Shamara by Catherine Spangler Read Free Book Online Page B

stories, and he had long ago learned to trust his instincts. Right now, his every instinct screamed that Eirene was an Enhancer. If he were right, she might be able to help him navigate that black hole. He had to find her.
    He struggled off the bed, cursing his weakness, although he was much stronger than he had been yesterday. Already dressed, he scooped up his boots and headed for the entry panel. It opened before he reached it.
    "What are you doing up?" Chase demanded, stepping through the entry, with Celie behind him.
    "I need to return to Saron." Jarek paused, unwilling to reveal more. If Eirene were an Enhancer, she'd be in danger if that information fell into the wrong hands.
    Chase frowned and started to say something, but Celie cut him off. "I'm afraid you won't want to go to Saron, Jarek. Not after you hear my news."
    Something in her voice caught Jarek's full attention. "What is it?"
    "First, sit down before you fall down," Chase ordered, rolling up a chair. "You're too weak to be walking around."
    Jarek sank into the chair, staring at Celie. "Tell me."
    Her eyes were solemn. "I've got two things to tell you. The first is good. I may have found equipment for scoping out your black hole."
    Yes! Thank you, Spirit. "Where?"
    "It's a rather odd situation. The equipment is on Aldon."
    "Aldon? That's a Shen colony, isn't it?"
    Celie nodded. "Yes. It's their main settlement."
    Jarek pondered this. The Shens, whose society had evolved around a magic-based culture, didn't deal in technology. "How would the Shens have come up with such equipment? I can't imagine them interested in exploring black holes."
    "Well, no, they're not into space exploration, but they're always interested in making money," Celie pointed out. "They didn't manufacture this equipment. It was apparently left on Aldon."
    The situation was getting stranger by the millisecond. Jarek rubbed his forehead, wondering if his faculties were still off balance. "I'm not understanding this. Who left it there?"
    "That's what's so amazing about the whole situation. Supposedly, this is equipment Enhancers used, then stored on Aldon, before they became extinct."
    Enhancers? Jarek almost bolted from the chair. "Sweet Spirit. Are you sure about this?"
    Celie leaned against the counter. "I got the information from Eark. He's a Shen we've worked with for over eight seasons, and he's always been reliable. He says the equipment was left by Enhancers, and it has been on Aldon more than two hundred seasons."
    Adrenaline thrummed through Jarek. The Enhancers were supposedly the ones who had traversed the black hole in the twelfth quadrant. And he suspected Eirene was an Enhancer. He didn't believe in coincidences. This was divine intervention. It had to be. "How much?" he demanded hoarsely. "How much do the Shens want for that equipment?"
    "Eark wouldn't give me an amount." Celie threw up her hands in frustration. "He was very vague, said it would be negotiated when the buyer got to Aldon."
    "Damn." Jarek felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. The Shens were going to demand a fortune for the equipment, and his own resources were severely limited. Then something Celie said registered. "Did you say the Shens would negotiate when the buyer got to Aldon?"
    "Yes. I couldn't believe it when Eark told me that."
    "The Shens never let anyone visit their settlements. The locations for most of them are secret. Are you sure that's what Eark said?"
    Celie nodded. "Yes. He said you could come to Aldon. I asked him again, to be sure I'd heard him right."
    Even more reason for Jarek to believe a divine hand was involved. He'd worry about finding enough gold on the way. "I've got to get ready to leave."
    "Wait," Celie said. "There's more, Jarek, and I'm afraid it's very grim."
    He sagged back in the chair, bracing himself. "Tell me."
    "Eark told me that the Controllers are amassing a huge number of troops. Word is they're getting ready to search every moon and asteroid, looking for