Renegade Magic (Star Renegades Book 1) Page 2

  Kile towered over him. “So, you admit to breaking the king’s law?”

  The man looked at each of them. “Yes, but for a good reason…”

  “There is never a reason to break the law.” Kile turned to her. “Dania?”

  She stepped forward. Several people in the crowd were already on their phones, relaying the spectacle.

  Statistically, at least five of these people were connected to the trapping ring in some way. She needed to appear weak and untrained. This would solidify her as a potential victim. The sooner one of these miscreants tried to kidnap her, the sooner she could find and execute the leaders and be done with this.

  She stood before the weeping thief.

  Behind her, Kile said, “This man has committed a crime against our king and must be punished.”

  The criminal struggled against the air holding him in place. “No, I didn’t do anything to the king. I stole some fruit from a vendor.” His lower lip trembled. “Please. My daughter has scurvy. I can’t afford vitamin supplements. I did this for her.”

  Dania’s hands shook. This crime deserved a quick blow. Something painless. Maybe breaking his neck and then burning the body to cinders. A merciful death.

  Tears lined through the dirt on the man’s face. “Please. They can’t survive without me.”

  “Your judgment?” Kile asked Dania.

  Dania flinched at the sound of his voice. Her decisions were normally swift and definitive, but she needed to fumble this one to solidify that she was a novice, uncentered in the king’s law. However, she ached with the desire to end this man’s life to make sure he never broke the rules again. The people gathered around them needed to see and understand that the law was absolute.

  She grimaced. It shouldn’t be so hard to do the wrong thing. Criminals broke laws every day.

  “Dania?” Kile growled, kicking the back of her leg.

  He was playing his part, but she’d make him pay for that later.

  She took a deep breath and released it slowly. She hunched slightly and turned to her supposed leader. “His children were hungry.”

  Kile’s expression remained placid. “Inconsequential.”

  “Is this my judgment, my decision?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  She turned back to the man. “You need to find honest work to feed your family.” She cringed over the idiocy of the statement. All criminals knew this, but they chose to break the law rather than abide by the rules of the king’s society.

  “I’ve tried,” he said. “No one will hire me.”

  Of course they wouldn’t. Who would want a criminal under their employ?

  Dania pulled a silver shaila out of her pocket and handed it to him. That single coin was worth a month’s ration of fruit, more than enough to save a sick child. “I want you to take this to the station staffer. Tell them that House Bane wants you employed. If they do not accept this, I will visit them and make sure they comply.”

  The man wrapped his fist around the coin. “Y-You’re not going to execute me?”

  Like a muscle memory, every fiber in her body screamed to reach out and end this thief’s life. One less criminal made the galaxy that much safer.

  She drew in another deep breath. “Not today, but there will be no leniency if you commit another crime. If you want your children to grow up with a father, you will obey the law.”

  Miguel shifted his feet. She hoped he wouldn’t snap and sever the man’s head. Then again, if he did, justice would be served, and Dania had already done her job and marked herself as an easy target.

  Still clutching the coin, the man ran for the nearest exit. It would be interesting to know if he actually took the coin down to the staffer, or if he’d spend it on food—if he’d been telling the truth and there was a family that needed to be fed.

  Kile grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward an alley. She could easily twist around and break his arm. All her training pushed her to carry through, but her commander was only following her orders.

  He stopped just inside the partition between two shops, enough to feign privacy, but also giving a full view to anyone who wanted to eavesdrop.

  “The king does not grant mercy to criminals,” he told her. “That man will steal again.”

  “But he said…”

  Kile slapped her across the face. “I don’t care what a criminal says.”

  Dania stumbled back and fell. She rubbed her cheek, sensing the bruise forming beneath. Her commander was taking his role far too seriously.

  She tried to make her eyes seem innocent of all the criminal blood she’d spilled over the years. “But it doesn’t seem right to…”

  Kile raised a palm. She tensed, remembering not to defend herself as a sparkling bolt of energy left his hand. Pain exploded up her nerves. The ends of her silver hair smoked as she hit the ground.

  Before she could take a breath, another jolt hit her, this one from Miguel—slightly more tentative, but equally painful. The third assault blasted around her in a bolt of bright light. She cried out as her blood heated from within, then instantly cooled. Icy fingers spread through her, extinguishing the fires and relieving the pain.

  Alexander.

  He’d hidden a healing inside his punishment. She glanced up at him. She should rebuke him for disobeying her orders, but she appreciated the gesture. She’d forgotten how painful even a small admonishment like this could be.

  Kile turned. “Leave her. If she is worth our efforts, she’ll find her way back.”

  Dania let her hair fall in her face to disguise her grin. She’d done almost the same thing to him when he’d disobeyed her orders once. That had been the last time he’d ever questioned her command.

  Alexander frowned as he looked back to her.

  Go, she mouthed.

  They couldn’t waste time worrying about Dania when Matara could be out there dying.

  He hesitated another moment before heading out after the others, leaving Dania alone and vulnerable.

  She stood slowly. Alexander’s healing stroke had helped, but her muscles still screamed in defiance with each movement. If anyone came for her now, it wouldn’t be hard for her to pretend to be injured.

  Dania flinched, pushing away the thought. When the trappers attacked, she wouldn’t be at her best. That was what she wanted, though, to be taken back to their lair so she could dispose of the leaders.

  It was a good plan, but she didn’t expect to feel so alone as the shadows began to close in on her.

  2

  Cal

  Cal leaned toward the empty co-pilot’s station as a yellow light flashed in his face. That can’t be good.

  Outside his ship’s main view pane, the dock workers darted between the other freighters loading and unloading cargo. At least no one was shooting at him. Not yet, at least.

  Every few minutes, a taskmaster would stop, look up at Cal’s ship, and make notes in their ledger, probably wondering why Cal hadn’t checked in any cargo.

  As long as the workers made notes and didn’t ask questions, everything would be fine.

  Cal grimaced as the light on the other console continued to blink.

  Why did stuff always go wrong when his maintenance guys were off-ship?

  He tapped the blue communication button, calling his crew out in Midway Station. “Ty, that yellow light is flashing on your dashboard again.”

  Static filled the line before Ty’s voice answered. “Come on, boss. I warned you about that.”

  Of course he did. “How about you warn me again?”

  “Tap it three times.”

  He was joking, right? Cal tapped the button, and on the third tap, the blinking stopped.

  “Did it work?” Ty asked.

  “Yeah.” Cal really wanted to tell him no. As usual, though, Ty knew every last quirk in the ship. “Are you guys going to fix that anytime soon?”

  Ethan’s voice joined the call. “I’ll get on that if you want me to put the oxygen diffuser on the ba
ck burner.”

  Cal laughed. “I’m quite fond of breathing, so as you were.” He glanced at the light again. “This flashing isn’t the sign of a bigger problem, right?”

  Ty snorted. “As long as it doesn’t flash orange, it’s okay.”

  “What’s orange?”

  “Just call me if it ever turns orange.”

  Great. One day he’d force Ty to sit down and explain every last modification he’d made to this ship.

  “The flashing is just a short,” Ethan said. “I checked it last week.”

  Cal rubbed his eyes. “Roger that.”

  This was just one more thing on the long list of repairs for the Star Renegade. Too bad “Bessie,” the cadaver Doc Sanders had picked up in last week’s trading run, couldn’t be used as an extra set of deck hands. Then again, Bessie could stay right in the med bay where she was. The last thing Cal needed was any more dead weight on the bridge. He filled that spot enough for all of them.

  He ran his palms over the pits and grooves behind the dashboard. If this little ship hadn’t saved his rear end so many times, he might have thought of trading her in for a newer model, but in a galaxy where any semblance of creature comfort was hard to find, she’d become home.

  “How’s it going with supplies?” Cal asked. “You’ve all been gone too long.”

  “Patience is a virtue,” Ethan cooed.

  Cal fought against making a fist. He spent half his time wanting to slap that little piece of space trash upside the head and the other half thanking him for saving their lives. Ethan was lucky he was a competent engineer.

  Cal checked the readings on the command panel. So far, the false docking codes he’d provided were still green. If anyone ran the markings on the hull, though, or recognized his crew, they were all toast. He’d used this ship on far too many smuggling runs for her not to be on every local law enforcement’s radar.

  Luckily, most station security officials could be bought. However, he didn’t want anyone playing hero and turning them in for one of the many rewards out for their hides.

  The communicator flickered. “Boss, you’re not going to believe this,” Ty said.

  Cal tapped the button. “What’s up?”

  “A band of the king’s enforcers just landed in Section Twelve.”

  Ice flooded Cal’s veins. He glanced at their docking location: Section Twenty-Seven. Still, that was too close.

  He leaned closer to the panel. “You’re sure? It’s not just similar uniforms like on Neptune Nine?”

  “No, I’m sure. They have that freaky silver hair that sways around like it’s alive.”

  Cal’s shoulders tightened. He stood and stared through the window. A trader raced to one of the ships, closing the ramp as soon as he’d boarded. Another man dropped a package as he dashed for a different ship, not even bothering to pick the box up.

  Cal certainly didn’t blame them. The enforcers were supposed to be an interplanetary police force, but they were more like murderous vigilantes.

  He slammed his fist down on the comm button. “Get back here. Now. All of you.”

  If the enforcers had found him, they had precious little time to get away. He glanced at the instruments. He could start as much of the prelaunch as possible until everyone was back on board.

  He tapped into the station’s public communications archive and checked for royal data extractions. The enforcer ship had done some basic searches on an illegal trading ring of some kind and an analysis of when the most people would be in the market area, but nothing else. Strange.

  What were the chances that a band of enforcers had landed here by coincidence?

  He shivered. It wasn’t worth the risk to even hope.

  Cal had made a vow to keep at least a million miles from the closest enforcer, and sometimes that hadn’t been enough. He was wanted for killing an aristocrat with close ties to the royal family. It wouldn’t matter that he didn’t do it. He’d be executed for the crime, and the enforcers would move on.

  He’d seen it before…the shiny white uniforms appearing out of nowhere…people screaming…blood running through the streets.

  Cal shuddered. Enforcers didn’t care if you were falsely accused. They killed anyone who even might be guilty, and they moved on.

  He leaned closer to the glass, checking every entrance to the receiving docks for his people. Where were they all?

  He punched the comm button again. “Call in. I want everyone back on this ship immediately. I’m starting preflight.”

  “Doc and I are on our way,” Alanna’s voice answered. “You’re never going to believe what just happened.”

  “Yeah, tell me when you get here.” Cal checked the instruments again. “Ty. Ethan. Answer me.”

  Static filled the line. “Boss, you’re breaking up. Ethan and I are going to do some recon and see if we can figure out what the enforcers are doing this far away from the Bane home world.”

  Were they out of their minds? “Ty, get your ass back here now. That’s an order.”

  “Sorry, boss, I can’t hear you.” The line cut out.

  Dammit! If those idiots got caught, they might all be screwed. Cal would be executed for murder, and the rest of the crew, even if they found a way to avoid the smuggling charges, would be killed for just being on the same ship with him.

  Cal gripped the edge of the console. This couldn’t be happening to him again.

  It had been ten years, but it seemed like yesterday when the enforcers had taken his father away.

  Cal shook away the memory of the screaming, the blood. His eyes blurred and refocused on his fingers, white from clutching the console. He took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his brow.

  You couldn’t negotiate with an enforcer. They killed without mercy. They were like robots, and his crew knew that.

  Cal scanned the area outside his ship. Alanna and Doc entered the docking bay and held up their access cards to the chip readers on the security gates. Cal breathed a sigh of relief before his hands dampened on the console.

  Alanna looked over her shoulder twice, her eyes wide. Doc’s hair stuck to his forehead, looking like he’d just run a marathon. A single bag hung over Alanna’s shoulder, too small to be holding all the supplies she’d gone out for.

  Doc’s hands were free. He didn’t have his usual box of medical supplies and mad scientist gadgets.

  The man never came back empty-handed.

  Cal’s stomach sank. Doc held one hand over his chest as he scanned his access card, while Alanna kept a palm on his back.

  Worry creased her brow.

  Something must have happened. Cal focused on the fact that they were alive. Right now, nothing else mattered.

  Cal checked the area behind them and then scanned the security feeds of the hallways leading to the receiving docks. Traders and local guards passed the cameras, but no enforcers. At least no one was following them.

  Once they got past the gate, Alanna moved beside Doc, placing his arm over her shoulder so he could lean on her. He’d definitely been hurt. But how? If it was enforcers, they would have been in pursuit.

  The yellow light flashed on the console. Cal tapped it three times and it stopped.

  Alanna and Doc were almost to the ship. Whatever had happened, he’d deal with it once they were safe.

  Right now he had to get this ship ready to take off as soon as everyone was on board. With enforcers on the station, every second might mean the difference between living one more day and dying as part of some sick public spectacle.

  He hit the comm. “Ty, Ethan. Come on. I know you can hear me. Please, do the right thing and come back to the ship.”

  Cal closed his eyes, breathing slowly as silence answered him.

  Quiet was deafening at times, like the heartbeat of a twelve-year-old boy, drenched in blood, limping home to tell his mother that her husband had been stolen—murdered by the very people tasked to protect them.

  The only thing Cal knew with any certainty was t
hat the galaxy, with all its size and grandeur, was nowhere near large enough to hide in. In time, they always found you. He just didn’t want to bring the rest of his friends down with him.

  Cal straightened. They still had a chance to get away. All he could do was hope that Ty and Ethan wouldn’t be foolish enough to go anywhere near those enforcers.

  3

  Dania

  Dania feigned a limp, which wasn’t hard since both legs still tingled after the blasts of power from her men. They were supposed to make her appear disabled—not actually disable her, but no matter. She’d trained for this her entire life. She’d follow through with the plan, whatever the circumstances.

  She just hoped this meant victory, and not the defeat Alexander was so fond of warning her about.

  The air about her hummed with energy as she scanned the crowd. There were eyes on her. Human. Male. One watched from the side, while another followed her.

  Perfect.

  Human males, from the beginning of time, had been known to prey on women in establishments that served mind-altering beverages. She made her way toward a tavern called “Gwen’s Brewery.” Her new shadow followed as Dania made her way into the poorly lit chamber and sat on one of the raised stools lining a long countertop at the far end of the room.

  The shadow took the seat beside her and ordered a beverage before he turned to Dania. “Do you need a drink?”

  She smiled at him. He was young, maybe a few years older than her. Golden highlights in his sandy brown hair glinted in the overhead lighting. He was handsome in his own way. A perfect face to put a frightened, lonely girl at ease.

  He turned to the man behind the counter. “Why don’t you get the lady a Virillian Dancer and put it on my tab?” He turned and held out his hand to her. “Hi. My name is Ty.”

  An introduction? This was unexpected. She took his hand and shook. “Dania.”

  “Nice to meet you, Dania.” He slid her drink toward her as it appeared on the counter. “You look like you could use this.”