By Jane Carver

The Formidable lived up to her name. Sleek, fast, and black as the space she traveled through, she carried Gambrel and Pessios at speeds unheralded.

Though the pair left soon after the Unseen, the larger ship disappeared from the scope. The residue of the ship’s engine mingled with thousands of others in space where traders, pirates and adventurers traveled.

Pessios fell in love with the Formidable within minutes of sitting in the pilot’s seat. “Canfanto choose well. I would steal this ship from you, my friend, if it were not for the seriousness of our mission.” Other than comments necessary to begin the flight and settle into the journey, those were the only words spoken.

Gambrel brooded over his mistakes. First, he allowed himself to be caught up in the beauty and friendship of Vangee and her father. When his natural instincts would have kept him on Ancade working for passage, he accepted her invitation to aboard the Fenix. Worst mistake of all, he fell in love with her. And told her so. Likewise, he grew to love petite Dara, she of the curly orange hair and gamin grin. Could he have made more blunders in such a short time? He didn’t think so.

* * * *

The Formidable entered port two weeks later at Zachtos, a cold planet with few major cities and only one water-port. Freezing weather usually prevented ships from landing. However, a warming spell had recently thawed the gigantic lake, and a few ships landed.

Questioning locals at the dock drew little results. Few dockworkers could tell if a ship was Ancadian or not and didn’t act like they particularly cared. Under surly suspicious stares, Gambrel and Pessios withdrew to an inn further into the heart of the town. They choose one that attracted less savory clientele. If Haggin and his men had landed and gone anywhere, the Last Outpost might have been that choice.

The women who worked the floor cared not for a man’s looks. Only his coins interested them. They told Gambrel little about recent visitors. However, an elderly crone seated on a worn wooden bench in dim light near the door motioned Pessios over while Gambrel sought information elsewhere.

A few words in the small man’s ear, and he waved his friend over. “This good one has knowledge of a large man who entered here a seven-day span ago. A man with thick arms, short legs but a part in his hair that is white and scarred.” Haggin’s lieutenant, Walys.

“Did the man indicate where he would be going once he left this planet?” Gambrel rolled a few coins between the fingers of one hand, the firelight glinting off the gold color of high-priced money.

The woman reached for the coin he held up. He pulled it back. “Answers first. Then coin.” Never once did he spare her a pleasant look.

“He wanted to find sailors. An odd one, him. He acted like finding anyone to sail his ship might be a problem.” A weathered face, deep in wrinkles and dirt, screwed dim eyes. “The tender pointed him in the direction of the last warehouse on the dock. Sailors gather there to wait for ships needing a crew.” She held out her hand, wrapped thick with dark material that smelled as bad as her.

Satisfied she told all, Gambrel dropped coins from lax fingers into the folds of her skirt. A head jerk toward the door and Pessios joined him. Once again, Gambrel threw the thick scarf around his head, this time to cut the icy wind blowing in a straight line down the street between the tight packed dark buildings. “We are unknown to these men, and we seek information, not crewmen. Better to draw one man out and encourage him to share.”

By now Pessios knew the word encourage meant using whatever means necessary to get what was needed.

Nearer the docks, the wind blew spray and foam through the air, coating everything in ice. Rough boardwalks lay deep in frozen trash. They neared the last warehouse with caution. Several burly men stood outside the door, huddled around a large barrel where a fire leapt.

“Lay back, Pessios. Let me approach alone. I’ve done this before and am aware of the dangers. Size and weapons are an advantage.” Gambrel pulled his coat away from his sides and let the blasters in their twin holsters glint in the weak light of morning. Black against black. No one would be fool enough to think this man traveled unarmed.

“Hello!” His shout alerted the men as he drew near the fire pit. The sailors didn’t scramble out of the way so much as move around the pit. After all, they waited for jobs. This man might offer one.

Gambrel held his arms out to his side. When the restless movements ceased, he lowered his arms so his hands lay close to the blasters. No matter how he drew them, from his side or across his body, his aim was deadly. The harshness of his gaze warned the others not to do anything untoward.

“I seek a sailor to fly me into far space.”

“Many would fly if enough coin were tossed their way.” A small man in an oversized coat and pale blue knit cap answered. He didn’t look up from the fire, nor did he stop rubbing his bare hands over the heat.

“Are you willing to take me?” Gambrel mentioned coin, an amount adequate for sailors on this planet.

“Where do you go?” The short man seemed to have the lead in the conversation. The others gave way as he rounded the fire pit and stopped before the taller man.

“Depends.” A wave of his arm and Gambrel motioned back the way he came. “Let me buy you a drink at the Last Outpost, and we will discuss terms.”

Suspicion kept the smaller man far from Gambrel’s side, but they left together. A furious gust of wind blew snow in their faces as they rounded the corner. No one else roamed the street so Gambrel reached out one long arm and pulled the little man with him into an alley behind some crates.

Thinking the two alone, the little man tried to bluff his way out of the implacable grip, only to discover another shadow joined them almost immediately. Pessios nodded to his partner but focused on the walk beyond the alley.

“I seek a large man with thick muscles and a white scar in his hairline. Came through maybe a seven-day ago. Wanted men to crew an Ancadian sailing ship. Not your usual space vessel.” The bunched coat in Gambrel’s hand tightened a bit around the man’s thin chest. “Where did they sail?”

“We’re not sailing together?” The short man’s question sounded ludicrous, but Gambrel answered anyway.

“No, we are not.”

“But I still get coin?” Meaning he wanted to be paid for the information he gave.

Normally Gambrel did not pay an informant, but jobs seemed in short order on this desolate planet. “I will give some if you tell the truth.” He pulled Shorty off his feet, left his toes dangling a foot off the ground as he gave him an evil grimace. “I pay if the information is correct. Untruths, and no one ever sees you again.”

When one swallows loud enough to be heard over howling wind then one has taken the threat seriously. The knot in Shorty’s throat rose and fell, the thump audible as he nodded. His head barely moved because Gambrel held him so tight.

“Three men followed the one you described. They’d worked on Ancadian ships before. Were familiar with their operation. The man was in a hurry. Said little else besides needing sailors. Before they left, one of the three—a friend of mine named Micos—told me they headed to the Outer Rim. For Dasari.” Shorty grinned. “You know this place?”

Gambrel tossed the man on the ground hard enough to knock him unconscious then let coins fall at his side. Without another word, he and Pessios disappeared into the white swirls of snow that thickened as Shorty woke and collected his money.

* * * *

Why didn’t Haggin abandon the larger vessel for something faster, smaller? The Unseen zigzagged across space but never in a pattern Pessios figured out. Always behind, by a full-light or a seven-day, Gambrel couldn’t catch man or ship.

A moon-time and several full-lights passed before their luck turned. Another informant gave them a break. “Heard the smaller man, some foreign piece, say they’d be sailing the Tally Circle. Goes past three planets that support life. If they sail the current and follow the curve, you should catch up by going the direct path. Harder on your ship ‘cause the atmosphere is a bit unpredictable, but faster.”

Made sense to Gambrel despite the risks involved. Pessios checked sector maps and found the faint swath of stars and planets in a graceful curve referred to as the Tally Circle. By setting a direct course, they determined to arrive at the second planet ahead of Haggin and the Unseen.

Canfanto contacted Pessios who said the contact still held strong. Pirates attacked several ships near the rear of the fleet, and passengers panicked. Many were hurt. A mother giving birth during the attack died along with her infant. He relayed a message from Captain Merlo. Vangee was missed, not only for herself, but also as a valuable expedition member. However, the captain added, Gambrel would not give up so hoped he would see all soon.

Gambrel’s despair grew with each passing full-light. By now Vangee might be dead. If that happened, he would avenge her death then disappear. The fleet and Merlo would never know what became of him. Pessios could return in the Forbidden.

Happier times with his lover, Effie and Jacon often played through his mind. Occasionally Pessios would begin, “Remember the time Dara…” Despite his reluctance to speak of those lost to him, he found himself part of the conversation.

When Pessios turned in for the full dark, Gambrel scanned the instrument panel and the stars beyond the glass. He felt a loss of hope. How big and bulky he was, how small and delicate Vangee. How violent and single-minded his life compared to her open-heartedness. Even little Dara created light where he brought only darkness.

Here he sat, hundreds of years left in his life cycle. One family and one true love had come and gone. After all this time, nothing remained to show Gambrel Sarjean had left a mark on the future. Until he met Vangee and the other Ancadians—Jacon and Merlo—he never thought much of eternity. Now emptiness spread out before him like a banquet of ashes and bone. Nothing appealed to him.

* * * *

When the attack came, it was vicious, loud, blinding, and a total surprise.

Gambrel and Pessios hid the Forbidden in a narrow valley some distance from Westinblat on the planet Dasari. They took a room in a disreputable inn near the docks. No one had seen the ship, Walys, Haggin or Gastrojan. Each full-light the two separated and scoured the town for news.

Two full-lights past before anything happened. When it did, all the gods of the universe must have wanted in on the action.

Early one eventide when fading light still shaded the sky, Gambrel met Pessios at the corner of their inn, the Meeting Place. In a few terse words the two agreed the men they searched for were not yet in town.

Suddenly he seized Pessios’ arm. “Look,” he whispered as he pointed across the street. “Isn’t that the sailor I hustled on Zachtos?” A small man in a large coat and blue knit cap stood on the other side of the street, undecided which way to go.

“What the fick? That is Shorty.” Pessios called the man that since they didn’t know his real one. “Quick. He’s on the move.”

Both started forward. Pessios crossed the narrow street and attempted to stay in the shadows as much as possible. Too big to be inconspicuous, Gambrel stayed well behind Shorty. The little sailor wandered leisurely down the walk before rounding the next corner.

Gambrel and Pessios met at the wall. “He’s gone into a shop. We’d better not follow him but wait for him to come out.” Pessios stepped forward then added, “I’ll guard the back in case he spotted us and wants to avoid our company.” He smiled before disappearing into the narrow space between the two buildings.

Not far away, Gambrel took up position in the inset front door of another shop. A sign indicated the business closed for the night so no one would bother him by entering or leaving.

“Too much time,” he muttered as shadows crept out further and darkened the landscape. Shorty hadn’t come out yet. A sick feeling churned in the pit of his stomach. If Shorty left through the back, where was Pessios?

* * * *

I hope you’re enjoying the story so far. Gambrel and Pessios are on the hunt.

Speaking of on the hunt, Jake Border and the Knight he awakened are on the hunt as well, each hoping to find their respective home worlds because where they are at their meeting is NOT their homes.

By Jane Carver

The attack had been well planned. Captain Merlo and his first mate, Mr. Honess, were not aboard. They attended a meeting with the harbormaster in preparation for leaving. Minimal guards had been posted at the plank since the Cabrillans proved friendly. No one suspected the greatest threat to those aboard the Fenix would be from its own passengers.

Gambrel boarded amid panic. Two sailors, Stavin and Nhortin, appeared more than happy to see him. Captain Merlo had not returned yet but was on the way.

“They caught us by surprise,” Stavin reported. “Too many to count in the first confusion. I were knocked mindless and left on deck tied up. I counted at least eight men later. Rough types. Locals from their dress.” He helped another man sit while one of the women dressed the cut on his head. “I slipped my ties when I came to then searched for others. I discovered Nhortin first then we found the others.”

Nhortin swallowed hard and finished Stavin’s tale. “All were mindless except for Mistress Chiffro. They beat her to death, sire.” The young sailor lost his composure for a moment but wiped his face clean as Gambrel maintained a stony expression. “Were no call for such. And why her alone? She clutched a piece of paper, and lines marked around her neck as if something were ripped off. Stavin found a chain covered in blood thrown down among the folds of her skirt.”

Before Gambrel could question the men further or explore the ship for clues, Captain Merlo appeared at his elbow, shaken more than he had ever seen. “Murder aboard my ship. What is to become of us?”

Stavin and Nhortin repeated their stories then added, “Some of our folks be missing, Captain.” When they recited the list, Merlo appeared stunned.

“Why these and no others? Why take any? Why not all?”

“Because of me.” Gambrel stood with hands at his side, feet braced, and leveled a hard stare at Merlo. “These folk are dear to me. This is the work of a man named Haggin. In the past, his name was Handid. He’s a murderer. He recognized me at your gathering several nights ago. He knows why I am here.”

Merlo asked the expected question. “And why is that?”

“I have tracked this man and his followers for fifteen twelve-months and killed each one. The only one left is Haggin. His second-in-command, a man named Walys, I thought dead already. I discovered he lives.”

“But why?” Incredibility showed clearly on Merlo’s face in his wide eyes.

“Haggin and his men killed my daughter. I swore vengeance then and have not changed my mind since.”

“And you dragged the Fenix and Vangee into your plot?” Merlo seethed with an easy-to-see anger.

“I did not think to include anyone in my scheme. I planned to disappear after the deed was completed this eventide. However, I suspect Haggin sent locals to take Vangee and others. Warn me away. Or lure me to my death.” He took a deep breath and stood straighter. “I will examine the ship then contact Pessios through Canfanto. Perhaps Haggin led him to those who are missing.” Not for the world would he say “those whom I love.” Saying the words would be to admit a loss greater than his life if anything happened to them.

At his name, Canfanto appeared at Gambrel’s side. “Sire, Pessios says Haggin went into a warehouse. Others move inside. He can not make out who.” Everyone near the men knew who abided in the darkness. Vangee and the other passengers.

“Lead me there, Canfanto.” When he turned to leave the ship, Merlo stepped into his path.

“You need help.”

“Not so, Captain. This I do by myself. Haggin begs killing, and I alone will be responsible. You and the others may leave Cabrilla under no restraints.” Gambrel glanced around. “Besides, sire, you are needed. Your place is here, and these are your people. Take care of them.” He offered his arm in friendship. And farewell.

* * * *

Canfanto led Gambrel through familiar streets to a large warehouse set far back on a plane of green. Little greenery shaded the area. Getting closer proved difficult but not impossible. They met Pessios who hid among boxes stored at the edge of the building.

“When I arrived, I heard voices. A man entered the building followed by some local justice breakers. I think I saw Thacton.” Pessios glanced over his shoulder. “An entrance in the front and one at the back are guarded. The windows are high, and there is nothing light or sturdy enough to stack and climb on. Even these boxes are too heavy.” To prove his point, Pessios shoved against one and got a bruised shoulder for his efforts.

“A diversion is needed. Misdirection. Lure the guard away from the door.” Gambrel craned his neck around the corner enough to see the burly man standing there. He held a large blaster across his chest, and his feet were braced. The man expected problems.

Suddenly weapons fire sounded inside the building.

“Trouble!” Not waiting for Pessios and Canfanto to follow, Gambrel pulled his double blasters, bellowed a war cry, and charged, brilliant bursts of energy killing the guard on contact.

No need for surprise now.

The door held until Gambrel put a huge shoulder to the panel and busted through. Once inside however, he knelt in the shadows while Pessios took the other side. Canfanto squatted behind him. After the brief noise inside and out, the profound quiet inside seemed complete and ominous.

A gesture and Pessios glided forward. Motioning Canfanto to one side, Gambrel followed. Like a well-oiled machine, the three slid into the building’s darkness in total silence. Eyes scanned shadows in case someone else moved besides them. Ears listened for odd sounds or footfalls. Pessios flicked out his tongue, tasted the air.

The smaller man motioned Gambrel to him. “I detect the scents of Gastrojan and Pharlie. Haggin’s scent drifts to me as well.”

A sense of everything coming together settled in Gambrel’s heart. As he feared, Gastrojan ran with Haggin. Whether their partnership developed from a mutual hatred of him or whether the men knew each other through past business ventures was only a guess. How they met did not matter once they all died.

Nothing disturbed the silence of the space where the three men hid among crates and bundles. The quietness warned Gambrel. Wrong. Something was not right. A squeak, like a dry hinge, echoed beyond their position. Pessios moved toward the sound. Another door stood cracked open a slit farther down the vastness. The lack of light around the doorframe indicated it did not lead outside. Pessios reached the door first and ducked into the room.

Immediately Canfanto and Gambrel surged forward, intent on following him. However, before either entered the room, Pessios returned, his demeanor one of great illness.

“Wait.” The man sounded sick. That alone stopped Gambrel. Pessios’ face scared him.

“No.” One word. A fear too overwhelming to consider.

“Gambrel, don’t.” Pessios tried to spare the other man, but nothing stopped him.

Beyond the door lay a reality far worse than anything he could imagine. The reek of blood hit his nose before he entered the dimly lit room, a sweetish-sour smell that clung to skin and clothes. Before his eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness, he found the bodies. Ungainly carcasses tossed into a heap. Some tried to protect others from death. Arms stretched in unnatural positions tangled with legs bent up and back. Great swathes of blood and gore splattered the walls. So many in such a small room. But not a sound.

“There should be sound,” Gambrel muttered as he moved forward, his senses overcome by the sight. The blonde youth, Herion, lay nearest the door, his head almost detached. Flustos, his best friend, fell at his side, one arm completely shot off. Like a river, blood still drained from the massive wound.

Old Domas lay stretched out on his face as if he rushed his attackers. Gambrel knelt and gently turned over the elder. A hole in his chest took him down but not before he caught and strangled a justice breaker. One of Walys’ companions lay wrapped in the man’s dead embrace.

Jacon, his first friend aboard the Fenix, lay twisted like a cloth in the wind beside Domas. He’d taken several phaser blasts, but managed to kill two attackers. Gambrel didn’t want to tell his family how the man died.

Further into the room, he found Thacton. The dead man practically lay on top of Effie. Sweet Effie, who cherished her daughter and was learning to love again. As Gambrel squatted beside the lovely woman, he brushed matted hair back from her face. Blood made it sticky and showed the killing wound in her scalp.

“Dara.” Pessios stood in the doorway. “Where is Dara?”

“Perhaps she isn’t here. Maybe they left her behind, and we missed her. Effie would keep her safe.” Once more, a gentle hand brushed away a single tear lying on the woman’s pale face.

A sudden spasm caught Gambrel. He knew where Dara was. Effie would try to keep her safe, by shielding the child with her own body.

Tenderly he lifted Thacton away from Effie. She lay on her side, curled around…

Dara.

Blood coated her petite face and darkened the flaming orange hair. The sight of the tiny one clutched in her dead mother’s embrace broke Gambrel’s spirit.

“No.” His wail began softly and progressed to a massive bellow as he picked up Dara in huge arms and cradled her to his chest. Rocking like a Sartarian professional mourner, he swayed back and forth, his tears watering the child’s tunic. Behind him, he vaguely recognized the sounds of someone being sick.

Long minutes he held her body, vowing revenge for both she and Lindan.

“Lay her down, Gambrel. We are not finished here.” The big man did not hear. He clutched the child as if hope were gone. Would his world ever be right again? “Put her down. You can do nothing for her now. We must find Vangee.”

“Vangee?” Like a magic spell broken, Gambrel aroused to the name of his beloved. Tenderly he laid the child in her mother’s arms. When he rose, he put aside the sweetness that once was these people. His mission needed completion.

Time for retribution.

“I found this.” Pessios held up a green clock. A few drops of blood lay on the breast of the garment. “I do not think she died here. They use her as a lure, to bring you to their trap.” Both men cautiously approached the back entrance in case a guard still watched. When no one appeared outside, they scouted around for signs that Vangee might have been taken away. Tracks led around the building back in the direction of the city center. “Could they be headed to the docks again?”

* * * *

As suspected, the trail of half a dozen men and one woman led to the docks, straight to the Unseen. But the ship no longer lay anchored there. Bodies floated in the deep turquoise-colored water. Passengers and crew. A few in the water, as well as on the dock, were Cabrillan shipbuilders evidently caught in the massacre.

Gambrel sent Canfanto for Captain Merlo and Pessios to seek a Cabrillan enforcement official. In the meantime, he lowered a small boat with the help of others. Together they fished the bodies out of their watery grave. He feared each woman’s body might be Vangee’s.

By the time Merlo and the officials arrived, Gambrel stood on shore again, leaving the last of the burial detail to their task. Vangee was not among the dead.

“Gambrel, what happened?” Merlo looked sick.

The shock of Dara’s death and Vangee’s disappearance was wearing off, and Gambrel was thinking clearly again. “Haggin took my friends in order to draw me out. He killed all but Vangee. We think he took her aboard the Unseen. But the purpose of taking her and killing all these people, this I do not understand.”

Merlo walked among the dead. Cabrillans had laid them on the dock. “Here, Gambrel.” He pointed to a pretty woman with light pink hair. “Haggin’s mate. He introduced her the night they visited the Fenix.” The captain raised shocked eyes. “He killed his own wife to escape justice?”

Clearly the captain did not understand the criminal mind. Haggin would do anything to make good his flight. Leave no one behind who might tell where he went. Take no one who might prove to be a burden in the long run.

“I suspect Haggin, his second-in-command Walys, Gastrojan…” At that, Gambrel nodded to Merlo. “Yes, Gastrojan and Pharlie—we don’t know about Lycol—took part in this plan. At least six to ten locals joined them aboard the Unseen. I’d also hazard a guess that they left no forwarding plans with the harbormaster.”

Canfanto reported the ship sailed within the last sixty-brace.

“I must find a space ship, one enclosed and ready to leave immediately. And I need a pilot willing to guide me wherever the Unseen leads. I have no idea how long I will be gone, but I will return Vangee to you. I promise.” Gambrel stood at attention as if addressing a senior officer.

“I do not doubt your word regarding Vangee, Gambrel, but I wonder you will not return as well.”

“I will be unwelcome by my fellow passengers, Captain, after I murder these men. We both know that.”

Merlo shook his head, prepared to refute the man’s words, but didn’t get a chance because Gambrel began speaking to Pessios and Canfanto.

“Help me find a ship? Small, fast, and ready to leave.” For the first time in his life, Gambrel Sarjean asked for assistance. His need was urgent, and these men would willingly work for him.

“I will find a craft at the Cabrillan air field. Meet me back here in a sixty-brace.” Pessios nodded then punched Canfanto on the shoulder.

 “I ask little of you, Merlo, except good wishes.” He did not want to leave this man thinking he contributed nothing to Vangee’s rescue.

“Meet with me when you get your bundle. Make your farewell before going,” the captain asked.

* * * *

Merlo handed Gambrel a pack. “I included extra coins as well as clothes. Maps and vid-squares of this sector of space too.”

Pessios and Canfanto had reported back earlier. Canfanto had located a small spacer not far from the heart of the city and paid credits to have it ready when Gambrel showed up.

Merlo and Gambrel stood at the bottom of the stairs. The helmsman hung one arm on the big wheel as if seeking comfort from its dark slick wood. Other passengers gathered behind, but he refused to acknowledge them. Better to say farewell to Merlo, Pessios, and Canfanto than endure the stares of those who lost loved ones because of him. They would blame him.

He imagined their hate beating against his back. Hate—the emotion that balanced love. Did they wish him dead like those they lost? Friends lost friends. Parents their children. Young ones lost mothers and fathers. Intense, all-consuming loathing, like a fire, burned all the fuel and left nothing but ashes.

He kept his mind intentionally blank, pushing even rancor aside. Walk away from these people without feeling what they did. Would they think his leaving an escape? Or in their moments of deepest despair realize he did this for them? Because of him, they suffered. He alone could relieve the grief. But would they understand?

A nod and firm arm clasp, Gambrel bid Merlo a silent farewell. He turned reluctantly to Pessios, Canfanto at his side. This leave-taking was harder, for these men suffered with him at the moment of greatest loss.

“Goodbye, friends. I will bring Vangee back to the Fenix as soon as I find her.” He did not add she would return when those who took her died. A solemn arm clasp with Canfanto then he turned to Pessios. Emotions overwhelmed his heart, but words sounded inadequate.

“Pessios…” he began.

“No need, my friend.” Pessios accepted a pack from the other Lizzardian. “I act as your pilot. Canfanto remains here. We can communicate across distances though I suspect this trip will test our limits.”

Gambrel wanted to argue the man’s arbitrary decision but stopped. To be truthful, he welcomed the other man’s company.

With few words, Pessios bid Captain Merlo goodbye. He clasped Canfanto to him in a tight embrace, slung his pack over his shoulder, and strode to the away plank where he waited.

Too stunned to argue, Gambrel turned as well. In doing so he faced Mirril, Jacon’s wife. What to say?

No hatred marred Mirril’s face though grief laid heavy on her features. She put out her hand to stop him. “Jacon once told me love mattered above all. Love lasted forever even when we no longer saw the face of the one we cherished most. We grow old, he said, and one goes before the other. At that moment, he whispered, remember how much I love you.” Her soft yellow scarf fluttered around her head, highlighting her unusually pale complexion and the redness of crying eyes. She moved with slow and almost painful-like steps as if going on might be unmanageable.

“Bring her back, and make a new home. You are one of us.”

At one time, Gambrel would have given his soul to hear such words. But that was before Dara and Jacon and the others died, and Vangee disappeared into the blankness of space.

Home was Vangee. But she would leave him after he murdered. The thought burned away all others.

He accepted Mirril’s wishes for a speedy trip and cast one last glance at Captain Merlo then left. Down the plank he walked, Pessios at his side.

By Jane Carver

  With swift strides, Gambrel walked to town and gathered a few pieces of equipment he needed to set the trap for Haggin. Pessios and Canfanto waited nearby for him.

Though Walys wasn’t with Handid/Haggin when Linden died, Gambrel would lure both in and eliminate them. The alley he chose ran deep, and the only light in the narrow passage shone during the middle of the day. Gambrel planned to spring the trap near moon rise the following day.

Because he didn’t want to involve his two friends in justice breaking, he did not tell them his plan. Pessios probably suspected. With comrades, one took the good as well as the bad. The man was a superior fighter and communicated with Canfanto mentally, but he was as stubborn as Gambrel. Pessios seemed determined to follow him into this last encounter. The former enforcer had other plans for the two. That way, they would be safe and well away from the action.

When Gambrel joined Pessios at the dock, Canfanto was gone. “Off to guard the Unseen in case Haggin or Walys leave,” Pessios informed him. Gambrel nodded but said nothing else. He kept his mind carefully calm with innocuous thoughts so the other man would not pick up on his intentions.

Back on board the Fenix, he left Pessios and entered his cabin. Though it was early eventide, Vangee sat at the table where plates of food and clear-cuts of wine waited.

“I thought you might be home soon.” She carried his coat to the hanger before standing on tiptoes for a kiss. One led to several others. However, Gambrel’s mind was focused on his plans, and even his mate’s kisses did not impinge on them.

“Come and join me for a meal. It’s your favorite.” She playfully pulled him to the table. Though genial, she did not try to cozy him out of his mood.

Little conversation of deep meaning past between the two while they ate. Her day spent with Merlo and several Cabrillans. A funny story about Effie and Thacton. She questioned him but only about what he saw in Cabrilla as he went about business for the captain. With a sigh, he pushed back his plate, still half filled.

“Vangee,” he shoved his chair far enough to pull her on to his lap. When she sat in his embrace, he wrapped large arms around her and held her. Silence. One heart to another. Would this be their last even? Despite the fact she told him to do what he must, in times ahead she would find it hard to remember she gave him permission to kill a man. A sick despair ate at his soul over leaving her and the fleet. Never again would he put another in jeopardy for the harm he did.

“’Brel, you’re hurting me.” She winced until he released the pressure of his embrace.

“Sorry, love. Sometimes I must hold you and remember you love me.” He stroked her cheek while sadness welled in his heart. “You are more precious to me than life.” He cocked his head to one side and smiled. “I wonder what our child would look like?” His mind wandered to the future when he was gone.

“I know how we can find out.” Vangee whispered as she slipped her hand inside his shirt and rubbed one nipple until the dark pebbles rose hard and large. “Perhaps not this eventide but in the near future.” With a soft sigh, she leaned against his chest and sought his mouth.

Desperation brought the two together that dark rise. Time on Cabrilla was drawing to a close, and both knew it. Gambrel had a job to finish. He wanted peace and comfort in his mate’s arms. Vangee sensed his desire to create a new life. Her life force that night shone around them as they made love far into the dark’s time.

* * * *

Gastrojan strolled down the ship’s plank ahead of Gambrel the next morning rise. When the smaller man turned left, Gambrel paused. Where were Pharlie or Lycol? Nowhere on deck. Had the two men gone ahead? Gastrojan strolled down the pier toward the other Ancadian ships anchored for repair. Was he going to the Unseen? Disquiet entered Gambrel’s soul. A prickly sensation nagged the back of his neck beneath his tight braid of dark hair.

Did Gastrojan and his cronies work for Haggin? He dismissed the idea. No evidence of any joining in the records he read or from talking to Pessios, Canfanto or Jacon pointed to such. Working together wasn’t impossible so much as improbable.

Before the morning light rose above the ship’s rail, Pessios and Canfanto volunteered to monitor the Unseen. The fleet would leave this world in two days, the trap sprung that eventide. Gambrel planned to distract his friends with another errand when the time for revenge came.

“Has Gastrojan shown up?” The first thing Gambrel said in greeting Pessios. The man stood at a window on the second floor of a warehouse across from the Unseen.

“No sign of him. Are you expecting one of those three here?” Pessios briefly lost his focus. The Lazzardian mentally asked Canfanto if he saw Gastrojan, Pharlie or Lycol. Canfanto observed the ship from a closer hiding place.

“Canfanto reports none of the three in sight.” Pessios and Gambrel switched places at the window. “These men bother you?”

“They might be involved with Haggin.” He shrugged. “There is no logical reason to think so.” Once again, he rubbed the back of his neck, a sure sign of trouble as far as he was concerned.

The three watched the ship carefully, but neither Haggin nor Walys left. Several men and women strolled the dock near the Unseen but none the trio recognized.

Well past nooning, Gambrel told Pessios to send Canfanto back to the Fenix. “He will be in a better position to observe Gastrojan when he returns. They may have returned already. He can report anything unusual.” Pessios decided to stretch his legs so left to speak to Canfanto in person.

The silence of the room pressed in on Gambrel once his friend was gone. Still air felt like so much hot dust on his tongue. Cold-bloodedness usually attended him when he sought the end of a manhunt. Not so today. Bile threatened to choke him when he thought of the letter and token he left for Vangee. He would not return to the Fenix.

Send Pessios on a mission of seemed importance then swing into action, lure Haggin into his trap, and kill the worthless bastard. Lindan’s revenge completed. Walys, Haggin’s second-in-command, would fall as well, and that pleased him. Twelve months earlier a ratty little snitch said the man died. The comments of Walys’ death were exaggerated then but not for long.

Pessios climbed the steps with a heavy tread. “So you are aware I’m coming, friend Gambrel. From the way you’ve been acting, you might forget it’s me, shot first then ask who.” Pessios slapped him on the back. “By then, it would be too late for me.”

The lack of air movement and the heat in the upper warehouse room compounded the headache between Gambrel’s eyes. The two men took up positions on either side of the large windows. Marking time before a mission stretched long, but patience served a purpose. He could wait.

* * * *

“Gambrel!” Pessios didn’t take his eyes off the dock beneath the window as he tried to wake his partner. Pessios thumped Gambrel’s arm to get his attention.

A snort and a few blinks and he awoke. Haggin and Walys rounded the corner of the last warehouse.

“I must follow. Stay and wait for their return. If I do not show up right afterwards, come search for me on the far side of Cabrilla.” That much information he shared with Pessios. If his friend stayed, the trap could be sprung sooner than planned.

In a flurry of leather coat, Gambrel headed for the stairs only to be stopped by an impervious command.

“Wait!” For a minute, he thought Pessios about to argue, but one look convinced him there was another more important reason to hesitate. “There’s something wrong on board the Fenix.” Pessios stood still, silently communicating with Canfanto. “People are missing. Some are tied up and…” The Lazzardian paused as if he didn’t understand what his friend said. “Others have been knocked mindless. One woman is dead.” Pessios frowned. “Her death is most horrible. Chiffro?”

Confusion clouded his narrow face. “Why was the lady Chiffro beaten so badly she died? She clutches a scrap of paper, and Canfanto says deep cuts mark her neck like a chain was torn away.” He shook his head. “This makes no sense.”

A growl, low and menacing, rumbled through the room. “This makes a great deal of sense.” Gambrel’s guttural voice sounded harsh in the quiet. One hand passed over his face. Resignation changed to fire-hot hatred.

“I gave a letter and a token—a ring on a chain—to Chiffro. Both were to be delivered to Vangee after full dark. Someone watched. Knew my intent. I feel Gastrojan’s hand in this death. Others suffer as well, you say?”

“Yes, and some are missing.”

“Who?” Gambrel knew the answer before his friend spoke.

“Jacon, Domas, Flustos and Herion. Effie and Thacton.” Pessios paused to catch a breath on a near sob. “Dara and…” He hung his head.

“And Vangee.” Gambrel finished. “All those dear to me. The only reason you and Canfanto were not taken is because you were not there.”

A decision must be made. Return to the ship and track those responsible? Or follow Haggin? “Haggin left about the same time the attackers struck the Fenix?” Pessios nodded. “They were aboard the Unseen, but…” In an instance, Gambrel recalled the encounter between Walys and the local justice breakers. “Haggin hired men to abduct those from the Fenix. I witnessed the meeting but heard not what they planned.”

“Come. We must return and search for evidence of Haggin’s plan.”

“Gambrel, I follow Haggin. Canfanto will relay any information I discover.” A hard clasp of the arms and the two men separated.

*****

Have you checked out The Sergeant and the Knight at Amazon yet? My latest work is a romantasy–part fantasy/part romance. I think you’ll enjoy the read. Let me know!