Page 11 of Stars in Halo

Time dilated, and all meaning fled in that smoke-filled room, where shadows danced with intrigue, and secrets whispered in every corner.

Every round seemed to blur into the next as the woman accumulated more chips. Her eyes remained focused and calculating, never revealing any trace of doubt or uncertainty. It was as if she possessed an innate understanding of the cards, an unspoken connection to the game itself.

He noted her looking away at one point as if connecting to an inner neural node.

That was when her play changed.

It was a subtle shift, but he caught it.

First, she commenced to down more drinks, slugging back the rare whisky on offer as if celebrating her win way before the finish line.

She also began to lose hand after hand.

Xion’s eyes narrowed as the woman’s winning streak waned.

The once confident and composed gambler now seemed intoxicated, her movements unsteady and her focus wavering.

The other players at the table seized this opportunity to regain their lost chips, their confidence surging with each victorious hand.

Still, Xion couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss. He’d seen skilled gamblers endure losing rounds, but there was an undeniable shift in the room’s energy. It was as if the very essence of the game had turned against her, conspiring to strip the woman of her previous fortune.

Something’s going on.

Mirage’s eyes locked on Katya.

I have a rattled inkling about this, Xi. Her luck at the start was too extraordinary to be mere chance, and now it’s almost as if she wants to lose. Who does that?

The room fell into a hushed silence as the woman placed one final bet. ‘All in,’ she declared.

All eyes were fixed upon her as Mirage made the play and revealed her cards, with little emotion hiding behind her quantum gaze.

When the cards were turned over, a small gasp escaped from the slender, thin Rhesian art dealer to Katya’s left.

The rest of the players exchanged bewildered glances.

Xion cocked a brow in stunned disbelief as the once mysterious woman thrust her remaining chips, gems and collateral jewels to the centre of the table.

A heavy silence hung in the air as Mirage reached for the bounty wager, their fingers wrapping around the jewels and pulling close the woman’s surrendered stack of chips.

With a slight wave at her astounded audience, Katya stood up, picked up her now empty clutch, and walked away.

Back straight, muscles taut with the effort to keep herself steady.

She propelled out of the salon door and vanished.

Xion stared after her, mesmerised as the other players rose.

After Mirage counted out their wins, they grumbled and abandoned the room, some in deep disappointment and others with curled lips of outrage.

The Rider sat back with a heavy sigh. ‘Thank fokk, that’s over,’ he announced to the Sable consigliere when the last card shark exited.

Yet his earlier weariness had vanished, and he thrummed with need and curiosity, restraining himself from dashing after the mystery woman.

Just then, Xion saw Mirage gaze in part shock down at her hands, then up and to the left into the dark corner of the salon.

Fokk, she murmured into his neural node. We’ve been hacked.

Xion jolted. What in Eden’s hell? By whom?