The Dark Places by D. Martin

Author:D. Martin [Martin, D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

After leaving Rikin, we’d journeyed to Sanbourne, where Matt had conducted more trade. And now ten standard days later, I sat alone at the console in Matt’s navicon chair, staring at Sanbourne’s fast-receding green-and-white globe. The Stardancer’s powerful engines hummed loud as it raced toward its next flight point. Our upcoming destination was to have been the Bileth System and a small, obscure planet named Tivat, famous for tranquilizing herbs. And home of Seth Medlock, Matt’s jeweler friend who he’d wanted me to go to if….

My gaze shot to the silver navilog comp unit where it lay embedded in a prominent, central position on the control console. I looked over to the digi-memo screen Matt had inscribed with a single, brief line containing symbols and numbers.

A frown marred my forehead as my searching gaze swept over other small keyboards arrayed there to the one specific keyboard for flight code entries that allowed the Stardancer’s nav comps access to its preprogrammed coordinate bank. I’d made certain to fix that keyboard’s layout in my memory. The consequences of hitting the wrong controls and delivering the ship and ourselves to certain doom continued to haunt me.

I’d volunteered to enter the flight code to Tivat for Matt. The task was foolproof after he’d earlier initiated the system for me and authorized my access. All that remained was for me to consult the digi-memo screen and exactly copy in the code after the ship reached a designated departure point in normal space, which he’d preset. Then my task would end when the Stardancer’s automatic vortex-leap functions took over.

Nervous apprehension prickled at me. A wild idea had settled in my head, and I couldn’t dislodge it. One long curl spiral springing from my temple was unwound and threaded around my restless fingers.

Matt was resting in our cabin at my urging. He hadn’t been well upon our expedition on Sanbourne. His attention had flagged while he’d spoken with some smaller-scale fragrance oil manufacturers, although he had been able to achieve a favorable price for several thousand grams of rare, beautiful flower essences that sat carefully sealed and packed away below in the ship’s cargo bay.

His inconsistent appetite had continued. And he’d been brusque with me of late. I’d refused his many offers to marry me under his true name on Sanbourne. What made me do that to him? Punishment? Or just a vicious desire not to bear his first wife’s title?

Today was the Tenth Day of the Ninth Standard Month of the New Empire Alliance Year 0192 A.I.C. I’d been mated to Matt for twenty-five days—almost a standard month—and I was afraid he wouldn’t live to be with me another month’s passing. I was distraught where he was concerned. He seemed to weaken more each day. I didn’t want to seek out his friend on Tivat alone, without him.

A green light appeared upon the display panel and pulsed. We’d reached our designated departure point. The ship awaited new flight plan instructions. I delayed keying in the release code, not because I didn’t know what to do, but because that other idea interfered.

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