'd made several stops before meeting with Darius,
stocking up in preparation for the long trip ahead. He wasn't
certain how long their journey would take, just that it would be a
great distance. That could mean weeks or months or, gods forbid,
years. He wanted to make sure they were fully prepared for whatever
was required.

Even though they were currently better
stocked than they'd ever been, he would still barter for more
supplies from the Serakians. Being over prepared would set him more
at ease with what he was about to put his crew through.

Analia woke. The unfamiliar rumbling of
the ship reverberated through her core. How long had she been
asleep? Obviously long enough that the scraps of food she'd last
eaten were all but consumed by her body. The ache in her stomach
punished her for it. She was weak. Struggling to even move her
arms, she wrapped one around herself for added comfort. Icy chills
racked her. Shivering, she stifled a groan, remembering where she
was—a strange ship and an unknown crew. Her heart jumped as
realization hit her.

I'm free
.

It was done. She was no longer on the
Hell Ship. Grinning stupidly, tears began to stream down her
temples. She had to keep herself from laughing out loud. A weight
seemed to have lifted from her chest, making her feel
lighter.

Freedom
, her mind repeated the word.

Her joy was cut short, feeling herself
growing weaker by the minute. Her already cramped space seemed to
grow smaller with each breath. Shifting her body in an attempt at a
more comfortable position, she rested her head on the crook of her
arm and stared at the blank grey wall. Once more, her stomach
growled. She clutched her abdomen in an attempt to silence
it.

She could only hope the crew
decided to dock soon so she could escape
this
ship and disappear into a
faceless crowd. Her pulse jerked at the prospect. Being away
from
Extarga
was
nearly intoxicating. But she knew, even though she'd escaped, she
wasn't safe yet.

Getting on this craft had been easier
than she could have imagined. Surely it would be just as easy
getting off, right?

At the thought of Darius, she grinned
anew, imagining the look on his face when he found that his
precious Analia was missing.

Did she just
giggle?

It was possible she was becoming
delusional from thirst and hunger.

Just once, she would have loved to see
the look of defeat on his face. To revel in the fact that she alone
had bested him. Would he be engulfed in rage? Would he regret his
treatment of her? Doubtful. Or would he set out straightaway to
find her. Fear prickled her, and she lost her good mood. That's
exactly what he would do.

They had to pull into a port soon. This
was a merchant ship, after all.

Thinking back, she wondered if she
covered her tracks well enough. Would the search take long enough
for her to carry out her plan, or was he already on his way to
claim her once more? She bit her lip with worry. There had been
other ships to come and go. Hopefully he would seek them out
first.

She found it was becoming harder to
keep her eyes open. Voices trailed through the small grated door.
To stay awake, she tried to concentrate on the conversation
outside. It must be the captain's voice that she heard the loudest.
His words were muffled. She scooted closer to the door to listen.
Someone was saying something about…wards?

“Once the wards are in place, you may
begin your long journey.” This came from a commanding voice…a
female voice.

“My men are gathering the
supplies you promised.”
The
captain?
“They should be back shortly.” He
paused. “Is this it? Is this all we are to transport?”