Destiny's Blood (The First Star Book 1)

by Marie Bilodeau

  “Why are you taking us there?” Josmere asked softly, a dangerous edge to her voice. If the Malavants heard it, they chose to ignore it. Layela knew that would make Josmere even angrier.

  “We were contracted to bring Layela there safely,” Ardin said, his eyes meeting Layela’s. “I didn’t get the impression that our contact would harm you, Layela. And we can stick around for a bit, just in case.”

  Layela held his eyes and he did not shy away. She found some comfort in knowing he would stay, but how far could she trust him and his sister? They were keeping secrets from her, too, like Josmere and Yoma.

  At least three days would give her time to heal if a battle waited ahead, but escaping before reaching the planet seemed to be the best option. Why would anyone want her taken there, anyway? And were they after her sister too? Or her, she supposed, since Ardin had revealed at least that much. She felt a chill run up her back. Could he be part of her locked vision? “Who is this man, and why does he want me there?”

  Before he could answer, Avienne spoke. “We don’t know, and we don’t know. What we do know is that he pays well, and that’s good enough for now.”

  “Good enough for kidnapping?” Layela spat back, rising from her bed.

  Avienne’s eyebrow shot up, the corners of her eyes crinkled in amusement. Layela wanted to smack her silly. Did this woman take nothing seriously? All she wanted were answers and her freedom to pursue them as need be.

  “This isn’t kidnapping,” Ardin said, stepping between the two women. “It’s protection. You can’t seriously think you can escape a Berganda — which I could have downed, if it wasn’t for your little green friend — and a Kilita, not to mention the entire Solarian fleet?” He took a deep breath. Josmere narrowed her eyes but said nothing. “Once we get to Lockor, you’ll be out of reach of the Solarian government. Hear this man out, and if you’re not comfortable with whatever he has to tell you, we’ll bring you right back.”

  “Without your reward?” Layela asked, narrowing her eyes slightly. She looked deeply into his flint-coloured eyes to see if a lie dwelled there.

  His voice was soft and strong and his eyes were unflinching as he answered. “Without the reward.”

  Avienne swore as they left. Ardin made eye contact with her one more time before locking the door and leaving them in the cold, poorly lit room.

  Layela turned around and met Josmere’s eyes, the green reflecting what she herself thought of Ardin’s promise.

  It wasn’t a good enough gamble to take.

  11

  Layela was ripped from her sleep, sweat beading on her forehead despite the cold, her breath raspy and broken. She struggled to grasp some threads of the unravelling vision, only to feel it disintegrate, Yoma’s deep and intense green eyes vanishing into the cold light of the ship.

  Josmere slept soundly beside her, the Berganda having apparently crawled into bed to try to snare some of Layela’s body heat. Bergandas did best in warm, sunny and humid climates, which was definitely not Destiny’s specialty, nor had it been Collar’s.

  Layela toyed with the idea of waking Josmere and somehow forcing her to reveal the vision, to show her what had driven Yoma away and perhaps even why Sunrise Flowers now lay in ruins. And why no one seemed willing to leave her alone now.

  But looking down at Josmere’s small frame, huddled close to her beneath the ample blankets, only some green hair sticking out, Layela didn’t have the heart to wake her. She remembered meeting the Berganda for the first time, how thrilled and wary she had been when Yoma had introduced the woman who had saved her when a vision had struck her while on a caper.

  Little had changed, really. Josmere’s smile and fun-loving spirit still thrilled Layela, but her secrets and the power to keep visions from Layela also left her wary.

  The only thing that had changed was that Yoma was no longer here to fill the long, awkward silences.

  She lay back down beside Josmere, but slept no more.

  Ardin clutched his sword, ready to parry the blow. Metal clanged against metal as the blades collided, leaving Ardin with the opening he was looking for. Without an instant’s hesitation, he swung low and hard at his opponent’s knees. His blade was met with a clang.

  Armour! Swearing under his breath, he jumped back and raised his sword, the other clanging and bouncing off. The shock reverberated throughout his entire body and he quickly steadied his position again.

  He circled his adversary slowly as he allowed the feeling to return to his hands. This wouldn’t be as easy as he had hoped.

  His trained eyes observed his opponent’s movements. Knowledge shadowed in every motion, soft and smooth, patiently waiting for Ardin to strike.

  But the expectation that Ardin would strike from the left was clear. Ardin carefully controlled his features so as not to show the victory he knew he was about to taste.

  Blinking back the sweat from his eyelashes, Ardin lashed out, faking left before swerving his blade right at the last moment, barely avoiding the other’s blade. He recovered faster and brought an end to the match by severing his opponent’s head.

  Clapping greeted his efforts. Turning around as he sheathed his blade, Ardin smiled at his sister.

  “One less for us to worry about, Avienne!”

  Avienne strolled to where he was. She looked at the fallen opponent gravely.

  “Great job, Ardin. I wouldn’t want to have to worry about psychotic training androids taking over the ship. I’m sure Travan will appreciate your efforts as well.”

  Ardin winced. Travan, the ship’s main engineer, was not renowned for his sense of humour. And he was the only crewmember fully versed in android mechanics.

  He shrugged.

  “Well, at least this one proved more useful than the last.”

  Avienne shook her head. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand you, Ardin.”

  Ardin grinned at his sister. “You think you have it hard? I’m stuck trying to understand you!” Avienne guffawed.

  “It’s late. Why are you still up and swinging that rusty piece of metal around?” Avienne asked, yawning.

  “It’s not rusty, and it’s really sharp,” Ardin replied defensively. “I just... needed to think, that’s all.”

  “We need the money, Ardin.” Avienne, as always, knew immediately what he was thinking. “And it’s for her own good. You saw yourself what those government troops did to her shop, not to mention the beating she got at Gullwing.”

  Ardin shook his head while passing his hand through his sweat-soaked hair. “I saw, and I know, but it still doesn’t feel right. We should just drop her off somewhere else.”

  Avienne leaned against the wall, closing her eyes as she spoke. “Where, Ardin, and how would she protect herself if she was attacked again? The Bergandas’ might seems to have been overblown in all those stories, and she has no money, no ID, and no fresh clothing aside from what I donated, thank you, and no idea of who’s actually after her.”

  She paused to breathe in deeply and opened her eyes.

  “Look, I don’t like this anymore than you do. Really I don’t,” she repeated when he looked at her sceptically. “I mean, I like the money, but I don’t like feeling like a kidnapper.” She trailed off, letting the silence hang for a few seconds before she could no longer stand it.

  “What do you intend to do with your profits, Ardin? It’s not a small job, and Cailan’s always good about divvying up the money. What will you do with it?” He shrugged and grinned.

  “Buy a new training android?”

  “I’m being serious, Ardin.”

  His eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in suspicion before regaining their normal size. “Sorry, not used to that.” He shrugged again. The adrenaline of combat was slowly leaving his body, and his shoulders began to drop. “I really don’t know, actually. I guess I’ll have to think about it.”

  Typical. Avienne hesitated, the words still feeling strange and not her own even as she spoke them. “Did you ever con
sider going for a trip?” He looked at her curiously, as if she spoke in another tongue. Don’t back down.

  “I mean, maybe travel, live somewhere else, like on a planet, for a little bit.” She fought the urge to bite her lower lip. It was a bad habit she had kicked as a young girl, but it still resurfaced the rare times that nerves got the better of her.

  “You mean leave the Destiny?” he asked flatly.

  She gave a short, nervous laugh. “Unless you intend to park the ship in a backyard, yeah, I guess I mean that.”

  “But it’s our home,” Ardin said, as though he had not fully understood what she was saying, or worse, had no idea what she had implied. Was it really such a foreign concept?

  I guess no one has ever left before, unless they died, Avienne thought sadly, and suddenly felt sympathy for her brother. She would have had a hard time understanding herself too, if she had as little imagination as he apparently did.

  “We could make a home elsewhere. Maybe make new friends? Ones that we don’t kidnap, that is.” The mention brought fire to his eyes, and she felt at once stupid and angry for having brought up what he was trying so hard to forget.

  “Home is this ship, Avienne. Living on a planet isn’t that different, you know.” He shrugged and put his sword in its scabbard, obviously deciding that the conversation was over. Avienne snapped.

  “I don’t know, Ardin!”

  “What?” He seemed surprised to hear her speak again.

  “I don’t know what it’s like to live on a planet. I don’t remember!” She fought not to shout as he looked at her sceptically again. “You’re three years older than me, and you barely remember! I don’t remember the planet, I don’t remember a home, I don’t remember our mother and I certainly don’t remember our father!”

  She couldn’t stop. Wild grief over what she might never know, mixed with the fear of losing all that she had ever known, forced the words from her mouth. “All I remember is this ship, when it was still warm and beautiful and full of life, Ardin! When it had more than fourteen souls aboard, and when I was too young to care that there was a whole universe out there! All I remember is hearing stories of our home, a home whose name neither of us knows and that’s forever out of our reach! Ardin, this is all I know and I want to know different! I want to know better!”

  She paused for breath, her body shaking. Ardin’s eyes, which had slowly widened during her tirade, closed slowly as he exhaled.

  “Avienne,” he spoke softly, yet each syllable felt like a ten-pound rocket exploding in her heart. “I am going to be captain of this ship, like our father and Cailan before me. It’s what I’ve always wanted, and what I will become.”

  “But Ardin,” she implored him to look at her, but his eyes remained closed. “This ship is doomed. If the hardware doesn’t give up and die, then the people will. We’re the youngest, and by a lot. We’ve already had to bring Lang on board to make up for lack of skilled crew…Ardin, what will you do when there is no more Destiny?”

  Ardin opened his eyes and met hers with such intensity that she held her breath. “There will always be a Destiny.” He walked past her, whispering, “My duty is to my own, Avienne. Where your loyalty lies is up to you.”

  He was far out of earshot when she managed to whisper between small, hopeless sobs.

  “My duty is to my own, too, Ardin. And you’re all I have.”

  12

  She’s not doing well.” Layela pointed at the sleeping form of Josmere, her skin yellowing and pasty. She wasn’t sure whether to strike Ardin and Avienne or plead with them. Couldn’t they see that she was wilting?

  “She’s not necessary for this,” Avienne said, shrugging. “We could just send her to a nearby colony.” Seeing Layela’s look of horror, she added, “A lush colony.”

  “That’s hardly the point! She’s in no condition to take care of herself! She’s barely been conscious in the last day!”

  Layela, shaking with rage and guilt, fought against her tears. It was her fault Josmere was involved in this and, after a few days on Collar, a battle and two days on a cold, lifeless ship, the Berganda’s life energies seemed to have taken a bad hit. She needed to rest and heal and, for her to do so, she needed what every other plant needed: earth, water and sun.

  “We’re in the middle of a tunnel,” Ardin said. “We can’t exactly open a shutter. All you’ll get is flickering blue light, which can induce seizures in humans, by the way. And we can’t just put her on a shuttle, either,” he added, looking sternly at Avienne. His sister met his look but said nothing. The tension sucked the air out of the room as efficiently as Glotch gas.

  “Please,” Layela pleaded.

  Avienne sighed and shook her head, as if the weight of this situation was more than she could handle. Layela wondered why her quick smile and crazed actions had vanished. Remembering their first encounter, inspiration struck.

  “What about a bargain?”

  Avienne’s head tilted sideways with interest. Layela took a deep breath.

  “Twice what you are being paid to...transport us.” Avienne took a deep breath and Ardin shook his head.

  “I would laugh if this wasn’t so sad,” the smuggler girl said, leaning back against the wall.

  Layela shook her head and pleaded again. “Just let us go, bring us to safe port, and as soon as I can find my sister, I’ll repay you.” The Malavants exchanged a glance. Layela looked down at Josmere’s yellow hair, swallowing hard, knowing she was speaking out of desperation to save her friend. “Sunrise Flowers,” she choked on the words, barely able to get them out. “I’ll give you the shop. You can sell it, and it’ll bring a fair bit of money with a few repairs.”

  Ardin ran his hand through his hair as he looked at the Berganda. “It won’t be enough.” Layela’s eyes widened as he continued speaking. “We’d need about twenty of those flower shops to meet our price.”

  A sharp laugh escaped Layela. “Who would pay that for me?” Ardin studied her and Avienne looked at the wall as though bored. Neither of them said anything.

  Layela was about to protest again, when a thought rammed into her head. “Is it Yoma? Did my sister put you up to this?”

  Avienne gave a short, bitter laugh. “Honey, unless your sister is more than two and a half meters tall, bears a sword, and, oh, is a middle-aged man, then I doubt it.”

  Layela stared back down at Josmere. Yoma had pulled stunts before, but she couldn’t have promised them such a big amount. And why would she get Josmere involved from the beginning, knowing that so much space travel was involved? She felt her hopes wither. This wasn’t her sister’s doing.

  It hardly mattered whose doing it was. Josmere’s life was more important. She turned to plead with Ardin.

  “Then turn off at the next exit. Give Josmere a chance to heal somewhat. Please.”

  “We won’t arrive at the next exit near a solar system for quite a few hours,” he said pensively, watching Josmere. Layela followed his gaze. Some of Josmere’s hair had fallen out, like a dying tree shedding its leaves in an effort to conserve energy and survive.

  “Then by the Three Fates,” Layela snapped, “do the right thing, turn this ship around and let us go! You’re already kidnappers, do you also want to be murderers?”

  Ardin’s eyes widened, and he stepped back as though she had physically struck him. She felt flushed and guilt rose at the pain she saw in his eyes. But she held her ground. He might have saved her life twice, but Josmere’s life remained in the balance.

  “What about old, dead earth?” Avienne asked, pushing herself off the wall, acting as though nothing had been said and the tension in the room wasn’t smothering.

  Layela didn’t break eye contact with Ardin as she spoke. “It might look dead to you, but it might not be for a Berganda.”

  Ardin kept his gaze deep into Layela’s eyes as he asked his sister, “Think Cailan will go for it?” Layela noticed that the siblings didn’t seem to form much of a united front. Avienne hadn’t even
defended her brother when she had accused him of murder. If the siblings were at odds, an escape plan might be easier to pull off.

  I sound like Yoma and Josmere, she thought as her stomach turned, and she wondered briefly if she had managed to take the high road more often simply because they had been below, supporting her from lower ground. That thought did nothing to make her feel better. She took a deep breath and stared at the siblings.

  Avienne shrugged. “We should be reaching an Easy Exit soon. Cailan might be willing to exit the tunnel there.” She pushed herself off the wall and walked out of the room, calling behind her, “I’ll talk to Cailan, you take them there.”

  Ardin didn’t call out after his sister, but picked up Josmere in his arms instead, the Berganda whispering a remark Layela was certain had been intended to make Ardin blush, had she had the strength to form all the syllables.

  “This way,” he said, casting a stormy look at Layela as he easily carried the light weight and started down the hall.

  Layela hesitated for just one moment before quickly trailing after them.

  “Where are we going?” she asked when she caught up to him.

  “Just down here.” Then, with a tentative grin, “Don’t worry, no ladders to climb.”

  Seeing him search out her eyes made her feel even guiltier for her comments. This is ridiculous. They’re the ones who kidnapped us! But as she thought of the coldness of the ship and its meagre supplies, she understood them far better than she wished she did. The Destiny was in dire need of supplies, and any contract, especially one that paid so much and didn’t involve too much illegal activity, would suffice.

  She wondered again who would pay so much to have her brought to them, and felt a chill at the thought. Could it have been that colonel? That he had wanted anything to do with her didn’t make sense, either.

  Within seconds they had reached the large doors that marked the end of the corridor, and Ardin gently put Josmere down to punch the code in the keypad. The room inside was completely dark, the slight light from the corridor too weak to even cast shadows.