Eternal

Eternal

Marie Brown

Smashwords Edition

©2015

Smashwords Edition License Notes

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Table of Contents

* * * *

Book I: Wolf

Chapter 1: Meeting

Chapter 2: Kai

Chapter 3: Night Purchase

Chapter 4: A New Day

Chapter 5: Distraction

Chapter 6: D-gate

Chapter 7: Monrovia

Chapter 8: Strangeness In the Night

Chapter 9: A Walk In the Park

Chapter 10: VR

Chapter 11: Devil's Portal

Chapter 12: Substitution

Chapter 13: Detour

Chapter 14: Desert

Chapter 15: Homecoming

Chapter 16: Guests

Chapter 17: Attack

Chapter 18: Highrider

Chapter 19: Flicker

Chapter 20: On the Run

Chapter 21: Repairs... Again

Chapter 22: Screamer

Chapter 23: New Jamaica

Chapter 24: Vengeance

Chapter 25: Calchurra

Chapter 26: Lobo's Place

Chapter 27: Love Dust

Book II: Dragon

Chapter 28: Atticus

Chapter 29: Collared

Chapter 30: Regrets

Chapter 31: In the Spirit Realm

Chapter 32: Space Dragons

Chapter 33: That L-word

Chapter 34: Never Again

Chapter 35: Journey

Chapter 36: Deathgate Metro

Chapter 37: Message

Chapter 38: Into the Unknown

Chapter 39: Introspection

Chapter 40: Changes

Chapter 41: Handuli

Chapter 42: The Laurels

Chapter 43: Breaking Traditions

Chapter 44: Taking the Reins

Chapter 45: Growing Pains

Chapter 46: Terrace

Chapter 47: The Impossible Traitor

Chapter 48: Magepower

Chapter 49: Imperial Prince

Chapter 50: A Big Mess

Chapter 51: Interview

Chapter 52: Business As Usual

Chapter 53: Firstborn

Chapter 54: Escape

Book III: Demon

Chapter 55: Once A Spy

Chapter 56: Spirit Realm

Chapter 57: The Return

Chapter 58: Aftermath

Chapter 59: Coming Home

Chapter 60: Stealth

Chapter 61: Interviews

Chapter 62: The Atlas Room

Chapter 63: Morning Surprise

Chapter 64: Iago

Chapter 65: Family

Chapter 66: Captive

Chapter 67: Hospital

Chapter 68: Tranquility Base

Chapter 69: Pietro

Chapter 70: Trouble In Paradise

Chapter 71: Bombshell In the Senate

Chapter 72: Conversations

Chapter 73: Endings

Chapter 74: Necromancy

Chapter 75: Entity

Chapter 76: Cruiser

Chapter 77: Late Night Chat

Chapter 78: Final Planning

Chapter 79: Rescue

Chapter 80: Locked Out

Chapter 81: Necromantic Realm

Chapter 82: Arrival

Chapter 83: An Old Friend

Chapter 84: Xanadu

Chapter 85: Rescue, Take Two

Chapter 86: Otretaab

Chapter 87: A Grand Adventure

Chapter 88: Revolt

Chapter 89: Knowledge

Chapter 90: Coping... Or Not

Chapter 91: The Calm Before

Chapter 92: The Battle Is Joined

Epilogue

*shameless self-promotion*

Book I: Wolf

Meeting

A small man stepped up to the bars of my cage.

That was my first thought about him, just how short he was, how lightly built, at least compared to me. He looked taller than the average woman, so he probably didn't have a severe ego problem, but still that size made me wary.

He looked at me, appraising what he saw. I looked back at him, snarling a bit, sizing him up. Light brownish hide, black hair, not bad looking. Seemed almost familiar. The way he moved spoke of a certain control, a discipline most often learned in the service. Former legionnaire? Maybe. Maybe not, though. He looked nervous, and legionnaires weren't known for nerves, even out here in the Borderlands. And okay, so he wasn't as small as I'd thought. When he approached more closely, peering at the rune on my shoulder, I could tell he came up to my nose. Still someone to watch. Short men are the worst.

This one might not be so bad, though. It's annoying, I really feel like I'd seen him somewhere before, but I don't know where or how. I saw something in his brownish, or maybe goldish, eyes, some spark of... don't know, humor or something. He carried a bit of untriggered mage potential, but that's not it. I've seen plenty of people with mage potential that I couldn't stand. I'd always thought talk of kindred spirits nothing but pure shit, but this time... I think, maybe, this guy could be my friend.

Under different circumstances.

Good sir, come away from there, surely you don't need to look at that one! The slavemaster himself hurried up and took the smallish man's arm, attempting to guide him away. The man shook him off with no effort.

Why not? What's wrong with this one?

He's... Let's just say he's challenging. Honestly, if this fellow gets returned one more time, he's going to the mines.

I felt a chill at that. First I'd heard of that plan. Better watch my step.

What's the problem? I can see he's a mage. Dangerous?

Rather, the slavemaster grunted sourly. I grinned. Unpredictable, difficult to control, and too damn smart for his own good.

Really. And the magepowers?

The slavemaster gave me a jaundiced look, then shrugged and went about selling me up. He's strong in that regard, too. This one has the intelligence to make it through all the basic training, and progress well beyond the normal slave ranks. He's a full Master. If he ever got out of that collar, I don't know what would happen.

While the hateful bastard spoke, I decided to show off a bit. Why not, I have no wish to go to the mines, way out back of beyond on the Diamond Rim, and this short guy already seemed better than some owners I'd had. So I crafted an illusion, a fanciful creation of space dragons in a softly glowing globe. I'd learned magecraft in the Empire, with all the attendant discipline and wide variety of techniques that implies, and I'm pretty damn good. Not like the barely-trained, half-ass wimps that call themselves mages out here.

Scarcely any effort involved in illusion, just a bit of mental manipulation of energies and some detailed visualization. No one had seen a space dragon in centuries, but I'd seen plenty of old pictures to guide my imagery. The man started forward, eyes wide, one hand twitching like he wanted to touch. Space dragons swirled in flight through the misty globe, majestic wings spread wide, then I let the illusion dissipate in a cloud of glittering sparks. The potential buyer gave me a sharp look.

Fighting skills?

Full combat training, as well. This one's been to the finest Imperial school for battlemages. If not for the attitude problem and the history of violence, he'd be the best I've ever run across.

Violence? Huh. Could be useful. When's he up?

Next week. He's going in the special auction, for skilled workers.

Too long. I need someone sooner.

The small man turned and started to walk away. I concealed a sigh. Damn, things had been looking good for a bit there.

Wait! The slavemaster, seeing a potential sale walking away, hurried after the man, who stopped and looked back with an eyebrow raised.

Yes?

No need to be hasty, the slavemaster said. If you meet the reserve, you can have him now. As is. No hassle, no bidding, just the man as he stands.

The man looked me over again. I moved forward, leaned against the bars of my cage. I rather liked the feel of his eyes on me. And he could see all of me, of course. Slaves on the market, even accomplished mages, always stood naked as the day they were born.

Well? What's your reserve?

The slavemaster named a significant price. I felt a hint of pride. If someone paid that, once word got out, I'd be walking a bit taller amongst my fellow slaves. Not that my reputation needs more enhancement, but it never hurts.

That's a high price for a troublemaker. One last look, then he walked away, with the slavemaster bobbing along beside him like a toothy fish trailing a fishing boat, waiting for the guts to come flying over the side.

I watched him leave, moving through patches of light and shadow in the slave market. The place had the overall look of some industrial warehouse, here in the bowels of some space station or moonbase. I wasn't even sure which it was. Didn't matter, though. All that mattered was the small man getting smaller, passing from one pool of light to the next through the gloom. At least he ignored the other occupied cages.

I sighed again, returning to my spot against the farthest point of the cage, where I sat with my knees drawn up. I put my head down on my arms, shutting out the cold, rank world of the marketplace as much as I could. Damn. I'd actually felt a bit of hope with that fellow.

But since he'd left me here in this Borderland pit, I might as well take advantage of my only route of escape. I slipped into the spirit realm, where I inhabited the body of my spirit animal, the wolf, and ran free through the world of dreams, one of the other dimensions mages can draw on and visit. If they're powerful enough, anyway.

And I am. My body stayed stuck in the cage, with enough of my awareness to pull me back quickly at need, but the rest of me galloped free through through peaceful wilderness on silent wolf paws. I loved coming here, did it every chance I could get. Because no matter how crappy and miserable life as a slave could be, not even the damned collar around my neck could keep me from this illusion of freedom.

Kai

Kai let the door to the slave market close behind him with a distinct feeling of relief. A final gust of fetid air was replaced by the fresher, although still recycled, base air. He hated those places, but where else could someone in a major rush get a battlemage? Nowhere, that's where. The Freemages' Guild had a branch out here in the Borderlands, but he'd tried going through them and given up in disgust when he'd seen the snarl of paperwork and contract negotiations and pure nonsense involved in hiring a Guild member. So he'd come here, to the slave market, to buy a person out of an animal pen.

He made his way to a far nicer part of Heddelburg Moonbase, where his skin didn't prickle with hidden eyes watching his every move. He'd be back. Later, when he'd given Zaire the slavemaster plenty of time to fret over running off a serious buyer for his problem mage. What had the guy done, anyway? Returned. Nobody returned slaves. Huh.

Well, whatever. Kai's interest lay in skills, not attitude. And Master mages were rare, far more rare even than battlemages. Put the two together, and it made a thoroughly attractive package. He'd go back, no doubt about it. And then he'd see once again how treating a slave like a person tended to fix most problems right away.

And then, maybe, with a Master mage for his bodyguard, he'd feel safe again. Unlike now, when he carried his sidearm and felt like hostile eyes followed his every move.

Maybe they did, maybe they didn't. Heddelburg wasn't the worst moonbase by far. A bit rough, true, but it at least kept up a pretense of respectability. On the upper levels, anyway. The underground levels, where the slavemarket huddled in the midst of the environmentals and other machinery, looked like some kind of mechanical hell. But up here, base staff kept the corridors mostly clean and white, barring the occasional graffiti and disregarding the dinginess of the worn floor tiles. The people looked like ordinary Borderlanders. Which, of course, meant they looked pretty rough in general, with a scattering of genuine desperation, and an occasional well-guarded snooty rich bastard. Not a one of them, even the snooty rich bastards, had any real fashion sense. They dressed like a herd of troublemakers. No style at all. Their disreputability grated at him. Any one of them could be an assassin, a bounty hunter, a person that saw him as a walking paycheck.

He reached the main commerce level, the legal one. There he spotted his target destination, Villa Napoli. A decent restaurant, not world-shattering but certainly better than average, and it felt a bit like home. The owner had come out here from the Empire, looking for a bit of excitement and adventure in his life, and brought a touch of civilization with him.

He went inside, took the last available table, and ordered a meal. He kept careful watch while he ate, never relaxing. He'd been jumped in restaurants before. And this place was full of potential troublemakers. He really had to get that slave. He certainly didn't feel up to handling whatever kind of problem might spring up here, where he saw no less than six other men carrying weapons. And how many didn't he see?

When he finished, he started to head back to the slavemarket. But someone got in the way.

Hello, a female voice said, as he left the restaurant. Can you spare a moment?

Yes? What do you need?

Kai looked her over. No veil, rather pretty, fair game. He put on one of his more charming smiles. Women might be trouble of a different sort, but this one presented no threat. Not to mention the people after him wouldn't want to involve an outsider.

I'm new here, she said, smiling shyly back at him, and I seem to have lost my way.

Perhaps I can help. Where are you going?

I need to find the docking area.

Easy enough, Kai said, offering his arm. The woman took it, and he smiled. I'm heading that way myself.

He wasn't, of course, but no need to tell her that. Especially not with the way the woman pressed close to his side as they walked.

What's a lovely lady like you doing running around this facility unescorted?

I am traveling to the Eternal Empire, to attend a women's college, she said. In company with others, of course, but I got separated from the group as we were shopping. Now I must return to our ship. I am so grateful for your assistance.

I'm glad to help. What are you going to study at the college?

History, she said, and Kai smiled. Good. He'd have no trouble getting this one to his own thoroughly historical ship for a bit of fun.

By the time they reached the standard docking area, she'd all but lost interest in her own ship, instead practically begging him to show her his. He'd told her enough about his three hundred year old space schooner to make her eyes light with interest, although given the way she clung to him, she was interested in more than the historical vessel.

It wasn't difficult at all to divert her to the non-standard dock where his more creative ship moored and get her onto the Chaos Rider, nor did it take much effort to get her out of her clothes and into his bed, only a bit of time. And whatever else the lady might be, scholar or no, she was certainly good in bed. Good. He needed a bit of relief from stress. One thing he'd missed about his former life back in the Empire was the ready availability of willing women. Whether they'd been attracted by him or his station in life had been irrelevant, as he'd only been after the simple physical pleasure their bodies offered. Safe, they were. No one looked twice at a man with a record of seducing women. No one ever questioned at all if such a man might think a certain mage had a nice body, nor wondered what went on in his head when he took those women to his bed. Plenty of people made assumptions about his character, but none suspected his occasional deviant thoughts. He'd developed the habit back in the bitterly repressive world of the Empire, where any kind of homosexual activity had been outlawed millennia ago. Even out here in the Borderlands his curiosity and imagination would get him into serious trouble should he ever give in to temptation. Like, say, with that damn fine-looking mage...

After they finished, Kai actually did escort the woman to her ship, but then he brushed off her efforts to get his contact information and left her to her companions. No need to exchange information, none at all. After all, he rarely stayed in the same place for more than a day or two, and he certainly had no wish for any romantic entanglements.

So he left the woman and her transport ship behind, cheerfully unaware that as soon as he was out of sight she made a call to the person who'd offered her good money to find out which ship belonged to the womanizing Imperial exile.

Night Purchase

Something roused me in the night, loud noises, and a piercing brilliant beam. I sat up, blinking in the painful light as it shone right on me, my inadequate blanket pooling in my lap. The air felt cold, enough to make my skin prickle with gooseflesh. I couldn't see who held the damned thing, but the black shadow beside him seemed shaped a lot like the guy from earlier. So I stood, letting the blanket fall, and moved to the bars of the cage.

Yes, definitely him. I recognized his silhouette. He stepped forward, into the harsh, glaring beam, put his hands on the bars.

Are you qualified as a bodyguard? he asked, gold-flecked eyes intent on my response.

I nodded. Of course I am, what the hell else did he think people did with battlemages these days? The enslaved ones, anyways. Free Imperial battlemages almost all served in the Legions at least two years right out of school, then joined the rest of us in adjunct status. It was part of the price of training. A battlemage, free or slave, was never truly his own man, always aware that the Legions might call at any time... unless he'd been exiled, like me.

You could have believed me, the slavemaster grumbled, behind his stupid hand-held floodlight. Could have taken my word for it.

The man gave me one more searching look, nodded, then stepped away from the bars. Never. Okay, then, the deal is done. Get him out of there.

I could tell the slavemaster was pissed by the way he handled the keys, all jerky and overly emphatic. He sat his light down on the floor to open my cage. Better put it on now, he said over his shoulder. Otherwise I'm not responsible for anything that happens with this door open.

With an enigmatic look at me, the man pulled something out of his pocket. I couldn't tell for sure in the messed up lighting, but it looked like he wore the kind of greatcoat popular with a certain sect of historical recreationists. I snorted mentally. Great, a weirdo. This should be interesting. I'm interested in history, yeah, but I certainly don't advertise the fact by dressing like a nut. Wouldn't even if I could. He put the thing on his wrist, and I identified it as the external control link for my collar. I snarled. Damn thing, it could make my life living hell.

The cage door opened, and the slavemaster pulled something off his arm and threw it at me. Put that on.

My robe! Dull and uninteresting gray wool, I still loved that thing, because wearing it I became identifiable as what I was: a Master of my art. Not just a slave. The Sigil of Completion on the robe was only given to those who had completed the highest level of training available through the Imperial Battlemage's College, regardless of whether they were free or slave, where the rune I bore on my flesh merely marked me as a mage. I'd gotten that when I'd passed my apprenticeship, part of the final testing for journeyman, a visible token of mage power to set me apart from ordinary slaves. The one on my robe, now, that was the good stuff. Granted, only slaves ever wore achievement sigils on their clothes. Freemages got fancy plaques to hang on their walls. But who cared? Mine just so happened to bear the designation with distinction tacked on to the graduation info. Proof, should anyone need it, that I'd been right at the top of my class. No slave had been awarded the top honor, ever, before me. Most of them barely made Journeyman.

I slipped the robe over my head, grateful for its warmth, although maybe a bit of exhibitionist streak in me wanted to remain naked. I rather liked seeing the appreciation in this new owner's eyes when he looked at me, as I'd noticed before. Always nice to be appreciated, even when nothing will ever come of it. I work hard to keep in shape, after all. And maybe, if he likes the way I look, he won't let anything happen to damage those looks, unlike a certain past owner had.

I tugged at the robe, getting it settled comfortably. No shoes, of course. Slaves don't get shoes all that often.

Come on, then, he said, giving a satisfied nod when he saw the Sigil. We're leaving.

Okay, fine. I tricked the collar by intending to scratch my nose and managed to give the slavemaster the finger. He glared at me all the way out of the light. I even felt his eyes on my back as we passed through the darkened marketplace, following the light of a hand-held flash my new owner carried.

The smallish man led me through the trade outpost, whichever this one was. It was on a moon, I think; which one I had no clue. But it looks way too spacious out here to be a space station. Smells a hell of a lot better than the slavemarket, too. While we walked, I began internally prepping what I needed to do my job properly as a bodyguard. The damned collar allowed for that, certainly, as it was all for the benefit of the man with the control link.

Here, he said eventually, stopping before the door to the outside world. It looked far too heavy and solid to be anything else. I hope whoever set up the containment spells insulating the base from whatever hostile environment waited outside had done their job well. I hoped there was no reason for the sudden return of my new owner's nerves. He looked very tense. My ship's out here.

I opened the door first, of course, and checked for signs of trouble before letting him through. I swear I saw him relax when I did, losing his nervousness. No trouble, just bright lights, with a faintly glowing spell-bubble between us and the blackness of space. I checked the matrix of the spell automatically. It looked solid enough to hold for a century or more. Good.

A ring of jagged white peaks visible over the walls of the enormous docking area identified the place for me. Moonbase, not space station. Most moonbases were built at the bottom of an impact crater, although I'm not sure why. Maybe the architects and designers figure there won't be another major impact where there already was one? Who knows.

The non-standard docking area held a collection of odd-shaped ships that couldn't land in the normal docking berths for one reason or another. These were the kind of ships I liked seeing, things other than the standard oval shape or big boring rectangular boxes. I even spotted a space schooner.

Which, of course, was the thing my new owner went straight for. I felt a sense of excitement quivering within, a tiny remnant of the boy I had once been stirring to life. I'd been born free. Poor, but free. And I'd always been too smart for my own good, which eventually got me sold off by my father, as I'd bring a higher price than my dumb-as-oxen brothers. But before that, before I was betrayed by my own blood, I spent a lot of time in the public library reading stuff about the history of transportation that nobody other than little boys and historians really cared about. So I knew a lot about the space schooners, even though I'd never seen one in person before.

You like my ship, don't you. Your eyes lit up like a kid in a candy shop.

I nodded, warning myself sharply to watch my reactions. Might be better not to let him know how much I liked it, at least not until I know what kind of man bought me this time. Best keep whatever I can close.

The schooner loomed above us as we approached, enormous and dramatic. Pictures, even tri-D images in holobooks, definitely did not do the schooner justice. Popular about three hundred standard years ago, at the height of the Romance, the schooner had never actually been a schooner, which of course was a true sailing craft from ancient Earth history. Rather, this thing looked more like a steam-powered dirigible, although in this case the steam was just for show, with a smallish wooden replica of a historic ship of the line dangling beneath the envelope as its gondola, supported by a framework of brass tubes and sturdy columns where masts should be. But where's the fun in calling something this amazing a "space dirigible?" No fun at all, of course, so schooners they became.

The envelope was bloody gigantic. I don't think I've ever seen a flying craft that big, although I know it's a lot smaller than one of the big modern commercial spacecraft. But I've never seen one of those. There's a difference in boarding a craft with no windows from an equally windowless dock, and walking right up to it on the ground. This was real, right here, towering over us in the impersonal glare of the security lights. Below it, tied to a docking slip, the gondola looked rather insignificant. It wasn't, of course. Nothing that replicated a ship of the line could be considered insignificant, at least on a human scale. But that envelope dwarfed it.

My new owner stepped forward to unlock a wooden door. Wood! Amazing. I sidled up beside him, testing his response as he sorted through his keys, and touched the wood. But then I frowned as I felt the state of the spells powering the old ship.

Something wrong? he asked, noting the frown. I nodded, patting the wood apologetically. Physically beautiful, magically decrepit. I can scarcely believe it held together for whatever journey brought it here. And wonder of wonders, he made no comment about my misbehavior. My wariness eased down a tiny notch.

The door opened, and I waved the man back, stepping through first, as a proper bodyguard should.

Then I ducked and leaped away, as something whirred straight for my head. I produced a handful of raw force, the quickest attack spell I could muster, and flung it towards a shadow that flitted across my peripheral vision. The red glow lit a slender human form before it splattered harmlessly against the wall.

I made a ball of light, the work of a second, and tossed it upward. It stuck to the ceiling and threw a lovely parlor into sharp relief. That black shadow couldn't hide anymore, and I created a forcelance and threw it. Hellfire, I hadn't expected this! Guess the guy had need of a bodyguard, after all.

The shadow-person dodged the lance and came at me physically. It was a woman, which rather creeped me out. I'd never fought a woman before, and I don't want to start now. This one's tiny. Most women didn't fight, or come out in public, or do much of anything. But if she was small and weak compared to my own large self, well, it certainly didn't stop her from trying to kick my ass.

Didn't work, though. Even holding back a bit out of uncertainty, I'm good enough to capture an elusive target, with the aid of a spell or two. I got her pinned, disarmed and flat as a sheet of archaic paper, with my knee in her midsection holding her to the floor. Then I looked a question at my owner.

He'd gone pale during the brief fight, quite a feat with that caramel-colored skin of his. I wondered if it was shock, fear, or anger that turned him more butterscotch than caramel in the harsh magelight. But he moved confidently enough as he approached the would-be assassin.

Shadow-guild, he spat. My bet landed on anger.

Then I blinked, as the significance of his words sunk in. Really? Who is this fellow, to merit an expensive Imperial assassin? Anybody with enough cash could hire them, but the Shadow-guild rarely ever operated beyond the borders of the Empire.

No wonder she hadn't made a sound. Rumor had it the Shadow-guild used collars of their own, although somewhat different from mine, geared to enhance their performance in various ways. I looked at her closely, rewarded by a thread of dull silver around her neck. No model I'd ever seen, but a collar all the same.

Fine. I know what to do with you.

He stepped over to the wall and opened a cabinet, which concealed modern communications equipment. He put in a call to the market complex guard force. I almost smiled. Local authorities, be they mall cops or militia, rarely approved of Imperial assassins in their territory.

The guards showed up with impressive speed to take away the little woman, leaving us alone together.

Thanks, he said. I nodded.

He frowned. What's wrong with you? Don't you talk at all?

I nodded again, then shrugged. I lifted my head, stretched my neck, dropped my shoulders a bit to indicate the collar, because I damn sure couldn't point to it or touch it.

The collar stops you? Huh.

He came close to me, right about the time my glaringly bright magelight died away. Oops, he said, then moved to the wall and waved his hand at a particular spot. Soft lights sprang to life, their warm and gentle illumination like an echo of the distant past, when people lit their homes with little fires.

He approached again, touching the collar, comparing something on it with the readout on his wristband. Damn. I've never seen a model this complex. Here, let me...

And then I could talk.

Thank you, I said. He smiled.

You're welcome. Now. Mind telling me what's with this crazy collar?

Top of the line, I shrugged. Hardly my favorite subject. Best restraint on the market, guaranteed to make even the most dangerous psycho safe.

Are you saying you're a dangerous psycho? I think he wanted to laugh. Something about the quirk of his eyebrow, and the twitch of his mouth upward.

Nah, but some people think I am. I grinned, and that did it. He chuckled. Dangerous, now, that I'll own up to. But not psycho.

"Good. So. I'm Kai. What's your name? I'm certainly not going to call you slave all the time."

Suddenly all the fun went right out of me. Slaves don't have names.

Human beings have names, he said, leveling a serious look on me. He almost looked pissed. You're a human being. So what's your name?

The one I was born with was stripped from me when my father fucking sold me, I growled, still angry after all these years. "And no owner ever replaced it."

That's sad, he said. But you still need a name. I'll not call you 'hey, you' all the time, either.

I shot a wary look at him. Still serious, still not laughing, no hint that he was making a nasty joke at my expense. I do have a name, given by my mentor at the mageschool. But I've never used it in public before, only at the school, where we all needed names to use in our magic. Some spells require names to distinguish between the people in a group... never mind. What the hell, might as well give him that, as I'm certainly not going back to the one associated with my childhood. They called me Jericho at school.

Jericho, he repeated, then nodded. Good, strong name. Great. Now I'm going to—

No, you're not, I interrupted, moving to block him from leaving the room. Even though I couldn't raise a hand to touch him, I could certainly impede his progress.

Why? You already captured the assassin, remember?

Yeah. Got any guarantees she didn't plant any booby traps? You let me go first.

Paranoid.

Bodyguard. I raised an eyebrow, then nodded when he suddenly laughed and waved me on.

You win. I'm just not used to thinking of my own home as a threat these days.

Implying there had been a time when he considered his home a threat? Hmm...

Never mind about that. Right now, focus on moving through the airship gondola quickly, with all senses natural and magical alert, on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary.

Such as the little robotic killer drone that attacked me the instant I opened the upstairs bedroom—cabin, on a ship—door.

Shit!

Even looking out for it, the drone still surprised me. But it didn't get past. I fried it with an organic spell, the kind crafted in an instant by the situation itself. I have a certain fondness for those. The thing crackled in a ball of red lightning, then fell to the floor with a thud.

Wasp, Kai said, from his position by the door. "What in hell is a Wasp doing in my bedroom?"

Waiting to kill you, I said, kicking the thing aside as I moved into the room. Kai turned on the lights, more of those lovely candle-like glowing things. They illuminated a luxurious cabin, with a curtained bed, a small table with two chairs, and a desk that held a dedicated Link terminal. Does everything look normal? Look careful, now, I'm not about to roll around on it all to see if there's any contact poison.

Kai snorted. I thought I'd left that shit behind. Yes, it all looks the same as I left it.

So what'd you do to piss off someone that can afford to bring Imperial assassins to the Borderlands?

Don't ask. The Emperor hates me. That's why I need you around.

I groaned. Great. Of all the people that can fork over enough cash to make that greedy bastard happy, I get the one that's got an Empire on his ass.

I snuck a sideways glance at him to see how he dealt with my words. Whew, he grinned.

And of all the slaves on the market, I have to pick the one with a sharp-ass tongue and dubious sense of humor.

Good call.

So glad you approve. Now, I know it's late, but I've got to get this thing moving. Can't stay here much longer.

Low orbit only, please.

What, you going to tell me you get spacesick?

Not likely. Not unless you take up this unspaceworthy craft.

What do you mean?

Your containment spells are about to go. I'll bet they haven't been serviced since the day this thing first floated off the lot.

Are you serious? I've been flying this ship two years now without incident!

Blind luck is still luck. You want to ignore my advice, fine, go right ahead. But I think you'd be smarter to trust the mage you brought aboard for a reason, which is protecting your sorry ass.

I can see where that rotten bastard Zaire got his notion that you're difficult.

It's easy enough to prove my position, I shrugged. Just show me where your spellcrystals are kept, I'll prove my point in under two minutes.

He gave me a long look, then sighed. Fine. Let's go.

He guided me downstairs, although I still wouldn't let him go first. But nothing nasty lurked belowdecks, just a large, splendid ship. It was all made of wood, with brass accents where decorative machinery gave the illusion of steam power. The Romance period had been hung up on romanticizing the past, the days of castles and gallantry and steam power, and anything else that came across as suitably romantic. There'd even been a fad for dueling with swords, if historical accounts were accurate.

When I opened the door to the drive room, three floors down and occupying the entire floor with mechanical contrivances powered by both magic and electricity, I got a surprise. An animal sound, a beautiful liquid trill, came from inside. What? I made another light, and tossed it upwards in time to catch sight of a silver dragonet chirring as it flew towards us. Me. It landed on my forearm.

He likes you, Kai observed, as the dragonet rubbed its silver head all over my hand. I rubbed its eye ridges and behind its ears, grinning like a lunatic. So much for keeping secrets, no way I could hide liking this little fellow.

He's beautiful!

Beautiful, and a pain in my ass. He doesn't much like me. But he eats the critters that try to hitchhike, so I keep him around.

You're not a mage. Dragonets resonate with mage energies.

Huh. Never knew that. Well, going to get this over with?

Yeah. I transferred the dragonet to my shoulder and stepped up to the primary crystal drive. This was what powered the ship, not the strictly decorative steam-power trappings, or the as yet unseen electrical backup systems.

It sat in a perfectly square box on a pedestal, a collection of glowing crystals of varying sizes, arrayed with the largest crystal in the center and the others spreading out from it from large to small. The glow from the crystals wavered and pulsed, a dim reflection of what a healthy drive should look like.

Here's your first indicator, I said, as I reached for the central crystal. The glow. It's dim. And see it waver?

It's always been like that.

That's not good. My hand settled on the big crystal, and I felt the wavering light translate into an irregular hum. It should be brilliant and steady.

The crystal under my hand obediently told me the job and state of each and every flawed stone present, including itself. I caressed it in apology, then plucked it free of the drive. The sadly damaged hexagonal crystal pillar, a deep yellow that should have been as glorious as the midday sun, was cloudy and riddled with internal cracks.

Problem number two. See the cloudiness? And all the striations inside? This poor thing's so unstable it's a wonder the lights work. And now— I dropped the central chunk back in place, then plucked an amethyst block free. I gave it a magical nudge, and its matrix popped up in the air before us, a glowing, visible even to untalented eyes representation of the integration between spell and lump of rock. It had holes in it. See here? This is your drive matrix. This should be a solid sheet of connected septagonal shapes, but you can clearly see it looks more like torn lace.

You win again, he said, staring at the damaged matrix. Maybe I need to hunt down the so-called tech that signed off on this, told me everything was in proper working order. Damn idiot.

What was he, a journeyman?

Kai nodded, glancing at me briefly before returning his attention to the matrix. How'd you know?

"These spells are too complex for a journeyman to handle. For me, too, right now. I can take this job on, repair the entire drive, but only if I get a chance to eat something and sleep."

Yeah, sleep's a good idea. Sorry I doubted you. I'm not really a moron, but it's been a blasted long day, and I'm about all in.

You're forgiven.

I ignored his derisive snort as I placed the drive crystal back into its nest. The dragonet on my shoulder didn't. It turned and hissed at him, then launched itself from my shoulder and landed in a shadowy corner.

Guess he told you.

"Yeah. And I told you he doesn't like me. Come on, let's get this schooner moving. Bad crystals or no, I absolutely have to get out of here. Otherwise I'll get to see more of your fighting skills than I really want to."

By the time we got to the control room, I almost wondered if this was a dream. But I don't know if a dream, especially the bland and boring kind allowed by the collar, would involve me helping cast off in a space schooner. I mean, really, I'd left my childhood behind long ago. I haven't hardly thought about vehicles in forever, except as ways to get from one place to another. Had other things on my mind, after all.

That'll do, Kai said, once we'd reached altitude and he set the autopilot. Now. Bedtime.

I couldn't agree more.

He led the way to a room opposite his, separated by the open main deck. He opened the door and my eyes widened at the vision of comfort and outright luxury behind it.

This one's yours, he said, making sure I saw the location of the light panel. Unless you're going to insist on trying to convince me we need to be roommates?

I grinned. Hardly. Not on your own ship. Now, if you were getting a room at a hotel, then we'd have to talk.

He nodded. Good, you really are as smart as you seem.

He turned to go, but I stopped him.

Kai.

Yes?

Why are you being so nice to me? I mean, I'm a—and you're a— I shrugged. You know.

Would you rather I be an asshole? That expressive eyebrow rose again. He does the look far better than I. I could try, if you like. You know, make you run around bare-assed, stand in the corner, mask... whole nine yards.

No! I raised my hands to ward off his words. No, I'm fine with things just the way they are.

He laughed, then grew abruptly serious again. "I hate slavery. I think it should be outlawed. I grew up in the Empire, surrounded by slaves. My nursemaid. My teachers. My bodyguards. Even my first lover. And don't you even think it, it was consensual. Her idea, even. And each and every one of those slaves were people. Real, genuine people, with lives they were born with but not allowed to live. So. I can't do a damn thing about slavery in general, but I can make damn sure to treat the one I've got with decency and respect fitting a human being."

Thanks, I said softly, all of my normal attitude shot down by his honesty.

"And before you say it, yes, I fucking bought you like a damn piece of luggage. I needed a battlemage, fast. You ever try dealing with the Freemages' Guild? Not fun."

I snorted. That was an understatement.

And I'm leaving that collar on, because like I said, I need a battlemage. I don't know you from Adam. So I'll go the lazy, easy route, and guarantee your loyalty the stupid way.

At least you admit it.

Yeah. But it doesn't make me feel any better about doing it. Now, goodnight.

Then he walked out of the room, leaving me in my very own corner of heaven.

A New Day

The next morning, I woke up floating in a cloud of unreality. What was I doing in a warm bed, with a dragonet curled up on my pillow, and nobody staring at me? Strange, but I decided in half a heartbeat I could live with this. I grinned as I rubbed the silver dragonet's back. My face hurt from all the unaccustomed smiling. The dragonet lifted an eyelid at me, then tucked its head in its paws, like a cat.

Good idea, little guy, I said. But I don't think I can get away with going back to bed. Got something big to do today.

Drive repair. This should be fun, I hadn't had anything this interesting to do since I'd graduated mageschool. Most of my life so far had consisted of keeping rich fuckers safe as they snuck out to seedy parts of town to cheat on their wives. Well, there had been that pretty wild episode with the demon infestation, but that definitely exceeded the norm. And the stint I did as maintenance tech for a large kwylla fruit plantation's farming equipment didn't bear thinking on.

I took a shower, reveling in the novelty of having my very own bathroom, then headed for the kitchen. Galley. If I'm going to live on a space schooner, I might as well get used to calling things by their proper names. Kai stood in there, staring at an open cabinet filled with packaged dried food products. I snickered mentally.

I don't suppose you're here to make breakfast, are you? he said, looking at me with eyes full of hope.

I shook my head. Nah. I'm a mage, not a chef.

He sighed and reached for something packaged. I laughed.

No worries, I'm just fucking with you. Got a Link?

Yeah. What's that got to do with anything?

Show me where the Link is, I'll show you how Master mages do things away from civilization.

He took me to the control room. Here you go, he said, patting the terminal. Not a real computer, this piece of machinery was dedicated to interfacing with the Link, a vast network of information and communication that reached all corners of the Empire and the vast majority of the Borderlands. It's all yours.

I sat in front of it with a dramatic flourish of my full sleeves. Why not have fun with this guy, at least until he turns into an asshole. Gods know I could use more fun in my life. I pulled up a Link page known only to a select few. Obediently, a vast menu popped up.

Here you go. What do you want?

He leaned over to read, one hand casually resting on my shoulder. You can't be serious?

Yep. Put in your credit info and your order, and I'll be able to fetch it.

Excellent! Pick out what you want, I've got to think about this for a moment. Whole lot more choice than I was expecting.

Easy enough, I always got the same thing for breakfast from the Food Court. I made my selection, then surrendered the seat to him so he could take care of the business side of things.

Now what?

Just hit the Order button.

He did, and the screen turned into a flashing red button, a big round one. He watched it for a moment, then impatience got the better of him.

Well?

Relax, it takes a couple minutes. When it—there.

The button turned green, with a name emblazoned on it. I checked clearances and took a few steps back, then performed a minor summoning, using the name from the button. Our food popped into existence, supported mid-air on a tray by a little pink demon with frilly wings.

Kai's eyes got really wide.

Here you go, I said, plucking the plate that didn't have my breakfast on it off the tray and handing it to him, before taking my own. Then I took the empty tray and put it on the floor. The pink demon followed it down and sat on it.

There. He'll stay put until we're done, then take the dirty dishes back.

You're certainly a handy sort to have around.

We went back to the galley, sat at the table, and had a really nice breakfast. I could live on spicy egg burritos forever. Well, my guts might disagree with that notion eventually, but my mouth loved 'em.

After we finished, I took the dirty plates back to the control room and put them on the tray, then banished the pink demon.

That's it?

Kai had followed me, curious.

Yeah. Works every time.

I stretched as much as the constraints on the damned collar would allow, then started focusing my thoughts.

I'm going to work on that drive now, unless you've got other plans.

Nah. How is it you know how to repair crystal drives, anyway? Seems like a pretty specialized skill.

Not really, I said. Although maybe I should let you keep thinking so, make me look better and all. Thing is, once you reach a certain level of training, it's all the same. Because see, there's a technique that— I caught the blank look in his eyes, and abruptly diverted from spell mechanics. —lets me see the underlying structure of any spell, and what it should look like, as well.