“Just hold it right there. Don’t get upset. I was just messing with you. I was going to tell you.”
The man slowly moved back, his chair scraping across the floor. He gazed at Rowan as if he were some kind of poisonous snake he’d unearthed from under a rock.
“Just tell me where he is.”
“I’m not entirely sure. He came in by himself and sat over in the corner, staring into his pint. I went out for a bit, and when I came back he was talking to Jack Collins. He left with him about half an hour later. He must have been in the mood for drinking, because he was well out of it. Jack was practically carrying him.”
Something cold stabbed Rowan in the heart, and unconsciously he leaned even closer.
“Who is Jack Collins and where can I find him?”
“He’s a mercenary, been in the business for years. Works for anyone who pays well enough. He’s always on the lookout for new blood. Lives out of a boat down on the marina… all the better for a quick exit, if you know what I mean.”
“What boat?”
“It’s called
The Virgin’s Delight
, a great beast of a hover—sleek, black, and deadly.”
“A hover? Shit, he could be anywhere. Why the fuck would Ast—Cody go with him?”
The man shrugged. “I guess Jack saw promise in him or… something else.” He grinned and winked lasciviously. Rowan felt like hitting him but didn’t. Instead, he kicked back his chair and ran for the door.
Rowan ran all the way to the marina, his heart pounding faster than his legs. He didn’t know what had happened but something told him that it wasn’t good; it wasn’t good at all.
He saw the hover as soon as he reached the crest of the hill. It crouched next to the quay and brooded. It was a mercenary’s craft, no doubt about it. In times long past, it would have had a skull and crossbones flag flying from its mast.
Rowan pounded down the path onto the quay, then paused to get his breath back. The hover didn’t look as if it were going anywhere in a hurry, so Rowan took his time to get himself back under control. His mind was racing and his heart felt about ready to crawl out of his throat.
Why would Astrin leave the bar with a stranger? Was he so upset that he wanted to run away from him? Was he running away? And why had he drunk so much? With a stranger? That wasn’t like Astrin. He’d never have drunk in that pub alone—he was too sensible for that, far too sensible. Wasn’t he?
Rowan’s heart started to thump again. There were only two explanations—except for the one where Astrin had lost his mind entirely, which he didn’t think was the case. Either he’d decided to run away altogether, and had drunk to get up the nerve. Or… or… he wasn’t drunk at all. Rowan didn’t want to think about that, but ultimately he didn’t have a choice because he knew, deep down in his heart, that although Astrin had run to the town to get some space, there was no way he’d run away altogether, not without Rowan. He might not be ready to take the drastic step of marriage, but he was certainly not going to throw over the whole relationship.
So then what? Rowan was concerned enough to hang back and watch the hover for a while, doing nothing. Eventually he admitted to himself that this was too much for him to deal with alone. There were at least three men on the hover that he could see, and probably more inside. They were tough men, dark-skinned southerners and swarthy northerners with flashing teeth and knives in their belts.
Withdrawing to a safe distance, Rowan pulled out his mobile phone and dialed his uncle. After two rings he answered.
“Rowan! Where are you? You had us worried.”
“Uncle Charles, I don’t have any time. Something’s happened to Astrin. He’s on a hover on the quay, and I may be wrong, but I don’t think he’s there willingly.”
“What do you mean?”
Quickly Rowan outlined what he’d been told and what he’d observed. Charles swore softly. “The little fool. Does he not realize how dangerous it is to go off with a mercenary like Jack Collins?”
“Probably not. Besides, I don’t think he did—not willingly.”
“You said he was drunk.”
“I said the man who was telling me
thought
he was drunk. I know Astrin, and he’s not that stupid.”
“Then what—?”
“I don’t know. I just have a really bad feeling about this, and I can’t deal with it on my own.”
“Stay where you are and keep an eye on the hover. Does it look as if it is about to leave?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Then just watch, and call me if you think it’s going to put to sea.”
“Okay. Come soon. Uncle Charles, I… I just…. Something bad’s happening.”
“You could well be right. Don’t worry. We’ll be there as quickly as we can.”
“Please hurry. I’m scared, Uncle Charles.”
“And so you should be. Collins is a nasty piece of work… and he’s no fool. So don’t go anywhere near that hover, do you understand?”
Rowan was busy staring at the hover, trying to pierce its blackness with his eyes.
“Rowan! Do you understand?”
“Yes, Uncle Charles. I understand.”
As soon as he’d clicked off the mobile phone, Rowan began to edge closer to the hover. The men who’d been hanging about outside had vanished, and Rowan grew worried. Knowing Astrin was on board, he extended his mind, trying to find the starlit web but, just as before, there was nothing but swirling eddies of mist.
Ice formed around his heart as he dropped to the ground and edged forward along the quay, keeping to the shadows so he would be invisible from the hover. He wished he had Astrin’s abilities with water. Earth manipulation was of little use when there was no earth to manipulate.
But there was earth, kind of. There was sand, plenty of it. He could do something with the sand, and he wouldn’t be disobeying his uncle. He wouldn’t be going near the hover—well no nearer. Lying on his side, hidden in shadow in the lea of the craft, he closed his eyes and concentrated. It was surprisingly hard, but soon he smiled in relief at his achievement.
Thankfully this was not like the smaller hovers, which rose completely out of the water and were made for stealth and speed. Although it was sleek and could more than hold its own against the larger, heavier merchant craft it preyed on, it required a considerable amount of space to stow cargo––legitimate and not so legitimate––as well as to house the crew. Although the outer skirts of the vehicle raised its main body out of the water, a good quarter of it remained submerged. This was, of course, useful when carrying out subversive operations as the ship looked much smaller, especially from a distance, than it actually was.
Rowan was close enough to touch the keel of the hover, and jumped back when it gave a great shudder and started to growl. The engines were kicking up. It was about to leave. The water began to churn around the hull as it rose. It was leaving now.
Rowan was frantic. The hover was about to leave, and take Astrin to goodness knows where. What if his idea didn’t work? What if the hover got away? It would take Astrin with it, and he might never see his love again. An idea occurred to him. His uncle had told him not to go near the hover, but he was already near enough to touch. Surely taking a peep inside wouldn’t be so bad.
Dragging himself to the very edge of the dock, he reached out and laid his hand on the keel, concentrating on increasing the speed of the atoms that made it up. Although the hull was nothing like the wall in the cells, he found he was able to manipulate it in a similar way. He cleared a space of about an inch square in the hull and peered through. It was dark, inside and out, and difficult to see. It seemed to be a sleeping cabin with two bunks on either side of the large room. It was empty.
After closing the hole, he made his way to the other side of the hull and repeated the process. Again he found himself looking into a bunk room. This one was also empty.
At a loss, Rowan ground his teeth in frustration. As he sat wondering what to do, the hull shuddered and groaned under his hand. Terrified, he realized the hover was on the point of departing. A vehicle of this size usually took a couple of minutes to fully charge, but if it was already rising he didn’t have long.
He peered into the gloom along the quay in an absolute panic. There was no sign of anyone, no lights or movement. They weren’t going to make it. With a sinking heart Rowan realized help wasn’t going to come in time. Impulsively he reached out again and enlarged the hole until it was big enough to crawl into. Even more impulsively, he left the hole open. If anyone came searching for them, they would see the hole and know where he’d gone. It was a desperate move, but by now Rowan was a desperate man.
Moving as silently as he could, Rowan crossed the cabin and cracked open the door. There was nobody in the passage beyond. He crept out and tiptoed along the corridor. At the end it turned sharply and he followed it, being as careful as he could.
Halfway along this corridor was a set of wooden steps leading upward. Creeping up the steps, Rowan found a closed door. Not daring to open it, he created an eye hole and peered through. It was the main cabin, with the control panel in the middle just like on the smaller version Rowan and Astrin had sailed.
The cabin was more brightly lit than the sleeping quarters, so he could see more clearly. There were a number of people standing around and one man firing up the controls. He could see no sign of Astrin, though. Rowan let out a huff of exasperation, then whirled at a touch on his shoulder.
He was ready to fight but froze at the sight of the pistol in the man’s hand. Rowan could fight flesh and blood, but he couldn’t fight a bullet. Then he realized there were, in fact, three men—all of them armed. In these close quarters he couldn’t hope to escape uninjured.
Never mind, perhaps I can find Astrin. We can do a lot more together than I can on my own.
Without speaking the man in front motioned with his pistol, so Rowan opened the door into the cabin. The man had come up close behind him and pushed him over the threshold. Rowan stumbled into the room, where everyone looked up at the same time.
“Well, well. What do we have here?”
A large man, dressed in leather mercenary kit, stepped forward and looked down on Rowan with narrowed eyes. He regarded Rowan severely for a few moments, then broke into a broad grin.
“It would seem we’ve hit the jackpot, my friends. Strebo will be delighted, and he can be
most
generous when he’s happy.”
“Strebo?” Rowan couldn’t help but retort. “Strebo Michael? You’re selling us out to
him
?”
Jack Collins smiled broadly at him. “Selling you out? What a quaint expression. I am a mercenary, Your Highness.” He bowed mockingly. “I’d sell out my grandmother if the price was right.”
Jack grinned while everyone else laughed. If sharks could laugh they would surely sound something like this. Rowan swallowed and surreptitiously looked around, assessing the strengths and weaknesses, the opportunities for escape. There were none. Except for the three things he knew that Jack Collins didn’t.
“Where’s Astrin? What have you done with him?”
“Oh, how touching. Seems like the rumors are true, boys.” Jack took a step toward Rowan and grabbed his chin between rough, calloused fingers. Rowan tried to pull away but Jack was too strong. Rowan could have taken Jack down. He could have overpowered him, maybe even used him as a shield. However, he still didn’t know where Astrin was, and if he hurt Jack, they might hurt him. So he forced himself to relax and meet Jack’s gaze.
“Very pretty.” Jack looked up and grinned at his men. “Looks like the two little princes are actually little princesses. How sweet.” The smile faded from his face as he took a few quick steps forward, forcing Rowan to back up until his back hit a chest as hard as a wall.
Jack leaned down to bring his face close to Rowan’s. “So, you like boys? What about men?
Real
men? If you think that pathetic little angel’s sweet, wait until you get a taste of
my
honey.”
“Fuck you. What have you done with Astrin?”
Jack chuckled and stroked Rowan’s cheek with the back of his hand. “My, you’re a feisty one. You have a lot more spirit than your friend. But we’re on a tight schedule and have to sail right away. I’ve no time to take advantage of that spirit right now. Never mind. When we’re out at sea, there’ll be plenty of time to… get acquainted.” Jack looked up and made a quick, sharp motion with his head. “Put him with the other one. Make sure the door is well secured.”
The man behind Rowan took him by the arms and dragged him backward, turning him so he could push him down the steps. Rowan stumbled and would have fallen if the man had not gripped him around the arm so tightly that it hurt. Even then he could have fought them, could have used his abilities, but they were putting him with Astrin, and once they were alone together….
The man dragged Rowan along the corridor and unlocked a door using a pad at the side. Before he knew it, Rowan found himself flying into the room, and this time he couldn’t stop himself from falling.
When he managed to scramble to his feet, the door was closed and it was dark.
“Astrin,” he called softly, but there was no answer. Swearing, he reached into his pocket and fished around for the flashlight attached to his keys. The flashlight was small but the light was blinding, making Rowan blink. When his eyes had adjusted to the light, he could see he was in a storeroom. There were boxes stacked in one corner and shelves on the opposite wall containing various items.
A glance around caused him to completely lose interest in the supplies. Astrin was lying on the floor against the wall, looking as if he’d just been tossed in like a discarded doll.
“Astrin, are you all right?” Rowan threw himself to his knees. The flashlight went out but he didn’t care. Reaching out in the dark, he touched Astrin’s face, stroked the smooth skin, brushed the soft lips, but felt not a flicker of response. That was when he started to panic.
“Astrin! What have they done to you? Answer me. Wake up.” But he didn’t.
Frantically, Rowan ran his fingers down over Astrin’s face and neck, feeling for the pulse at the base of his throat. When he felt the beat, strong and steady, he sank back onto his heels, weak with relief.