Racing Hearts (Shadow Quest 4.5) by Kiersten Fay

power didn't
feel malicious, just strong. She relaxed a little, allowing the
strange current to do as it wished. It softened, and then flittered
through her like a warm embrace before dissipating.
    When the woman's chanting died out, she
said simply, “The wards are in place.”
    The captain said his goodbyes and
thanked the woman. After a short while, a great sound
rumbled.
    The ship was on the move once
again.
    Analia's body felt colder and weaker
than before. Her initial resistance to the odd energy had cost her.
Breath coming in short spurts, she curled into a ball in an attempt
to warm her shuddering body. When that didn't work, she allowed the
weariness to overcome and she welcomed the cradling arms of
unconsciousness.
     
    Sebastian was damn curious about that
box. Never had a job been racked with such complications. His crew
was used to docking at a space city every so often for supplies,
equipment, and entertainment. They'd never gone more than a few
weeks without stopping for some reason or another.
    They were stocked to the
brim for this trip, but it would be a trial for the crew, being on
board for so long. After receiving their intended destination from
Lady Hieskita, he figured the journey could take a little more than
seven months, maybe ten. Once the job was completed, he would make
sure they all had some much needed time away from Marada . Maybe find a cozy
planet, brimming with fresh women.
    The wards spooked him, knowing they
were there yet unseen, like a parasite attached to his beloved
ship. In the past, he had refused many jobs due to such
restrictions in the contract. This one, however, promised to pay
the equivalent of more than ten commissions combined, nearly double
what he'd first thought it would be. He couldn't refuse.
    To his utter shock, Ethanule
had personally requested Marada for this mission. Why?
    Ethanule was the leader of a small
faction of pirates. They'd done one job for him in the past; a
small commission at that. There had been nothing challenging about
it, nothing that should prove any real worth as a merchant or a
cargo ship. Furthermore, Sebastian hadn't hid his distaste for
pirates. His family openly disliked them, since their father had
been brutally murdered by their kind.
    But sometimes, a job is just a
job.
    His thoughts drifted back to the
parcel. Why would Ethanule ask for him? And what could be so
important that came in such a small package? That which could
invoke the wrath of an entire race? This commission could either be
a great achievement or his utter destruction.
    Calic eyed him warily, possibly
thinking the same thing. “Our course has been downloaded into the
ships navigation system, Captain.”
    “Good. Let's get going then. Cale, take
command.”
    Calic nodded and assumed control of the
bridge.
    Sebastian left, taking the stairway
outside that lead to his quarters, just above the control room. A
domed window, covering half the room, ceiling to floor, revealed a
vast spacescape. Unlike the one in the control room, this one did
not double as an oversized communication screen, just provided a
great view.
    Marada itself was complete with luxuries, unusually so for a typical
merchant ship. The previous owner—an extravagant and apparently
rich individual—had adorned the ship with every comfort one could
think of. There was a spa room with an oversized pool, and a
built-in pub separate from the galley and salon. There was even a
large room dressed with soil, live plants, and an artificial stream
of recirculating water. The place reminded many on board of their
home planets.
    But what was most amazing
was Marada 's water
recycling and regeneration system, unusual for such a large ship.
Where many ships used the more economical powder enzyme shower
systems, Marada used real water. The system allowed for an abundant use of
water—one of the scarcest commodities in deep space—over long
periods of time. Water could be used and recycled many times over
without