Chapter 49

“So, who here is left to worry about?” Dusty asked Josh.

“Well, the arseholes that were on Izmir’s crew are still about, but they are just bullies. They did whatever he told them to do.”

“From what I can gather, somehow, you two took care of the other two crews. Fuck, that was funny when they suddenly stopped reporting in. Fahra was just about frothing at the mouth.”

He then looked at them shrewdly, “You’re both mages, aren’t ya?”

“Sort of,” Dusty said with her disarming smile.

“Yeah, you are. You both glow, you know that don’t you?” he said.

Dusty frowned and James touched Josh’s hand that was holding his coffee cup.

“Yep, he sure is,” James said and removed his hand.

“I’m what?” Josh said in confusion and with a slight shudder.

He’d never had another man affect him as James just did. It was weird but nice.

“One of us,” Dusty told Josh.

“How strong do you reckon he is?” she asked James.

“Very; it’s probably why he gets in and out of scrapes without a scratch. If I wanted to hazard a guess, Earth is one of his strong skills. Energy and Psychic and or Lore are probably the others,” James said, sitting back as he considered the man.

“Nah, now, Aunty Anne, she is one of you lot,” Josh replied, not quite ready to believe them.

“The Anne Connors?” Dusty asked.

“You know my Aunt? The Connors’ are a big clan in Oz. My mum is one of Anne’s cousins. My mum moved out to Mars when I was in my early teens, but the accent never went away.”

“I’ve only met Anne a couple of times. She glows, too, but I never told her that. I was always shy around her, as she had this presence. It’s the best way to describe her. A lot like Dusty has,” he told them.

James nodded, “Yes, she does. I felt it, too.”

“Well, that explains it. Your father must have had some skills. Magicians are attracted to other magicians,” Dusty told him.

Josh frowned. “Is that why I like the people here? I’ve made friends with a few of the locals. I get on well with a bloke called Demetri. He came with Symone when she came to heal Fahra, and we struck up a friendship. Nice bloke. He’s a bit of a historian. We’ve had some interesting conversations when I get to go to town.”

“He is. We have also met him. Nature and Lore are his strong suits,” James said.

“You’re getting very good at picking out the skills of magicians, my love,” Dusty told James with a smile.

“Part of that Psychic trait that has been getting stronger,” James suggested.

“Most likely,” she agreed.

She then went back to the original topic, “So, who else here was heavily involved in the operation?”

“Who the fuck are you two, and why are Fahra and Izmir lying dead on the bridge’s floor?” a man growled as he came in behind them.

They turned to see a swarthy man with a thick beard, of average height and around forty years of age. He was wearing a tunic-styled shirt and loose-legged trousers. He was holding a pistol pointed at them, and his dark brown eyes and dark expression informed them that he was not a happy man.

“Him,” Josh said with a grimace.

“So, who are they, Josh?” the man asked belligerently.

“Your worst nightmare, Nickolas,” Josh answered.

Nickolas scoffed, “A couple of MPs, I doubt it. Friends of yours, I assume. I told Fahra not to trust you. Yafi didn’t, and I can see he had a good reason. I’d shoot you now, but I’m quite sure Ishmael will want to interrogate you. He should be here soon with Vezir Fiaz.”

“Was he on the same ship as Fiaz?” Dusty asked.

Nickolas frowned, “What do you know?”

“He was probably the one with his face smashed in. We were not a hundred percent sure who the three men with Fiaz and his son were, as they didn’t have a passenger manifest. They were a bit hard to recognise, and we had to send their fingerprints back to Earth for recognition.”

“The people they were raping couldn’t remember their names because of the drugs, and the crew who survived the explosions when we blew up the ship weren’t telling while Fiaz was still alive. I could ask them again now he isn’t. Do you know who else was with them?” Dusty asked Nickolas.

Nickolas took a couple of steps back until his back was pressed against the wall.

“You killed them, all of the males in the Merat family line?” he asked in shock.

“Pirates and slavers get spaced in my systems,” Dusty told him with a hard voice.

“Your systems?’ Nickolas said with confusion.

“Yes, I am the Overlord Wizard of the Tres System. Teha Dusty to you. When my other ship arrives, you will all be questioned. Those found to have actively participated in the acts of piracy, rape, murder or the enslavement of others will be severely dealt with.”

“Which crimes do you wish to admit to?” she asked as she slowly stood, and her eyes bored into his.

Nickolas never even saw her hand move. He did feel something wrap around his wrist just before searing pain raced up his arm. He shrieked and dropped the pistol as he grabbed his throbbing wrist.