Exiles of Magic:

Chapter One

Shaylee Nyx tapped her fingers restlessly on the antique walnut table. She looked around the smoke-filled pub. The establishment was a poor imitation of the pubs found on Earth.

She breathed in deeply, and felt the Caledonian smoke lodge in her throat. Many said the smoke was therapeutic and that it would add years to your life. She found it irritating and constricting on her air passages. Raucous laughter erupted in the room, followed by the familiar sounds of men and women playing a competitive game of pool. The sound of pool cues hitting balls mingled with the other sounds in the bar. Several men stood in front of holographic gaming tables, where they actually took part in the game, while others were hooked up to Virtual Reality Escapist Games. A select few sat at tables playing an old fashioned game of Poker in the secluded area of the club.

They came from all different walks of life, but unlike her, everyone gathered in the pub was devoid of magic. Mel’Vara was located in the Meloran solar system, and though it wasn’t as large as its Prime Planet, Melor it was larger than some of the planets located in the Dru Morn Sector.

If her contact within the Caledonia Royal House didn’t show up soon she’d get up and leave. She’d already been waiting for well over two hours. If he didn’t show, it either meant he couldn’t get away or his true identity had been exposed and he’d been dealt with.

Melor and the vast expanse of planets that made up the Dru Morn Sector were all a part of the Caledonian Commonwealth. The Dru Morn Sector was a wide expanse of space. It was a dangerous sector yet; the Caledonian’s class and culture made it the sector to visit.

She sipped at the Meloran Tea and looked around the pub for anyone that could possibly be her contact.

“Captain Nyx?” She looked up. Her heart hammered in her chest. The man in front of her was obviously a native Caledonian for his sun-bronzed skin, dark violet eyes, and pitch-black hair made her at a loss for words for exactly two minutes.

“That would be me.”

“Indeed. My contact’s description of you didn’t do you justice.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s so.” He relaxed and looked at the chair in front of him. “Do you mind if I sit down?”

“Not at all. What do you have for me today? I must admit when they told me my old contact, Dryfus had gone into retirement I was quite shocked. He seemed to live for the job he did.” He thought he was pulling the wool over her eyes. But she already knew who he was. He was a Prince of the Caledonian Commonwealth, and he was also a well renowned relic hunter. He sought out and usually found ancient magical artifacts. If he believed he was going to tag her as another coveted prize to add to his collection he was dead wrong. Coupled with the fact that he was somewhat of a black sheep in his royal family, and he added up to being one complicated yet, exceedingly interesting man.

He was also drop dead gorgeous. Her heart fluttered again. Steeling herself, she waited for his reply.

“Well, you know…we all need to take time to see the solar systems and find our own sort of peace.”

Narrowing her eyes, she leaned forward. Something unidentifiable flickered in his eyes.

She looked around the room. Was someone following her? Her heart hammered in her chest; despite her rioting inner emotions she kept her facial features as placid as possible. It wouldn’t be the first time, or the last that someone had placed a bounty on her head.

He leaned toward her—in a sudden swift movement, he’d grabbed a hold of her chin, pulling her toward him. Instinctively, she reached for her sidearm. Before he could blink, she had it drawn and pointed to the location directly over his groin.

He had to be wired wrong. No one would try to do to her what he’d just done. She was a fairy wielding unimaginable power and yet he touched her as if he had the right to do so. It galled her and yet, she also found it deeply attractive.

Suppressed fury shot through her. If she acted out on her anger right now, she’d most likely be looking at a mouse sitting on the chair rather than the fine specimen of man that gripped her chin.

“You should leave now. The bounty hunters are on your tail. You’ve pissed off the head of the Meloran Mob.” His voice remained steady despite where she had her pistol trained.

Snorting, she studied his face. Why didn’t he look just a little panicky? “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve pissed off Lord Ranulf. He’s never gotten over the fact that I took off one of his balls. What can I say…” she curled her lips into a dazzling smile, “he got a little too close for my comfort level.”

The Meloran Mob was an organized crime syndicate that ruled over twelve planets on the rim of the Dru Morn Sector. In fact, Mel’Vara was the last planet in the crime syndicate that still remained relatively free from Ranulf’s constant tyranny. Ranulf’s home planet of Ranara had been devastated years ago. Now it was a lifeless planet, the thirteenth planet in the Melor Solar System and a planet that now looked like a dried up dust bowl. Ranulf fed off the tragedies of his past, using his hatred to ruin countless lives. Crossing Ranulf’s powerfully connected crime syndicate was about as good as signing your own death warrant. She had crossed Lord Ranulf many years ago, and she still drew breath. The stranger’s eyes flashed again—but she didn’t know if it was with humor or respect.

“I can cover you for about five minutes, do you have a ship somewhere nearby?” he asked, his eyes flashing with dark violet fire.

“I might have,” she drawled out, eyeing the man intently. By all appearances, he was telling her the truth. The question was, why was he so damn motivated to help her out? She certainly wasn’t accustomed to having strangers the likes of this man trying to help her out.

She thought to the Fairy Space Corvette she’d left in stealth mode over on the next parking lot.

“You might have?” He shook his head, tilting her face up so they looked directly into each other’s eyes. “You need to stop joking and get serious, my little lovely lady. This time, Ranulf isn’t going to let you get away. He means business, and he’s put the bounty on your head for you to come back to him—dead or alive.”

“Dead?” She chuckled, though her heart felt like it had lead in it. “He’s never done that before—he’s obviously starting to get a clue.”

“I guess that’s what happens to a man that has lost something to you.”

“Guess so.” She darted her eyes to the rough and ready men filing into the establishment. They violently shoved the other patrons out of their way. Looking to the bar area, she watched the barman reach for a wicked looking energy pulse shotgun. Fixing her gaze on him, he caught her looking at him. She shook her head. To try and attack these men right at this point in time would be murder for Tom Ra’Danley the owner and man tending bar. Slowly, he lowered his gun and held it steady, ready to use it if the need presented itself. “Why are you helping me? I’m not usually a two-person act—I’m more than used to going it alone. So cough it up…I want to know what’s motivated you to give me a warning.”

“Because…I’ve got my own score to settle with Ranulf. If I help you, you can return the favor and help me.”

“What makes you so certain that I’ll put myself out on a limb to help someone I barely know?”

“Because you seem like the sort of woman that repays in kind—I’m sure the old adage, the enemy of my enemy is my friend rings true with you.”

She didn’t like the fact that he seemed to read her so well. “You wouldn’t happen to be partially telepathic, would you?”

His reply was nearly drowned out by the commotion going on in the pub. A nasty brawl was starting and it looked like the regulars of the establishment were getting their assess kicked in. These men that Ranulf had sent after her were definitely no amateurs. From her semi-secluded table in the bar, she had a bird’s eye view of anyone coming in from the front of the building and a real handy escape out of the back shipping door.

“Maybe.” His eyes glinted with humor.

“Maybe,” she echoed. “I don’t care for the way you give me lukewarm answers.”

“Well, let’s put our differences aside, and try to get you out of here alive, shall we? We don’t seem to have much time. They’ll be done beating the shit out of those men over there in oh, two minutes, flat.”

“Why are so concerned about getting me out of here alive? You must have a secret agenda.” She looked away. “Besides, if I were you, I would be more concerned about your health—I assure you, nothing much can make me ill.”

“Oh, I have several secret agendas. But let’s just say we share a commonality in the fact that I don’t like the Meloran Mob anymore than you do. They just tried to splinter the Caledonian Royalty into pieces .…”

“What happened?” she demanded, staring at him intently. She’d been on radio silence for the past month or so—

Cutting herself off from all media organizations seemed a bad idea, now that she’d been presented with such catastrophic news.

“They’ve killed the king, queen and the heir. They also wiped out whoever moved to intervene.” He set his jaw into a grim line.

“No.” Dread coiled deep in her belly, and she fought the sickening sensations rushing over her. She’d had this particular itch for the last few days, and that itch almost always meant that a catastrophe was in the winds of fate. Now, that wind had blown. Ranulf had killed more people. Fury started to burn through her.

“Oh … yes. The palace is a literal bloodbath.”

“What about their guards?”

“Dead. Ranulf’s not the one to leave behind witnesses.”

Now that she thought about it, he looked like he’d been to hell and back. His eyes were haunted with overwhelming grief.

“You wouldn’t happen to have been there when this attack took place, were you?”

“Not exactly. I was away from—from the palace at the time. I came back too late .…”

Grunts and shouts of rage carried to them from the front of the bar. The sound of glass shattering and chairs being broken over backs carried to her. They were running out of time. Even though she was rarely rattled by events such as this one, she knew she should be listening to the man sitting in front of her. Someone had even ripped the fire extinguisher off the wall and they were using it to blow away their attackers. When it ran out, they started using it as a blunt weapon.

“And, found them dead or dying.” She nodded her head grimly. Her heart went out to him. Anguish plagued his features. The man sitting next to her had lost his entire world, and now he was looking for a lifeline in a sea of loneliness and doubt. He had revenge on his mind—and he’d go to any lengths or any danger to see it fulfilled.

“Yes.” His voice filled with trembling emotion. She felt another twinge of sympathy for him. She wasn’t Caledonian … and so therefore, she didn’t have any loyalty or allegiance to the Crown, but still—she didn’t like what the Meloran Mob had done to them.

Ranulf had risen to become head of the Meloran Mob when he in fact wasn't even Meloran. It boggled the mind.

Underhanded business like that really made her see red. The Caledonian Royal Family had gone against Lord Ranulf’s racketeering, prostitution trading, dark magic practicing and trading, drug poisoning and other crimes against humanity, for one too many times, and finally, they’d been eliminated in the most brutal of ways.

“I am sorry.”

“Yeah, well, we can’t dwell on that right now. The thing is I need your help.”

“I come with a price. Nothing in life is free as you should well know.”

“Anything you want to charge me, I can pay.”

“Can you?”

“I can,” he promised, giving her a serious gaze.

“Then, if you’re willing to help me get out of here without getting my ass shot off—then, I’m willing to help you with whatever you need done. I’ve gotten my ass shot off before, and I’m not looking forward to another painful recovery period. Just as long as you’re not hiring me to kill anyone, that’s not how I do business. I’m not a gun for hire. I won’t be anyone’s assassin.”

“No?”

“No. I don’t do that sort of thing—anymore. And even when I did—I didn’t kill innocents. Only the foulest scum of the galaxy felt my wrath.”

“Good. I’m going after the worst scum of the galaxy.”

She hesitated. More men entered the establishment. Shit. They were really coming out with all guns blazing this time. Fighting a posse this size wasn’t going to be a cakewalk. “Look, I’m starting to feel a little hot—I think we should scat like now.”

“I think you would be right,” he agreed, giving her a forced smile.

“You cover my rear, and I’ll blaze a trail for us to my ship.”

“I have no issue covering your rear,” he paused, “This ship of yours … it is space worthy, right?”

“It might not be the fanciest ship in the galaxy but I can tell you one thing—it does the job. It’s never let me down before—well, there was this one time on Jupiter Four when—”

“Save it. I don’t care. We need to go. Now!”

“You know what? Every man I meet is always in a hurry to go nowhere fast. And if you tell me you have a bloody shortcut out of here, I’m going to give you a black eye!”

“Actually, I’m hoping we aren’t going to be doing that. I have a destination plotted, it’s called the destination to get the hell out of here!” he shouted, eyes widening when he noticed that the patrons of the bar were losing—badly.

“Like I said … we need to blow,” she muttered.

“Big time.”

“Behind us there’s a back exit. When it’s time, follow me, and don’t stray far, or else we could lose each other.”

“I’ll stick to you like Caledonian glue.”

Shaking her head at him, she drank the rest of her Meloran tea and calmly pushed her chair back. Smoothing her dress down, she fixed her hair.

Unfazed by the commotion going on around her, Shaylee stood up at the same time he stood. They moved so they stood back to back. Shaylee hadn’t realized how tall he was before this—but now, his size nearly overwhelmed her. “You’re one big boy.”

“I know … and you are one little girl.”

“I’m not a girl … I’m a lady.”

“Not in that getup you are wearing. I have no idea how you can even walk around without having men all over you like a bloody second skin. That’s just not proper, and you call yourself a Captain.” His eyes raked hungrily over the long easy flowing dress she wore, and the knee-high boots she had on that matched the dress. She’d heard a few men call them fuck me boots. Skintight leggings covered her legs, and her strawberry blond hair was pulled up into a ponytail to keep it from impairing her line of sight. The top of the dress had a plunging neckline and showed off her tits a little too much. That was just the way she wanted it though, hanging her ample cleavage out distracted a lot of the men she had to deal with, making it easier for her to blend in. When they were staring at her knockers, they were less likely to notice her fairy ears. When she’d been exiled they had made it so she could hide her wings, but try as she might to shape change the appearance of her ears, she couldn’t. Everything else from her hair color to the features on her face could be manipulated but her ears were a shining testament to her origins. Of course since she no longer had fairy wings, many mistook her for an Elf .…

“Hardy, har, har.” She pulled out her other sidearm. The pistols were Elvin manufactured. They shot out silver bullets or magical stun blasts depending on what she needed. Either way, they put down the enemy for a long time, and that’s what she needed right now.

The men that surrounded them weren’t opening fire. Strange. If they weren’t going to shoot first, she had no compunction. Pulling the trigger on her pistols, she screamed when they jammed and burned her hand. The Elvin white magic quickly overtook the dark magic, but her hands still burned. “Holy shit! They’ve got a shadow fighter with them. Your weapons are useless. Don’t even try unless you’d like to become a piece of human toast.”

She tossed one of her pistols to him. Holstering his weapons in a flash, he caught her pistol and held it ready.

Reaching down, she pulled her dagger out that she had holstered to her leg. Throwing it, she used her magic to suspend it in midair. Blue light magic streamed out from the tip of the dagger erecting a magical shield between them and the enemy. She didn’t have to worry about the people fighting by the bar, the shadow fighter would target Flynn and she, and ignore those he didn’t deem a threat.

“That’s how they wiped out the Caledonian Royal Family,” Flynn said dryly, all levity disappearing from his voice.

“Great. Why do I always have to get involved in this freaky crap? All I want is a nice little life filled with normalcy. What I get is weird assed men and women coming after me and pulling their hocus pocus shit off on me. For once, just once, I’d like to get away from that. These weapons aren’t going to do us good for long…I’m going to need to use my own magic to counterattack the shadow fighter. The shield should hold for a second but that little bastard could figure out how to bypass it.”

“How can you escape what you are?”

“Listen, dude, I’ve tried. I’ve been running for most of my life—and I’m going to keep on running for as long as I can.”

“You can’t keep running. Your past is catching up to you—and I need your help.”

“So, what you’re saying is you don’t want to hire my gun—you want to hire my abilities?”

“Indeed. Don’t tell me you aren’t magically shielding us right now. That shield you’ve put up with your dagger can’t be the only thing you’re doing. I haven’t felt anyone trying to get into my head, that must be your doing.”

“I might be. Out of pure need, I assure you. Magically, you could say I’ve gone cold turkey. I only use my magic when it comes to helping innocents fight the dark forces that seem to be bleeding across the galaxies.”

“Oh, that’s rich. A fairy that’s gone cold turkey on magic.” He laughed.

“Don’t call me that.” She gave him a loathsome look. “I told you … I’m abstaining—except for when I have to use my magic for the good of others—and then, you breeze in here and blow all of my convictions to hell in an instant. Soon, I’ll be using my magic to transport myself short distances instead of walking.”

“I’m sorry for dashing your dreams against the rocks.”

“They aren’t dreams, they are my reality. For now, I’ll help you … you’ve hired me to protect you … isn’t that what you want? I don’t have to be psychic to know who you are and what you are. You need my help more than I need your help. Since you obviously know what I am, you know that no matter how many times they try to shoot me, they can’t kill me. I’m invulnerable.” While they argued, he pinged off several of Ranulf’s men. The shadow fighter was trying to shield them, but the Enchanted Elvin guns had sensed the dark magic and they were magically reprogramming themselves to account for the insidiously dark magic. They also shot through Shaylee’s magical shield with ease.

“I’m not,” he mused.

“As I said, you need my help more than I need yours. I could eventually get out of here alive. You, on the other hand, would be killed in the attempt. They’re not after me—they’re after you. I’m in a charitable mood, though. I think I’m going to help you. I’m also going to take your money. But I can assure you that I will protect you with my magic and my life. After all, I wouldn’t want the last of the Caledonian Royal Line to get himself killed, would I?”

Despair plagued his features. The events of the last day or so were really wearing thin on him.

“Just stick close to me. I’m one rogue fairy with a hell of a bad attitude when people rub me the wrong way.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll always endeavor to rub you the right way.”

“I think you just might be able to do that.” She smiled. He forced a grin onto his face for her benefit. “Get ready … cause I’m moving into full out magical assault mode. Give me my pistol back. You won’t require it any longer. I’m about to clean house.” He handed it over to her quickly, and stepped discreetly behind her. She knew he had to stick out like a sore thumb behind her as he made her look like a pixie.

Holstering her pistols, she looked at the men closing in on them. Holding her hand out, she motioned for the dagger to come back to her. The shield released momentarily as she brought the dagger back to her and placed it back into its sheathe.

“I’m going to give you all the chance to run screaming from this establishment,” she proclaimed, successfully blocking any curses that the shadow fighter flung at them.

“Shove it up your ass, bitch. We are here to kill the spare, so you can fuck the hell off,” the lead man sneered.

“The spare? That’s not nice. I happen to like the one you call the spare. He falls under my protection. Got it? Get lost, or I will have to show you the full force of my fury. You don’t want to catch me on a bad day, and this day is slowly shaping up to be a really bad one. One of the toppers actually.”

One of the men laughed derisively. The others started to shift their feet uneasily. She could tell she scared the living daylights out of some of them—just not all of them. That was a misconception she’d have to correct, posthaste.

“What are you going to do? Some say you’re a washed up cock-sucking whore. Others say that our boss found you in the gutter and made you into what you are today … a stone cold killer.”

“Stone cold, huh? I’m no killer. Make no mistake, asshole, when I kill, I kill evil.”

“When we kill, we kill for pleasure and money,” the man sneered, making her skin crawl. She watched the bruised and bloodied patrons of the public house run to take cover behind the bar.

“Get them Shaylee!” Tom shouted, popping his head up over the bar, and shaking his fist rigorously in the air. “Give them a good old fashioned fairy style ass kicking!”

Shaylee did a mock bow to Tom. “Tom, fairies do get pleasure out of granting wishes .… That’s why I’m here to give you something to take back to your boss, you little fuck wit,” she said turning her attention from Tom back to the leader of Ranulf’s pack. “I’m going to give you the rest of your men’s ashes. Tom, I might need one of those small spittoons you have over there.”

“No problem, Shaylee.”

“We have a shadow fighter with us. You can’t touch us, woman.” The way he drawled out woman like it was a dirty word made her see red.

“Want a bet? Watch and learn, dickhead,” She inhaled a deep breath. “Do you know what I do when I want a clear path to the door?” she asked, directing her question at Flynn. In that instant, his mind brushed against her psyche. She smiled, despite herself.

“No,” Flynn muttered. She glanced back at him. His good looks startled her. She didn’t know why he looked so nervous, since he had to have confidence in her, else he wouldn’t have come for her help.

“I make one.” With that, she lashed out with her multi-colored fairy fire. “You might want to plug your ears,” she shouted, smiling when he quickly followed her instructions.

Agonized screams filled the room. The shadow fighter was wiped out along with the rest of the vicious looking thugs. She should have felt remorse—but she didn’t. She knew what all of those men had been at one stage of their lives. They were living evil—and now they were dead and she could breathe easier. Come to think of it, she’d just done the entire Dru Morn Sector a big favor.

“We should have enlisted your aid a long time ago,” Flynn said softly, awe and respect coating his tone.

“I might not have allowed anyone but you to hire me.” She held him back until the area in front of them cleared. Standing alone in front of them was the man she’d promised she’d keep alive. “Go back to your Master and tell him to stay away—unless he wants me to come and finish him off once and for all.”

The lone survivor remained silent. He’d been struck speechless by her merciless act of retaliation. His eyes were locked in horror on her. He looked ready to piss his pants.

Nodding his head, he backed out of the bar and ran from the building so fast, he tripped over a few broken chairs outside of the bar in the process.

“Thank you.” Flynn’s voice turned soft. He was creeping into her heart, and if she didn’t take care, she’d end up losing her heart completely to him. Lock stock and barrel.

“Don’t thank me. We certainly aren’t out of the woods yet. There’s no telling what Ranulf is going to send after us now. If you thought I had him ticked off before—he’s going to be angrier than hell now.”

“And yet, you don’t sound scared.”

“Little men like him never scare me. I’ve seen far, far worse and lived to tell the story.”

“Aren’t your kind immortal?”

“We can be killed. I’m not going to tell you how, though. That’s a secret we protect most closely. Only a select few know how to kill a fairy. And, when they do, they damn their souls for all eternity. There is no redemption for the person that kills the cousins of angels.”

“Okay … I don’t want to venture into that volatile territory. Don’t worry. I don’t need to know how you can be killed. That’s certainly none of my business. As I stand, I want you to live for a very long time. You’re my only hope to get vengeance against Ranulf.”

“I never said I’d help you gain revenge against him. I told you I’d protect you until Ranulf lost interest in you. He’ll find someone else that needs to be murdered, and that will divert his attention long enough so that he will eventually forget you in the end.” She looked over briefly at the men slowly standing up from behind the bar. Tom looked at her aghast.

“He’ll never lose interest in me,” Flynn said resolutely. “I won’t let him.”

“Oy, you, boy! You’ll pay for the damages caused here today. Fork over fifty thousand Meloran Pounds, or I’ll make hamburger out of your face.”

“Don’t listen to Tom, Flynn. He’s all talk. Tom, I’ll make sure you get paid the next time I visit Mel’Vara,” she said calmly.

“You’ll get your man to pay now. I’m sick of having my bar torn to shreds around me because you attract danger every time you sashay that delectable ass into my building. Hellfire follows you, Nyx, and in a way, that’s good ‘cause you know how to vanquish it right back to where it belongs, but I ain’t got the dough to keep this going.”

“One minute he’s cheering me on to get rid of the bad guys, the next minute he’s soaking me dry for monetary compensation,” she grumbled.

Glancing at her briefly, Flynn sighed and moved toward Tom. They exchanged a few muttered words, and Flynn seemed to be paying Tom by transferring funds into his business account.

“Good to do business with you, Nyx,” Tom said smiling happily at her. “Hell, I think I’ll move shop. I’m getting sick of this tired old place anyway. The next time I see you, I’ll be living it up in the Mel’Vara Tropics!”

Flynn swaggered back to her. They couldn’t stick around much longer. She had no doubt that Ranulf had more creeps lurking around the planet.

“Ranulf gets tired with his vendettas. There’s always someone that comes into his line of fire that needs to be dealt with far more than you will be. You are harmless,” she said, continuing where they’d left off before Tom interrupted them.

“I am the remaining survivor of a Royal House that he wanted to obliterate. I don’t care if he loses interest in me. I’m never going to lose interest in him.”

“If you don’t—if you continue to pursue this course of action you are proposing, you will die. Going after someone like Ranulf when you are just a human male, is sheer lunacy. Don’t be an idiot. Mourn your family, protect yourself, and live your life. It would be a shame to see someone as vibrant as you be cut down in your prime.”

“Not if you protect me. Will you be my bodyguard?” Reaching for his arm, she pulled him out of the bar. Waning sunlight hit her in the face. Checking to make sure that no ships laid in wait for them, she led him to her own ship. He walked along behind her, and she knew what she was going to say next wasn’t going to make her a happy fairy. She stopped. They’d reached their destination. Glancing over at him, she savored his good looks. The man had been blessed with the looks that some male fairies would envy.

“Even I can’t protect you from Ranulf.” She looked away from his penetrating stare.

“Why?”

“Because,” she whispered, “We are equally matched … and he knows how to kill me.”