Robin Owens - Heart Fortune

Jace Bayrum: Adventurer, leather worker, hero.

Zem: Jaces animal Familiar companion.

Glyssa Licorice: SecondLevel PublicLibrarian, GrandMistrys.

Lepid: Glyssas animal Familiar companion.

In Druida City:

GreatLord Laev THawthorn: Entrepreneur. (Heart Search)

GreatLady Camellia Darjeeling DHawthorn: One of Glyssas best friends, HeartMate to Laev, teashop/restaurant owner. (Heart Search)

The Licorice Family:

FirstLevel PublicLibrarian, GrandLady DLicorice: Rhiza Licorice, Glyssas mother.

FirstLevel PublicLibrarian, GrandLord TLicorice: Fasic Almond Licorice, Glyssas father.

FirstLevel PublicLibrarian, GrandMistrys: Enata Licorice, Glyssas older sister.

Short Appearances:

TAsh (HeartMate)

Danith DAsh (HeartMate)

Zanth: Premier CatFam of Celta. (HeartMate)

Tiana Mugwort: SecondLevel Priestess, one of Glyssas best friends.

Artemisia Primross: Healer. (Heart Secret)

Garrett Primross: Private investigator. (Heart Secret)

At the Excavation of the Starship,

Lughs Spear:

Andic Sanicle: Adventurer, frenemy to Jace.

Funa Twinevine: Adventuress, current lover of Andic, former lover of Jace.

Trago: Healer.

Symphyta: Healer.

Myrtus Stopper: Primary cook.

GrandLady Helena (Del) Elecampane: Owner of the project, cartographer. (Heart Journey)

Shunuk: GrandLady Helenas FamFox. (Heart Journey)

GrandLord Raz Cherry Elecampane: Owner of the project, actor. (Heart Journey)

Rosemary: GrandLord Razs FamCat. (Heart Journey)

Maxima Elecampane: Helena and Razs daughter.

Carolinia: Maximas FamCat.

EXCAVATION OF LUGHS SPEAR, THE LOST STARSHIP,

421 Years After Colonization,

End of Summer

Adventure beckoned in the form of a girder angling down into the brown earth. The whole excavation of the ruin of the starship Lughs Spear was a challenge, an adventure. And Jace Bayrum was always up for one.

This project had it all, physical challenges: Yeah, hed dug, and operated machinery to uncover that girder, along with the rest of the camp. There were intriguing mysteries: One of the three starships that had brought the colonists from Earth to Celta lay under his feet. The ground had collapsed under it only days after landing. Who knew what treasures were insideknowledge, that data bank of the colonists genetic psi traitsbut ancient artifacts, too. And he got a cut. The pay was acceptable, if not great.

Good people to work with, though sometimes, like now, when ten different people checked out that very intriguing beam angling down into the rough man-sized hole, they seemed too damn slow for him. They all wanted to get into the ship. He wanted to be first. Hed volunteered and won the right.

Everyone in the camp was standing around, staring at the cleared and dusty area, talking. Sweating lightly, like he was, in the hot and humid summer air, under the bright blue sky.

This job came with the spice of danger that got a mans blood pumping.

And it came with a whiff of fame. Famethough he wasnt too interested in fame, at least not the go-down-in-the-history-book kind. The past didnt matterwell, only the past he was digging up right now, the project, the adventure. The future didnt matter much as long as he had enough gilt to take care of himself. The now, and what was happening, and enjoying himself, that was more important than all the rest. Though he did like the buy-you-a-drink-at-the-bar kind of fame.

As they opened more of the hole, he itched to walk along that wide girder, go down into the bowels of the midsection of the starship. He shifted his feet, wanting to go already, explore. See things no one had for centuries, that was a rush. Aces high. He wanted to do, not hang around with the rest of the expedition everlastingly talking.

Hed objected to the physical harness, not wanting the chance of getting tangled in something down there, but was now layered with enough spellshields that his entire body itched at the feel of them, including his eyes.

Go! said the owner.

Jace stepped onto the piece of metal two-thirds of a meter wide, felt the settling as it took his weight. Light-footed, he headed toward the opening.

The beam moved under his feet, threw him off balance, and he fell. Shouts from watchers. The earth giving way beneath him. Dust. Rocks pounding him. Plummeting down.

He thumped hard enough that his breath went from his body. He fought passing out and remained conscious by the skin of his teeth. Hed fallen under the beam, and rock crowded around him but didnt crush him. Hard to tell how big the pocket of air he was in was . . . maybe enough that he wouldnt die, even without the spellshields.

It was colder down here, and he shivered. The whole thing made him recall the first time he cheated death. Shudders racked him at the memory.

He and his father and mother had gone over to the nearest city to purchase some fancy worked metal box his mother had insisted on havingone both he and his father had worked hard to give her the gilt for. Not that his father had cared about that; he blindly adored his wife.

Jace had been almost seventeen, close to becoming an adult and not so blind to his mothers greed.

Evening was turning into night when they reached the river. The box had cost enough that they didnt have gilt for the return ferry, but there was a free rope across the river and a raft to pull along. His and his fathers massive muscles should be enough to get them across with help from his mothers small Flair.

Theyd been in the middle of the river when the guide rope had broken.

His mother had screamed, turned white-faced, and clutched her box to her. Her gaze went to Jaces father, skimmed across Jace, looked to the opposite shore. I can do it! she cried. I can teleport there if you bond with me and give me your energy. I can see the bank well enough, but it has to be quick. If you love me, link with me! Save me!

Of course, Marian. Jaces father set his one hand on her shoulder, held out the other to Jace. We will save you. His voice, deep, calm, as he confronted his and Jaces own danger in heading down the rapid river on an old raft.

I Mind frantically scrambling, Jace took his fathers hand.

One, two, three! his mother screamed and Jaces strength, his energy, got yanked out of him to fund her teleportation.

His father fell to his knees, toppled sideways, breaking Jaces hold. More sucking of . . . Flair? . . . from Jace, ripping from him.

And the raft . . . the Flair keeping the raft together fell apart, siphoned by his mother.

The shock of the cold and tumbling water took Jaces breath. He strove to stay close to his papa.

His fathers head turned. She. Made. It. He sighed out, looking gray, wasted.

Jace grabbed his fathers great hand, panic and wild grief and fury crashing through him in great swaths of emotion. He tried to swim, swallowed water. Reached for a better grip on the man, ripped his thin, worn shirt.