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  Glennsworth looked behind us again, then quickly ducked down. “Don't move. Act normal.”

  I couldn't help myself. The itching desire to look behind me needed to be scratched. Slowly, I turned my head and saw two figures, similarly dressed in ridiculous robes, walking toward Lenny's. One was a Human female in a green robe with silver pins and pendants. The other was a Celyrian in a red robe with black trim. Who were they? And why was he hiding from them?

  I turned back to Glennsworth. “Okay, you’d better start talking. You're running from something.”

  “Facilitate my escape; then, I will tell all,” Glennsworth said. He lifted his head.

  I looked at Jord. “What do you think?”

  Jord continued to stare at Glennsworth. “Only if he pays us up front. Then again, I don't know if a grand is worth the trouble.”

  Glennsworth cursed. “Fine, I'll pay you fifteen-hundred. No more. But not until we get to Melville.”

  “That's more like it,” Jord smirked. “Now, give me my gun.”

  Glennsworth returned the plasma pistol to Jord, who leaned close to Glennsworth’s face. “Follow us and keep close, Professor.”

  After the two robed individuals walked past Lenny's, we left the booth, and Jord led the way. We weaved and dodged the two-way pedestrian traffic. I couldn't see where the robed individuals were and cursed my short stature. Getting to the Lady Luna without being seen was up to Jord — a seven-foot-tall Tresedi who stood head-and-shoulders above the crowd.

  He got us to the tunnel lift as the doors hissed open, but the horde of passengers pressed us to the front, and I started to feel suffocated. I leaned and pushed them back with my shoulders, but again, my relatively small size forced me to be squished.

  The tunnel lift announced its arrival to the outer ring with a friendly jolt. A knee struck the back of my head, making me feel dizzy for a few seconds. Jord grabbed me by the jacket with his free hand and pulled me out of the cabin. Thank the Pantheon, because I would have been trampled otherwise.

  We waited for one of the few elevators going up and down the outer ring. Glennsworth had a look of worry on his face as he continued to keep watch for his pursuers. He cursed and quickly ducked onto his knees.

  “Daniel!” someone shouted. It sounded like the Human female.

  “They've spotted me,” he whispered. “Quick, get me to your ship!”

  Jord drew his plasma pistol. “Want me to take care of them?”

  “Put the gun away,” I whispered and tapped Jord's arm. “You'll get us arrest—”

  “He's got a gun!” a random passerby yelled. “Police!”

  There was a ding, and the elevator doors opened. Jord pushed us aboard, and the crowd behind us dispersed, revealing the two robed individuals, running toward us. I frantically tapped the button to take us to the ninth floor, where the Lady Luna awaited in Dock 901. The Human in the green robe chanted in some unintelligible language and waved her arms about. The elevator doors started to close. She put her arms out in front of her, then started to spread them apart. Glowing with black-and-white light, the elevator doors stopped and opened in synchrony with the Human's arms.

  “How is she doing that?” I yelled.

  The Celyrian started to chant, as well, and waved his four arms around his body. My body tingled all over with pins-and-needles. A swirling, gray portal opened beneath my feet, and I was lifted a few feet into the air.

  “Help me, damn it!” I yelled.

  Jord grabbed my leg and yanked me back down. He pointed his pistol at them. I told him not to shoot. If we got arrested, the company might as well have been dissolved at that point. We would have spent the next few months in jail. Jord ignored me and fired a volley. The robed individuals dove out of the way as the toroid rounds left ring-shaped burns at their feet. The elevator doors slammed shut and with a whoosh, the elevator shot upward.

  I scrambled to my feet and dusted off my jacket. Jord reloaded the pistol with a look of satisfaction. I glared at him, my eyes shooting out burning beams of extreme disappointment.

  “Relax,” he said. “I only made them dance.”

  “I didn't mean fire your weapon, idiot,” I said. “We'll never be able to come back. They'll arrest us on sight.”

  “If I didn't shoot, you'd still be floating around.”

  I looked to Glennsworth. “Who were those people?”

  “They were… associates of mine,” he answered.

  “What do they want from you?” I asked.

  “I cannot say.” Glennsworth looked away. “It is beyond your comprehension.”

  Jord pushed him against the elevator wall. “I think a bullet in the head is beyond your comprehension. Start talking.”

  Glennsworth held his arms up to parley. “Once we leave, I promise, I will explain everything.”

  The elevator dinged and the doors opened. We rushed through the curved hallway and found Dock 901. I opened the door and sprinted for the keypad under the ship. I punched in the four-digit code to open the boarding ramp. We boarded the ship.

  I went to the cockpit and yelled, “Hold on to something! I’m going to make a hard burn for the Wyn Gate!” I flicked the ignition switch, and the engines roared. The automated docking system should have opened the docking bay doors, but after a few minutes, they didn't open. No! I forgot to pay the balance on my temporary account! I hopped out of the captain's chair and reopened the boarding ramp.

  “What are you doing?” Jord yelled.

  “I have to pay the balance, or the doors won't open!”

  I sprinted so fast and hard that I knew my legs were going to be sore for the next few days. I hadn’t done any sort of physical activity that strenuous since pilot school. A few button prompts, and a scan of my digiwallet, and then, I left the kiosk and ran back toward the Lady Luna.

  Then, I felt the tingling again, and I flew into the air. Spinning around, I saw it was those two robed assholes again. I yelled for help, but the roar of the engines drowned out my voice. They approached me, flipping me upside-down.

  “Where is Daniel?” the Human said.

  “Now, listen, lady,” I said. Blood rushed into my skull, making it feel like it was about to explode all over her. “I don't want any trouble. I don't know anything or anyone named Daniel. Maybe we can talk this out, you know? Maybe you can let me go?”

  “Silence!” the Celyrian yelled. “Bring him to—”

  A metal pole cracked the Celyrian over the head and sent him hurling into the Human. I started to fall but quickly stopped in mid-air, flipped right-side-up, and was placed on the ground feet-first. The metal pole flew past my face and into Glennsworth's hands. He pressed a tiny button on the pole. It retracted into a short rod, and he placed it somewhere underneath his robes.

  “Let us leave this place!” he shouted.

  He didn't need to tell me twice. I sprinted back onto the ship as the docking bay doors began to open, depressurizing the bay. I closed our boarding ramp and ran to the cockpit, slamming the prograde thrusters to maximum. The Lady Luna blasted into space. I steered her toward the Wyn Gate and activated the Interspace beacon. The Wyn Gate swirled faster and faster, until the star-pocked, black space behind it changed into the bleached white of Interspace. Locked in for Interspace transition, we plunged through the Wyn Gate, and all color disappeared, vanishing like my definition of reality.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Speaking of Wizards

  I checked the aft cameras. From what I could see, no one had followed us into Interspace. Other than the occasional freighter or large craft passing by, we were safe. I didn't want to be attacked by actual wizards — not again.

  Speaking of wizards, where was Glennsworth? “Jord, bring the professor to the cockpit,” I said over the intercom. Then, I set the Lady Luna to autopilot and swiveled around in my chair. Within half a minute, the two of them came to the cockpit, Jord clutching Glennsworth by the arm.

  I crossed my
arms to look intimidating, but honestly, it probably wasn’t working, considering my diminutive height. “Care to explain yourself, Professor? First off, who were those people?”

  “Unhand me, ogre,” Glennsworth said and ripped his arm free. He shifted his weight back and forth, the tails of his robes swaying. I wasn't sure whether he was going to continue to be dodgy or tell the truth. “They are associates of mine.”

  “That's what you said the last time,” Jord said. “Do you think we're stupid?”

  “What my partner is trying to say,” I said, “is that, as your service providers, it's important you be honest with us. I mean, as someone who’s had a couple spells cast on me, I'd like to know what kind of baggage you're carrying, if you catch my drift.”

  “Gentlemen, trust me,” Glennsworth said. “I'm being truthful with you.”

  “Then, tell us,” I said.

  “As I said before, it's beyond your understanding. You do not want the knowledge I possess.”

  Jord scoffed. “Try us.”

  Glennsworth stayed silent for a few seconds, looking like he was searching his mind for the right words to say. Hopefully, those words wouldn’t secretly be a spell. “I am a student of the occult arts. To answer your question more fully, those two individuals are also practitioners of this hidden knowledge. You experienced it firsthand, Mister Cadel.”

  I pointed at him. “So, you are a wizard! Your robes gave it away. Only an idiot would dress like that, unless they had a reason to. No offense.”

  “I am not a wizard, damn you! I am an occultist.”

  “Wizard, occultist, whatever,” I said. “So, why are they after you? Wait, you don't practice some kind of forbidden magic, do you? Like black or blood magic? If so, it's not allowed on my ship.”

  Glennsworth rubbed his face so vigorously, I thought he'd mash it into the back of his skull. “It is not ‘magic’, you fool. This is not some sort of fantasy film. And no, nothing I do is considered a part of the dark arts, whatever that may be.”

  “Okay, good.”

  Jord crossed his arms. “You still haven't told us why they're after you.”

  “I may have borrowed something from them without their knowledge.”

  “That's called ‘theft’,” Jord said. “What'd you steal?”

  Glennsworth chuckled. “That is not your concern. The only thing I desire at this moment in time is to get to Melville.”

  “What's stopping them from following you there?” I asked.

  “They are unaware of my destination; I assure you.”

  “Why are you heading to Melville?” Jord uncrossed his arms and stepped closer to Glennsworth.

  “It's remote,” he answered. “A place I can rest and gather my thoughts before deciding where to go next.”

  “Where will you go next?” I asked.

  “I'm tired of answering questions, and I need to rest. I haven't slept in days. Once we arrive, I will no longer be a burden to you, gentlemen. Now, I will retire to a quiet part of your ship and sleep. Good day.”

  Glennsworth left the cockpit, rubbing his eyes.

  So, it was true - magic existed. I knew he’d called it “occult arts” or whatever, but it was still one heck of a revelation. How had that escaped the public eye? With the Web, everyone could have found out about this. I could have been famous if I exposed it. Just a few taps on my PCD, and I could have blown the lid off the whole thing. So, why didn't I? I dunno; I felt kind of bad for him. He looked like a guy who was down on his luck. And, he had saved my life back there. Then again, I guess he had to, since we were his only ride out of there. Besides, would I have wanted someone to expose my secrets? That was a stupid question with an easy answer: Of course not. What kind of a business dumped on their clients like that?

  “In all my years of traveling the galaxy, I've never seen anything like that,” Jord said. “Except maybe a Wyn telepath.”

  “And I thought Interspace was weird,” I said.

  Jord shook his head. “This has been a lot to process. I'm going to get some shuteye myself.”

  A klaxon sounded. I swirled back around to the control console. The aft cameras had spotted something. I adjusted the zoom. Oh, shit. Winged, jet-black she-devils with talons and mouthfuls of snarling fangs flew toward us. Their screeches were so loud, they pierced through the hull and rattled my head.

  “Don't go to sleep just yet, Jord-o. Looks like we have company.”

  “What is it?”

  “Pack of harpies; looks to be about five of them.”

  Jord ran out of the cockpit and yelled, “I'll get on the railgun!”

  “Prepare for evasive maneuvers!” I yelled over the intercom. “Find something to hold onto, Professor!”

  I punched the prograde thrusters to full throttle and sent the Lady Luna into a dive toward a cloud of black gas beneath us. I glanced at the aft cameras. The harpies were gaining on us. I immediately regretted buying that old hunk of metal. A newer-model ship — or even the old freighter I’d flown for Liberty Freight — would've outrun the harpies with ease.

  The railgun thundered as Jord fired it at the pack of screeching harpies. A black streak flashed through the white of Interspace and hit one, blasting it into a puff of black smoke. Boy, was I glad to have such a good shot onboard. Unfortunately, it only pissed the harpies off further, and they continued their pursuit. If only that piece of junk could go faster!

  A crescendo of footsteps stomped toward the cockpit. Glennsworth looked at the aft cameras. “What is happening?”

  “There's a pack of very mad, very hungry harpies behind us,” I said and sent the Lady Luna into a corkscrew. Glennsworth stumbled and fell into my lap, knocking my arms off the controls. The ship jerked and continued to corkscrew. Despite tumbling around like we were on a theme park ride, I shoved Glennsworth off me and corrected our course. From down the corridor, I could hear Jord hollering with laughter. I was glad to know he was having a good time.

  With another crack of thunder from the railgun, another harpy was hit. Still, they got closer and closer. My heart raced, and my stomach sank with the thought that we might not get out alive. My idea of dying did not include being eaten alive.

  Jord fired another shot, but the harpies were smart and dodged it. They were right on us now, within twenty feet of the engines. I made a series of sharp turns in a weaving pattern and hoped to catch one in the afterburn. No use. They grabbed a hold of the hull with those long, flesh-ripping claws. The more I tried to shake them off, the harder they gripped on. Jord fired another shot, but I couldn't tell if he’d hit any.

  Sinister, scraping sounds reverberated from the back of the ship. They were digging their way in.

  “Got any more of that magic, Professor?” I asked. I tried to shake them off again. Still, no use.

  Glennsworth pulled out a thick, leather-bound book from his robes. He flipped through the pages and ran his fingers over some ornate, red-and-black script. He started to read the script, but his haughty Human voice was gone. It bellowed and deepened to the pitch and tone of a monster.

  “GASH'NATH RA NORT ICKTH'NAER! GASH'NATH YAR NET'AA FIL AZARR'SHNA!”

  The harpies screeched in pain and let go of the ship. I looked at the aft cameras. They clutched their heads and twisted in ways that would make a contortionist sick.

  We soared away, alive for another day. Jord cheered and joined us in the cockpit.

  “What did you just do?” I asked, my mouth agape.

  Glennsworth placed the book back underneath his robes. “That is not for you to know. My hand was forced.”

  “But what if we get attacked again? Maybe you could show us how to do that, just in ca—”

  “Just get us to Melville,” he said and stormed off.

  I looked at Jord and remembered my mouth was still open. I snapped it shut. “If you saw what I just saw…”

  “What happened?” Jord asked.

  “He pulled out thi
s book and started saying something in some weird language. The harpies gave up and looked like they were in excruciating pain. Like their heads were about to explode! I've never seen anything like it.”

  “Looks like our passenger is full of surprises.”

  “No kidding. I still want to know why he's on the run.”

  Jord scoffed. “I don't know. What I do know is the sooner we get to Melville, the sooner he's not our problem. The longer he's on this ship, the more trouble he'll bring us. Holler if you need me.”

  Jord left the cockpit. I corrected our course and kept an eye on the aft cameras. Hours passed, and all I could think about were Glennsworth, the two other occultists, and the awesome powers they wielded. They could control objects and even make harpies fly away in sheer agony. What else were they capable of? What was that book he had? And what else was in it? Could he stop time or fly? What about breathing in space?