VALKYRIE

Unfurling from the great armrest, I stared down at the man who knelt before me. He didn’t look like anything special, with dusty brown hair and a pleasing face, but his eyes… His eyes were a storm of gray. He looked at me with fear and contempt, but that was what was so intriguing… how he didn’t look away.

I leaned my chin onto my open palm, raising an eyebrow as I readied myself for the no doubt thrilling series of mistakes that led this poor soul to the bowels of my ship. “A stowaway,” I smirked, calmly meeting the eyes of my quartermaster. “Tarren, you’re good at explaining things. Tell me,” my eyes flashed to his green ones, “how does a thief get aboard my ship?”

Tarren winced, face ashen, but he wasn’t the one who answered me.

“I wasn’t stealing from you.” I could see the man swallow hard, his expression growing firmer as he tried to mask his fear. “I snuck behind your men as they were finishing loading cargo, but I wasn’t aiming for the contents of your hold. I just wanted out of Nighbrook, and your ship seemed like the best choice.”

I felt the grin part my lips as I sat back in my chair, amused by his severe display of tenacity. “Really? And why would that be?” I asked, entertaining the idea in my mind. It was far too often that we encountered someone cowering in the face of our motley crew. If anything, this man was somewhat refreshing. “Enlighten me on why exactly you thought my ship would be the best for your escape.”

Surprise flashed in his eyes; he probably hadn’t expected a chance to defend himself. “She was the only ship that seemed worth the risk. The passenger ships are bulky, and the cargo ships are run down. Your airship looked fast—”

“She is,” I interjected, giving him a small satisfied nod as I winked at the members of my crew, all equally entertained by this man’s blatant plea for pardon. “Do go on. My apologies.” I folded my hands on my lap, crossing one leg over my knee as I listened.

A frown crossed the man’s face for a moment, his eyes dropping as he continued. “I didn’t have a lot of time to consider whose ship it might be. I was being pursued, and the only thing that mattered was how sturdy your ship seemed. It was the only one likely to escape a possible attack.” His lips pressed into a thin line as he paused.

I scoffed and sighed gruffly. “Oh, excellent. In a spot of trouble are you? You’re making your case stronger by the minute.” My words dripped with sarcasm, another roar of laughter erupting from the men and women who stood behind me. I looked at the man, tittering. “You know, it’s a damn shame. You’re very entertaining, and not so hard on the eyes. I would have liked to let you live.” I shrugged, raising my fingers as I gave the slight signal to Tarren. “Oh well. C’est la vie.”

The captive’s face paled, eyes wide as he tried to move forward; Tarren caught him by the collar of his shirt, yanking him back. “Wait!” The man pleaded, his voice trembling. “I can be useful to you. I was running because the city isn’t safe for people like me. Please! I’m an engineer!”

The room went dead quiet.

I rose from my chair, all the smiles and laughter gone as I strode across the room, towering over the man on his knees who looked up at me with those earnest gray eyes. My voice was low and threatening, my figure casting him in shadows as I leaned down to better meet his gaze. My nails bit into the palms of my hands as I stared at him, snarling, “Look at me, and say that again.”

I expected the man to recoil, intimidated, but he met my gaze without flinching; his jaw tight as he repeated himself. “I’m an engineer, good enough to attract the military’s attention. That’s why I was running. It’s also why I set off the alarm in your hold; I know what’s in that military chest you no doubt stole, and how much those crystals are worth. I know people who would pay fortunes for them.”

For a moment I didn’t move, searching his face for any signs that he was lying. It would have been a bold lie; anyone would have to be insane to falsify that fact… Or just as desperate as a dead man walking, I thought, straightening as I kept my eyes on him sharply. “You realize that if you’re lying to me, I’ll do worse things than throw you off the ship mid-flight to have your body shatter against whatever surface you hit first. That is, after falling for several freezing minutes through the atmosphere. You’ll wish I had been that merciful.”

He shuddered, but his gaze didn’t drop. “The locks on that fuel chest were incredibly complicated; if I was lying, I would never have figured them out. I doubt your crew could, either. While I could stop to question why one pirate needs hundreds of military-grade energy shards, more than ten lifetimes worth of fuel, I’ll go ahead and guess it’s for profit. So, it seems like I did you a favor.” He seemed to immediately regret the words, flinching as he watched me warily.

My lip raised in a snarl. “Don’t push your luck. Forget the merchandise. Do you have any idea what kind of payment I could get for someone like you?” I smirked, my heart pounding as I fought against my struck nerve. This man, whether out of fear or sheer stupidity, wouldn’t win any war he waged with me.

“I’m well aware of how much I’m worth,” he said, his jaw tense. “But I can promise you a much larger bounty if you help me; more than you could ever dream of selling me for.”

I looked at Tarren, who was patiently waiting for my command. “You better tell me you’ve searched him,” I said, my hand automatically resting on the handle of the pistol at my waist.

Tarren stiffened, a guilty look in his eyes as he dragged the man up to his feet. “I patted him down when I caught him, didn’t feel any weapons.”

“Weapons aren’t the only thing I’m concerned about. Search him,” I demanded, looking down my nose at the captive. The look of concern on his face was all the justification I needed to know that he was hiding something.

“There’s no need for that,” the man objected, trying to pull away and grunting in pain when Tarren yanked at the irons around his wrist to pull him back. “I told you I didn’t steal anything!”

Scoffing at him, Tarren roughly searched the man’s clothing. “We’re not takin’ the word of a rat,” he said as he grabbed the man’s shoulder, spinning him so they were face to face. Tarren knelt to run his hands along the man’s high leather boots with burnished copper buckles, fingers skimming over worn trousers. Standing, he pushed back the man’s faded brown leather coat and tugged at the goggles resting against the man’s chest; he grunted as it pulled at his neck, grimacing and uncomfortable as Tarren checked the multiple tool belts, which were strapped across his chest and waist.

Alarm sparked in the man’s eyes as Tarren grabbed at a satchel tied to his hip. My hand was firm on my gun as I watched the man struggle for a moment before Tarren snarled and ripped the leather pouch free, tossing it in my direction. I caught it in a single hand, feeling something heavy and strangely shaped inside it. “Well, well, what have we here?” I gave a soft, pleased grunt as I weighed it in my hand, watching how the man’s eyes filled with anger and panic.

He took a step toward me, ending with him shoved down to his knees again, and Tarren’s fingers digging into his shoulder with warning. “That won’t be of any use to you,” the man said, his voice strained, and gaze sharp with concern as he watched me.

I regarded him with a grin as I stated, “You know, somehow, I thought you might say that.”