Outer space is looking an attractive place to live right now. At least there your wanderings are not restricted. But Carina Lin doesn’t find the galactic badlands very hospitable in Accursed Space, book five in my space fantasy, Star Mage Saga. It’s time to pay her another visit in this week’s Saturday Snippet and discover what’s happening aboard the Black Dogs’ ship, Duchess. 

Chapter Two

Lomang’s cell sat next door to Calvaley’s. The decision to bring the Sherrerr admiral along with them had been hard to make. It had been only after long discussion that Carina had agreed with Cadwallader that they had no other option. The Black Dogs had taken the Sherrerr assignment to rescue Darius, so the band was not the clan’s enemy, but Carina and her siblings most definitely were. Or, at least, if not their enemies, strictly speaking, they were definitely on the Sherrerrs’ ‘most wanted’ list.

The clan would be extremely keen to have mages under their control again, and Calvaley would naturally divulge everything he knew about them. The Sherrerrs would be very interested to hear all about Carina and her last-known whereabouts, as well as that of Stefan Sherrerr’s children.

The fact that Carina had rescued the admiral from near death at the hands of the Dirksens wouldn’t make any difference to him. Gratitude wouldn’t influence his loyalty to his clan, or his belief that whatever heinous act it committed was excusable ‘for the greater good’, as Carina had once heard him say.

She strode past Calvaley’s cell and only glanced inside. The old man seemed to have mostly recovered from his ordeal of captivity and starvation. He’d put on weight and was looking healthy. Perhaps, when they had traveled so far the possibility of him ever causing them any harm had faded to zero, they would release him.

Lomang, on the other hand, had continued to lose weight over the months he’d been incarcerated. Carina hadn’t seen him for several weeks, and now he was almost down to the size of an average adult male. Next to his giant brother he looked positively shrunken. The cheeks that had once been round and full now hung loose, sagging around his jaw, making his large white teeth look as if they belonged to a gnawing animal.

Not that Lomang had allowed his predicament to dampen his confidence or panache. He greeted her with a wide grin. He sported his iridescent blue hat at an angle as if it were the latest fashion, though in truth the headgear was beginning to look worn and dull.

From what Carina had heard, he passed a lot of his time telling stories to Pappu. The brothers would also play cards their guards had given them as a gesture of kindness.

The smuggler’s apparent sanguinity in the face of his adverse circumstances provoked a grudging respect from Carina.

Lomang seemed to return the sentiment, bowing low when she arrived outside his cell. Was his attitude sparked by the fact he’d witnessed her Transport Sable Dirksen to her death in the airless void outside the ship? Carina didn’t dwell long on the question. All she needed from him was information.

“Ah, the mage queen has come to pay us a visit, Pappu,” said the smuggler as he caught sight of Carina approaching his cell. “Stand up, stand up. Don’t slouch in the presence of greatness.”

Pappu was sitting on the cell floor, resting an arm on Lomang’s bunk, one of his long, brawny legs outstretched. He climbed smoothly to his feet. For all the time the giant had spent in captivity, he didn’t seem to have lost an ounce of muscle or tone. From the look of his abs under his thin shirt, Carina imagined that punching him would be like punching a wall.

Ignoring Lomang’s attempt at flattery, Carina lifted her flask of elixir from its pouch in her belt.

“Oh, no, no, no,” Lomang exclaimed. “Not the bewitching again. Please don’t do that, sweet madam. I dislike the sensation intensely. It is most unpleasant. Just ask me whatever you want to know. I promise I will tell you whatever you like. I am an unsecured data base.”

While Lomang babbled, Carina swallowed a large mouthful of elixir. She wanted to Enthrall both the men at once. The guards would have to remove Lomang in Pappu’s presence and she didn’t want the latter to try to escape.

She made the Cast. When she opened her eyes, the gazes of the smuggler and his brother had become vacant.

Carina asked the guard to open the cell and bring Lomang out. The smuggler didn’t resist as he was escorted by his arm to her side. She told him to follow her and led him through the Duchess’s corridors.

Before she reached the mission room, however, she saw Bryce approaching from the opposite direction.

“Hey,” he said when they reached each other. “I heard we found the ship.” Then, glancing at the smuggler, he asked, “Another interrogation?”

“I prefer to think of it as an interview,” Carina replied innocently. “Under duress.”

Bryce chuckled. “Just as long as you never do that to me. I don’t want you finding out all my secrets.”

“I already know them all.”

“That’s what I want you to think,” said Bryce. He quickly kissed her on the lips. “I hope you find out what you want to know. I’ll catch up with you later. I also have some exciting news to share.”

Wondering what ‘news’ Bryce could have heard within that region of rarely traveled, uninhabited space, Carina continued taking Lomang to Cadwallader.

She arrived, the Enthralled smuggler still in tow, and found that Cadwallader’s temper hadn’t improved while she’d been gone. He didn’t say a word as she walked into the room.

He was standing with his hands clasped behind his back, peering at the holo of the inter-sector ship. Details and definition were no longer being added to the model. The ship’s scan was complete.

“Sit down,” Carina instructed Lomang.

The man mechanically obeyed.

She set her ear comm to record.

“Right,” said Cadwallader, also taking a seat. “Lomang, what is the name of this ship?” Cadwallader pointed at the holo.

“It is called the Bathsheba,” the man replied in a monotone.

“And what defensive measures have you taken to prevent the Bathsheba from being stolen?” asked Cadwallader.

When Lomang struggled to answer, Carina said, “You should probably be more specific.”

The lieutenant colonel threw her a sour look. “List all the traps you have set aboard your ship, the Bathsheba.”

Carina listened carefully to the smuggler’s reply, which included explosive devices set to go off in the airlocks if particular codes were not keyed in and the requirement to input his bio signatures to the ship’s computer before initiating the engine start-up sequence, to avoid triggering a self-destruct.

Cadwallader asked more detailed questions about each trap, noting down the codes and other information, but Carina was listening to discover if he could be fighting the effects of the Enthrall and omitting something significant. She didn’t get the impression he was. He explained each trap fully.

As Lomang himself was at risk of death when boarding the inter-sector ship with the mercs, Carina guessed he would have spilled the beans about them anyway.

She was interested in other potential dangers the Black Dogs would face when assuming control of the Bathsheba. “Lomang, what other dangers do we face if we board the ship?”

“Lasers are aimed at the ports and airlocks,” the smuggler replied.

“We know about those,” said Cadwallader. “What else is there to prevent us from assuming control of the Bathsheba?”

Lomang’s lips remained closed and he stared directly ahead. Carina gazed into the man’s eyes. He appeared to remain entirely Enthralled.

“There doesn’t seem to be anything else,” said Cadwallader.

“No, there doesn’t,” Carina said, but hesitantly.

She couldn’t help feeling they were missing something.

For the next half an hour or so, she and Cadwallader continued to probe Lomang, but they learned little more than they’d gleaned in the first five minutes of questioning.

Then the smuggler began to show signs of throwing off the effects of the Enthrall. He blinked and appeared to try to focus his eyes.

“Hmpf,” said Cadwallader. “Time for him to go back to his cell.”

“Yes,” Carina agreed. “I’ll take him.”

She told Lomang to go with her.

As she walked with him en route to the brig, she asked softly, “Are you hiding something, you old crook?”

Lomang only blinked.

I hope you enjoyed this Saturday’s snippet from Accursed Space. Read part three here.