“Might you take his other hand, Riley? And you, Navan, might you stand at his feet?”
We moved into position. Steeling myself, I took hold of the dead man’s hand, trying not to let my fear show on my face as I gripped his icy palm. His strange skin felt almost rough against mine, like snakeskin or sharkskin. I wasn’t sure how I felt about Nova being so close to so much death, but the calm atmosphere seemed to have soothed her back to sleep, her eyes closed, her button nose snuffling contentedly as she snuggled against her father. I supposed it was pretty peaceful in here, despite the corpses surrounding us.
“Please, picture my son in your mind’s eye, and will him toward his ancestors. Think of him as tall and strong, as he was in life, and envision him living and breathing,” Namjoo explained, her voice musical. “We must send him on his way, toward the astral plane, where he might live out the rest of his next life in harmony and happiness. Envision a bright golden light around him, and lift him to a world beyond our understanding.”
I did as she’d asked, closing my eyes and picturing his eyelids opening. She repeated the words as my mind set to work. I envisioned him rising from the sarcophagus and standing before us, with a smile upon his face. He was more handsome than I could have imagined, appearing almost ethereal, his strange skin glowing brightly, his features lit up contentedly. I pictured him moving away from the sarcophagus, stopping in front of his seated mother, his mouth moving in silent words, before a beam of golden light surrounded him.
“May the ancestors embrace you,” Namjoo murmured. “It is done.”
Tentatively, I opened my eyes, half expecting the corpse to have vanished, even though I could still feel Jimin’s icy hand in mine. He was still lying there, at peace, though his shimmering glow had faded, a dull sheen drifting across his rough skin. Had we really sent him off to some astral plane? It didn’t seem possible, but I wasn’t above believing this man had gone to a better place. There really was something almost magical about these Saccharines that made me want to believe.
“Is the ritual complete?” Navan asked, opening his eyes.
“It is, sweetlings,” Namjoo replied. “Now, we may begin the process of exsanguinating his body.”
“Are you sure?” I bit my lip, feeling awkward.
She nodded, tears trickling beneath the line of her face covering. “I am quite certain, Riley. He may live on in your daughter, and that shall bring me much comfort in the dark days to come, when I shall be forced to exist without him.”
She typed something into the panel on the side of the transparent sarcophagus, and the lid closed again with a mechanical hiss. Serpent-like tubes coiled from beneath the padding that Jimin lay on, the needled ends sliding into the veins hidden under his dulled skin. Larger glass bottles appeared from below the sarcophagus, their ends slotting into designated holes. A moment later, the golden liquid of Jimin’s blood started to emerge from his body through the needled tubes, moving along the inside as though someone were sucking on a curly straw. It poured into the waiting bottles. Once one was full, a cap was pressed on top, sealing it tight, before another bottle took its place. Everything moved in a sort of production line, the full bottles extending outward so Namjoo could take them and place them in a box by her feet.
Evidently, this wasn’t the first corpse to be exsanguinated, nor did I think it’d be the last. Blood was a commodity, and with so many species and diseases lingering in one place, I imagined this was a melting pot of medical progression—doctors from all across the universe, not to mention the equivalent pharmaceutical peddlers, would likely trip over themselves for a vial.
“Your daughter is cherubic, if I may say so,” Namjoo remarked, snapping me out of my trance, my eyes fixated on the steady process of the draining blood. “Might I trouble you for a chance to hold her?”
Navan smiled, scooping Nova out of his wing-sling and placing her in Namjoo’s outstretched arms. “It’d be no trouble at all.”
“It has been so long since I have held a child so small, sweetlings,” she said, cooing over Nova, whose slate eyes had opened and were staring up in delight. “Goodness, she is marvelous. I have never seen a child such as her before. An unusual mixture, but an altogether wonderful one.”
“Can any harm come to her, by ingesting blood from a… diseased body?” I wondered, watching the blood drain.
Namjoo shook her head. “The blood is filtered as it is drained. Any remaining disease is destroyed. A tragedy, that blood is easier to cure once it is out of the body, but a stark fact, sweetling.”
Despite the grim practicalities of the continued exsanguination, there was something sweet about Namjoo cradling Nova in her arms. For as long as these bottles of sweetblood held out, our child would be nourished by the blood of her child. It wasn’t an easily stomached truth, and it bordered on creepy if I thought about it too much, but I could understand how such a thing might bring Namjoo an iota of peace. She hadn’t been able to do anything to save her child, but in making this gesture of extreme generosity, she was saving ours.
With so much death and destruction casting a shadow across the universe, even one saved life seemed special. If the Stargazers let us down, and Ezra and Aurelius continued with their plan for total domination, the universe would end up drenched in more death, with a side of enslavement to sweeten the raw deal. This woman’s help gave me hope that all wasn’t lost. There was still good in this universe, and if the Stargazers wouldn’t intervene, we’d just have to come up with something else. If this woman could offer so much, after losing everything, then so could we.
“Excuse me?” A beanpole of a creature, with dotted green-and-blue skin, tapped me on the shoulder, distracting me from my thoughts.
I turned. “Sorry, can I help you?”
“I couldn’t help noticing the infant. Are you here to request items for the child?”
“We came to ask for… food.”
“Might you accept a small donation from myself and my wife?” He gestured to a shy-looking being who sat beside the opposite sarcophagus. She waved nervously. “We know how difficult it can be out here, raising a child. We would very much like to help you in any way that we can.”
“Oh… that is very kind.” A lump had formed in my throat, and my eyes pricked with tears. Aside from the clothes she had on, we had nothing for her. Everything we’d brought for Nova was in the lost bag of sweetblood and the pod that was now little more than a pile of ashes. We had a few diapers, which we’d stuffed about our persons, made from washable toweling cloths, but that was it.
The stranger shuffled away, returning a moment later with two blankets and a square of soft, cotton-like cloth. I took them in disbelief, staring at the donations. With these, we could make a bed for Nova, and make her comfortable wherever we went. I knew she liked the closeness of personal contact, but carrying her around wasn’t always going to be an option.
“You don’t know how much this means to us,” I choked out, looking up at the Samaritan with bleary eyes.
“It is the least we can do. I wish you well on your travels away from here… and I am sorry for your loss.” The green-and-blue dotty creature turned to Namjoo, bowing his head in silent reverence.
“Your sorrow is well-met. Please, allow me to extend my own sorrow toward your loss,” Namjoo replied solemnly, swaying Nova gently from side to side.
“Thank you for your kind words. Now, I must return to my wife.” He dipped his head again before scurrying back to the sarcophagus where his wife sat. His gesture of kindness seemed to unlock some sort of floodgate, because as soon as he departed, a steady stream of people made their way up to us, offering us all sorts of donations: a proper sling, some bottles, parcels of food, several toys, and a hovering device that seemed to act as a stroller. Each of these strangers shared their remorse for Namjoo’s loss, and we shared ours in turn, everyone leaving with their hearts a little bit lighter.
By the end of it, I was a complete mess, tears streaking my face. I was overw
helmed by the kindness of these people, who didn’t know a single thing about us but felt compelled to make our journey easier to bear, wanting to offer help to our daughter despite her unusual appearance. There was no judgment, no prejudice, no coldness, only kindness and generosity.
I realized, in that moment, that the Voice of Judgment’s power had very little to do with magic or foresight—it came from connecting the travelers who visited the Tower. The Voice guided as best it could, but it was up to us to help each other. As with Namjoo, they made me feel hopeful, all these different species coming together to give each other what they needed, regardless of where they’d come from or where they were going. This was the kind of power that could hold back the coldblood hordes, if that day ever came.
I knew our time with Namjoo was drawing to a close, and I had no idea what to say. There wasn’t enough gratitude in the universe to thank her with. The tubes had drained away the last of the golden liquid before pumping a mysterious clear substance back into Jimin’s body, re-inflating him in the most unsettling way.
“You must be on your way, sweetlings,” she said, as though sensing my thoughts.
I nodded. “Will you be okay down here on your own? Do you want us to take you back to your ship?”
“No, no, dear creatures, I will stay here awhile, saying my final goodbyes before I must let him go.”
“I don’t know how we can ever repay you.”
She smiled. “You have already done more than enough, sweetling. Now go, take this beautiful daughter of yours and keep her safe from harm. Do that, and your debt shall be repaid a thousand times over.”
I took Nova from her arms, cradling her in my own. “I will, Namjoo. I swear I will.”
“Thank you for everything you’ve done,” Navan said. “May your son find his ancestors, wherever they may be.”
Laden with the gifts that had been bestowed on us, we said goodbye to Namjoo and left her to her son. Giving thanks as we passed by all those who had donated to us, we walked back through the mortuary and out into the corridor, heading back toward the ramshackle town that had formed inside the Judgment Compound. Lauren, Angie, Stone, and Xiphio were waiting for us, more or less where we’d left them.
“Where’d all the loot come from?” Stone asked, his eyes wide.
“The kindness of strangers,” I replied.
“Aye, the ‘verse is a queer ol’ place. Ye’ll always be surprised by folks.”
“Should we head back to the ship? Bash is probably out of his mind with worry by now,” Angie said, her gaze flitting toward the exit.
I nodded. “Yeah, it’s time for us to get out of this place.”
With all of us back together again, we hurried back through the network of hallways and corridors, walking toward the docking port. I wasn’t sure how long we’d been away, but I knew Angie was right: if we weren’t back soon, Ronad and Bashrik would start to worry. Besides, after everything I’d been through today, I was ready to confront the Stargazers.
Heading down the raised walkway where our Fed ship was parked, I froze, everyone else coming to a sharp halt around me. Standing a short distance from the vessel, blocking our path, was a gang of pirates. Leading the pack was a figure I recognized, her unusual, brightly colored skin and darting eyes catching my attention before the rest of them.
Kirin—the half-fae, half-merevin from the Junkyard—turned in our direction as we approached, a cold smile lifting the corners of her lips.
“There you are, Captain Riley,” she purred, her melodic voice carrying the faintest hint of a giggle. “You’ve kept us waiting a fair while.”
I frowned. “What do you want?”
“We’ve come to collect the revenge bounty on your head.”
Chapter Twelve
“Kirin?” Stone looked shocked. “What in all the ‘verse’s quadrants are ye doin’ here?”
The half-fae, half-merevin grinned, pointing at me. “Got some unfinished business with this one. You and I can get down to some unfinished business, if ye fancy it?”
“Not to be cruel or ought, Kirin, but not if ye were the last critter left breathin’. I ain’t the kind o’ fella to get burnt twice… or scarred, in yer case.” He cast a shy glance toward Lauren, whose eyes had narrowed toward Kirin. “Anyway, yer not me type.”
“I used to be.”
“Aye, well not no more.”
Kirin looked stung for a moment, her gaze turning to Lauren. “’Cause of this one, is it?”
“None o’ yer business, Kirin.”
“What have you done to our friends on the ship?” I asked, breaking up the awkward banter.
Kirin shrugged. “I haven’t done anything to your friends. One of the lads might have lifted the hatch and lobbed a sleeping grenade under it, however, so my guess is they’re having a well-earned nap. Now, how’s about we get on with this? You going to come quietly?”
“Not a chance.” My hands balled into fists, my peripheral vision catching sight of my friends stepping up beside me on the walkway. Lauren looked like she was about ready to beat Kirin to a pulp, though she wasn’t the type of girl to lose her head over a guy.
“I hoped you might say that,” Kirin said as her band of pirates advanced.
“I thought you and me were pals,” I said coldly, preparing for an imminent fight. “You’re not mad about me pinning you to the door and taking what you’d stolen, are you? I thought all was fair in pirate law.”
“It is, which is why we’re here to claim the revenge bounty on your head. The tides have turned against you, Riley. We’ve come to reset the balance.”
Stone frowned. “What’re ye targetin’ her fer? She ain’t done ought to offend any one o’ ye.”
“She hasn’t offended me, but she caused a lot of trouble on the Junkyard. You know the rules, Stone. Wasn’t too long ago she had a revenge bounty out on you. Ten thousand credits if memory serves. It’s the pirate way. You know that better than anyone.”
“She hasn’t done ought to anyone,” Stone insisted, but my memories of the Junkyard attack weren’t quite so rosy. I recalled being told that pirates had died and been injured trying to get at Stone and stealing the serrantium weapons, and that there were likely going to be bounties out on my head as a result. They needed someone to blame for those deaths, and the buck stopped at me. I’d just pushed the memory to one side, considering everything else that was going on. Honestly, I’d never expected the collateral damage to follow me all the way out here.
“Ezra is the one responsible for killing the pirates who stole the serrantium weapons,” I replied sharply. “I might have given you all the incentive to come to the battlefield outside the Salty Siren, but I didn’t force you to steal those weapons. Ezra got his lackeys to chase you because you’d stolen his property—that had nothing to do with me.”
“Aye, but they wouldn’t have come out to fight if you hadn’t teased them with the bounty for Stone, which then got wiped off the board,” Kirin countered. “No one was happy about being conned out of ten thousand credits. Like I say, we’re just here to restore the balance. You brought pirates to that fight, whether you meant to or not, and pirates died because of the situation. Aye, you might not have been directly responsible, but you were the one who led them there, to the place where they breathed their last.”
“Then put a revenge bounty out on Ezra. He’s the one who had these pirates killed, not me. Go back to the Junkyard and tell their crews who was really responsible; shift the blame from me, because I wasn’t the one holding the axe over their necks.” My voice dripped with venom. “Anyway, if they hadn’t been so greedy and stolen Ezra’s weapons, they might still be alive.”
Kirin shrugged. “You’ve been named, Riley.”
“Then un-name me.”
“Can’t, I’m afraid.”
I glowered at her. “That’s just it, though, isn’t it? You all are afraid. You’re afraid of Ezra and the coldbloods. You’re afraid of going after them because you know you’
ll never get your precious bounties if he’s the one named. You’re a bunch of cowards!”
“Ri, how’s about ye let me handle ‘em before this turns nasty, eh?” Stone whispered, lifting his hand to his bandana.
I nodded. “Be my guest.”
“Stone, don’t you da—” Kirin didn’t get to finish, as Stone took away his bandana, his third eye freezing the oncoming pirates. Now, we just had to figure out what to do with them. I supposed we could leave Stone on the lip of the ship’s hatch, keeping his gaze fixed on them until we were out of the docking port’s atmosphere.
Suddenly, arms wrapped around my waist, yanking me backward. More pirates had snuck up on us unawares, singling me out of the group while they fended off the rest of my friends with blades and guns. Navan and the others shoved the goods they were carrying into the safety of the shadows, before rallying on their assailants. I cringed as the box of sweetblood bottles disappeared under a nearby ramp.
Navan lunged for the huge, troll-like pirate who’d pulled me backward, but, with Nova in his arms, I knew he couldn’t fight the way he wanted to. She was more precious than me; we both knew that. Clearly, Kirin had forewarned her band of merry men about Stone’s powers before they’d landed, and now they were using that knowledge to their advantage. Stone could only hold back one half of the attackers at once, leaving the rest free to fight us.
“You take your hands off her!” Lauren yelled, snatching up a length of metal pipe that had fallen from a nearby ship. Using the badass skills that Stone had taught her, she whirled the weapon in the air, bringing it down hard on the shoulder of a stunted, pudgy alien with bright pink skin. Still, for every pirate she took out, another one took their place.
Angie and Xiphio flung themselves at the assailants, flailing their limbs, biting and kicking at everything in sight, trying to forge a path toward me, but it was no use. They’d come here for me, and they were more prepared than we could have imagined. Stone had no choice but to turn and freeze the half that held me, giving me the chance to get away, but as I darted for safety, more freed pirates sprinted forward, emerging from between ships, taking me by surprise and seizing me in one fell swoop. They seized Stone, too, tying a bandana back over his third eye. We were totally outnumbered.