I showed them the ring the next day. None of them recognized the letters or the leaves. Larella shuddered when she picked it up, although she wouldn't admit to it or why. It made me wonder.
The numbers on the scrap of paper were just as baffling. Jasyn said they didn't match any coordinates she knew. She tried running them through the computer. It gave her an unknown sector message. She promised to try them through a more comprehensive database later. The word rowan meant nothing to anyone. Larella thought it was a kind of bush mentioned in ancient Family lore. It had gone extinct centuries ago, unable to thrive outside of its native planet.
I tucked the paper away and put the ring back on my finger. It was one of the safer places to store it.
Jasyn, Clark, Jerimon and Beryn set up the Crystals board. Larella declared she wanted to learn to play by watching. Mart found a string and played with Ghost. I went to sit in the cockpit.
I had pieces of a puzzle that didn't fit with each other. Mart. The butterfly necklaces. Jericho. The retreat of the silver lady. A heavy ring with unknown symbols carved inside it. A scrap of paper with numbers that made no sense. Rowan. Someone shooting at us on Verrus. The name Jericho raising questions on Landruss. Mart at the middle of all of it. The answers were in his mind, behind walls so hard even he didn't know if they could be removed or broken. If he even wanted them removed.
No matter how I twisted the information, I couldn't get any of the pieces to fit with any of the others.
And how did Larella and Beryn and Lady Rina's cards fit in? If they were part of the same puzzle and not pieces of different ones.
The Crystals game was a close one. They dragged it out all day. Jerimon was finally eliminated about dinner time. Clark went out soon after that. Jasyn and Beryn agreed to call it a draw at that point. They could have kept going for another full day.
After dinner, Larella announced she was going to read her cards. She insisted we dim the lights. She dressed up in a garish robe and a jeweled cap. A large red crystal hung between her eyes. She looked ridiculous, but I had enough self control not to say it. She brought out a deck of cards, not as old or as ornate as Lady Rina's but the pictures and the creepy feeling were the same. She shuffled them carefully, once, then placed them on the table, squaring the edges.
"Mart," she pointed an imperious finger at the seat across from her, "sit there. Divide the deck."
Mart sat then lifted half of the cards. Larella moved the other half out of the way and took the pile he held. She laid out the top card, face down. The others went in loops around the central card. Three circles, interlocking around the central card. Larella set aside the extra cards.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a long moment. I wondered how much of it was dramatics and how much was really necessary. She tapped the central card three times.
"Turn it over," she said to Mart.
He turned it face up. It was a card I'd never seen before. Three rings of gold circled an animal that looked vaguely like a horse. Larella sucked in a breath.
"Now these, clockwise," she said indicating one of the rings.
Mart turned over a series of pictures. A hooded figure, a night sky with two moons, an ornate metal key, a starship, the tower, more I had never seen before. Larella said nothing, but she went pale with each card. She indicated the second circle. Mart repeated the performance. The cards were all those of danger, darkness, or journeying. At least that's what I guessed. He turned up the horseman and the sword more than once. The third circle had even more unsettling cards. The last two he turned over were the Jester and the Eye. Larella sat back, her fingers twitching as if she were afraid of touching the cards.
"What does it mean?" Mart studied the cards as if his past and his name were there to read.
Larella shook her head. Her jewels winked in the dim light. We waited. A shiver ran up my spine as I looked at the cards spread on the table.
"Great danger," Larella finally managed. "Death, betrayal, a long journey, secrets, and answers." Her fingers traced the first circle of cards. "The present. The past," she said as she moved to the second circle. "A great evil. Death. And betrayal by those closest to you." She moved to the last circle. "The future," she whispered. I found myself leaning closer over the table. I wasn't the only one. "Knowledge and resolution. But at a great cost. Are you willing to pay the price asked of you? Sacrifice," she added, tapping three of the cards. "A great sacrifice."
Mart stared at the cards, his face pale and set. The room was taut with tension that grew with each second of silence. The hairs on my neck rose. Mart finally shoved the cards into a pile. The mood broke, the magic faded. Larella was just a young woman in a silly outfit.
"This does no good," Mart said. "Where are the answers?" The look he gave Larella was hard, demanding. She looked down at the table.
"The cards aren't exact," she said defensively as she gathered them back up. "I'm not very good at reading them yet. I was hoping they might give you a clue about your past."
"Maybe I should leave it past." Mart dropped his head into his hands. "Maybe I should forget it, find somewhere to become just an ordinary person."
"What of the men shooting at you?" I asked. "They won't stop looking for you."
"Maybe if I went far enough away."
I wanted to tell him it wouldn't work. It hadn't for me. I'd had to shoot the men chasing me.
He shoved away from the table and locked himself into the end cabin. We sat in silence after he was gone.
"I hoped it would help," Larella said again.
"Thank you anyway," Jasyn said, placing her hand over Larella's.
We didn't stay up. I went to bed, wearing my nightgown and hoping it would bring pleasant dreams again. It didn't. I had dreams of mysterious men in dark hoods riding black horses circling me and chanting in a language I should know but couldn't remember. It was almost a relief when the reentry alarm sounded and dragged me away from them.
I went to the cockpit, barefoot and wearing my swirling nightgown. I should have taken the time to dress. Jerimon was in the cockpit before me. He looked like he hadn't gone to bed at all. He glanced at me and grinned, but his heart wasn't in it.
"It's a definite improvement," he said as I sat in my seat.
I didn't bother to answer.
Beryn showed up to take the navigator's chair. "I'm not certified, but I know enough to get us insystem."
I nodded. The trickiest part of navigating was setting the course in the first place. I could have handled downshifting by myself if I had to. Jasyn did more with scanning and the com than she did navigating after a jump.
We slid through transition. The Phoenix handled roughly. We kept spinning to the side.
"We just lost two of the stabilizers," Jerimon announced as the ship shuddered and rolled over and over.
Beryn hit the intercom button. "Hang on," he said. "Rough travel ahead."
I fought the controls, trying to get us straightened out. Jerimon's hands flew over his own controls. Between the two of us, we finally got the ship flying mostly straight.
Beryn called up Jewel's traffic control. "We've got some engine trouble," he said to whoever answered. "We need a straight vector in." There was a pause. "No, we don't need the full rescue unit activated. Just a little trouble with our stabilizers. We'll land safe enough, we just aren't very maneuverable."
I was impressed. Either he was the greatest liar I'd ever met, or he had a lot of faith in our piloting skills.
"Vector heading six nine two," he told us. "Straight course in and free of other traffic."
Jewel wasn't a major destination, traffic was mercifully light. We fought the ship the whole way in. The fuel gauge slid into the red zone because we were flying with mostly thrusters. The planet came up in the viewscreen, a swirling ball that looked like a million others.
"Beacon heading coming through now," Beryn said as he fed the coordinates to the bottom of the display. He switched back to ground control, explaining to them who we were and why we were landing at Jewel.
The atmosphere of Jewel was wild with wind. The ship bucked and veered, shaking so badly my teeth rattled. Jerimon and I shifted control back and forth.
We finally hit the ground, a lot harder than I'd intended. We lost a third stabilizer just as I switched over to the maglev drive. The only one still working was the one we'd just replaced.
"We really should have balanced them better," Beryn said over the squealing of alarms.
I slammed the cutoff button. The ship went quiet.
"If we'd had time, I would have," I said. "I just hope we've got the cash to replace all three."
"We can't stay here long," Jerimon said. "Jasyn was only planning on a few hours."
"She'll have to plan on longer, then. We aren't going anywhere until we get those replaced."
"There are only three shipyards here," Beryn said, tapping into the local datanet. "Jewel caters mostly to rich people on vacation. Most of the restaurants and stores are owned by Family, though. We should be able to get parts."
"See if you can track down the right configuration," I said. "We'll go pick them up as soon as possible."
"You'd better change," Beryn said. "It's snowing outside."
What I said would have made an engineer proud, or blush. I went to change into the warmest outfit I could find.
Larella clutched the bunk frame with white knuckles. She had a bruise forming on her cheek. "Are we safe?"
"Did you forget to use the safety webbing?" I asked.
She looked at me blankly. I reached over her and snagged it out of the wall. It was several straps that crossed to form a harness that kept you safe in your bunk. I pulled it over her and showed her how to fasten it to the bunk frame.
"That's what it's for," she said.
"Sorry, I should have explained it to you earlier."
She shrugged. "You were busy." She played with the straps. "Do I have to use these whenever I sleep?"
"No, but it's a good idea if you hear the reentry alarm. Usually it isn't necessary. We lost three of the stabilizers, so it was rough."
"Is that bad?" She gave me a dewy innocent look.
"It will delay us a while, maybe a day, hopefully less."
"I dreamed Lady Rina died," she said, small and serious. "We can't afford to delay."
"We don't have a choice." I pulled on my shipsuit and dug out the thickest sweater I could find to go over it. I jammed my feet into my boots. I left the red nightgown in a puddle on my bunk.
Jasyn and Clark were fine, they knew enough to strap in and hang on. Mart had managed to knock himself unconscious. Clark was checking the lump on his forehead when I came out.
"Stabilizers," I said.
"Beryn told me," he answered.
Jasyn handed me a pile of credits without a word. She had a pot heating on the stove.
"Don't freeze," Clark called as I headed for the hatch.
Beryn was already waiting in the airlock. He had a thick coat with a built in heater. I was jealous. If we kept going places where it was cold, I was going to have to invest in something a lot warmer.
The outer door slid open. It was night. White flakes of snow swirled past us, dancing into the ship on gusts of wind. I tucked my hands into my armpits, ducked my head, and followed Beryn into the cold.
Beryn had either been to Jewel before or he had some kind of built in beacon. He took us right to the shipyard that had the parts for us. It was a rundown shop full of bits of starship engines and the smell of old grease. I didn't care. It was warm inside.
The owner picked up a greasy box and plopped it on the counter. I shook melting snow out of my hair as I folded back the lid. It was a stabilizer, an old crusted one, but it was the right shape. The only question was whether it would work or not.
"Good as new," the owner announced.
"And I'm stupid," Beryn answered. "Save it for the tourists, Lhun. You said you had three working stabilizers like this."
"It does work," Lhun protested.
I hauled it out of the box and poked at the inside. Bits of dirt and crud fell out, joining the general glop already on the counter.
"This works as well as the ones on my ship," I said and dumped it back in the box. "We're wasting our time here, Beryn."
"No one else has anything close to this," Lhun said. "Your ship is an antique."
"It's not a yacht," I agreed.
"It's Family," Beryn put in. "I'll just have to tell Caid not to recommend you anymore."
"Caid Norris?" Lhun said, eyes widening. "With Lady Rina?"
"One and the same," Beryn said.
"You should have said." Lhun dug through a pile of cartons behind the counter and pulled out a large one that was only a little moldy. He put it on the counter and popped the flaps open.
Beryn reached in and pulled out a stabilizer, the right size and configuration for my ship. It looked almost new.
"They quit making those two years back," Lhun said.
"So why were you hiding it?" Beryn asked. He put it back in the box.
"I only got two," Lhun said. "That's the third one." He pointed at the first one. "Take it or leave it. Those are the only ones within ten light years of here."
"You try and gouge us, and Lady Rina will hear about it," Beryn threatened.
"I heard rumor she's in the hospital," Lhun said as he rummaged for another box.
"Which is why we're trying to get to Besht as soon as possible," Beryn said.
Lhun's brain must have finally made the right connections. He stared at me and the name of the ship on my sleeve. "I'll be shoved through a strainer backwards. Never thought I'd actually get to meet the famous crew of the Phoenix." He held out a greasy paw and grinned. "I heard stories about you."
"They aren't true," I said automatically. I shook his hand. He had a grip like a set of pliers. He left black marks on my hand.
"Still won't change how many stabilizers I've got," Lhun said.
"You have an Einzeg four twenty and an extra thick collar?" Beryn asked.
Lhun blinked a couple of times, staring at Beryn and wiping his greasy hands on an even greasier rag. "Might," he said. He tapped on a computer. "Should have one in the back." He trundled away through a door.
"Are you sure these will work?" I asked, poking the two boxes Lhun had left on the counter.
"We'll have to make them work, won't we?" Beryn replied. "Lhun's the only one who even listed anything close. The others cater to rich yachts."
"They'd have a ball with Lady Rina's Swan." Her ship made mine look brand new.
I poked through the assortment of bits that littered the counter while we waited. Beryn read notices posted to the walls. Lhun eventually came back carrying a filthy box. It was still sealed. I hoped that was a good sign.
"Spilled a bit of engine grease on it a while back," Lhun said as he slit the seal. "Couldn't sell it because the box was dirty. You won't believe how picky these rich people can be." He opened the box and displayed the stabilizer as if it was a jeweled tiara.
Beryn took it and turned it over, checking the connectors. Lhun proffered the extra thick collar. Beryn set the stabilizer back and examined the collar. "Same specs as the other," he said to me.
"Can we make it work or will we just blow the new ones?" I asked.
"As long as they're balanced in pairs, it should work. Might handle a bit differently."
"It has to handle better than no stabilizers. We'll take the three," I said to Lhun.
He typed on his computer. "Five twenty," he said.
"That's either way too low or much too high, depending on where you put the decimal," I said.
"Family prices, Lhun, or I talk to Caid." Beryn gave Lhun a grin with lots of teeth.
"Three seventy," Lhun said with a sigh. "That's a loss for me."
"You're moving merchandise that would otherwise just rust." Beryn collected the two older stabilizers with relatively clean boxes and the collar.
I forked over credits. Lhun made them disappear. He smiled. I wished he hadn't. His breath smelled awful.
"Good doing business with you," he said.
I picked up the greasy box. I had to hold it next to me, stabilizers are heavy. Good thing I wasn't attached to my sweater. I wasn't sure I'd ever get it clean. I picked my way through ankle deep snow back to the ship. Beryn was a shadow in the night ahead of me.
Jasyn waited for us outside. Snow caught in her long hair, white crystals that stood out against the dark silk. She looked gorgeous, as always.
"It's beautiful," she said. "I love fresh snow."
"It's cold," I said. "If you like it so much out here, you can help with the stabilizers. Someone has to be outside." Sitting in the snow most likely, I thought but didn't say. It would have to be Beryn because I was the only one small enough to squeeze into the access tunnel to reach the inside part and no one else knew enough about engineering.
"I get to help unload cargo," she said. "I already took care of port fees. The transport should be here soon. They're bringing us cargo for Besht. And before you ask," she said opening the hatch for me, "Clark, Larella and Jerimon are helping with the cargo. You get Mart and Beryn."
I carried the greasy box inside and down to the engine room. Two of the access ports were on either side of the engine. The one we'd already replaced was the easy one to reach. The other one required crawling under the engine and down a cramped tube. The other two were squeezed in between the small cargo bay attached to the lounge and the bigger aft cargo bays. More tight tunnels to crawl into.
Beryn was in the engine room, filling his pockets with tools. "You all right with the inside?" he asked me.
"I'm the only one who'll fit," I said. "Besides, it might actually be warm."
Mart came down the steps into the engine room. "Jasyn sent me to help."
"You know any engineering?" Beryn asked.
Mart shrugged.
"Take these," I said, handing him an armful of tools. "You can pass me things." I nudged the greasy box with my foot. "Let's do this one first."
I squirmed in under the engine and popped off the access cover. It was going to be a long night.
By dawn, I'd managed to skin every single one of my knuckles. The bolts were, of course, corroded on. The only way to get them loose was to bash them with the biggest wrench. Several of them broke off. It wasn't a night I wanted to remember. Cold air blew in constantly through the open fittings. I was shivering and frozen long before we were through. There were only two things that were even remotely good about it. I learned new swear words from Beryn, and we found out Mart knew something about tools. He gave me exactly the tool I asked for. Every time. Without asking what it looked like first.
It was snowing again when we finished. The others had unloaded the cargo and loaded the new cargo hours before. They were waiting in the cockpit when I finally emerged from the access tube. Mart took the tools to put away.
"Ready to calibrate?" Clark asked me. "Beryn said he just had to pick up bits and he was done."
"Then we're ready." I hovered behind them.
"Go get cleaned up," Jerimon said. "We do know what we're doing."
"That sweater is a total loss," Jasyn said.
I looked down. I was covered in greasy blotches. Large loops of yarn dangled from the sweater. "Next time we get uniforms, we get heated jackets to match."
"Nice sturdy ones that don't stain," Jerimon said, grinning.
"Give me the reading on the lower starboard," Clark said.
Jerimon swiveled back around.
I left to shower.