Lucian looked up from his sprawling position to see he was in some kind of cafeteria or galley. Tables and chairs filled the space, all bolted to the deck. And those tables were filled with people. Some stared at him, others laughed. His cheeks burned as he got up and dusted himself off.

  The double doors sealed shut, and Lucian took a few steps forward. Two spiral staircases rose on either side, leading to an upper deck. Wide viewports lined both sides of the ship. Lucian knew they weren’t actual windows, but photorealistic screens serving the same purpose. Lucian knew he was gawking, but he couldn’t help it.

  Now, all he had to do was survive the next four weeks.

  Where he stood, the viewports revealed the metallic exterior of the Citadel. The starboard viewports on the opposite side overlooked the star-filled expanse of space beyond. The vista included Mars, shining a dull monochrome crimson. Mars moved across the viewports, but that was only due to the rotation of the Citadel itself, to which the ship was attached.

  There would be plenty of time to explore later. For now, Lucian was concerned with finding his cabin and making sure his luggage was there.

  A male voice with an American accent rolled out of the speakers, causing conversations at the tables to cease.

  “Captain Miller here again. For those of you not in the galley, the boarding door has now closed. That’s our cue to cast off from Sol Citadel and begin our twenty-eight-day voyage to Volsung.”

  Lucian checked his slate for his cabin. He took the stairs to the second deck, heading down a corridor toward the stern. He brushed past a family of four with two young children, the announcement droning on while he pretended to know what he was doing.

  “Now, for some information for those of you who are curious. The Burung has a capacity for one hundred passengers. It has two decks, with various amenities. We have a gym, simulation ports in your pods, along with millions of holos and lit-films from whatever century of your choosing. Our galley serves Worlds-class food. Pan-Galactic’s fleet boasts the most comfortable cabins in the Worlds.” Lucian wanted to roll his eyes at the obvious PR. “We are one of the few companies to offer private pods, even to passengers traveling second class. The ship’s schedule has been uploaded to your Pan-Galactic app, which you can access on your slate. There’ll be an F.N.O. party—that’s First Night Out, for all you newbies—timed at our passing of Jupiter at 20:00 shipboard time tomorrow, which is luckily on our trajectory to the Volsung Gate. Trust me, you won’t want to miss that. Come meet your fellow passengers. You’re going to be stuck with them for the next four weeks.”

  Meet and greets were the last thing Lucian had expected, but he supposed it made sense. Interstellar voyages could last months, and he’d probably be getting to know at least a few people on board. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He had to think up a reason for why he was traveling. If anyone found out the real reason, this trip would get interesting, and not in a good way.

  “For now,” the captain drawled easily, “sit back, relax, have a meal, meet your neighbors. We’ll be departing shortly. Good luck, bon voyage, and Godspeed. And Pan-Galactic thanks you for your patronage.”

  It was hard to tell, but there might have been a note of sarcasm in that last sentence.

  Lucian finally found his cabin, which was almost all the way sternward. The door opened automatically, somehow recognizing his credentials. The interior revealed two pods, one on each side. The cabin even had a lav and a shower, which he’d have to share with his cabinmate. Whoever that happened to be.

  Lucian’s pod was the one on the right. It opened upon his approach, revealing a surprisingly spacious bed that looked both clean and comfortable. Lucian sat, removed his shoes, and placed them in a cubby built into the wall. As soon as he lay on his back, the door closed automatically. When it clicked shut, a holographic display lit from the pod’s curved interior above him, displaying a menu of options. Among those were movies, VR video games, and full-sensory simulations. He could book times for the observatory, water pressure massages, or other amenities. Of course, those things would cost him creds. Creds he didn’t have to spend.

  There was only one option that interested Lucian at the moment: his luggage. It should be stored in one of the compartments connected to his pod. He toggled the command, and a retractable space opened on his left. Upon seeing his main bag, he heaved a sigh of relief. Not all was lost.

  He lay on his back for a while. When he felt relaxed enough, he decided to head out and explore the ship.

  He opened the pod and put his shoes back on. When he hopped down, it took a little too long to fall to the deck below. He walked to the cabin’s viewport and was surprised to see Sol Citadel already slipping away. He hadn’t felt the ship moving at all, nor had he noticed any deviation in gravity. The inertial dampening and AG were top-notch. Lucian knew the larger the vessel, the more efficiently both systems worked. Sol Citadel commanded the entire view. But the longer he watched, the more the fortress shrank into the darkness until it wasn’t visible at all. Despite its large size, the Burung was much faster than the shuttle that had taken him from Earth. Which made sense, considering the distances it was designed to travel.

  Lucian headed out of the cabin. It was time to get the lay of the ship.

  In the galley, the passengers were busy meeting their neighbors. Of course, it didn’t look like there was anyone his age to talk to. It was mostly middle-aged and older people since they were the only ones who could afford the price.

  The only exception seemed to be a table with three young Fleet recruits wearing gray jumpsuits. He instantly didn’t like the look of them. Something about their sneering faces and harsh laughter said trouble ahead. One of them even glared at Lucian as he passed. The young recruit had gelled blonde hair and sharp blue eyes set in a pale, hawkish face. The recruit smirked at Lucian as he passed. If there was a face more punchable than that, Lucian had yet to find it.

  It would be best if he didn’t interact with anyone. That had been his M.O. for almost as long as he’d been alive. Despite that decision, he couldn’t help but notice a good-looking young woman about his age, sitting alone on the opposite side of the galley. She had light brown skin, shoulder-length brown hair, and almond-shaped eyes. Those eyes came up to meet his, registering mild surprise.

  Her face, which had a light dusting of freckles, almost seemed to register recognition. That was . . . strange. He racked his mind, but he was certain he hadn’t met her because he would have remembered someone of such unusual beauty. She offered a small, friendly smile.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Lucian smiled back, a bit awkwardly. He headed to one of the serving windows, weaving between the crowd. He ordered some coffee. As he waited, he found himself looking in the girl’s direction again. She was still looking at him. Why was she staring at him like that?

  Before he could second-guess himself, he ordered another coffee. As he approached, her eyes seemed to note the second drink.

  That was when someone decided it would be a good time to bump into him. Just steps away from her table, hot coffee splashed across his hands. He tried to bite back the pain, but that was impossible.

  “Ow!”

  Several people looked at him, and the person who had bumped into him seemed oblivious to the damage he had caused, having already left the galley. The girl was on her feet, though, her face filled with concern.

  “You okay?” she asked. “Here, let me help you . . .”

  She grabbed the two coffees, half-empty, while Lucian dried his hands on his pants. They were stain-proof, so there was no danger of ruining them.

  “Thanks,” he managed. Though his hands were red, the coffee hadn’t been hot enough to cause blisters.

  “That’s a new one,” she said.

  “What do you mean?”

  She smiled. “I’ve never had a guy try to meet me by spilling drinks.”

  Lucian felt his cheeks flush. “Well, there’s a first time for everything.”

  “Why don’t you have a seat?”

  Lucian joined her. He was trying to place her accent. Words lilted and streamed one into another in a pleasant-sounding way. It didn’t sound like anything he had heard on Earth, even in the media. She was probably from somewhere outside Sol, though he didn’t know where.

  He grabbed his coffee and took a sip. His mind fought for something to say that wouldn’t make him sound like a complete idiot. She was just staring at him expectantly, waiting for him to make the first move.

  “So, I’ll be honest,” Lucian said. “I saw you looking at me, and I want to know why.”

  “Honest and straightforward. I like it.” She took a sip of her coffee. “But you were the one looking at me first.”

  He supposed that was true. “It just felt like you recognized me, or something. I probably just imagined it.”

  “No, we haven’t met.” She smiled. “Are you okay? You seem a little . . . flustered.”

  “I just can’t believe that happened. Just my luck, I guess.”

  “Well, you’re an Earther, that much I can see. Clumsy in a gravity that’s not your own. Unless I’ve missed my guess, you’ve probably lived there your whole life.”

  “How could you know that?”

  “Something about the way you walk, like you’ve had gravity pushing you down your whole life. Spacers have a lighter footing. It will be a few more days before you find your feet.”

  “I see. That makes sense.”

  “My name’s Emma, by the way. And you?"

  “Lucian. You’re from space, then?”

  She nodded. “Well, not originally, but yeah. My family lives in L5, but I’ve lived all over the place.”

  L5. She had to come from money, then. Lucian instantly felt out of place next to her. He noted her clothing—it was nothing extravagant, but it was a designer brand and perfectly tailored, complementing her form.

  “I’ve never been in space before, actually,” Lucian admitted.

  “Really? I’ve been told Earthers are pretty insular, but I didn’t know it was that bad.”

  “Well, getting to space can be expensive,” Lucian said somewhat defensively.

  Her cheeks colored a bit. “I’m sorry. That was . . . rude of me.”

  He hadn’t expected the apology. “It’s fine.” The last thing he wanted was for her to pity him. “Anyway, I take it you’ve been on one of these liners before. Any tips?”

  “Well, the first thing you should expect is that it can be pretty boring. You’ll get so sick of holos, sims, and lit-films that you’ll never want to watch them again. And you run into the same people over and over, and some of them can be dreadfully annoying. After a few days, you’ll see why they charge so much for a first-class cabin.”

  “Yep, that’s what I was afraid of. Are you staying in first class?”

  She laughed. “No. Waste of money, in my opinion. The private pods suit me just fine.” She watched him closely. “Is your end port Volsung Orbital?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “My . . . uncle works there. I’m going to work for his company. He’s an exec for Caralis Intergalactic. What about you? Volsung, too?”

  She gave a knowing smile. “Why are you really going to Volsung? Tell me the truth this time.”

  How had she known he was lying? Lucian cleared his throat, stumbling for an answer. “I am telling the truth.”

  She only laughed. “I guess being careful makes sense, given the circumstances.”

  Lucian could only watch her in disbelief. There was no way she could know what he was.

  “You were right earlier,” she said.

  “Right about what?”

  She leaned forward, giving a somewhat conspiratorial smile. “There is a reason I was looking at you. Allies can be hard to find, especially for people like us.”

  People like us? Lucian’s eyes widened at the implication as the hairs on his arms stood on end.

  She couldn’t be saying what he thought she was saying. The odds were too great.

  “Yeah,” she said, reading his reaction. “I’m like you. I’m a mage.”

  Lucian could only stare in mute shock for what must have been a full five seconds. It was only then that he found his voice.

  “How could you possibly know that?”

  “You’re not the first one I’ve met,” she said. “I know a mage when I see one. I guess you could call it an ability. I’m not sure how it works, exactly, and I don’t know how else to explain it.”

  “That’s . . . interesting.” It was all he could manage to say.

  “Interesting? Well, it is that. Since you’re here, it’s safe to say that we’re probably going to the same place for the same reason.”

  “You’re going to the Academy, too?”

  Emma nodded. “I am.”

  Lucian shook his head. “The odds that we would both be on the same ship are pretty much insurmountable.”

  “Well, the only explanation that makes sense to me is that something put us together. I’ve heard it said that two mages don’t meet by chance.”

  He opened his mouth to protest before she put her hand up. “When it comes to people . . . like us . . . like can attract like.”

  “As in . . . fate or something?”

  It sounded ridiculous to say that. And . . . a bit forward.

  But Emma didn’t seem to take it that way. “Something like that.”

  Lucian had so many questions, but he had to restrain himself, at least for now. Against all odds, here was someone to compare notes with. But at the same time, he didn’t know if he could trust her. Just because they were both mages didn’t mean they would be friends.

  And yet, what choice did he have but to trust her? She knew his secret, and he knew hers. They could either help each other or assure each other’s destruction.

  “So, something put us together. Something like . . . magic.”

  “I know it sounds far-fetched,” Emma said. “But I know a little bit about magic. Not much, but something.”

  “Like what? All I could find was some random articles on the GalNet.”

  “You can’t trust any of that,” she said. “I knew a mage once, and he told me how some of it worked. It was a long time ago, but I still remember.”

  They lapsed into silence. Through the viewports, Mars was smaller. Sol Citadel by this point, would be impossible to see without the aid of the ship’s telescope.

  “How long have you known?” Emma asked.

  “I found out a couple of days ago,” he said. “Hopefully, the Academy can teach me to control it.”

  “I’ve been told the training is difficult. If we help each other along, it might be easier.”

  “It’s all so new to me. I . . . haven’t fully accepted it, to be honest.”

  “It’s not easy to accept,” she said. “I’ve had my suspicions for a while now, but I didn’t know for sure until a few weeks ago. I’ve had some time to process it.”

  “We should talk about this somewhere else,” Lucian said.

  No one seemed to be paying attention to them, and they were speaking quietly, but it was better to be safe.

  “That’s a good idea,” Emma said. “We’ll talk later.”

  Before Lucian could respond, she stood up. She was tall and willowy, which could be a marker of someone who had lived for years in lower gravity. He wanted to talk to her more, but that would have to come later.

  “Well, Lucian,” she said, “it was a pleasure meeting you.” She smiled. “Thanks for the coffee.”

  She stood and left. Once she was gone, Lucian finished his coffee while surveying the other passengers. Looking around, it didn’t seem as if anyone had taken notice of them. Most of the tables were empty.

  It was time for Lucian to return to his cabin. When he arrived, it was still empty. He was grateful he wouldn’t have to introduce himself to anyone else just yet.

  He climbed into his pod and commanded the interior screen to play a holo, but he could hardly watch it. All he could think about was Emma, who was also a mage.

  Emma, who could potentially teach him more about magic.