Born of Fire

What have I done?

Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them back. She couldn’t let her emotions rule her. She had only a tiny bit of time before Merjack learned the truth of what she’d really done.

And when he did, he would kill them both.





CHAPTER 21


On trembling legs, Shahara strode into the Overseer’s Trigon Court that was located in Central City on Gondara. Here was the highest bastion of law and order in the entire Ichidian Universe. This was where every law in their world was made and the only place one could be repealed or overturned. The overseer was the high judge of a five-judge panel and her verdict on any case was final and supreme.

Not even The League could override one of her decisions. She was the voice of the law and she was the last hope Shahara had of freeing Syn from prison.

Centuries after The League had thrown off the chains of the warlord tyrant Emperor Justicale, their leaders had come together to ensure peace and law for everyone—to make sure that no other warlord ever proclaimed himself dictator again. They established the five judges and assigned them the task of seeking out injustice and crime on any planet.

As a seax, she was their soldier who was charged with finding injustices and reporting them, as well as bringing in any criminal wanted by the high court.

All seaxes had sworn to listen for tales of political corruption or human rights violations, investigate it and report their findings to the overseer. Once they found their evidence, the overseer’s court heard the testimony and passed judgment.

It was also the overseer’s prerogative to review any case on any planet that seemed to be a miscarriage of justice and retry the case.

In their world, the overseer was the most powerful person alive. And even though Shahara had never before met her, she was an integral part of the overseer’s world.

With a confidence she didn’t feel, she approached the secretary’s desk.

A few years older than her, the man’s hair was already turning gray, giving him a distinguished appearance. He looked up from his work. “May I help you?”

Shahara lifted her chin. “I need to see the Overseer.”

“Your name?”

“Seax Shahara Dagan.”

He checked his computer log. “I’m sorry, Seax Dagan. You don’t have an appointment, and the Mistress of Justice has a number of meetings this afternoon. I’m afraid I can’t squeeze you in today. Would you like to schedule an appointment for next week?”

Next week? Was he kidding?

Syn would be dead by then, and that was the one thing she could never allow.

“No, I don’t.”

He looked back down, dismissing her.

Fiercely determined, Shahara sidestepped his desk and headed straight for the office behind him.

“Wait! You can’t go . . .”

The two guards who flanked the door went to grab her. Shahara sidestepped the first one and shoved him into the other, unbalancing them. Sliding herself into the office, she slammed the door shut in their faces. She locked it tight while the secretary’s muffled voice continued to berate her from the other side.

Her entire body quivering in fear, she turned around slowly.

The office was rather barren given the amount of authority the overseer was charged with. All it contained was two chairs set before a large, ornately carved desk. Flags from all the organized worlds and empires were set along the left wall, while an electronic map of all the planets, colonies, and outposts took up the opposite side of the room.

The place was huge, no doubt to intimidate all who entered. It certainly had that effect on her.

The overseer stared at her from over her computer with a puzzled frown. “Excuse me,” she said in a gentle, yet haughty tone. “Just who are you and how did you get in here?”

Taking a deep breath for courage, Shahara forced herself to walk the long distance to the overseer’s desk. “I’m here to right a gross injustice, Mistress.”

Probably in her mid to late sixties, the overseer still retained a face that could only be described as beautiful and serene.

As a young woman, she must have been stunning. As an older woman, she was dignified. “Everyone who walks through those doors has that claim.” She sighed wearily. “And I haven’t the time to listen to your story today. Make an appointment with my secretary and come back when it’s more convenient.”

More convenient? Shahara was aghast at her words. She couldn’t believe they came out of the mouth of the very person all the worlds depended on for fairness. “No time for justice?”

The woman laughed as she leaned forward on her elbows, folded her hands together, and rested her chin on top of them. “To be so shocked by my words, you must be one of my seaxes.”

“Yes. I’m Seax Shahara Dagan.”