The Pirate Prince Read Online Free Page A

However, at the moment, it wasn’t serving his purpose in finding Rick. “Are you sure your sources are right? I hear tell that not even the greatest thieves can slip into this place,” Lochlann said.
    “Yeah, they guard their purple jade like the Tog women protect their men,” Viktor added. “Rick would have to get his ass dragged here.”
    Jarek frowned. He’d heard much of the same thing. Líntian was an isolated planet that many stayed clear of. The fact that its position was a long way off, combined with the rumored impossibility of breeching the security made it a daunting place, little worth a space traveler’s time. Even if purple jade was valued quite highly, a pirate couldn’t spend a fortune if he was dead. But they weren’t here for jade. They were here for their friend.
    “Why couldn’t he have gotten kidnapped by Lord Maximus and taken to the Galaxy Playmate mansion?” Lucien asked. “That way we could fight off half-naked playmates instead of these lethal warriors.”
    “Rick wouldn’t want to be rescued from that,” Lochlann said. “Who would?”Jackson added under his
    breath. All of their eyes were still trained on the palace.
    “I slipped through the city just fine earlier,” Jarek said, hoping his men would take that to mean it was possible to get through. “Stealth is the key. This isn’t the kind of place that you go in blasting. We’d never stand a chance against all those guards in a head to head fight. We’re too outnumbered. Ideally, it’s best if they don’t know we’re here.”
    The men nodded.
    “Besides,” Jarek continued, “no one has tried to breech these walls for centuries.
    They should have gotten lax in their guard. They won’t be expecting us, especially not looking for a plain map. It should be a simple slip in and slip out type of job.”
    One long building made up the palace. It had tiled roofs with wide eaves that tilted up at the ends toward the sky. A long open walkway supported by columns was across the front of the large structure. An entranceway opened up in the center, leading inside the building or down a long row of steps to the outside world. Guards stood along the columned walkway, their loose fitting clothing very reminiscent of the Draig casual wear. It looked comfortable, yet militant at the same time. The building seemed to grow out at the side into an enclosed hall, slowly working its way from the very top of the mountain down the side until joining to a lower building that had its own columned entrance and guards.
    “It doesn’t look like walking up to the front door and slipping in is going to be an option,” Jarek said, eyeing the dark skinned warriors. Their long hair was pulled back in a single braid, keeping it out of their faces. They were slight in stature compared to the Var warriors, but he wasn’t fooled. He’d seen some of them practicing in a field as they had sneaked into the city. They moved with such graceful ease and deadly precision when they fought, that Jarek knew they would be formidable opponents.
    “I’ll do it,”Jackson said. “I’m the best climber and if the inside of the palace is
    constructed like the outside, I should be able to make my way across the ceiling without notice.”
    “No, it’s too risky. All someone would have to do is look up,” Jarek denied the offer. “There are too many guards. Besides, we have no way of knowing what the inside looks like. The ceilings could be smooth with nothing to grab on to.”
    “That doesn’t leave us too many options. If we can’t infiltrate, we’ll have to fight,” Dev said softly. He opened his mouth to continue, but Lucien’s voice interrupted him.
    “Oh, my....” Lucien let loose a soft whistle. “Would you look at that tempting piece of Líntianese culture?”
    Jarek automatically found what had caught Lucien’s attention. A slight female shuffled out of the palace, meekly following a taller man whose hair was knotted on the top of his head.