Sparkbound: A space/fantasy F/F romance (Sparkbound Book One) Read online

  SPARKBOUND: BOOK ONE

  SPARKBOUND

  By CR Barlow

  © 2016 CR Barlow

  Cover by CR Barlow

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced without written permission from the author.

  All names and characters in this publication are purely fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Other Works by this Author

  The Midnight Angel Series:

  Midnight Dreamer

  Fledgling Angel

  Midnight Demon

  Wicked Angel

  Midnight Angel

  Writing Prompts to Banish Writing Blocks: 101 prompts for writing exercises

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  About the author

  Chapter One

  The Three Shadows was one of the more reputable bars on Venus. Species from across the solar system gathered there, drinking alcohol of various strength, consuming drugs of various legality. At the bar, a pale-skinned jotunn, rarely found so far from the icy confines of Pluto, was drinking buckets of ale, and would soon start a fight with the little elf that was sitting beside her.

  Ingrid sipped at her watered-down beer, wondering idly who was going to win this time. For the past few months, these two had fought each other in this bar every fortnight. Just in time for the current shipment of sulfur miners to be sent to the mines and new ones, eager for some fun, their memories addled from breathing the noxious fumes of the mines, to come and place bets on the pair.

  "This is the last place I expected to find Lady Ingrid, widow to Earth's crown prince."

  Ingrid jerked at the familiar voice and glared upwards. Leaning against the wall was a human woman, wearing the fire-red uniform of Earth's Royal Guard, the Emperor's personal protectors and assassins. Her hair was done in a tight braid updo, her skin a dark shade of amber in the orange lights of the bar. She displayed no visible weapons, but Ingrid knew that didn't mean she wasn't armed.

  "What do you want, Ashley?" Ingrid asked, setting her beer aside.

  "That's no way to greet an old friend."

  "I drew a rune to drive away people wanting to talk to me. My magic must be wearing off."

  Ashley laughed. "Believe me, it's working. But I'm trained to resist magical influences, remember. You taught me how to recognize and avoid runes."

  Ingrid found that she was smiling despite herself. Her blue-green eyes, flecked with gold, slid over her friend and back to the jotunn and elf. "What brings you here?"

  "I'd rather talk a little first, if you don't mind."

  Ashley waved at the closest waitress, a small dragon, the native species of Mercury. The dragon clearly took Ashley's muscular frame as more threatening than the rune etched onto Ingrid's table, and minced over, claws clicking against the wooden floors. Ashley ordered two more beers and leaned back in her chair.

  "Why Venus?" she asked, focusing on Ingrid. Her fingers tapped against the table. "You could bathe in perfume and not get the scent of sulfur out after two weeks here. And it's not like you're getting any sun."

  Her gaze ran over Ingrid's pale, almost translucent skin, dirty dress and hair that was twisted and matted into an irretrievable rat's nest. Ingrid patted her clothes self-consciously before she reminded herself that she didn't care. She sipped at her beer again to show her disinterest.

  "Come on, Ing. What are you doing here?" Ashley's voice lowered. "Are you a prostitute now?"

  Ingrid's face flushed. "Does it matter if I am?"

  "It matters to me!"

  "Why?"

  Ashley folded her arms. "Because you're my friend and I know how you are with sex. It would destroy you to sell yourself like that."

  Ingrid sighed. "I'm not. I work with the food stores. I build magic wards against mold and pests. Doesn't pay much, magic's a dime a dozen around here, but I'm the best there is and so I make a decent wage. You just caught me at a bad time."

  Her fingers caught in a knot as she attempted to comb out the tangles in her hair.

  "Hmmm." Ashley's eyes narrowed and she contemplated the witch for a moment. "You know, your mother keeps asking me if I've heard from you."

  Ingrid flinched. "How is she?"

  "She's fine. Worried about you, but fine. Why haven't you contacted her?"

  Ingrid scowled. The reason was her father-in-law. Harper, emperor of Earth. She shuddered just thinking about him, and the demands that had driven her from her home. If Harper knew that Ingrid was communicating with her mother, he would find some way of using her to bring Ingrid back. And that was something she was never going to do.

  The dragon returned, trailing puffs of smoke from her nostrils. She eyed Ashley eagerly as she set the drinks down. "Extra ten coins and you can get a little dragon scale ground up in your beer. It's an excellent aphrodisiac, mister."

  "That's miss, and no thank you. I don't have sex on the mind tonight."

  The dragon shrugged. "So sorry, miss. All you humans look the same to me. And if you change your mind, we've got plenty of everything available."

  Ashley smiled politely and the dragon sauntered off. "Maybe you ought to give that a refresher," she said, nodding towards the glowing rune on the table.

  Ingrid traced the lines with a finger, whispering the spell that would ward off any unwanted visitors and eavesdroppers. Her gut churned as she did so. For Ashley to demand privacy, there had to be something terrible afoot. Had Harper sent her here, to drag Ingrid back?

  The Royal Guard had to take a blood oath to the royal family when they were initiated. They were magically bound to obey his orders and see to it his wishes were obeyed. If Harper had told Ashley to bring her back, she would have to. Even if she knew what Harper would do once they returned to Earth.

  "What is it?" Ingrid said as soon as she was done reinforcing the magic.

  Ashley glanced around to make sure that the ward was working before her amber eyes settled back on Ingrid. "Lolita."

  Ingrid tensed. "No."

  "You haven't even—"

  "The answer is no."

  "I have been charged with bringing her into custody. She has been evading Earth Force for years now. If I don't bring her back for her trial, somebody else will be sent after her, probably with a death order rather than a retrieval."

  Ingrid shrugged, trying not to care even though she felt like she was going to be sick. "She'd go out fighting. Maybe even take the poor soul with her. Better than handing her over for a public execution, don't you think?"

  Ashley frowned. "Ing, I know you two were friends before the massacre, but she killed three hundred people. Those families deserve justice. She has powerful magic. I can't bring her in alone. She'll kill me, you know."

  Ingrid glared at her. "And so you want me, the pampered princess, to help you track down a fugitive?"

  "You're a witch."

  "I said no."

  Ashley let out an irritated breath. "Okay, fine. How about this: I have been given ten thousand crown as an allowance to find her. You help me get her, and I'll pay all expenses out of pocket and give you the allowance. I know you're making a decent wage, but look at you! Where have you been sleeping, a fireplace?"

  It wasn't far off. Ingrid hesitated, gulping down her remaining beer to give herself time to think. She di
d long for a proper bath. On this hot, vaporous planet, water was worth more than a month's rent, and she had spent far too much of her wages on watering the beer that she had just ordered.

  Heading off into space would be a good way to get away from the constant smells of flatulence and urine. Another benefit would be not being propositioned constantly.

  Fifteen thousand crown would get her a fresh stock of manticore venom, too, and accepting Ashley's proposal would mean that she would have a free ride off this disgusting planet. The dragons were a nice enough people, but they had no concept of cleanliness. The grime sticking to Ingrid's clothing and skin suddenly felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, and she slowly nodded.

  "Fine, then. I help you bring in Lolita, you give me the ten thousand crown and a ride to wherever I want to go."

  Ashley nodded and stuck out her hand. "Shake on it."

  They shook hands and stood. Ingrid wiped the rune from the table, Ashley tossed down a coin worth far more than their drinks, and the two women quickly left the bar, just as the jotunn at the bar screamed about vengeance for Kalitun and attacked the little elf.

  Chapter Two

  Ashley's Earth Force ship was not designed for two people, and as such, quarters were cramped. It was laid out as one large room, controls at the front and exit at the back. On the left was a narrow cot that could be folded into the wall, and on the right was the store of dehydrated foods, along with a hydrator. Right next to this was a glass-enclosed shower that had a toilet inside it. It came with a cargo space beneath the floor, where Lolita would be held once they caught her, but for now Ingrid and Ashley took turns sleeping on the bed.

  "Most reported sightings of Lolita come from Saturn," Ashley said, checking the autopilot before heading to rehydrate some steak.

  The girl always did like her meat, Ingrid thought wryly. She shook her head and focused on what Ashley had said instead. "Saturn? A moon or one of the asteroids in the rings?"

  "Various locations. But we're going to the home of the elves. Exciting, isn't it?"

  "Exciting," Ingrid repeated, frowning. "I wouldn't say that, no. It makes sense, though. Lolita was involved in the elf insurgency trying to break away from the Earth Empire. Do you think she'll be with the rebels who helped her with the massacre, or do you think she's cut her losses and run by now?"

  "What do you think? You know her better than I do."

  Ingrid's eyes were steely. "No. I really don't."

  "Ing, you two were inseparable—"

  "And I never would have thought she would kill people."

  Ashley held up her hands in defeat, then took her rehydrated steak to the cot, sitting cross-legged on it and tucking into her meal. "Go ahead and take whatever looks good. Oh, and your mother sent along some items for you."

  "What?"

  Ashley pointed at the second cargo space. "She didn't know if I was going to see you, but she wanted to send them along, just in case. Actually, I think she thinks that you and I have some sort of secret communication that we use to keep her out of the loop. She's just a little furious with me."

  Ingrid tugged at her matted hair, eyeing the cargo compartment. Did she really want to know what her mother sent for her? Yes, she did… and no, she didn't. Whatever it was, it was going to increase her homesickness. That she knew for certain. It might even push her too far, and make her contact her mother, or go back to Earth. For her own sake and her mother's, she couldn't risk that.

  "You're not going to look?"

  Ingrid pushed herself to her feet and headed for the hydrator. "No."

  Ashley continued to eat, not looking at her. "Why did you leave Earth?"

  "None of your business!"

  "Is it because of Edan?"

  Ingrid closed her eyes, a rush of anger and pain filling her at the mention of her late husband. She and Edan had been childhood sweethearts. They had spent every day from the time they were five to sixteen with each other. It had always been natural to assume they would one day be married, and they were. Life was perfect.

  Or so Ingrid had thought.

  And then Edan led a rebellion against his father and was imprisoned. Two years later, the orcs of Mars had attacked. Edan had been released from prison in order to help drive them off, since a good portion of Earth's army was still supportive of him, and he had been killed in the attack.

  The last time she had seen her husband, he had been dressed in battle regalia. He had crushed her to his chest and kissed her passionately, promising he would return one day and take her far away from Earth. She had believed him.

  "When he told me Edan was dead, he kissed me," Ingrid blurted. Her shoulders were tight and her fists clenched. She wanted to let out a burst of magic, but on this tiny ship it was too dangerous. "Harper. He kissed me."

  Ashley's jaw dropped. "What?"

  Ingrid dug her fingers into her temples, wanting to rip her hair off. "After he got the news of Edan's death, he came to my chambers. He just walked in without announcing himself. I wasn't even dressed. He… He grabbed me and kissed me, then told me my husband was dead. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'you won't be a widow for long.' Then he told me that we were going to be married at the end of the year, and I'd be empress of Earth's empire."

  "My god, Ingrid," Ashley whispered. "Did he—"

  "He left right away. He didn't do anything else." Ingrid turned, folding her arms. "So you know why I left. And why I can't go back."

  Ashley's expression was twisted and hard, fury radiating from her eyes. Her hands clenched, and she took a deep breath. "I wish I could say that it's not like him, but I have heard enough stories from the other women in the guard."

  "Yeah."

  "But why Venus? There are so many better places you could have gone to, to get away from Harper. Why a planet that rains sulfuric acid and where you can hardly breathe, even in their shielded, oxygenated areas?"

  Ingrid grimaced. She studied her friend, then wet her lips. "Promise me you won't be angry. And nothing you can say will change my mind about this, so the moment you try to convince me not to do this, I'm out of here. Understand?"

  Ashley's eyes widened a fraction, but she swallowed hard and nodded.

  "Venus is the only place where I can legally get manticore venom. It's not a controlled substance among dragons, and I need all of it that I can."

  Ashley's jaw dropped. "Are you insane? That stuff is dangerous, volatile!"

  "Yes, I know." Ingrid glared. "I know what it is. It's a powerful magic enhancer. Without it, I can heal almost any wound, injury or disease, except those that are severe. With manticore venom, I can bring a person back from the dead."

  "You… what?"

  "Provided they didn't die more than three hours previously," Ingrid amended. "But that's how powerful it is, Ashley. I need that power."

  "Why? Why do you need to raise the dead? Is it Edan? Are you trying to—"

  Ingrid shook her head. "There is no bringing him back. I know that. But he didn't just wake up one morning and decide to overthrow his father. You know that three years before the rebellion, he was taken hostage by the warlord Jorgensen. He was never the same after that. He was tortured. His mind was twisted. Jorgenson is the reason Edan tried to overthrow his father."

  "Ing, don't do this to yourself."

  Ingrid narrowed her eyes. "That's why I need the manticore venom. Because I'm going to kill him."

  Chapter Three

  Ingrid wrapped a towel around her body as she stepped from the shower. Ashley was nowhere to be seen, and Ingrid assumed that meant she was out on the moon, asking about Lolita.

  Lolita. Ingrid had tried not to think about her, even though she knew it would be impossible to keep the charade up forever. What would Ashley say when she found out that…

  "I don't need to worry about that yet. We probably won't even find her," she muttered, combing her fingers through her hair. They kept getting stuck in the rat's nest, and with a snarl she marched over to Ashley's wall of weapons. Selec
ting a knife, the witch swept her matted hair to one side and hacked her way through it. As the clumps of hair fell, her head began feeling lighter, and a tension headache she'd been assuming was from stress eased.

  When Ashley stepped into ship, Ingrid was dressed, wearing a new corset-top dress with long split sleeves, stuffing her severed hair into the protein reclaimer.

  "Yuck. I don't want to be eating your hair in the form of a taco."

  Ingrid shrugged. "It was all split ends and grossness. I needed it gone. And when we're in space we need all the nutrients we can get."

  Ashley smirked, but her expression became serious quickly. "I found where she is."

  Ingrid's heart jolted. "What?"

  "There were some merchants in from Asteroid… five-oh-seven-one-B who swear they saw her."

  "Are they sure?" Ingrid found that she was repeatedly smoothing her skirt and forced herself to remain still. Her heart pounded in her chest and a bitter taste crept up her throat.

  "To quote them 'there aren't many girls with breasts that big and hair that golden' in the asteroids." Ashley strode past her to the pilot's chair. "Are you still good with this?"

  Ingrid closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath. She nodded. "Yes. Let's go get her."

  * * *

  Saturn's moons were said to be the most exotic and delightful places for the system's elite to visit. Buildings were made of stained glass, and beautiful, buxom maids danced through the street wearing very little clothing, handing out free aphrodisiacs, stimulants, and barely-legal substances only available by prescription on other planets.

  The same could not be said for the asteroids and comets in the rings. From the moons, the giant expanses of cloud were one of the most romantic things in the galaxy. But the conditions within the rings were anything but. The atmosphere was thin, the air frigid, the conditions dirty.

  Only the lowest-ranked members of elf society lived there. They were the ones deemed unattractive, who couldn't afford cosmetic surgery to improve themselves. They were therefore kept from the tourist's eyes, tending the fields of crops that fed the elite and tourists who came to blow all their money.