Chapter One

Unfortunately, Dolon, my mother’s not-so-loving brother, and his henchmen did find us. Mami never did grasp the concept of secrecy. The minute she mentioned the legendary Nabatean’s treasure, Dolon came running.

My first clue something was up was Mami’s long, green, empire-styled gown. She only wore it for special occasions. “Why are you all dressed up?”

Mami laughed nervously. “Dolon’s coming.”

“What? Here? Now?”

“Yes, I’m so excited.”

Drekk! “How did he find us?”

“I gave Dolon the coordinates to Qeeturah and the security codes a week ago. I wanted to surprise you, so I waited until you and your father left the ship to issue the invitation.”

I stared at her in utter disbelief. How can someone so smart be so dumb?

My father walked in, took one look at Mami’s gown, and psychically linked with me. “Did I forget a special occasion?”

“No, we’re expecting guests.” Thankfully, Mami didn’t have a lick of psychic ability. My father and I used mind-talk whenever we needed to discuss her unanticipated actions and how to deal with the consequences.

Papa’s communications bracelet began to beep in warning, and at the same time our command console flashed an intruder alert. “Your mother invited someone here?”

“That would be a yes.” Through the view screen we watched a battered, laser-scored ship settle in Qeeturah’s red dust. Gigantic monoliths of vermillion stone stood a short distance away.

“Why didn’t you stop her?” Anger laced Papa’s mental voice.

“I was checking the western quadrant when she issued the invitation. She wanted to surprise us.”

“She has,” Papa growled.

Mami eyed my black biosuit in dismay. “Hurry. Go change. I want everything to be perfect for his visit.”

“I don’t think Dolon’s going to care what I am wearing.”

“Dolon?” The muscles in Papa’s left jaw twitched. “Have you lost your mind?”

Tears welled in Mami’s eyes. “Dolon’s family. Is it wrong to share our success with him?”

“Yes. Your brother is wanted by the enforcers on ten different planets,” Papa pointed out.

“All silly misunderstandings.”

“Misunderstandings? He has a criminal record as long as my arm.”

“Dolon is a bit high-strung, but he means well.”

Papa tugged on his left ear in frustration. “How in the nine hells did he find us?”

“Mami gave him our coordinates, along with the codes to pass safely through our kill zone.” Papa had set up laser cannons to protect the site, and Mami had just made them useless. I watched the landing ramp extend from my uncle’s ship. Wonder if Dolon knew they needed to wear a shielded biosuit to protect them from the subatomic particles bombarding this planet?

My uncle and his goons stomped down the ramp in filthy gray jumpsuits. Guess not. Hope they weren’t planning on having children or living a long life.

Dolon was a mercenary, smuggler, sometime pirate, and downright nasty male. Papa hated him. My uncle would be exceedingly handsome if it weren’t for his bulging eyes. It looked like someone had stomped on his head.

The henchmen could pass for triplets. Big, ugly, and dirty.

Mami opened the hatch, and, with an excited laugh, threw herself at her brother. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Avarice in his gaze, Dolon looked around. “Nice ship.”

“Which I’ve equipped with biometric locks to keep sticky-fingered thieves from taking it,” Papa responded. His right hand dropped to the butt of his laser pistol.

Dolon snarled. “You’re calling me a thief?”

“Yes,” Papa answered.

Mami’s fingers fluttered nervously. “Would you like some tea?”

“Got something stronger?”

“It’s chai oolong tea from Earth,” Mami babbled proudly.

My father’s gruff voice sounded in my head. “Do your dutiful Farin daughter act.”

“I’d rather shoot them.”

“You shoot them, you deal with your mother.”

Smothering a groan, I gestured to our metal dining table. “Please sit, honored guests, and I will serve you.”

Dolon eyed my formidable father for a long moment, then sat. His goons followed suit.

“Lysis, please join us.” Mami held out her hand.

My father reluctantly took a seat next to her. What Mami wanted, Mami got. Be it tea from England, a trip to an Earth theme park, or traveling the galaxy looking for ancient historical objects. Papa pulled his combat knife and casually cleaned under his fingernails. “Dolon, did you know you’re worth five million credits, dead or alive?”

My uncle stiffened in alarm.

“Lysis, they’re our guests,” my mother chided.

My father bared his strong white teeth in a menacing smile. “For the moment.”

Holy Goddess, this wasn’t going to end well. The tea hadn’t steeped for the required five minutes, but I didn’t think anyone would notice. The Wedgwood tea service was my mother’s pride and joy. The teapot was covered in ugly yellow daisies. I added some iced cakes to the tray and carried it over to the table.

“I’ll pour,” Mami said.

I set the tray down and stepped back. Mami had a vid that showed the proper way to serve an English afternoon tea, and she followed every step. Meticulously.

A flicker of movement caught my attention. The Coletti warrior was back on the vid screen, and he seemed to find our tea party highly amusing. I had to admit watching the thugs drink from the tiny, delicate cups was comical.

“Find out how the Coletti is able to bypass my security programs,” my father instructed.

“Yes, Papa.” I waited until Dolon’s attention was on my mother before backing into the command center. I closed the door and turned to face the warrior. The direct approach was usually the best option when dealing with Coletti warlords. I took one look at the Coletti’s arrogant expression and decided to have some fun. “What did you say your name was again? Troublesome?” I shook my head. “No. That wasn’t it. Sorry, I’m not good at remembering the names of Zarek’s servants.”

“My name is Quinn Jones. I am Zarek’s hunter and I hold warlord status,” he responded with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

“Whatever.” I hid a smile. The egotistical ass really didn’t like my dismissive attitude. He had expected me to be in awe of his amazing good looks and the fact he held the prestigious rank of warlord. “My father wishes to know how you managed to circumvent our security protocols.”

Quinn shrugged. “I have my ways. Give me your coordinates, and I can help with your guests.”

“Papa doesn’t need your help.”

“Four warriors against one? Not good odds.”

“You haven’t met my father, and it’s not your problem.” I severed the link.

The screen popped back on. “It is my problem if you’re injured or killed.”

“Let me set you straight. One. Papa is quite capable of dealing with our guests. Two. I might look harmless, but I’m not. Three. I. Am. Not. Going. To Tanith. Go start a war or steal some other female.”

“I will find you, and I will take you to Tanith,” Quinn promised in a quiet, scary voice.

Gak! Typical stubborn male. “Do you always do what the Overlord tells you?”

“Yes, and I never disappoint Detja.”

A smart male never did. “My father says Coletti warriors mindlessly follow orders and are ball-less. Is he right?”

Quinn raised an inquiring eyebrow. “Curious about a warrior’s body, are you, darlin’?”

I blinked in surprise. I had expected more threats, not for him to start flirting with me.

He grinned, pure devilry in his eyes. “Want a peek at my goods?”

For a brief second, I was tempted. His black battle suit displayed his heavily muscled form to perfection, but Papa hadn’t raised a fool. I plastered a love-stricken expression on my face and gushed, “Oh, I know exactly what you look like, lovey.” I projected the image of a wrinkled, hairy body with sagging male breasts and thick clumps of fibrous warts obscuring the groin. “Dead on, right?”

Quinn laughed. “Clever girl. Detja said you were full of surprises.”

Why was he being so charming? Was it a delaying tactic? Did Quinn have a way to track my transmission? “A word of warning. No one messes with my father. Not even the Overlord.”

“Zarek’s eager to add a fire-starter and illusionist to the Coletti gene pool. What the Overlord wants, the Overlord gets. We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Quinn stated, dropping his flirtatious manner.

Quinn had finally revealed his true self. A relentless hunter with a bit of a temper. And we had a conundrum. Since there was no honor among thieves, and Dolon had a big mouth, there was a good possibility every relic hunter in the galaxy would show up in the next day or so. We were going to need help to protect the site. How did I get Quinn to stand down? The Overlord’s interest in old relics was well known. If he knew we had found Qeeturah, would Zarek order Quinn to help us guard it? Only one way to find out. “Tell Zarek we found Qeeturah.”

Quinn tilted his head, obviously intrigued. “Quite an accomplishment.”

“It is. Which is why I’m not leaving the find of the century to travel to Tanith.”

“Your father gave his word. The Overlord deals harshly with oath breakers.”

“I still have six weeks to show up.” I winced as my psychic senses screamed a warning. When that happened, it always felt like someone had shoved a bristly bush into my head and twirled it around.

Quinn demanded, “What’s wrong?”

“Trouble.”

A loud crash was followed by Mami’s shriek and the sounds of a fight.

“Balock’s balls!” I opened the cockpit door and took a stun beam in the chest. Agony seared every nerve ending, and I fell. A cry broke from me as violent muscle spasms twisted my body. My arms and legs drummed against the floor.

“Do not pass out!” Quinn commanded.

My vision dimmed, and I struggled to stay conscious. Have. To. Protect Mami.

Quinn growled, “If you want to live, send me your coordinates. Now, Xenia.”

Totally ignoring the enraged Coletti on the vid screen, Dolon kneeled on my chest, crushing me against the floor. “Stop fighting, Lysis, or your daughter dies.” My uncle shoved the muzzle of his laser pistol against my forehead.

“Get off her. She can’t breathe,” Quinn roared.

“What. He. Said,” I gasped.

My uncle shifted his knee. I sucked in a lungful of much needed air. My vision cleared enough that I could see Mami sprawled under the table. Papa had broken one henchman’s neck, and his knife protruded from the second one’s chest. He had his large hand wrapped around the third one’s throat.

“Let him go!” my uncle yelled.

Papa released the thug. He crumpled to the deck, gasping for breath.

“Drop your weapons,” Dolon ordered.

Using two fingers, my father slowly put his laser pistol on the floor.

“And the knives too.” Dolon tightened his grip.

Papa removed his boot knives and placed them next to the pistol.

I forced my badly twitching fingers to hit an icon on my communications bracelet.

A computerized voice announced, “Distress beacon activated.”

Dolon laughed. “You stupid female, my ship is equipped with a signal jammer.”

Which our command computer had disabled, along with all their weapons systems. Papa was an expert in battle tactics, and our ship was equipped with enough firepower to take on a Coletti warbird.

“Harm any of them, and you will answer to me,” Quinn warned.

“Drekking Coletti warriors think they’re the lords of the universe. You aren’t. You come here. You die.” Dolon turned his pistol and blasted the view screen.

There wasn’t a doubt in my mind Quinn would come, and when he did, the only one dying would be Dolon.

“Wake Eleni up. She’s taking me to that treasure,” Dolon instructed my father.

If looks could kill, my uncle would be a dead man. “There is no treasure.”

“You think I’m a fool?” Dolon countered.

“Yes.” Papa pointed to the work counter covered with pieces of bone, a stone figurine, and a massive ball of fused metal. “That’s what Eleni considers treasure.”

“You’re lying. Everyone knows Qeeturah’s rulers had a fortune in gold, silver, and jewelry made from faience, the rarest metal in the galaxy,” Dolon retorted.

Good thing only a few knew about the obsidian sphere called the Shebu. It was a source of unfathomable power. The Nabateans fled Qeeturah after severe solar flares killed billions of their people. Mami was decoding a star chart I had found inscribed on a wall. We hoped it would lead us to the Nabateans’ new world and the Shebu.

Papa scowled. “We haven’t found any gold, silver, or jewelry.”

“I want my treasure,” Dolon reiterated.

Papa raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Your treasure?”

“As the head of our family, it’s my right to claim it,” Dolon declared.

“Eleni is my legal mate. You have no rights to her or her property.”

“An easy fix. I kill you and everything reverts to me.”

“Zarek, the Overlord of the Coletti clans, is my partner in this venture. You do not want to anger him,” Papa advised.

A lie, but my uncle wouldn’t know that. He grabbed a handful of my hair, yanked my head back, and rammed the muzzle of his laser pistol against my throat. Blind fury swept through me, and I struggled to control my spastic limbs. I wanted him dead so badly.

“Wake my sister up, or your daughter dies,” Dolon said, his voice full of hatred.

Papa kneeled and patted Mami’s face gently. “Eleni. Open your eyes, my love.”

Mami stared up at Papa in confusion. “What happened?”

“You fainted as usual,” Dolon grumbled, removing the laser pistol from my neck.

Praise the Goddess my spasms were slowing down.

My mother took one look at her shattered teapot, the two dead thugs, and passed out again.

“Drekk. Get up.” Dolon threw a teacup at his remaining henchman.

It smacked him in the left eye. Rubbing at his rapidly swelling eye, the henchman got to his feet.

“Bind Lysis,” Dolon ordered.

His breath coming in rasping gasps, the henchman staggered toward my father.

I couldn’t allow him to tie Papa up. Arching my body, I flailed my arm and legs wildly as if I was having a convulsion.

“Xenia’s seizing. She needs medical care,” my father growled.

“Like I care?”

“If Xenia dies, Eleni will be of no use to you.”

“Drekk.” Dolon yanked me off the floor and hurled me at my father. “Fix her.”

Papa caught me.

I faked another seizure and managed to kick the henchman in the balls. All the color drained from his face as he doubled over in agony. His knees buckled, and he collapsed next to my mother.

Dolon studied me suspiciously. “Did she do that on purpose?”

“You think Eleni’s daughter is capable of attacking a male?” My father carried me over to the med unit.

“She’s also your daughter. There are rumors that Xenia shot and killed several Sandokan pirates two months ago.”

Papa smiled a smile guaranteed to make most males run for their lives. “I spread that rumor. My daughter is a beautiful female. A wise male now hesitates before approaching her.”

I wasn’t sure if Dolon bought the fib or not. “You should have let me shoot him.”

“An error I won’t repeat.” Papa ran the med scanner over me and injected a muscle relaxer to neutralize the effects of the stun beam.

I sighed in relief as the pain and muscle spasms stopped. I tried to summon a fireball, but nothing happened. Drekk. The energy blast from the stun beam was still playing havoc with my psychic abilities.

Papa threw an aggravated look over his shoulder. “How long before you can project an illusion?”

“A couple of minutes, but I don’t know how long I can hold it.”

“Hurry up,” Dolon spat impatiently.

“He’s not going to be pleased when he sees the dig site is nothing more than buildings carved out of rocks,” I said.

“I agree. Bringing your mother along is going to make things more difficult.”

My stomach knotted at the thought of Dolon hurting her out of sheer frustration. Mami had once pushed Bhikshuni, the devout religious leader of the Farins, to violence. After the incident, he had joined a remote monastery. “The gravesite has enough artifacts to keep Dolon busy.”

Mami suddenly bolted upright, looked around wildly, screamed, and keeled over again.

The expression on Dolon’s face was an exact duplicate of the one on Bhikshuni’s just before he lost it.

Papa stepped in front of me, shielding me with his body and said quickly, “I can take you to the dig site. Eleni will only slow you down.”

“She is an extremely troublesome female.” Dolon kicked his goon. “Get up.”

The henchman groaned.

My uncle struck the henchman again. “I said, get up.”

“How has Dolon survived this long?”

“He kills those who cross him, and he hires idiots,” Papa answered.

The henchman obediently got to his feet.

“Take my sister to the ship and lock her in the holding cell,” Dolon instructed him.

A cold rage filled my father’s eyes. “Eleni stays here.”

“You seem to forget I’m in charge.” Dolon leveled his laser pistol at my father’s chest and fired. The sizzling red stun beam struck Papa in the chest. He crashed to the floor and twitched violently.

I quickly cast a cloaking illusion over Mami.

The henchman looked around in confusion. “Where did she go?”

“Where did who go?” Dolon stunned my father again, smiling at Papa’s grunts of pain.

“Your sister.”

My power crapped out and the illusion failed. Mami reappeared on the floor.

Dolon quit tormenting my father and turned to stare at his henchman. “She’s right there, you fool. Now take her to the ship.” He rolled Papa over and pulled out some handcuffs.

The henchman bent to pick my mother up.

Poof! Mami became a rotting corpse. Her skeletal fingers reached for him.

“Aiieeeee!” The henchman jumped back in horror. “How did she get like that? How did she get like that? How?”

Too busy trying to cuff my father to look, Dolon growled, “What the drekk is your problem now?”

Maggots swarmed out of the corpse’s eyes.

“You stay. You die like our crew,” I whispered. “Leave while you can.”

The henchman bolted for the hatch but was in such a panic, he kept whacking the wall instead of the scanner.

Dolon jumped to his feet. “What are you doing, Bene?”

“We stay. We die!” Bene cried.

“We are not leaving until I have my treasure,” Dolon snarled. “Now get my sister.”

“No. Won’t touch her. She’s dead.”

Mami moaned and put a hand to her forehead. “What happened?”

“The dead can’t talk, you moron,” Dolon replied. “Now, pick her up and take her to the ship.”

Mami looked around frantically. “Lysis? Where’s Lysis?”

“Dolon stunned Papa,” I answered, palming the portable med kit.

“What?” To my surprise Mami didn’t faint again. “Why would you do that, Dolan?”

Dolon shrugged. “I’m taking the treasure, and Lysis thought he could stop me.”

A tear rolled down Mami’s face. “But we’re family. You don’t steal from family.”

My uncle sneered, “That’s what father said just before I killed him.”

“You—you were responsible for his murder?”

“The old fool wouldn’t give me the credits I needed. So, I broke into his safe and took everything.” Dolon laughed. “Father tried to stop me. His mistake. The treasure is mine. Get in my way, or fail to do exactly what I say, and you will watch Lysis and your daughter die.”

Mami crumpled to the floor.

“Drekk.” Dolon shoved his henchman out of the way, picked my mother up, and shook her violently. “Wake up.” He shook her again. “Wake up!”

“Stop!” I pleaded. “I’ll take you to the treasure. Don’t hurt her.”

Dolon dropped Mami and seized my arm. “You know where it is?”

“Yes.” My hands curled into fists. Once I had my powers back, my uncle was a dead man.

“Good. Take me to it and I’ll let your father live.”

He was such a bad liar. I knew my uncle was planning on killing all of us. I assumed my timid demeanor. “As you command, my lord.”