SoulQuest (22 page)

The younger Felidae rolled with the blow, swinging her body low and trying to come up at the Chieftain’s back. Liran dug her claws into her mother’s flesh, slicing down and spilling first blood over the white field. The Chieftain attacked with more ferocity, her mouth wide, trying to clamp down on her daughter’s skull. Liran squirreled out of the attack, springing into the Chieftain’s midsection and throwing her down.
 

The Soulstone fell not far from the dozen soldiers and the crew. Tanus swatted one of them with his artificial arm, and it transformed into its gun-form as he turned and fired a pulse into another Felidae. Ekala took advantage of the surprise caused by Liran and the Chieftain’s fight and managed to wrestle a spear from one of the Felidae. She drove the spear’s blade into the Felidae’s abdomen and, out of the corner of her eye, saw Swul intercept another Felidae who was lunging at her. Reyche mostly maintained a defense, batting away spear points, her strength and speed more than enough to counter the attacks by the warriors.

As his crew took on the warriors, Zarim made a move for the stone. He jumped into the snow, his fingers reaching out and snatching it up. Holding the stone to the sky, he concentrated on its power and let it flow through his body. He could feel a connection between all of them as the Soulstone’s power surged through him, emanating a bright, blinding flash. It stunned them all, but Zarim now moved with a lightning-quick speed. He almost single-handedly scattered the remaining guards, armed with nothing more than his bare hands. His fists hit like boulders, knocking enemies from his path.
 

Liran had gotten the better of her mother, and the Chieftain lay stunned in the snow, battered and bloody. Her breath was short and she studied her daughter with anger. However, there was some pride in her gaze as well— pride at her daughter’s skill in battle, and in her ferocious instincts to fight for what she believed.

“Liran has grown powerful. Strong,” said the Chieftain. “But if she insists on this course, she will experience exile.”

Liran closed her eyes while shaking her head. “No, she will not. By Felidae tribal law, she is now Chieftain, having bested the previous in battle.”

The Chieftain growled at this, but it seemed more like a futile whimper of discontent. “She cannot betray her people.”

“She does not, she goes with the not-Felidae so she may protect her people,” said Liran. “And upon her return, she accepts the position of Chieftain. Is there an understanding?”

The Chieftain struggled with this turn of events. She couldn’t very well speak out of turn now. The only course of action she had was to submit, and so she simply nodded her head. “Understanding there is. The law shall be honored.”

Liran bowed slightly and walked towards the group. “They have a ship, they said?”

Zarim nodded. “We do.”

“Then she believes now is time to depart.”

“What makes you think you’re coming with us?” asked Ekala.
 

Liran glared at her and pointed to Zarim and the Soulstone. “She gave them what they sought. She will ensure he honors his word. For good of Felidae.”

“Look around, girl,” said Swul. Ekala did and noticed what he did. The rest of the tribe were now approaching and none of them appeared pleased by what had transpired. But Liran held up her hand and they all paused.

“By Felidae law, she is now Chieftain. And she commands Felidae to stand down.”

Sure enough, the Felidae did as they were told. They kept their distance, but it was obvious that at the first word from their new Chieftain, they would attack the crew with relentless abandon. Liran fixed her eyes on Ekala. “If not-Felidae would rather fight, then Felidae can do so. Many Felidae anxious for the chance.”

“Don’t think we got much of a choice, do you?” asked Swul.

Ekala mumbled some colorful words under her breath. “Just don’t complain about it bein’ too hot.”
 

“We sure we can afford a stop-over?” asked Tanus.

He stood bent over the maps, his human hand holding his upper body from the table. The former Dreadnought’s head was slightly raised, staring at Zarim as he steered the Excalibur. The pirate didn’t seem too pleased with the idea of veering off-course, either.

“Can we afford it? I’m not sure. Do we have much of a choice? That’s a different story.”

Tanus stood upright. “What’s that mean?”

Zarim switched on the autopilot and moved away from the helm. “Remember the guy who helped us get into Serenity? Well, he radioed a message while we were dealing with the Felidae, said he needs his payment. And given that it’s been a while since we stopped by, he’s not liable to be very pleased. Especially given what meager offerings we’ve got.”

“So why waste the effort?”

“Because he can track the ship,” said Zarim. “And between Vortai and the Dreadnoughts, the last thing we need is Gax sending mercenaries after us.”

Tanus’ countenance grew more grim. “You mean the self-appointed kingpin of Delfor?
He’s
who you’re indebted to?”

Zarim gave a disheartened nod. “That’s right.”

“But how can he track the Excalibur? Unless...” Tanus sighed. “He owns it, doesn’t he?”

Zarim stayed silent, which was all the confirmation Tanus required. He walked towards the helm, staring at the wheel as the autopilot kept it steady. Zarim had moved away, his eyes now staring at his boots.

“Do Ekala and Swul know?”

“No.”

“What would make you think getting in bed with a man like Gax be a good idea?”

“It wasn’t long after Ekala and I met,” said Zarim. “We were still small-time, mostly snatching whatever we could carry. Pick-pocketing, the occasional hold-up, that sort of thing. Soon enough, I stole from the wrong person, that person happened to be Gax. He gave us a chance to not only make it up to him, but also make some more money and gain some valuable skills.”

“So a criminal internship,” said Tanus.

“More or less.” Zarim chuckled a little. “When we had made peace with him, I thought we’d scrounged together enough to get our own ship. I’d had some pilot training in the past and Gax provided me with a little more. But ships don’t come cheap, and when I first saw the Excalibur, I knew she was the one. Unfortunately, I couldn’t afford it, so I kept looking.

“Then about a week later, I get a message. The seller was willing to drop his price. Told me to come down and meet him. Of course, once I got there, I found Gax instead. He bought the ship and offered to give it to me, provided we give him a share of our earnings.”

“In for a penny, in for a pound,” said Tanus. “Men like Gax don’t get to where they are through fair dealing.”

Zarim nodded. “You’re telling me.”

“So how does a pirate in debt end up working for a group of monks?” asked Tanus.

“Well, Xanadar is where Zarim was born.”

Tanus was confused by the pirate suddenly referring to himself in first person. He narrowed one eye and shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. Your accent is definitely that of someone who comes from one of Ra’kad’s dominions.”

“I said Xanadar was where
Zarim
was born,” he said. “Before that, I was someone else.”

“And who might that—”

Zarim put a finger to his lips. “Remember our one rule, Tanus.”

Tanus gave a nod of understanding. The one rule on the Excalibur, which Zarim had instructed him in shortly after he arrived, was that the people onboard had histories they wanted to leave behind. Everyone was to respect that.

“You’re right, it’s none of my business.”

Zarim nodded and gave another look over the instrument panel. “So I can trust you to monitor things while I head down to Delfor?”

“You’re going alone?” asked Tanus.

“It’ll be easier to explain if I go alone as opposed to all of us going, and easier to leave in a hurry if need be. I’ll take the sky-cycle, you just keep my girl in the air.”

Once leaving the bridge, Zarim walked down the corridor to the common area. Swul and Ekala were inside, once more playing a game of cards. The faerie held his cigar in one hand and his cards in another. As for Ekala, she twirled one of her daggers between the fingers of her free hand. Zarim stepped inside, closing the door behind him. His two oldest friends nodded to him.

“Wanna be dealt in?” asked Ekala. “Sure Swul could use someone else kicking his ass for once.”

“Go to hell, ya cheat!”

Zarim smiled. “Wish I could, but we’re not far from Delfor and I need to make a stop.”

Ekala’s sunny disposition quickly soured. “Delfor? Don’t tell me you’re going to see Gax.”

“Gal’s right, Zee,” said Swul. “We don’t got time to deal with him.”

“He wants his payment for helping us with the documents in Serenity. Plus, I was hoping he could help us again,” said Zarim.
 

“What sort of help?”

Swul threw down some cards. “Yer move.”

Ekala held up her hand, indicating that she wanted to pause the game. “Zee? You know any help Gax offers won’t come cheap.”

“Think I’m stupid?” asked Zarim.
 

Swul tapped the table, trying to get Ekala’s attention. “Hey kid, yer move.”

She continued her conversation with Zarim. “Do you really want me to answer that?”

“Look, I know full-well we can’t trust Gax, that’s why I’m going to trick him into helping us,” said Zarim. “Tell him we’re pulling a job on the other side of the world from Xanadar. That way, if the Dreadnoughts start sniffing around our contacts, we can send them on a wild goose chase.”

“Psst, Ekala!” Swul had grown impatient. He continued tapping the discard pile and Ekala jammed her knife into the cards, barely missing Swul’s fingers. His jaw dropped, the cigar striking the wooden table. The faerie leaned back. “On second thought, take yer time.”

“You need back-up?” asked Ekala.

“No, that’s okay, this won’t take long. I’ll be back before you’ve won all of Swul’s money.”

“Wouldn’t be so sure of that.”

“Just show the damn cards, already!” said Swul.

Ekala dropped them onto the table at the same moment Zarim left the common area. Even through the closed door, he could hear Swul’s cursing. He imagined everyone in the ship could. Descending to the cargo area, he found the two newest additions to the crew standing on the catwalk. Liran had perched herself on the rail and Reyche stood across from her. The two nodded as Zarim moved past.

“Ladies,” he said, slightly tipping his head.
 

“He is leaving?” asked Liran.

“Just for a bit.” Zarim took the metal stairs down to the cargo level. He opened the weapons closet and took his sword and scabbard, attaching them to his belt.
 

“Expecting trouble?” asked Reyche.

“You should always expect trouble in Delfor.” Zarim checked the rounds in his pistol and slid the weapon into its holster. He looked at the two and offered a grin. “Don’t worry, though. Nothing I can’t handle. Although you may want to hold onto something until the bay door closes.”

Zarim climbed onboard the sky-cycle and started it up. He removed a small device from his belt and hit the switch on it. A red light activated and the sound of gears turning deafened all in the cargo bay. The door opened and Zarim turned the handle on the cycle, hitting the thrusters and sending it flying out into the air.

Zarim preferred to enter Delfor during the day. Going into a pirate haven on your own at night was the very definition of suicidal, and he had no interest in taking any more risk than he already had. He didn’t even want to come this far, he had hoped to pilfer more than the jewels from Corvil during these Soulstone missions. Unfortunately, it was all he had to pay Gax and he hoped it would be sufficient to keep the four-armed freak off their backs for just a little bit longer.

Part of him didn’t even want to risk taking the sky-cycle into town. But leaving it on the outskirts and proceeding on foot would have guaranteed a bandit attack or the cycle being stolen, probably both. He drew attention to himself by taking it on the streets, but at least he had means of a quick escape if need be. Zarim took the sky-cycle as close to the market square as he could get and powered down. Drawing the key from the ignition, he made a big show of disembarking while his sword and gun were in clear view.
 

Walking into the alley, Zarim kept his eyes peeled for his contact. He could sense the familiar presence and drew his gun, stepping forward and holding the barrel up to his would-be attacker. The unshaven man snickered while shaking his head, his gun still held up.

“One of these days, my friend, I swear I’ll get the drop on you,” said Kef.

Zarim smiled, turning the barrel of his gun up. “As I always say in these situations, keep dreaming.” He dropped his arm and slid the weapon back into its holster. Kef’s weapon vanished back into the waistband of his pants. He took Zarim down the usual path to the heavy, metal door and banged three times. As usual, two eyes peered out through the slot before the door opened. Zarim saluted the burly man as he entered and walked towards the round table.
 

Gax sat in his usual space. One hand rested on the table, the other held a hose connected to a smoking water pipe. The kingpin took a long drag on the hose, the water bubbling in the pipe before exhaling through his nostrils.

“You are late, my friend,” he said in his nasally voice. “I thought we had a deal.”

“Relax, I’m here, aren’t I?” Zarim reached into his cloak and took out a small sack. He dropped it on the table.
 

Gax pointed to the empty chair across from him with the hose. “Please, sit. Have a taste.”

“I’d rather stand and I don’t smoke,” said Zarim.

Gax waved his hand dismissively and opened the sack. He turned it upside down, slowly letting the gemstones spill onto his table. His large eyes examined them from behind the thick-rimmed goggles he wore, all the while shaking his head.

“My boy, it’s been a month and this is all you have to show for it?”

“I’ve run into some trouble lately,” said Zarim.