Page 63 of Stars in Halo

He turned to Katya, and she faced him, biting her lip and waiting for his following words.

‘Names?’ he ground out at one point, jerking his chin at her siblings.

Katya slow-blinked, then whispered. ‘The older one who favours the black gems is Korin.’

Xion flicked his eyes over the D’Hanna firstborn. He was tall and muscular, with a scar running down his cheek. In Ccyth fashion, he sported ebony gems, tattoos, and piercings embedded into his skin and strung up in his hair.

He exuded arrogance out of every pore, and his fingers were hardened and calloused due to years spent in the rough as a miner, from the looks of things.

Perhaps sometime in his recent past, he’d joined his fellow Iccythrians in excavating the intricate network of lodes that snaked the length and breadth of their mineral-rich world.

Xion noted that he held a stiletto with diamonds for a handle, flicking the blade in and out at a whim.

‘He’s a smooth-talking con artist with a love for knives,’ Katya added.

‘Can he wield them?’

She smirked. ‘I’ve seen kids with plex hatchets do better. The second with emerald studs is Kiros.’

The man in question was shorter but had a foreboding expression.

He wore his bejewelled hair slicked back and sported a sharp suit.

Yet he blew often on his soft hands as if they were cold and clammy, which might have been a sign of his nerves.

‘He’s a cunning hacker. His mind is like a maze, but he’s more proficient at code than strategy. Youngest is K’Zito, the baby of the bunch.’

The D’Hanna last born had a sly look about him with a menacing glint in his eyes.

Gem-encrusted tattoos covered his arms, and he fidgeted, playing with the laser gun and mini grenades hanging off his belt.

‘He’s a self-styled ruthless enforcer; he can fight, but I’ve also seen him run many times from a fray.’

‘Good to know, Xion rasped.

‘Each one is a master of their dark craft, but sweet Eden, they can be incompetent and hardly carry out any illegal scheme with precision and finesse. Before I escaped them, it was I who led our escapades. Now, they rely on my father to guide them. This time though -’ she paused.

‘What?’ he urged.

‘There’s a lot more at stake, and while I don’t know their end game, the gloves are off. They’ve mentioned the name of the King of Iccythria himself.’

The Rider cocked a brow. ‘Is that why the Serpent’s Iris was heisted to be used against him somehow? If so, we must warn him.’

Katya shook her head. ‘My father and brothers never shared more than their desperate need for the gem. They threatened to kill me and everyone I hold dear if I didn’t give them what they wanted. My hands were tied. But naam, the King has been mentioned a few times.’

Xion’s eyes blazed. ‘I understand that they haven’t divulged much with you, but tell me everything you know so far,’ he growled, ‘Even though I’m already working out a plan of action.’

‘One thing though,’ he added. ‘If this all gets tits up, feel free to come up with a rescue plan of your own.’

She cocked her head at him and gave him a wry smile. ‘I’ll give it a red hot go, Rider.’

Their gazes locked, heated, and then at Xion’s chin jerk, Katya delved into her scanty knowledge while Xion made mental notes, cobbling together a hasty strategy.

Game Pawn Blues

Fortuna’s Grace hummed along its trajectory, barrelling through its white-streaked hyperspace lane, its bridge crew unaware of what was happening in the shadows.

Xion sent his metanoids to work once more.

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