Dragon Pearl(18)

I kept my ears pricked—metaphorically, anyway—while hurrying to the bar. On my way back to the table, I saw that Hye was being escorted to Nari’s office.

“I told you, Nari and I have an agreement!” the captain slurred in a loud voice. Was she drunk already?

I intentionally dropped the glass of rice wine I was carrying and bent over to pick it up so she wouldn’t spot me.

“Just let me finish my—” Hye was saying as the office door closed behind her.

It looked like she wouldn’t be going anywhere tonight.

I waited until one of the other bouncers passed by, then popped up and looked at him with a worried frown. “Is something wrong?” I asked innocently.

“Hye finally bet too much,” the bouncer said with a headshake. “Must have gotten overconfident—or desperate. None of your business, though.” He scowled at me, and I hurried over to a table, not coincidentally one close to the parlor’s entrance.

Hye would rat me out to Nari any minute now. Time for me to make my exit.

I just had to hope the Red Azalea had other crew on board, guarding the ship while their captain was “busy.” As long as someone else could pilot it, I still had a chance of getting off-planet.

Then an even worse thought came to me. Gamble her ship away . . . Yong had said earlier. What if Nari took the ship as payment for Hye’s losses?

I had to get to the Red Azalea, fast.

I stepped into the restroom and let my Charm unravel. No more silk, pearls, and gold jewelry for me. I reverted to “Bora” form but gave myself spacer’s clothes and a flatter, more average face. I checked the mirror to make sure I looked unmemorable in every way.

Heart pounding, I sauntered out of the restroom, hoping no one would notice me . . .

. . . and walked smack into Yong. He grunted but didn’t budge an inch.

“Sorry!” I said automatically. I looked down at the floor as I quickly moved out of his way.

He stepped into my path and took my arm. “No, I’m the one who should apologize, miss,” he said. “Looks like you’re in a hurry.”

“Yes,” I said, my head still bent. “I’m running late. Must go.”

“That’s right,” he said. “You must go.” Then, in a much lower voice, he added, “Go while you can, Min.”

I stared up at him. He’d seen through my Charm!

“Fox or no fox,” he whispered, “you’re too young for this life. I’ll escort you out, while Nari is distracted.” He pointed toward the parlor entrance with his chin.

When we passed the bouncer at the door, Yong said to me loudly, “And don’t let me catch you in here ever again!” Then he made a show of pushing me outside.

The other bouncer didn’t even blink. He’d seen it all before.

I couldn’t exactly say thank you to Yong while he was throwing me out, but I did flash a grateful smile at him.

As I hurried down the street, the music from Nari’s dwindled behind me. It sounded harsh and jangly, and I couldn’t believe I’d ever liked it.

I thought of the graffiti I’d seen earlier and wished I had time to add and don’t drink the wine.

Following the spaceport directions I’d memorized previously, I broke into a run toward the Red Azalea’s dock. I now had some tip money in my pouch, but I had no idea whether it would be enough to buy my way on board. Too bad I hadn’t been able to squeeze a little more out of “Aunt Nari.”

A ship rose up before me in silhouette against the night sky, a squat freighter with stubby wings. I bet it was barely capable of atmospheric flight. Under the harsh overhead lights, it looked even more battered than its identifying photo in the kiosk. Still, I sighed in relief when I spotted the painted red azalea on its wing. I was that much closer to getting off Jinju and finding my brother.

Now I just needed a pilot.





It wasn’t difficult to convince the dock agent that I was on the Red Azalea’s passenger list. By the time she double-checked the roster at my urging, my name had magically appeared on her data-slate. The illusion wouldn’t last long, but then, I didn’t plan to be around here long, either. With any luck.

I sprinted the rest of the way to the Red Azalea, looking around nervously, convinced that one of Nari’s goons would nab me any second. She must have noticed by now that I’d skipped out.

Once I reached the starship, I shouted up at it, “Captain Hye’s in trouble!” When no response came, I banged on the closed hatch with my fist. Ouch! But, if there was a crew inside, I couldn’t see any other way of getting their attention. “Is anyone in there?”

There was a loud, staticky noise; then a deep voice buzzed out of a speaker I couldn’t locate. “We’re busy. Go away.”

“Captain Hye has been detained by Nari for racking up too much debt,” I said. “Nari is threatening to claim her ship.”

I heard some words that Mom wouldn’t have approved of. “I knew it! If you have anything to do with that parasite Nari—”

I thought furiously. “No! Captain Hye sent me to tell you because she couldn’t get away herself! She was being too closely watched. If there’s a pilot on board, you need to get out of here before Nari shows up. She’s got some kind of deal with the spaceport authorities. If you don’t go now—”