Before she slipped through, Perseus added, "Watch out for the Slavers. They"re turning out to be quite a challenge for the King. Who knew they could be so useful?"

Opal paused to look at him, but Perseus had already gone back to sparring. What did he mean by useful? It was an odd phrase that continued to eat at her as she made her way down the mountain, along the stone-covered path that wound its way into the Walled City.

She paused at the bottom of the rough trail to review her calculations. Opal skirted along the city"s east wall, slipping behind the various merchant stalls that lined the streets during the day. At sundown most of the stalls would fold up shop and return home. A few of the food vendors stayed open for longer hours to take advantage of late night strollers and shift changes at the Keep.

She caught a whiff of delicious spiced bread wafting on the air. Opal"s stomach growled at the thought of biting into the aromatic dough. When had she last eaten? She couldn"t recall. Opal ignored her hunger and kept moving. She didn"t know how long it would take to reach the search area, so there was no time to waste. She needed to be in and out before Hades noticed.

Thanks to Perseus" formal challenge to the King, that might be a while.

She reached the transport loaner station near the great doors that marked the entrance to the Walled City. The hover transports had been tethered to various poles, their engines running. The soft puttering sound barely registered over the loud voices haggling in nearby clothing stalls.

Opal flashed her credentials, then handed the man a fist full of credits. He pointed to a transport hovering three feet in the air. "Bring it back the way that you found it," he said. "The last time one of the King"s guards checked out one of my hovers they brought it back in pieces."

She didn"t answer because she couldn"t make that kind of promise. Opal had no idea what she would encounter in the ravines. She grabbed the tether and pulled the machine to her. The hover sputtered, threatening to rise in the air. Opal hopped on before it succeeded and strapped herself onto the narrow seat. Once secured, she unfastened the tether. The transport rose into the air. She adjusted the alt.i.tude setting, then shouted, "Open the gates!"

The sentry guards held fast until she flashed her ID. Upon seeing the symbol of the Righthand, they pressed a b.u.t.ton and the gates dematerialized. Opal gunned the hover"s engine and zipped out into the Ruggeds.

Most people in Hades" Kingdom lived within the Walled City. Some, like her parents, had chosen to homestead in the valleys between the mountains, aptly known as the Ruggeds, since life there was difficult and survival was questionable.

Opal knew this land like the back of her sword. She"d grown up here, played here. She knew every place to hide, every spot to hunt, and every water source. If the Slavers were still on Zaron, she would find them.

Four hours later, Opal was ready to give up. She"d searched the three ravines that scarred the land near her old homestead. Other than the crash debris in Rydon Ravine, she hadn"t spotted any sign of the Slavers or their ships. Since she"d told no one of her mission, there wasn"t a chance that the Slavers could"ve been forewarned.

Given the lack of supplies at the crash site, it was more than obvious some of the crew had survived. Solo pilots didn"t man slaver ships and there"d only been one body. She thought about all the places she explored as a child. There were so many. She"d covered the most obvious locations and was slowly making her way through her secret spots.

The sun was sinking fast. Soon she"d have to return to the safety of the Keep. Opal turned the transport in a wide arc, scanning the land and the woods in the distance. As she was doing so, something sparkled amongst the dark purple leaves, then quickly vanished.

It could be nothing, she thought, but she needed to be sure.

Opal turned the hover once more, watching the tree-line closely. The flash came again, this time more definite. Not natural. Alien tech. Reflective camouflage. She cut the power on her transport and it slowly floated to the ground. With a flick of a b.u.t.ton, she hid the vehicle, using less sophisticated tech than the Slaver"s had.

She couldn"t afford for them to hear her approach. Opal shuddered at the thought of being captured by the vicious Slavers. She"d seen what they"d done to imprisoned females firsthand, when she"d partic.i.p.ated in a rescue mission three years ago. They"d only found five of the eight women alive. The rest had been dissected, their parts distributed to exotic shops around the galaxy.

Opal couldn"t fathom that there were sentient beings in the galaxy that still believed that ground up humanoid organs worked as aphrodisiacs and had healing properties, but she"d seen the stalls with her own eyes and she"d helped unpack the body parts of the women they"d been unable to save.

Slavers didn"t always kill and dissect their captives. Sometimes they took them to Slave markets and sold them to the highest bidder. From that point, the women could be used for s.e.x or for hard labor, sometimes both. Neither fate was one any woman wanted to experience. Opal had even heard rumors that on very rare occasions Slavers claimed the women for themselves. But as far as she could tell, those stories were only rumors, since she"d never seen any proof.

Opal crept through the woods, keeping downwind. Slavers weren"t like Phantoms, but it wasn"t uncommon for them to have "enhanced" their senses with nanotech. She stayed low to the ground. When she couldn"t get any closer without betraying her position and the rugged terrain became too difficult to navigate, Opal shifted into her cat form.

She launched herself into a tree, using her sharp claws to gain purchase, then worked her way from limb to limb until she had a clear view of the area. Opal froze, her tail flicking dangerously behind her as she stared at the crude campsite.

It was larger than she"d expected. Large enough that it should"ve easily been discovered. No way could they have remained hidden without help. Their tech wasn"t that good.

A whoosh sound came from her right. Opal crouched low on the branch as a leather clad Slaver with black, braided hair stepped out into what seemed to be thin air. Instead of crashing to the ground, he appeared to float on invisible currents. Given his broad shoulders and muscle packed body that should"ve been impossible.

The craft was completely camouflaged, but she could tell he was standing in an entrance door. He was far above the treetops, situated much higher than what an average-sized Slaver ship was designed for. They"d somehow managed to interlock all three ships together, turning it into one ma.s.sive craft.

The Slaver"s blue skin held a tinted hue that indicated he"d spent a lot of time on one of the water planets. Since Slavers were nomadic by nature, there was no way to narrow down the location. Without warning, he looked in her direction, his golden eyes glowing against the setting sun.

Opal didn"t move. Didn"t breathe.

His gaze held for longer than it should have, then slowly drifted on. Opal could still feel that molten gold searing her fur. She waited for him to sound the alarm, but he didn"t. He simply continued to survey the area. Had the purple leaves somehow hidden her?

"Captain Hawk!" someone shouted. "See anything?"

The leather-clad man turned his head, his unerring gaze skimming over her feline form once more. "Nothing to worry about," he said in a deep reverberating voice that made Opal"s fur bristle.

More men filed out behind him. They jumped, dropping over thirty feet, landing easily on the ground.

Definitely enhanced, Opal thought, especially the one they"d called "Hawk".

He"d seen her. Of that there was no doubt. She"d felt his gaze. Could still feel it. Why hadn"t the captain informed anyone of her presence? Opal scented the air, but she smelled nothing of the men or their ship.

Fear and something unidentifiable worked its way through her, raising the fur on her back. She"d never encountered Slavers this cunning. Maybe they weren"t receiving help from the inside. Maybe they were simply far more advanced than the Phantom world. What did that mean for Zaron and its people?

Opal silently counted their numbers. She wanted to make sure that her report to Hades was as accurate as possible. Twenty-five exited the ma.s.sive ship, which meant there were probably another ten or so still onboard.

She watched them closely, while maintaining her position amongst the trees. The men stood around a holomap, pointing at various locations. From this distance, Opal could only make out a few of the areas, but it was more than obvious from the ones that she did identify that they had somehow gotten their hands on cla.s.sified material.

Her thoughts flashed to Taylor. Hades thought she was innocent, but Opal wasn"t so sure. Was Taylor a spy? Was she helping the Slavers? Did she know the one called Hawk? Her stomach soured at the thought. First Hawk, now Hades. It was time to confront the Earth woman.

Taylor woke with a start, her hair tangled in her face. What was that sound? The banging came again, this time louder. It took her a minute to figure out that it was coming from her door.

She stumbled out of bed and stubbed her toe. She yelped and hopped the rest of the way. Taylor opened the door with a yawn to find Opal standing on the other side, glaring at her.

She blinked, trying to clear some of the sleep away. "What"s up?"

Opal shoved her back inside the room and followed her in, shutting the door behind her. "I want the truth!" she demanded.

"What?" Taylor yawned again. "Why are you shouting?"

This time when Opal shoved her, Taylor fell. She dropped onto her bottom and bounced. The jolt woke her addled brain. "What is your problem?"

Opal glared at her and her hand moved to the pommel of her sword.

Taylor jumped to her feet and backed away. She quickly searched her room for a weapon, but the only sharp object in sight was the heel of her stiletto. She picked up the pump and pointed it at Opal, though there was little chance of doing any damage against a sword.

"Do you want to explain what"s going on?" Taylor held the spiked heel between them.

"Tell me how you contacted them and I will make sure that your death is merciful," Opal said.

Taylor shoved her hair back. "Uh, who are you talking about?"

"The Slavers! Do not try to lie, I have seen evidence of their presence with my own eyes."

She held up one hand. "Listen, I don"t know what you"ve seen, but I a.s.sure you that I have had no part in helping your invaders," Taylor said.

"Slavers!" Opal screeched.

"Whatever." Taylor rolled her eyes. "I had never heard of those guys, until you brought them up."

Opal"s red gaze narrowed and seemed to glow in the low lighting. "Hawk!" she shouted.

"Squirrel!" Taylor countered.

Opal took a menacing step forward. "Who is Squirrel?" she grit out between clenched teeth.

Taylor shrugged. "How should I know? I thought we were playing a word a.s.sociation game."

"You do not know a squirrel?" Opal asked.

Her brow tilted. "A squirrel is a what, not a who. Furry rodent, bushy tail, likes nuts, kind of cute. Ring any bells?"

Opal snorted in disgust and her hand dropped from the pommel of her sword. "You really are an underdeveloped species." She shook her head. "I do not understand what our warriors see in you. A fertile womb and plentiful numbers do not make up for the loss in apt.i.tude. We would"ve been better off facing our extinction with dignity than to lower ourselves by breeding with dimwitted humans."

"Okay..." Taylor drew the word out. "I think someone needs a nap." She had no idea what Opal was going on about, but she was awake enough now to know that she"d been insulted. Again. She hiked her thumb over her shoulder and pointed at the furs. "I"m going to go back to bed now. I suggest that you do the same." Taylor walked Opal to the door. "Glad we had this talk."

Opal stepped over the threshold.

"Oh," Taylor said, stopping Opal before she left. "The next time you need somebody to dump on or to cover for you, don"t bother coming to me."

The warrior opened her mouth to speak, but Taylor didn"t want to hear it. She shut the door in her face. "That was fun," she muttered under her breath and went back to bed.

Opal"s body ached from the hover ride back to the Walled City. The whole time it had felt as if Hawk"s gold eyes were boring into her spine. She"d never ridden so fast or so recklessly in her life. She rolled her tense shoulders.

She shouldn"t have confronted Taylor tonight. She knew that now. But she"d been so stressed out by what she had discovered that she"d needed to find out the truth. The talk hadn"t gone as she"d planned. Opal thought that by catching Taylor off guard that the human would slip up and confess, but that hadn"t been the case. The woman had been her usual clueless self.

Fortunately, she had kept most of the information she"d uncovered private, so there was little chance of Taylor talking about things that she should not. Tomorrow, Opal would approach Hades and share her intel, but not until after the Pit challenge. She didn"t want anything distracting the Dark King from the upcoming fight. Not when his life and throne were on the line.

Despite the consequences to her being, Hades would have to eventually hear her report. He wouldn"t be happy when he realized that she"d disobeyed a direct order. That was something the Dark King would not overlook. Opal would be punished severely, possibly stripped of her rank, but she hoped that what she"d learned would be taken into consideration before Hades did so.

What if Perseus was the one standing after the challenge?

Opal would cross that valley when she got to it.

She tried not to think about what would happen if she were no longer the King"s Righthand. The other guards would never let her live down the demotion. She"d have to leave the Keep, unless Hades claimed her for his Queen. The whole situation didn"t bear thinking about.

Hawk"s shimmering gold eyes flashed in her mind. Opal shivered.

"Who are you?" she whispered. "And why are you here?"

CHAPTER NINE.

The Keep was unusually quiet the next day. Taylor awoke late because Opal hadn"t shown up to rouse her for practice. After last night"s unexpected visit, she wasn"t surprised. Maybe the King"s Righthand was embarra.s.sed by her behavior.

If she wasn"t, then she darn well should be, Taylor thought.

She got dressed and worked out on her own. It was nice to practice without fear of being struck. Taylor worked on her swordsmanship against wooden and stone enemies, slashing at them until her arms hurt. Sweat dripped from her body as she repeated the moves Opal had taught her. She was getting better. She could tell.

"Do you need some help?" a deep male voice called out.

Taylor turned expecting to see Hades. Perseus stood at the edge of the Pit instead. She kept her disappointment hidden behind a smile. Ever since they"d slept together, Hades had gone out of his way to limit their contact. Taylor tried not to take it personally, but hadn"t entirely succeeded.

"Sure." She motioned Perseus over. "I can use all the help that I can get."

He grinned. "Happy to oblige."

At least one man seemed to enjoy her company.

Perseus was a handsome warrior with raven hair, dancing eyes, and a playful demeanor. He was a shameless flirt, but he"d extended her friendship, when no one else had. For that kindness alone, Taylor would be forever grateful to him. Perhaps if she"d never met the Dark King things would be different between them. They might"ve had a chance. But she had met Hades, and he was a hard act to follow.

Perseus picked up a wooden sword as he pa.s.sed the rack. He swung it smoothly like it was a part of his limb. She thought about how young some of the kids in Hades" cla.s.s had been. No wonder Perseus was so proficient. He"d been holding a sword since he could walk.

"You need to extend your arm more. You don"t want your enemies to get too close." Perseus demonstrated. "When you arc wildly, you leave your torso open to attack. That"s not a problem for a Phantom because we have two hearts, but for a human a direct strike can be fatal."

Taylor shuddered in mock horror. "We wouldn"t want that." She snorted, then followed his lead.

They sparred for an hour or so, laughing and joking the whole time. Perseus concentrated on teaching her defensive moves. Stuff that would keep her alive in a fight until help could arrive. His optimism was catching.

"You are beginning to get the hang of it," he said.

"I have a good teacher." Taylor winked. Flirting was as natural as breathing to her. She did it without thought, but she was well aware it didn"t mean anything.

Perseus grinned. "I could do more than teach, if you"d let me." He lowered his wooden sword and slowly approached her. The mirth in his eyes changed to liquid heat.

Taylor"s heart hammered and not just from the workout. "Um..." She glanced around, but they were still alone.

Perseus ran a finger over her cheek, grazing the side of her mouth before following the gentle slope of her neck. "You are so soft, so lush," He glanced down, admiring her curves. "So very beautiful. If I were Hades, I would claim you before another gets the chance."

Taylor"s face flushed and warmth spread throughout her body. "The King isn"t looking for a wife."

Perseus leaned forward until they were but a breath apart. "Then Hades is an imbecile. If I ruled the Phantoms, the first thing I would do is make you my Queen."