Page 10 of Dark Space

‘No,’ I sighed. ‘No. He wouldn’t.’

‘Then, Alcide,think,’ Callan said, touching my shoulder. ‘It’salreadymore than a dream.’

I looked away, trying not to flush. ‘Has she woken?’

Callan stepped back. ‘No.’ He paused. ‘I wish that starling wasn’t so much … himself.’

‘I wish that starlingwasn’t, end of story,’ I growled. ‘I wish Dainn had never seen that footage. I could have just pretended not to know we’d been robbed, and we wouldn’t have the Intergalactic Council’s most wanted chained in our cell. I don’t want to deal with that, Cal.’

‘So toss him out the airlock. He’s a starling. He won’t even notice.’

I snorted. ‘Dainnwould notice, and then he’d tell my father how much was stolen from the treasury, and I’d have the skin stripped from my back. Again.’

‘SoDainnis the problem. Got it.’

‘Callan,’ I said carefully, ‘donotgo after Dainn. My father would have you pulled to pieces in his throne room.’

Callan grinned. ‘Fine. But I’m not going to stop imagining how satisfying it would be to stick my knife into that old bastard’s kidney.’

I waved my hand. ‘Imagine away. But keep your knife sheathed.’

‘Only for you, Alcide.’ He paused. ‘The starling said something about the human. What do humans eat?’

I stared at him. ‘Oh,fuck.’ I pinched the bridge of my nose. ‘I have no idea. I don’t suppose you know how to hack the human satellite systems?’

‘I’m a pilot, Prince, not a systems engineer.’

‘Then get Bryn to look at it. Brynonly, Cal. Tell him it’s a direct order from me, and that he is to use encrypted systems and share the knowledge withno one else. Him, you, and me. That’s it.’

‘Yes, Prince.’ Callan turned to leave.

‘And Cal?’

‘Mmm?’

‘Let me know as soon as the human wakes up.’

Callan was silent for a moment too long. ‘Yes, Prince.’

I stared at the closed door once he’d left.

So many problems, so little time.

My head hurt.

I groaned, my temples throbbing. I rolled on my side, which made the pain worse. It felt as though I’d been struck on the side of the throat; my fingers quested over my skin, finding it unbroken but sore to touch. Something soft was around my shoulders, so I snuggled down into it, trying to breathe through the sharp stabs of my headache.

My stomach roiled, threatening to push its contents up my throat. ‘Gonna be sick,’ I croaked, and sat up so fast my head spun.

‘Could you not?’ said an unfamiliar voice.

I swallowed down the bile, then opened my eyes.

I was in a strange, dark room. I blinked a few times, hoping that my sight would adjust to the darkness, but everything was shadows.

‘Where are you?’ I rasped.

Two glowing golden orbs flared to life a few metres away.