“I guess even Space Forces Command can’t keep a lid on that much activity,” the one-eyed guard said with a snort.
“Maybe they’re doing a sweep of the pirates,” ventured the fourth guard. “ ’Bout time, if you ask me.”
“I’ve heard rumors that the tiger captain—you know, Hwan?—is involved,” said Spiky Hair. “I’ve never trusted supernaturals in positions of power.”
“I’ve never trusted supernaturals anywhere,” said the fourth guard, and they all laughed.
Uh-oh. That was my cue to leave, before they figured out what I was. “Uh, I need to wash my hands before we eat,” I said, standing up.
The one-eyed guard nodded. “Eunhee, go with her.”
Eunhee looked longingly at the rings I’d left on the table but got up as ordered. We asked the server to show the way, and he led us through the arches and into the restaurant proper. Eunhee walked closer to me than I found comfortable, which was undoubtedly the point. If I’d been an ordinary human, she would have been able to grab me easily.
We passed a doorway to a private dining room that stood empty. I made the most of the opportunity and snaked out my foot. Eunhee tripped and fell forward, knocking down the server.
While they were untangling themselves, I dashed into the private room, out of their line of sight. Quickly, I changed myself into the most innocuous thing I could think of: an extra chair.
“Where did she go?” I heard Eunhee demand.
The server wasn’t having any of it. “If you have some notion of sneaking your associate in to rob this establishment,” he said in a loud voice, “I assure you that I am not fooled.”
“What’s all the ruckus about?” The manager had emerged from the back.
“Your employee is falsely accusing me of being a thief,” Eunhee said. “I could write him up for that. And there could be consequences for your restaurant.”
By the time they’d taken the argument to the manager’s office, I was only too glad to shift into the form of a server, complete with a uniform and tray, and glide back out the way I’d come.
It wasn’t until I was several blocks away from the restaurant, when I paused to catch my breath and change into my sixteen-year-old disguise, that it occurred to me—I’d left my backpack behind.
I’d lost the jades! And, even more precious, the only portrait I had of my family. I couldn’t conjure up replacements—they wouldn’t last. I considered venturing back to retrieve my backpack, but with the restaurant staff on alert and four city guards angry that I’d cheated them of their “emeralds,” that wouldn’t be a good idea.
How was I going to book passage without real, permanent money? My bad luck today had shown me that magic wouldn’t solve every problem. But now it was literally all I had at my disposal.
I decided to keep going toward the spaceport and hope for the best. I thought furiously as I hurried through the streets. From what the guards had said, it sounded like something fishy was going on in the Ghost Sector. I wondered if Jun’s battle cruiser was there. If I could somehow find a Space Forces officer, I might be able to trick them into giving me classified info.
For most of the way, my view had been obscured by Hongok’s spires. I rounded a corner onto the road that led to the spaceport proper and my breath caught in wonder. A dazzle of lights flashed from the landing area, like a necklace of captive stars. A control tower rose from the main building, piercing the sky. It wasn’t as tall as the spires I had passed, but it was better maintained, shining red-gold in the sunlight.
By now it was late afternoon. I hadn’t made as good time as I’d hoped when I set out, and I didn’t want to be wandering around after dark. There were some hostels near the spaceport, but I couldn’t stay at one of those even if I’d had the money. I wanted to get off-planet tonight, in case anyone was searching for me.
My heart hammered as I approached the entrance to the main building, which was flanked by two glass booths. Inside each one was a guard wearing a badge that displayed a red star and a stylized dagger, representing airport security. I slowed, not wanting to appear too eager. I’d learned from the news that on a planet like Jinju there were always people desperate enough to try to stow away on a ship and seek a better life on a richer world. The guards were there to prevent that from happening. They were looking out for both the ships’ interests and the would-be refugees’, since some captains weren’t above mistreating unauthorized passengers.
Unlike other runaways, though, I had the advantage of fox powers. As I joined the line to get in, which was only a few people long, I exerted just a touch of Charm, hoping it would get me past security. I didn’t want to wear myself out using it too often, but this particular hurdle—making it into the spaceport—was a critical one.
The person in front of me was clearly a spacer. The sleeve of their suit was covered with tiny enamel pins, one for each of the worlds they had visited. Jun and I used to make a game of memorizing the different pins. I’d never been able to remember more than just a few of the most famous worlds. Now I spotted some I knew, though, like Madang, fabled for its gardens. And Cheongok, mostly ocean with scattered archipelagos, where the descendants of dragons sent their children to learn the art of weather-craft. The spacer had even visited Jaebo, known for its staggering wealth, where the rulers of the Thousand Worlds governed from the Pearled Halls.
Jun had always wanted to visit every one of those worlds. When we were younger, he’d been glued to the holo shows that showed glimpses of life elsewhere. I’d sit by him, enthralled by the stories he spun about traveling together as we squinted at the staticky images. If only I had enough jades to book a tour and see them all myself! It wouldn’t be the same without my brother, though.
I looked away from the pins, reminding myself of my goal: getting to Jun’s ship. I double-checked my Charm, just in case. The license, when I fished it out, still listed me as Kim Bora, so I’d have to get used to answering to her name.
“Come forward, citizen, and present your identification,” the security inspector snapped from her booth.
I flushed. While I’d been woolgathering, my turn had come. I approached and showed her my medallion.
The inspector scowled at the ID. I started to sweat. But she waved me through the doorway scanner. I heard a faint hum. “Nothing amiss,” the inspector said. “Please continue.”
Dizzy with relief, I emerged into the brightly lit foyer and paused to get my bearings. The spaceport was busier than I’d expected. Jinju wasn’t exactly a popular destination. Spacers only stopped here to resupply on the way to more interesting places.
People paid me little attention as they bustled back and forth. Eateries promised the best food in the outer rim, which I doubted, but the smell of vegetable fritters made my mouth water. I hadn’t had anything to eat all day. It was tempting to grab a bite, but I knew I shouldn’t delay.
Elsewhere, shops hawked sad-looking souvenirs, such as pieces of cloth embroidered in the local style. When I looked at them up close, I could see the stitching was crooked. I wasn’t great at fancy needlework, mostly because it wasn’t something I had time for, but I did do a lot of mending.
I headed for one of the digital information kiosks along the wall. Below one of the display screens, someone had scratched graffiti with a knife. It said, in unsteady letters, don’t play dice at nari’s. What looked suspiciously like a blotch of dried blood underscored the word dice. Well, that advice was easy enough for me to follow. I wasn’t good at playing dice, and Charm didn’t make me any better at it, as I’d discovered as a child.
Too bad I couldn’t simply look up the last known location of my brother’s battle cruiser. That kind of information wouldn’t be available on a public kiosk. I could, however, check a galactic map to see if anyone docked here was headed toward the Ghost Sector. If a lot of Space Forces ships were in that area, maybe the Pale Lightning was among them. The closer I could get to the battle cruiser, the more clues about Jun’s disappearance I could gather. At least that’s what I hoped.
I hated the idea of my brother being anywhere near the cursed Fourth Colony. I thought back to his message: Together we’ve been exploring a new world, just like Dad. Was that why he had mentioned Dad, because he had somehow gotten involved with ghosts? I shivered at the thought.