Keeper Read Online Free Page B

got up from his chair. His tusks were full and polished to a high shine and his yellow eyes swirled with cerulean blue. He came down the steps and extended his hand to Ikvaro. “I am honoured to have met the man she talked about any time I let her get a word in edgewise. I had to talk about myself just to stop her talking about how perfect your ears are. Seeing them up close, they are rather fetching.”
    Ikvaro felt his skin heat. Zenfar were huge and an adult male was taller than he was by a foot or more.
    “Thank you. She really talked about my ears?”
    “She just talked to keep me calm. You were the only topic she felt comfortable with, so she focussed on you the whole time. If you need any help finding her, let me know.”
    Ikvaro nodded. “May we call for assistance? If she is in cold storage, she might need medical attention.”
    “When you get close to finding her, send me a priority signal, and I will get you directions to the nearest med facility along with in-system jump clearance. She was the nicest person I have ever met, and I want her to be safe. Though, now that I see you, an opportunity to ask her to be my mate is out of the question. You are indeed very pretty.”
    Pen was snickering behind his hand.
    “Well, I have a file with all I know and all sightings of the Grey Talon . It has taken on the aura of a haunted ship but no one can get close to it.”
    “That is because the ship knows what is going on. Well, Avatar. Congratulations on your rising.”
    The Avatar inclined his head. “The previous Avatar waited until I was ready to take on the responsibility because Keeper Aggie got me enough space for negotiation. Talking about it took away the fear, just like she said it would.”
    “She was very good at telling people what they needed to hear.”
    “She was. She also had a calm look in her eyes. It was helpful.” He smiled wistfully.
    “Are we able to leave Zenfar in search of her?”
    “Please, use one of our new courier ships. They are jump capable and very stylish with room for cargo.”
    Pen spluttered, “You are giving us a ship?”
    “Of course. She gave me the world and the time to grow up on my own. When I was ready, Zenfar welcomed me and respected me for my decision. Finding her is the least I can do. She gave me time by sacrificing her own.”
    That was it in a nutshell, as Aggie would say. They moved their articles from one ship to the other. The title was in Ikvaro’s name and Pen was the registered navigator. With full registry enacted, they took off for Hirwin at breakneck speed.
    The courier ship had a jump engine and Ikvaro was willing and able to use it. While Pen sat with a vomit bag, they jumped from system to system, reaching Hirwin Prime in one day.
    Once in Hirwin space, they settled in orbit and Pen went to work. He opened the case, placed his fingers on the comb before he closed his eyes.
    They were standing in the small command centre and watching the rotating screen of the sector.
    Ikvaro waited for him to absorb what he could, and when Pen was ready, he opened his eyes and a beam of light pierced the hologram and lit up a ringed world with asteroids in slow rotation.
    Pen couldn’t see out of his eyes while he was using his talent. “Where is she?”
    “In orbit in the Nefaro system. We have quite the distance to cover, but we should be there in four jumps. Do you think the engines can handle it?”
    “I think that this is a brand new ship and we should test it to its limits.”
    Ikvaro send the coordinates to the navigation systems to get them started, and with only a few adjustments, they had a two-day route to the planet.
    Something that Aggie had said to him stuck in his mind. He opened the com system and sent a polite query to the Citadel Lowel for contact with the sister ship to the Grey Talon.
    His communication ended with, “If the ship is willing, please call me back.”
    In the meantime, they continued on the route to the signal point. Ikvaro kept