Shattered Soul (18 page)

“Mina,” the woman said, and drank deeply of the ale.

“Ceri.” Ceri took a sip of the berry juice. It was delicious.

Mina looked at the youth still pinned to the bar. “He looks messy.”

“Easily fixed.” Reaching out, Ceri grabbed the dagger and yanked it from his palm.

With a whimper, he slid down to the floor.

“Susie.” Mina looked over Ceri’s shoulder. “Better bandage his hand up. Don’t want him to bleed to death on the floor.”

In the mirror Ceri saw the tavern patrons return to their chatter, many of them sending speculative glances her way. Talk would travel and it wouldn’t be long before word spread that a Reeka was back in the area, looking for information and ready to handle problems very roughly.

Returning her attention to Mina, she waited.

“Been awhile since a Reeka passed through here,” Mina stated.

“So it seems.”

“I remember those days. What’s a Reeka doing here now? You’re pardoned, you’re supposed to be living in the Lawful Sector now.”

Ceri looked at her.

Mina dropped her gaze. “Your business, huh?”

“I’m looking for some answers.”

“Right.” Mina glanced back up, a slight flush on her pale cheeks.

“Have you heard of a Reeka named Rani?”

“No.”

“Maybe not recently, but anytime in the last fourteen years?”

Mina shook her head.

“Heard anything unusual happening?”

Mina grinned. “In the Outlaw Sector, honey, there’re a lot of unusual happenings.”

“Such as snap freezing?”

“Snap freezing?”

“People snap frozen. Or someone found frozen.”

She scratched her head. “No. Sorry.”

“Is there anyone here who can help me?”

“I doubt it, but if I hear of anyone I’ll let you know.”

Dead end. Not surprising. It seemed like it was the best she could hope for. Turning back to face the room, Ceri scanned the faces once more, wondering if she’d recognize someone. Anyone from the past. Not one face did she know.

Pushing away from the bar, she stepped over the unconscious youths and bouncers and strode outside. There was more than one tavern in the settlement, and she made her way to the second one.

Word had spread and this time there was no trouble, but neither were there any answers. The third and fourth taverns were the same.

Coming out of the last one, she paused in the shadows with her back against the wall and acknowledged that if she went to every tavern in the Outlaw Sector looking for information, she could be searching for years. But there were other ways. Other avenues.

Fourteen years might have passed but she doubted that everything had changed. There were still places and people she could contact.

If they still lived.

Crap.

Stepping down off the veranda, she headed back to the docking bay. Habit kept her to the shadows and seeing as how she’d made some new enemies it was a good habit to keep.

As she approached the hunters’ ship she noticed a figure leaning back against the ship. He blended in with the sleek lines but an awareness of his presence prickled through her. She’d know that stocky build anywhere, the quietness that seemed to surround him as though the man had his own space and no one entered it.

As she came to a stop before him, Abra looked calmly up at her. “You’ve been busy.”

“Just asking a few questions.”

“And re-establishing yourself.”

“That was the fun bit. It came before business.”

He didn’t answer but she caught the glitter of his eyes in the moonlight as he studied her. It almost felt as though he were seeing straight through her, something that not many men or women had been able to do.

It was unsettling. And unwelcome.

“Got a problem with that?” she asked tartly.

“I’ve got a problem with having to talk the peacekeepers out of trying to arrest you for disturbthe for diing the peace.”

“Ah. I wondered why they didn’t show up.”

“Let’s just say that’s one favour a friend doesn’t owe me anymore.”

Ceri leaned against the ship. “You called in a favour for me?”

“Someone had to. You went off and beat up some bouncers. Beating up bouncers is against the law.”

“True.”

He tilted his head, his braid sliding across his shoulder. “Did you find out anything?”

“No.” Damn it.

“Finding out anything about your sister warrior is going to be almost impossible.”

“I won’t give up.” Straightening, she glared down at him. “I never give up on those I love.”

He was silent for several seconds before he said quietly, “We leave in ten minutes.”

“What’s the next port of call?”

“Where do you want to go?”

“Ylan. I want to see the cave.”

“Right.” Abra stayed in the shadows.

Sometimes the man was too hard to read. She went past him and into the ship, and met Vane in the corridor to the cabins.

“Heard you beat up some innocents,” Vane said.

“I couldn’t help myself. I like the sight of blood.” Looking down at the young man, she gave a nasty grin. “Nothing like a little blood to make my day.”

“Like spilling the blood of those trying to keep the peace?”

“The bouncers?”

“They’d be the ones I’m talking about.”

“I kicked their arses.” Leaning down, she looked him right in the eyes. “What do you say to that?”

“Strike one for you?”

She couldn’t help it. A laugh broke free.

“Good God,” Vane said. “It laughs as well.”

“You amuse me, little hunter.” Patting him on the head, she turned and continued down the corridor.

“Not so much of the little,” she heard Vane mutter indignantly.

Retiring to her cabin, Ceri waited until the ship had lifted into space before she had a shower and laid down to wait for the ships’ occupants to settle for the night. Several hours passed before she got up and crept quietly down the corridor.

Entering the control cabin, she sat in front of the viscomm and switched it on. Within seconds she’d locked into a private channel. When it remained unanswered, she wondered if perhaps the man to whom the channel went had died after all.

She was just about to give up and try someone else when the screen flared to life and a man with a shock of red hair and an eye patch on his right eye looked at her. Surprise flashed across his thin face, and then he grinned widely.

“Well, hell!” He laughed. “Ceri?”

“It’s me, Cisco.”

“Shit, we thought you’d died years ago!”

“Surprise.”

“What happened? You just disappeared. Poof!” Cisco snapped his fingers. “Like that.”

“I had things to do.” Leaning her elbow on the console, Ceri marvelled at how the once-youthful informer was now a man.

He obviously thought the same thing. “You haven’t aged at all.”

“Good genes.”

Shit, you must be in your forties but you don’t look a day older than you did when I met you.”

“Like I said, good genes.” She kept her gaze steady. “I need your help.”

Immediately a crafty look crossed Cisco’s face. “How much?”

“Put it this way. You help me, your arse stays in one piece.”

“You won’t hurt me. You’re no longer an outlaw. Your kind are biddable, lawful people now.” He smirked.

She smiled slowly. “And I’m not in the Lawful Sector, so I can break your bones and no one will squeal for help. Except you. Which you won’t get.”

He stared at her for several seconds, then gave a laugh. “Just kidding, Ceri. Of course I’ll help you.”

“Good. I’m wanting information on Rani.”

“Rani? Your sister? Hey, she disappeared years ago with you. You must know where...” Cisco’s voice trailed away.

“Have you heard anything?” Ceri’s voice hardened.

“Uh, no. No, I haven’t.”

“Have you heard of a cave that snap freezes?”

“Snap freezes?” He looked bewildered. “No.”

“Then I want you to find out for me if there’s been any rumours, past or present, about my sister.”

“Well, sure, I can try - ”

“Don’t try, Cisco. Do it.”

“Hey, it won’t be easy.” At the look on her face, he held up his hands. “Fine. No worries. I can do it.”

“I’ll be in contact.”

“I can contact you if you give me your - ”

“I’ll contact you.”

“Right. Fine.” He grinned at her and she saw he was missing a couple of teeth. “It’s good to see a Reeka back in the Outlaw Sector. Life was always more fun when the Reekas lived here.”

She cut communications and leaned back in the chair. Cisco was an informer and a gatherer of news. If anyone could find out anything, it would be him.

Rolling her shoulders, she stood and headed back to bed.

Her dreams were bad, filled with half formed figures and the sound of screams. Faintly, in the distance, came the smell of rot.

~ * ~

Inner Sanctum of the Outlaw Sector

From beneath the shelter of the ship, Fredrico watched Rani. Her long ponytail flew in the wind as she tipped her face up to the elements. The rocky outcrop she stood upon didn’t seem stable but she showed no fear.

The warrior had shown no fear since that day on the dais in The Overlord’s presence, and even that hadn’t been fear. More like loathing and shock. She refused to eat on the dais and The Overlord didn’t force her. He knew how far to push a person.

Fredrico didn’t eat on the dka eat on ais much, either, for the sickening parody playing out in the great hall below didn’t do much for his appetite. Used to it he might be, but it wasn’t to his taste.

“Is she sensing anything?” he asked Phemar.

“I don’t know.” The dark mystic sounded frustrated. “I’m not privy to her emotions.”

Lucky Rani. Fredrico studied her. Lightning flashed through the sky, cracking dangerously close to where she stood. She didn’t flinch. The two space pirates flanking her took a step back and in the distance a barely discernable, monstrous shape stretched and arched its thick neck. In the clouds was the outline of giant horns.

Rani turned her head from side to side slowly and even from where he stood Fredrico could sense her intentness. The warrior was sensing something.

The flight had been an experiment to see if she could sense anything while away from the fortress. They’d only been flying for two hours before her relaxed slouch in the control cabin chair had left her and she’d snapped upright, her gaze darting around. When she’d ordered them to land the ship, he’d done so without question.

Now they stood in the shelter of the ship on a barren piece of rock while she stood perilously close to the edge and tried to track what her senses were clamouring about.

She looked at once a lonely, yet forceful figure. Fredrico admitted he found her fascinating but then again, after his bleak years she was like a breath of fresh air.

Perched on a rock nearby Veknor watched her in silence, his thoughts kept to himself as usual. Just as he kept a little distance between himself and Phemar as he usually did.

Finally Rani turned and started walking back, the space pirates falling in behind her. “Something is out there,” she said.

Phemar looked from her to the empty grey expanse of rocky mountain and bleak valleys sprawled out around them. “What?”

“Something dark. Strange.” She looked at him closely.

“Is it The Darknen?”

“I don’t know. It’s not like us.”

“What do you feel?” He took a step closer.

“Darkness. Rage. Fear.” She shook her head. “Something is building.”

“Building?”

“The atmosphere, it feels powered, charged, but not naturally.” She held up one hand. “Can you feel it?”

Fredrico couldn’t feel a thing but he thought she looked beautiful. Otherworldly. Wild. The wind tossed her hair, the dark strands shot through with deep red. She had a fey look about her. Indeed she was almost otherworldly.

She certainly wasn’t normal.

His gaze ran over her once more before he looked back towards the mountains. There was time later to think about how beautiful the warrior looked. Right now, if there was a threat, he wanted to know about it. “How close?”

“How close is anything unnatural?” Her gaze slid to Phemar. “Then again...”

Fredrico couldn’t stop the grin that curved his lips.

Phemar’s hood lifted slightly. “Enough foolishness, warrior. How close is the danger?”

She shrugged. “All I can tell you is that it’s out there and it’s not happy.

“The ze="+0"hat’s it?”

“I’m sorry. Do you want to know how big a dick it’s got, too?”

That drew a few low laughs from Fredrico’s normally stoic crew.

Displeasure was plain in Phemar’s stiffened stance. “Don’t try me, warrior. I can break you.”

“The Overlord would not be happy.”

Phemar’s hiss and sharp movement was accompanied by a chunk of flesh dropping from beneath his hem.

Rani took a step back. “No need to fall apart about it.”

The warrior had a thing for baiting the dark mystic and it wasn’t healthy. Stepping forward, Fredrico laid one hand on Rani’s shoulder. “Is there anything you can tell us that will give us an idea of what we’re facing?”

Her gaze switched to Fredrico. “I’m not sure. This is new to me and—”

A sudden roar rent the air, a sharp crack, and a flash of cold went through Fredrico, knocking him to the ground. Men’s curses peppered the air and the stench of rotting meat permeated the air around him as Phemar stumbled back and tripped.

Opening his eyes, Fredrico was met with the sight of a partially bare leg. The flesh was mottled, open festering sores riddling the rotting flesh. The skin writhed in one spot as though maggots crawled beneath.

Shit, Phemar’s leg was so revolting. It was only by God’s grace that the rest of his body hadn’t been revealed.

Pushing upright, Fredrico looked around sharply.

Rani was down on one knee, her palms outward as she pushed against something. He couldn’t see it properly, it was too hazy, but it was shadowed. Lightening cracked again, the flash slicing through Rani and she jerked backwards, losing her balance.

“Phemar!” Within seconds Fredrico was on his feet and running towards her. Where the hell was their protection? “Do something!’