“Why?” Ved asked the Brite sharply. “Do you know something?”
“Nothing important. It isn’t like we get a lot of you sort out this way. Not exactly anything to hunt here besides despair. Came in a few hours ago for a top-up. Silver and violent. One tried to get scrappy with me. But I looked that son of a—”
“Was there an unarmored female with them?”
“Matter o’fact, there was.” Sayar’s nose twitched as if remembering her scent. “My translator could barely understand what she said, but she called me ‘sir.’”
Warmth spread through Ved. That sounded like Isobel. “How did she look? Was she—"
“We have an approaching Kroid. It would appear he is on a mission.”
Ved stood up, snapping his jaws. Sayar was already back to work when he exited the engine compartment. Ved left the oversight of the job to Exxo and stepped through the hatch.
The Kroid halted three paces away from him, a grotesque smile on his face. “A bit far from Xaal territory, aren’t you?”
Ved stared, waiting.
He scratched his chin before crossing all four arms over himself. “I might have some information you’d like. For a price, of course. Let’s make it a hundred tokens.”
“There’s nothing I want from you,” Ved said, turning to get back on his ship. His fuse was too short to play such games.
“Even if it’s about a little pet of yours?” he crooned.
Ved stiffened and turned back around, grabbing the Kroid by his collar. “Say what you need to say,” he snapped.
“Now, now.” The Kroid struggled. “Unhand me and I’ll tell you what I know.”
“Tell me and I’ll consider letting you keep your throat.”
The Kroid’s thin tongue passed over his mandibles. “They were in here with her.”
“Was she hurt?” Ved asked through gritted teeth. He hated himself for letting the desperation show in his words.
The Kroid tittered, and Ved pushed him away. His breath was a stench he didn’t want to subject himself to any longer.
Something like satisfaction came over the Kroid as he wiggled his fingers. “A little beat up, but well-collared.”
They’d put a slave-choker around her neck? Ved’s vision went red.
The Kroid was smug as he said, “They asked me to pass along their destination. In case you get lost, you understand.”
“Where?”
He straightened with self-importance and spent a minute picking something fleshy from his teeth as if he had all the time in the universe.
Ved growled with impatience.
“Urita. Nice place this time of year, I’ve heard.”
Thatwassurprising. He’d assumed they would lead him to one of the Three. But Urita…
It was said that on Urita, six Xaal brothers had gone to fight for the right to be the Great Clan’s leader. Only one had walked away from the battle the victor, the others dead. That story was thefoundation of their culture—that only the strongest deserved to survive. And only the greatest deserved to be qon.
A cold awareness pricked at his senses. “Is that all?”
“One more thing,” the Kroid said, pulling something out of a pouch on his belt.
Ved immediately recognized the curly brown strand. Remembered the exact texture and feel of her hair as he ran his fingers through it. He growled low in his throat.
