Chapter 48

Over breakfast, Dusty and James reviewed the vids of what Fahra’s people had gotten up to that day.

They hadn’t done much the day before, and it was reasonably quiet in the compound. This time they observed the excitement of many, that a settlement ship had been sighted.

They flicked through scenes to watch Fahra. She seemed to be everywhere, whipping people into action, literally. She was very free with the crop she carried, and they both winced when she struck one man across the face when he was too slow at jumping to her orders.

Once satisfied that people were doing as she ordered, Fahra headed back to the bridge and called Izmir to join her there.

Dusty and James chuckled when they flicked forward to the scene when Fahra’s people lost contact with the first ship. The other Captain couldn’t explain to Fahra’s satisfaction why the other ship had disappeared off their radar.

Fahra’s display of frustration when the second ship failed to report in, was epic. The crew monitoring the action from the bridge of her land-locked ship had gone very quiet when she went off the deep end.

Fahra struck several of them with the crop she carried and screamed at them that they were useless. Dusty and James learnt some new swear words by listening to Fahra’s rant.

At one point, Fahra grabbed Izmir by the shirt front. She slammed him against the door frame and screamed at him to go find out where her ships were before tossing him through the doorway. She was certifiable.

James flicked the vid forward by half an hour to the present to find the bridge deserted except for a pacing Fahra. Izmir came in a minute later, and he had to tell her that the computer on his gunship was inoperable.

When he then informed Fahra that the freighter was also dead, she had been speechless for at least a minute, and then she let him have it.

“Those bloody Nobles. This is retribution, and it’s entirely your fault Izmir. How many times have I told you to keep your cock in your pants?”

“I’ve told you a million times not to fuck with the locals. Wizards get really pissy when you screw with their families. I had to kill Yafi and take over because he wouldn’t leave those disgusting Shifters alone.”

“We are here under sufferance, brother dear,” she said snidely. “The wizards are too hard to kill, and we don’t want the locals rioting as they outnumber us. We have no food without them, and we are damn near broke as far as local currency goes.”

“You couldn’t even steal some bloody gems for me without cocking it up. Oh, no! You go at it in your usual fashion, like a bull in a China shop. You’re as subtle as the smell of shit in a bed. I told you that you had to use stealth.”

“Now we can’t even go to Blue Waters as they refuse to let our people into that pathetic little town. You’re fucking useless, and fuck everything you touch. But I gave you another chance.”

“You were supposed to be in town to talk Helen into buying our farming machines. Not drugging her daughter and humiliating her in public by fucking her on a bench, and now they have paid us back,” she ranted at the pale-faced man.

“We haven’t caught a ship in months, and Fiaz is due any day. Without that ship, we are left relying on Hasan. If he doesn’t turn up soon with our supplies and cash, we will be begging the locals to feed us.”

“Worse, if he doesn’t turn up before Fiaz, we are all fucked. Fiaz won’t take the goods we have as payment. He might have accepted the gems. But no, I don’t have them either, thanks to you. He will take the payment out of your arse and mine.”

“You are supposed to be my lieutenant, but you create problems, not fix them. I’ve had enough, Izmir. Get the fucking gunship and the bloody freighter fixed. I don’t care if you have to bend over and take it from a Shifter to do it, but get them fixed,” she screamed at him.

Izmir stared at her with hatred. “Enough, woman,” he bellowed. “I’ve let you lead because it suited me, and that idiot Symone is a dyke like you and easier to manipulate with you fucking her for me.”

“But no more. I’ve had enough of your fuckin’ shit. It’s time I took over,” he said, and his hand slashed out.

“Oh shit!” Dusty yelled and disappeared.

James looked around and realised she had blinked. He looked at the hollo again. He saw the blood spray from Fahra’s neck as the knife slashed deeply and across her throat. Dusty appeared on the bridge of the old settlement ship with Izmir and Fahra.

James watched in horrified fascination as her hand shot out, and an arc of energy struck Izmir in the chest. The look of surprise on the man’s face was priceless. He had barely recovered from the action of slashing Fahra, and he was flying backwards.

He seemed to fall backwards in slow motion, and a curl of smoke rose from his chest as a black stain grew across it. James heard the thud of Fahra’s body hitting the deck, and then, after what seemed like an eternity but was mere seconds, Izmir joined her.

“No, don’t do it, my love,” he screamed as he saw Dusty bend over the fallen woman and splay her hand over the face. She looked up to where the camera was with an appeal in her eyes.

“No,” he said softly, shaking his head in regret. “I’m sorry, but no.”

Dusty looked down at the woman. She touched her eyelids and closed them. James appeared beside Dusty and reached out to touch her. She stood and turned into his arms.

“We can’t save everyone, sweetie. She was dead before she hit the ground, and the cost of you bringing her back is too high. She is not for us.”

“She may not have bonded with us,” Dusty sobbed.

“Sweetie, she was just murdered and crazy as a rabid dog. She would have clung to you and sucked at your life force to hold onto life. Just think of what we know of her, she would have made our lives miserable and for a short time as no magical item would have gone to her to prolong her life or ours.”

“We heard her admit to killing and watched her lash out at others. She even enjoyed what she did, and not only that, sweetie,” he paused, and his tone changed as he cupped Dusty’s face.

“I’ve never heard you express a wish to be with another woman. Is there something you have been hiding from me?” he asked in a soft, teasing tone.