Halfway across Dexter bade them to stop and called across, “Kragor, who served as helmsman?”
Kragor eyed them briefly and called back, “Fourth man from the front.”
Dexter nodded and, without so much as a second thought, drew his pistol and fired it. The pirate helmsman staggered from the impact, then looked down at the growing red stain on his tunic. He looked up, mouth open in shock, and lost his balance. He fell between the ships, falling to the gravity plane and plunging through it, then falling back upwards to plunge through it again and again.
The pirates jerked and started forward, but a slight shake of their captain and additional pressure from the knife at his throat and he bade them to stand back. They accepted, but many had murder gleaming in their eyes. A few, those who had fought in the passages, did not look so anxious to press the attack anew.
Dexter waved the rest on and reloaded his pistol while they crossed. Once they were aboard they pushed the slaver captain across the plank, with Rosh and Dexter following closely behind him. The body of the pirate helmsman continued to bob up and down on the gravity plane between the ships.
“Follow us and we’ll be killing every last one you. Cross our paths again, and the same fate be yours!” Dexter yelled over to them once they had crossed.
“Rosh, let him go,” Dexter said, gesturing with his pistol for the slaver to cross the plank back to his ship.
“You’ve made a mistake, Captain,” the pirate spat at him.
“Won’t be the first nor the last,” Dexter said, gesturing again. “Now shut your mouth and get off my ship!”
The pirate stepped up on the gangplank and started across. After a couple of steps Rosh turned to Dexter and said, “You really gonna let him live?”
The pirate hurried his step and it was not until he was near the end of the plank that he turned, glaring hatefully at Dexter and Rosh. “You’ll pay for this, I’m going to-“
Dexter’s pistol spat out a ball of lead at the same time that Rosh kicked the gangplank away from the Voidhawk. The pirate captain shrieked as he fell, reaching out for his ship and missing it. Dexter’s bullet drilled into his back, just beneath his shoulder blade, and turned the pirates shriek into a painful grunt.
“Anybody else?” Dexter called out, reloading his pistol while Rosh stood with his in hand and aimed towards the assembled pirates on the deck. None made any threatening moves, although three humans were hurrying to the edge and trying to tie up a rope so they could reclaim their captain.
“Good,” Dexter said, backing away and moving towards the forward staircase. When he was close he enough he called down it for best speed out of the rocks. His crew, exhausted from their ordeal, still leapt to action and hurried to tend their sails and rigging so they could get away from the slavers once and for all.
Dexter kept a wary eye on them as they put distance between them. Xander stood nearby, watching as well. Dexter turned to study the man once they had put enough distance between the two ships to reduce its size to something that was easily hidden behind a rock in the asteroid field. By that time they were free of it and soon to return to cruising speed.
“Who’re you?” Dexter asked tiredly.
“Xander vonHelric, Wizard of the Void,” Xander said, grinning and bowing to the man. “I’m deeply indebted to you, Captain…”
“Silvercloud. Dexter Silvercloud. This here’s the Voidhawk, and she ain’t much but she’s ours. I don’t reckon you can pay for passage, but you’re welcome to a bunk all the same and you can work off your fee till we get to our next port,” Dexter said, already turning back.
Xander opened his mouth but Dexter kept going. “I don’t care much for slaving, so I’m happy to set you free. How’d you come to be their guest anyhow?”
“That’s just it, they followed me from my last run for supplies,” Xander explained. “I led them to my home and they attacked it. No doubt they thought I would have riches a plenty for them to steal. Ha! Fools!”
“Your home?” Dexter asked, eyes narrowing. “That tower was your home?”
Xander nodded. “Yes, it was. I built it myself,” he said, puffing up his chest proudly. “Of course it’s destroyed now, so I’ll have to find a way to save up the resources to build another one.”
“That trap in your tower, the room with the sand, that yours too?”
Xander nodded, grinning. “Oh, was that you? The dwarf told me his captain was in there. I’m glad I listened to him! I’d have never gotten my spell books back otherwise!”
“Your… you turned it off?” Dexter said, understanding why the sand sharks had departed just as they were about to escape them on their own.
Heavy footing on the decking was the only thing that alerted either one of them to Rosh’s approach. Xander turned around just in time to catch the large warrior’s fist in his face, which sent him staggering to the ground. His hand went to his face and came away bloody from where his lip was split and blood ran from his nose.
“Rosh!” Dexter said, stepping between the large man and the wizard.
Rosh glared at Xander but stopped. “Your trap damn neared killed us!” He spat at him.
“Well that’s what happens to thieves!” Xander said; rising to his feet and glaring contemptuously back at the man.
“We wasn’t thieves! We was looking to help!” Rosh growled.
“Rosh, mind the rigging,” Dexter ordered, his eyes matching his serious tone.
With a final glare Rosh turned and stalked off, leaving the stern castle and returning to the main sail.
“Thank you, Captain; that void whale is too stupid to-“
Dexter’s fist cracked into Xander’s face then, sending him stumbling backwards into the rail.
“He’s a member of my crew and while you’re on my ship you’ll be treating him right!” Dexter seethed. “You’re trap near did us in, but we had found a way out anyhow,” he said.
“And we was there to help survivors,” Dexter continued. Then, to pour some salt in the wizard’s wounded pride he added, “and if there weren’t none, then we was gonna take whatever we found that we could use.”
Dexter turned and walked away. Over his shoulder as he walked he called out, “you can bunk in the crew quarters in the aft, down those stairs,” he pointed at the circular staircase down. “I’ll have Kragor get with you to find out what you can do to help us out to pay for your passage.”
Xander stared after him, not sure if he should feel outraged, hurt, shocked, or embarrassed. Ultimately he just stood there and watched the captain of the Voidhawk cross the deck and check on each of his crew to see how they were doing. He caught Rosh sneaking glances at him a few times, and felt the others were probably watching and laughing as well. Mustering up as much dignity as he could, once his nose stopped bleeding, he made his way down the stairs and found the room that Dexter had told him to use.
Xander sat on a cot and sighed. His life had been going so well too, and now this. All of his research and experiments had to be put on hold, at least the ones that had not been destroyed. He shook his head and fought back the sudden wave of despair that threatened to settle over him. He was still alive, which was a good thing. He opened up the sack and pulled out one of his spell books, which brought a smile to his bruised face. He had his spell books too, and that was a great thing. He settled down in the bunk and opened up one of the books, intent upon memorizing his spells and restoring his energy so he could show the captain of the Voidhawk just how useful he could be.
Then the man would understand just how powerful and great Xander was. He would be sorry then for striking him like some common ruffian!
Chapter 6: Stowaway
“Rosh,” Jenna said with a smile on her face as she sat down at the table.
“What?” The large man grumbled, assuming she was about to tear into him for something or other.
“Just saying hi,” she offered, winking at Jodyne who brought a bowl filled over to her.
Rosh closed his mouth and looked at her, one eye narrowed suspiciously. “You right in the head?” he asked.
She laughed and nodded, then began to eat. He continued to watch her for a moment, then shrugged and worked on finishing up his own meal.
