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  I clung to him, feeling lighthearted as the laughter rippled through me. “She might be a garbage collector?”

  “Or a pond diver?” he suggested.

  “Sewage engineer, maybe?”

  “Au-pair?”

  “Cattle farmer?”

  “Toilet cleaner?”

  “Mud—” I didn’t get to finish as the ship jolted sharply to one side. Navan held me tighter in his arms, keeping me upright as the vessel lurched forward, the engines screeching as if something was pushing us backward.

  Reaching for my hand, he pulled me down the corridor toward the cockpit, our boots thundering down the walkway, both of us intent on reaching Nova. Everyone else had gathered in the cockpit, a chatter of confusion bristling across the room. Through the windshield, a vast ship had appeared, its bulk preventing us from moving forward. Tribal designs and terrifying, fanged faces were painted on the side of the vessel, smeared across the metal in bold red, looking like blood. It wasn’t a vessel anyone recognized.

  “What is that?” I asked, plucking Nova out of her crib and holding her tight.

  “We’re about to find out,” Bashrik muttered, his hands moving across the console. There was a transmission incoming. A video feed flickered up, revealing the scarred face of a red-furred, bear-like alien. Its face was broad like a grizzly bear’s, with small ears and a pierced snout, and bronze-colored eyes that bored through the screen.

  “Does your ship contain the betrayer known as Captain Riley?” the creature growled, revealing yellowed fangs.

  “No… never heard of her,” Bashrik replied sternly.

  “Interestin’, ‘cause we’ve got it on good authority that this ‘ere ship is the one belonging to the betrayer, Captain Riley, and you don’t look like the kinda guy who’d go around robbing ships.”

  “What would you know? You don’t know me, I don’t know you.” I was shocked by Bashrik’s confidence.

  “Well, my name’s Captain Ansel, and you’re going to give her up, whoever you are.” Threat dripped from the creature’s fangs. “If you don’t, your heads are goin’ to adorn the hull of my ship. How’s about I give you five seconds to hand her over? That sound fair?”

  “We don’t have her,” Bashrik insisted. “You’ve got the wrong ship.”

  “I don’t think so, pal.”

  Stone walked into the feed. “Listen, mate, how’s about ye leave me pals alone and get on yer merry way, eh? I’ll arrange fer a couple boxes o’ good stuff to be waitin’ fer ye at the Junkyard, next time yer about—sign o’ goodwill.”

  “We will have vengeance for our dead!” Captain Ansel roared. “She is responsible for the murder of our crewmate, Dalatta! We will have justice, or we will blow your ship to smithereens! The choice is yours—hand her over or die!”

  I wasn’t sure why I’d been worrying about what might happen when we reached Vysanthe. At this rate, we’d be dead before we even got there.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Bashrik killed the video stream but left the audio running as he fired up the weapons systems. I guessed he hoped the pirates would think the transmission had been cut, giving us an advantage. Navan leapt toward the dashboard, sliding into the auxiliary position beside Ronad, the three of them taking over control of the Fed ship, trying to steer us away from the pirate vessel. They worked as a focused unit, each of them shouting orders to the other in the way only seasoned military veterans could.

  “Shields engaged, powering to full force,” Bashrik said, having silenced the outgoing audio. “We need evasive maneuvers.”

  “Copy that, firing up auxiliary engines to put us in reverse,” Navan replied.

  “Bringing up secondary rear and front blasters,” Ronad added, his hands moving rapidly across the controls.

  The hulking beast of a pirate ship turned before us, jagged teeth and haunting eyes painted onto the front of the vessel. Through the windshield, I could make out the vague shapes of people moving around inside—the pirates preparing to fight, just as we were. The voice of Captain Ansel was the clearest, barking orders through the speakers, screaming at his crew to obey. It was terrifying to think we could be shot out of space, blown apart within minutes. I was grateful for the technology of the Fed ship, knowing it would protect us for a while, but I knew it wouldn’t hold forever, given their determination to see me dead or handed over.

  The first explosion hit a few seconds later, and the Fed ship juddered on impact. The shields held, a ripple of energy pulsing over the structure of the vessel. Another followed, and another, and another, the blasts hurtling from beneath the pirate ship, relentless and savage. Bashrik took the lead, firing back on them with the Fed’s guns, but these ships weren’t built with brute force in mind—they were supposed to take a softer approach. The firepower was nowhere near as forceful as the souped-up weapons of the pirate ship. They’d clearly modified their vessel for full, terror-inducing battles.

  “I have a plan!” Xiphio yelled suddenly. “Stone, with me!”

  Stone looked puzzled. “Ye want me to come with ye?”

  “Yes, you know these sorts of people and how they tick. You shall be of the best use to me.”

  “Right y’are. Ready on yer command, Xiph.”

  “This way!” The merevin gestured toward the door of the cockpit before darting out into the main space of the ship, heading down the corridor toward the row of escape pods at the very back of the vessel. Stone followed him, and the rest of us watched them go, wondering what on earth Xiphio had in mind. There wasn’t exactly any time to ask. They paused at the weapons room, snatching up guns, before running the last few yards and diving into a pod. The pods were small and stealthy, but they had no weapons to speak of. I really hoped Xiphio knew what he was doing.

  “Can you get a visual feed back up without the pirates knowing we’re watching?” I asked, turning back toward Bashrik, Navan, and Ronad.

  Bashrik nodded, though he didn’t look up from what he was doing. “Working on it now.”

  A few minutes later, a video stream reappeared on the screens. The pirates were in chaos, running around like headless chickens, with Captain Ansel at the helm, roaring for his gunmen to fire, over and over, screaming louder when they were forced to pause to stop the blasters from overheating. He was a terrifying man, made all the more terrifying during the throes of battle. His fangs were bared, his eyes glittering with menace, his muscles bulging more the angrier he got.

  “What part of fire don’t you understand?” Captain Ansel bellowed. “What part of blown to smithereens are you having difficulty with, you morons? Think of Dalatta—think of what he gave up for each and every one of us! Think of your crewmate and fire on those bastards this instant! I want that girl, dead or alive—we are owed that debt!”

  Then, without warning, everyone froze. It was almost comical, their faces twisted in the furious expressions of war, some of them turned in surprise to face the figures coming in through the door of the cockpit. A few had even managed to raise their weapons, but they never managed to pull the trigger. It was a relatively large space, but Xiphio was there to take out any of the pirates who were creeping outside Stone’s line of sight. Coiled around the merevin’s arms, like an endless array of bracelets, were what looked like metal zip ties.

  Xiphio hurried over to the camera on Captain Ansel’s dashboard. “The ship’s crew are immobilized. We’re going to tie them up, then connect this ship to ours.”

  Bashrik reconnected the outgoing transmission. “I don’t think it’s wise to dock their ship to ours.”

  “It will be far easier than us getting back in the escape pod and wasting time.”

  “Well, whatever you think is best,” Bashrik muttered, shrugging. “It’s not like I’m the pilot or anything.”

  Ignoring Bashrik’s comment, Xiphio set to work tying up the pirates in the cockpit while Stone held them in his gaze. The merevin made quick work of it, darting around the space, pulling the pirates’ arms around their backs and
zip-tying them into submission. Having been held in Stone’s gaze myself, I knew they’d be screaming inside, wanting to be set free, wanting to lash out at the ambaka, wanting to fight against his powers, but they were helpless against it. He really was formidable in his own way—he didn’t agree with violence, and didn’t tend to get involved in all-out fighting, but he didn’t need to with the skills he possessed. The power to freeze was enough.

  “All tied up,” Xiphio said, walking up to the pirate dashboard and shoving Captain Ansel out of the way. “Preparing to connect this ship’s umbilical to the airlock.”

  “Airlock is engaged, awaiting the umbilical,” Bashrik replied reluctantly.

  Xiphio pressed a few buttons on the console, his eyes fixed on the screen that presumably rested below the camera. “Connecting now. You may feel a slight jolt, so my apologies for that.”

  Sure enough, the Fed ship jarred to one side as the umbilical tunnel from the pirate ship made contact with the airlock of ours. A mechanical shudder ran the length of the vessel, the metal structure creaking and straining. A few seconds later, it stopped, an unsettling calm drifting over us, as well as the ship itself. Turning away from the three pilots, Angie, Lauren, and I ran through the main space of the ship, heading for the airlock, waiting for Stone and Xiphio to reappear through the interior door. They’d well and truly saved our asses; they deserved a welcome back.

  “You guys make one hell of a team!” I said as the interior hatch lifted up, the two heroes of the hour stepping out into the main body of the ship. “That was quick thinking, Xiphio. We’d have ended up with a wrecked ship, if not worse, if you hadn’t stepped in like that.” To be honest, I was impressed by his maturity in handling the situation so smoothly, despite his personal feelings. It was obvious he was still struggling with the new dynamics in Stone and Lauren’s relationship, feeling pushed to the side of her affection, but he’d ignored it all to save our lives. If that wasn’t the sign of a true hero, I wasn’t sure what was.

  “That was incredible! I’m so proud of you!” Lauren cried, rushing toward Xiphio and throwing her arms around him in a friendly embrace. He put his arms around her tentatively, a flicker of pain in his eyes. “And you were awesome, too, Stone, but we already knew that.” She chuckled, letting go of Xiphio, not unkindly, before sinking into Stone’s arms instead. Xiphio lowered his gaze, hiding his hurt.

  “Good show, guys, good show.” Angie clapped them both on the back like a football coach. “I’ve never seen anyone zip-tie a bunch of burly men quicker than you, my merevin friend. You might even give me a run for my money.” She was evidently trying to cheer Xiphio up, but I doubted anything could work. No matter what he did, he’d always be second best in Lauren’s eyes. It wasn’t her fault, and it wasn’t his fault, and that was the most tragic thing of all. Unrequited love always stung someone, though the longed-for rose rarely intended to have thorns.

  After we’d guided them back toward the cockpit, Angie clinging to Xiphio’s arm and dragging him along, in an attempt to make him feel better, the boys stood up and congratulated them on their risky endeavor.

  “Nice work, guys,” Bashrik said, smiling, “though I still don’t understand why you had to clamp that thing to us. Look at it—it’s like the ship is staring into my soul.” Through the windshield, the painted side-eye of the pirate vessel was peering in, though that wasn’t the scariest thing. Captain Ansel was glaring through the glass, too, now that Stone wasn’t holding him frozen anymore.

  “Smooth moves, compadres,” Ronad commended. “Ignore Bash. He’s just peeved that you might have scratched his new toy.”

  “I am not, I just don’t understand why they had to clamp that thing to our ship when they could have just come back in the pod,” Bashrik retorted. “I mean, what if one of them breaks free and comes through that umbilical?”

  “They will not, Bashrik,” Xiphio assured him. “They shall have a rather difficult time trying to break free of serrantium restraints—Fed’s standard issue for volatile criminals. There are always extras tucked away in the weapons rooms of these vessels.”

  Bashrik looked chastened. “Well, what are we supposed to do with all the captured pirates, anyway?”

  “We either leave them on board their ship, and let fate work her magic, or we waste time making a detour to drop them off at the nearest Fed outpost and let your people sort them out,” Ronad replied, glancing at Xiphio. “Personally, I’m fine with either option.”

  “We can’t waste any time on a detour,” Navan insisted. “We barely have enough time as it is.”

  Stone nodded. “Aye, I’m not right convinced that droppin’ these wastrels anywhere’d be a grand sort o’ plan. Don’t seem right to interrupt our mission fer their sakes, considerin’ they were down to blow us to kingdom come.”

  “It’s probably kinder if we leave them,” Lauren said. “Maybe we could put a Fed beacon on the side of their ship and let some nearby agents deal with them?”

  “Yeah, why should we waste any time on them when they wouldn’t have thought twice about leaving us out here in pieces, floating about like fleshy popsicles?” Angie muttered, glowering through the windshield toward the furious face of Captain Ansel.

  “As it so happens, dear friends, neither option shall be necessary.” Xiphio pressed his hands together, a sad expression on his face. “You see, I plan to commandeer the pirate ship.”

  “What?” I gasped, feeling utterly confused. A ripple of similar confusion drifted across the group, everyone looking to the merevin for some kind of answer.

  He smiled. “I plan to bring the pirates to justice myself, as I know Captain Ansel is wanted for several crimes. He is the primary exporter of illegal, farmed Sonorans, and I have been wanting to track him down for a great deal of time now. Indeed, there are many amongst the Fed who would love to see him brought down, at last, and to be the one to collar him. I am honored that the responsibility shall fall to me, after every ridicule, every putdown, every rude gesture I have received from my fellow agents.” He paused, growing teary-eyed. “Once I have delivered these brutes to their fate, I shall go on to pursue any other pirate crews who may be seeking Miss Riley out, as a result of their ludicrous revenge bounties. I shall keep you safe from afar, Riley Idrax, and your sweet daughter, as well. I shall hunt these pirates to the end of the universe. After all, it is about time someone made an effort to clean up the riffraff in this place.”

  “Wait… so, you’re not coming to Vysanthe with us?” Lauren sounded heartbroken. “You’re leaving us?”

  “That is correct, Miss Lauren. I shall miss you all dearly, but I shall not be joining you in the rest of your mission.”

  “Come on, man, we can just drop these idiots at a Fed outpost and keep going on to Vysanthe. It’s not that much of a detour. I was just being dramatic,” Ronad insisted. “You have to come with us. You’ve come this far—you’re part of our crew.”

  Xiphio nodded. “And my journey ends here. At least, with all of you it does.”

  “Xiph, me old pal, ye can’t up sticks and scoot off. Yer family to us. Yer me brother-in-arms. We need ye in the days to come, I’m certain o’ it. I feel it in me bones,” Stone said, his tone desperately sad.

  “Your bones are wrong on this occasion, Stone. I shall always think of you as family, and I love you all dearly, but this is the right path for me. I know it is.” There was a determination in his eyes that made me wonder if it had something to do with what Orfaio had revealed to him.

  “Xiphio… we need you,” Lauren murmured.

  “Thanks to all of you, I have developed a taste for adventure that I never thought possible,” he continued. “All my life, I dreamt of becoming a bounty hunter, and now the opportunity is before me. I cannot ignore the signs. Finally, I have the confidence and the strength to pursue the dream I had as a child, and that is due to the encouragement and kindness of every single one of you. I do not take my departure lightly, but I am certain it is what I must do.” />
  I stepped forward, opening my arms out to my friend. “We’re going to miss you,” I whispered, as he enveloped me in a bittersweet embrace. Losing Mort had been bad enough, but at least I’d know Xiphio was out there somewhere, living the life he’d always wanted to lead. If Orfaio had set him on this path, then who were we to stand in his way? We all had our missions to follow. This just happened to be his.

  “Do you have to go right now?” Navan asked, moving in to hug Xiphio as I pulled away.

  “The ship is at my disposal, and these pirates need to be brought to justice as soon as possible, before any of them have the chance to get away,” he replied. “It must be now. If I linger, I do not know what the consequences may be.”

  “Then I wish you safe travels, Xiphio. But just know that the door is always open. If you need us, you know where to find us.” Navan patted the merevin on the back, the two of them hugging tightly.

  “I earnestly hope that our paths shall cross again, in better circumstances.”

  Moving around the group, Xiphio said goodbye to everyone, tears sparkling in the eyes of all of us at having to say such an unexpected farewell. We’d had no time to prepare, and it felt gut-wrenchingly abrupt. He picked up Nova and held her to him, whispering a fond farewell in her ear: “Goodbye, little one. May your life be as bright as your spirit. Never forget me, okay?” She giggled at him, wriggling to snuggle closer to his shoulder, her little hands gripping him tight. With that, he handed her back to Navan.

  The only person he had left to say goodbye to was Lauren, and I knew it was going to be hard for them both. I almost felt like the rest of us shouldn’t be in the room, but it would’ve been too awkward for us all to leave.