by Glen Cook
Strafa saw things through different eyes. Olive, at the moment.
She leaned out the window. She waved. She blew kisses. I caught the back draft as she stoked up the girl power. Any man down there who wasn’t moon-eyed and holding his hat in front of his fly was in serious violation of the most draconian prohibition of most of the thousand and one religions plaguing... er, gracing our great city.
I looked over her shoulder. It was amazing what she could do to men.
“You are a wicked woman.”
“I could be. But I’m too lazy.” She retreated just far enough to become invisible to the soldiers.
“You could be queen of the world by now.”
She said, “We’re going to do some things now, beloved.”
“Yes?”
“I’m going to go see those men. I’m going to cloud their minds. You get yourself and your friend ready to move somewhere else.”
“Where?”
“Your province. Mine is to fix it so those men besiege an empty castle.”
“You lost me. But I’m so infatuated, I trust you completely.”
She looked startled. “Pular Singe told me I should wear old, high-top boots if I really want to spend my life close to you. Maybe she wasn’t just jealous and teasing.”
“Strafa, whatever it was, I take it back. I don’t want to be the guy to you that I seem to be to everybody else. I just want to be your guy, no games. No ifs, ands, or bullshit.”
90
Strafa rode her broomstick out the window.
I hustled downstairs. A grim Singe told me, “We won’t last long if they try to starve us out.”
“We won’t be here. Strafa will fly us out, me first, then Morley, then you, and Dean.”
The more I reflected, though, the less likely it seemed that those men could sustain a long siege. What they were doing was illegal.
Legality aside, those clowns might leave once they saw us fly away.
Which made me wonder how serious they were. If they broke out the longbows and started sniping...
That would make me unhappy.
Singe said, “I know your mind doesn’t work that way, but why not just flit over to the Al-Khar and let them know what is going on?”
“Clearing them off could get ugly.”
“I’m just a simpleminded ratgirl. I cannot grasp the political ramifications. But I cannot believe that anyone would start a civil war just to keep embarrassing sorcery hidden.”
I had begun to wonder how committed Block and Relway were to the rule of law. Would they go to war on its behalf? Against the Crown?
I hoped they never found themselves forced to decide.
“I’ll be upstairs. Have Morley get up there as soon as he can.”
Morley clumped into my bedroom. He looked grim. “Garrett, I’m not quite ready to go on the warpath. Just getting up here kicked my butt.” He joined me at the window. “What’s up?”
“She’s putting the girl magic on those guys.”
“The what?”
“I call it girl magic. Remember when she came into the World the first time, back in the day? She’s doing that, only at full power.”
Thank the gods she turned it off before she came back. She told me, “I’m ready. But where should we go?”
“Let’s catch Belinda. She doesn’t have a huge head start.” I leaned out the window, lifted a leg to start working my way through. There was no way Strafa and I would fit at the same time. That big-ass broomstick took up too much territory.
The roof of the stoop was four feet down. I hoped it was in good repair. The pitch was steep enough that loose slates might go slip-sliding away, taking my favorite former Marine along.
I completed my part without disaster, though that might yet come. The Palace Guards had their brains scrambled but they noticed me anyway. Some still had a vague notion that they might ought to commence to begin to fix to get ready to keep people from getting away.
They knew I was a runner when Strafa darted out and had me drag my dead ass onto the broomstick behind her.
She began to climb, not nearly as fast as I liked. Several of those guys were immune to girl magic. Sling bullets burred around us.
The sergeant major roared like a bear who’d broken a tooth while gnoshing on somebody’s skull. I made out no distinct words but in all the history of the universe sergeants major never have been required to be coherent to be understood. This one did not want to have to answer questions about why a Windwalker, from the rarified air on the Hill, had been struck out of the sky by men in full uniform, fully armed, operating illegally miles from the venue they were supposed to protect. Only in the King’s own presence were they allowed to take their show on the road.
That gave me a killer idea. I’d have to try it out on Jon Salvation.
Disguised thugs from the Hill helped the sergeant major make his point. Masquerading, they would not enjoy the legal umbrella protecting the real Guards. Guardsmen had to take orders. Their superiors had to worry about legalities.
Strafa said, “Hang on tight.”
“You’re preaching to the choir, sweetness. Go high.” I had flown before, during other adventures. I never liked it. “Head north along Wizard’s Reach.”
Belinda could follow that only so far, though. The street dropped down, crossed Deer Creek, climbed again but dead-ended at Handycot Way, which marked the southern boundary of Woodland Park, from which every scrap of wood had been stolen.
Strafa said, “It would be a huge help if... That looks like her over there, almost to Grand.”
Who else would be out with so large a convoy?
Strafa’s eyes were better than mine in these circumstances. She had been flying since she was little. I bet they worked her half to death doing recon in the Cantard.
Say that for her class. They all did their time in the war zone, boys, girls, and everything in between. Most did multiple tours. Strafa’s father had.
We tilted downward and streaked toward the coach. I shut my eyes. The roar of air passing made it hard to talk.
Strafa ended up floating alongside the coach. That caused enough excitement for Belinda to look see what was happening. I told Strafa, “Keep an eye on the guy beside the driver.” Joel looked like he was tempted to do something that I would regret.
91
“You won’t like this but I don’t care,” Belinda told me. “Go back to Fire and Ice. Mike will cover you. You.” She spoke to Strafa. I hoped she remembered who Strafa was. “Once Garrett shows you where to take him I would be most appreciative if you would move the others to the same place, Morley first.”
I said, “Dean won’t leave and Singe will want to stay to wrangle the Dead Man.”
Belinda shrugged. “You can’t force people. You and Morley are the souls that matter to me. Hole up there and wait. I may be a while.” She told Strafa. “I’ll be ever so grateful if you’ll let me know when my boys are safe.”
“Certainly.”
Strafa felt no further need to converse, nor did Belinda. I did but everyone ignored me. Nobody disagrees that I over-think and overquestion — then, after the fuss, go hey-diddle-diddle straight up the middle.
Strafa did say, “Let’s go, darling.” Belinda’s crowd surged into a big U-turn. My old pal Joel shot me one last poisonous look.
Strafa went up only a little above the rooftops this time. Curious bats swooshed around us. A huge, elderly owl flapped alongside for a while, hoping we would startle up something tasty.
We followed Grand all the way. We were spotted several times. There would be talk tomorrow but no popular excitement. Dozens of sorcerers, great and small, infest TunFaire.
I asked Strafa to set down in the street beneath the window of the room where Morley and I had stayed. I meant to go in the back way. But that window was wide open and no light burned behind it.
Someone had undone my masterful carpentry.
“Pop up there and see if anyone is in that room.”
“Good enough. Pop me in, then go get Morley. Please?” In case she thought I was getting presumptuous and bossy.
“Just this once. Get on.”
I straddled the broom. Up we went. Strafa hovered while I tumbled through the window. When I got up to say something she was gone.
My night vision was not acute. I felt my way through the unfamiliar layout, found the door, listened, heard nothing. I opened up a cautious crack.
Two small sconces with their wicks turned down illuminated the empty hallway. Enough light got in to show me the new layout. I spotted a lamp.
I lit that off the nearest sconce, got back inside the room, shut the door.
The furniture was all new. Paint had been applied to the woodwork, especially the windowsill. The door now had a bolt on the inside. I threw it, began a detailed inspection. I was still at that when Strafa brought Morley. He clambered through the window. She darted away.
Morley plopped into the only available chair. “What the hell are you doing? Why didn’t you just walk in through the front door?”
“Being sneaky seemed like a good idea at the time. But you’re right. Using the door would mean fewer misunderstandings when they find us squatting up here.”
“You think? I’ll go find Mike in a minute. Maybe I can talk fast enough to save you some broken bones.”
“I’ll be counting on you, buddy.”
“Sure. Meanwhile, you want to explain why we’re even here?”
“Belinda’s idea. Because the house is under siege, the Dead Man is sleeping, and there was only food enough for a few days.”
“Somebody panicked.”
“They did?” I had been thinking exactly that since I stopped moving.
“I didn’t think about it, either, till I was on my way. But, really, your house was not under attack and that crew was there illegally. How long are they likely to stay?”
“If the King stays stubborn about the law being whatever he says it is...”
“I bet the point of the exercise was to get the reaction they got. They wanted us to run.”
“You’d better see Mike. If that was the point...” I recalled seeing a barn cat pick off mice startled into flight by another cat.
“On my way.” He got up and went. “Sit tight. Whatever happens, sit tight.”
“Will do.”
I worried, though. He was bone pale. He wouldn’t last much longer.
Strafa came back. She gave me no chance to say anything this time, either.
She dropped Penny and skedaddled.
92
Miss Tea preceded Morley into the room. DeeDee followed. Mike scowled at me, at Penny, then said, “You can’t bring your own beer to the theater, and you can’t bring your own playmate to Fire and Ice.”
Penny turned a ferocious red. She made a pitifully small squeaky noise. I thought she would melt down to a puddle of goo.
I said, “That was cruel and uncalled for, Miss Tea.” I whispered, “And she’s the Capa’s little sister.”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t take it out on the kid. You’re a plenty big target yourself.”
“Morley already told you this is the Capa’s idea.”
“I can’t take my anger out on her. What were you thinking, climbing in the damned window? Which I ought to charge you for getting fixed.”
“I wasn’t thinking. I admit that.”
“You could have ended up with more holes in you than this other idiot had. Then what would I do?”
I shrugged. “Pay a specialist to get rid of the bloodstains?”
“It would’ve put the kibosh on our future together, that’s for sure.”
I said, “Huh?”
Penny squeaked in dismay.
Morley made a snorting sound. He collapsed into the only chair. He would have giggled if he was a girl.
DeeDee took up the slack. She thought that was hilarious.
And here came Crush, uninvited. Her excuse was a tray with tea, six cups, and a pound of frou-frou cookies so thin you could read through them. She was taken aback by Penny’s presence, too. “I don’t have any appointments for a while.”
Mike grumbled, “So you thought you would be nosy.”
“Yeah. I did think I’d stick my honker in.”
A hint of a smile flickered on Mike’s lips. There was a streak of affection for Crush hidden inside Miss Teagarden.
I said, “I’m glad you did, kid. I have a message for you.” I glanced at Morley. He had no advice to offer. His eyes were shut. A fussing DeeDee was in the way.
Mike eyed me suspiciously. Crush looked at me askance.
“It’s nothing huge. I introduced Crush to Jon Salvation at my house, the other day. He was having a bad one. She asked questions he was tired of hearing. He was rude to her. He felt bad about it later. I told him I’d apologize.”
“That was after he found out what I do, right?”
“He has no idea what you do. He wouldn’t believe me if I told him. You aren’t anything like what he would expect... No. You’re not what... Mike, can you save my dumb ass here?”
“Suppose she was a shop girl? Men. Just say what you have to say.”
I knew that. But it’s hard to remember, sometimes.
Mike added, “You don’t need to walk on eggshells. We know what we do.”
“All right. Jon felt bad about being a jerk. He knows Crush is a big fan because we both told him. So he said, if you’re around the World sometime, when they’re in rehearsal, you can come in and watch them work on his next play. Which means you get to see it before anybody and you get to see how a play gets put together. And, I figure, you’d get the answers to your questions.”
“That’s it? That’s all?” Mike demanded.
“That’s all. Her virtue would be safe.”
“Smart ass. I should ought not to believe you just because it’s you.”
What was that? “You don’t know me that well.”
“I probably know enough. Out of curiosity I had a long talk with the Capa one night. She does know you that well.”
Crush demanded, “Is that for real?”
“Which? What Mike is on about or the invitation?”
“The invitation. Mike flirting is too cerebral to be interesting.”
“Yes, then. Jon Salvation is a good guy. He’s desperate to have people like him. Most theater people are. So, if you have the time, and you want, go by there.”
Crush looked to Mike, perhaps asking permission.
Mike said, “DeeDee, you should be getting ready for your next appointment.” Once DeeDee went away, Mike told Crush, “That might be good for you.” To me, tapping herself on the left breast, “Heart of gold.” Then to Crush, “You don’t go giving it away just because this scribbler is famous.”
Crush was horrified. “I would never...”
Through all this Penny’s eyes just kept getting bigger.
Mike’s heart of gold ran maybe eight carat.
She said, “Crush, go back down to the parlor. You don’t need to take any random clients. Just sing a few songs.”
With Crush gone, she said, “She has a marvelous voice. She might not be in the life if she had found that out first.”
“Probably not as much money in singing.”
“Not with her looks. So. What’s the plan?”
“Belinda said come here, hunker down, and sit tight. That sounded like a good idea at the time but once we got here we decided it was stupid. We should have stayed where we were.”
Mike had a black look for me but the one she laid on Morley was special. Crisp chips of seared Dotes should have flaked off him. Penny’s presence saved us some ugly language.
She said, “I don’t know what I did to bring this stuff down on myself.”
“We can leave.”
“Of course you can. Any time you wan
t. With wonder boy asleep and the Capa likely to turn up any second to ask if I’m bending over and taking it like a good girl.”
“Are you really that bitter?”
“Only on days of the week ending in ‘day.’ I have a nice business here. We like each other, mostly. We look out for each other. I do everything by the numbers. I pay off the right people without complaining. So is it really too much to ask to be left alone in return?”
“Probably not. So why not just go back to work and forget us?”
“Best idea I’ve ever heard from you.” She stamped out.
Penny said, “She isn’t very nice, is she?”
“Don’t let her fool you. That was all show.” I had seen a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
“So what now?”
“We wait. That’s mostly what I do. Sit. Watch. Wait. If you’re tired you can have the bed. I’ll get a folding chair out of the corner.”
“I couldn’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“People use it for... Well, you know.”
I knew, but I was a jaded old cynic. “A bed is a bed, girl, with some more comfortable than others. When you’re tired whatever else happened there doesn’t matter. Though you might be smart to see how big the bugs are before you take the plunge.”
“Mr. Garrett! Do you have to be a jerk all the time?”
“You bring out the worst in me. Do you want the bed or not? Because if you’re going to be all bluestocking, I’ll snag it for myself. I’m not the gentleman you think I am.”
“I believe that would make you exactly the man I think you are, sir. I will sit out the night on a folding chair, thank you.”
“Suit yourself. Turn the lamp down when you’re ready. And don’t lock the door. People will come to see us at some point.”
Yes. I was that way with the kid. She wanted to be part of the household on Macunado Street, I would treat her like family.
I climbed into the bed.
It was a far better bed than the one it had replaced. It was miles better than the cot.
It was a comfortably cool night so I just stretched out on the covers. Despite the excitement, the strange bed, and the fact that I had had nothing to drink, I fell asleep immediately. Despite the fact that even after she turned the lamp down I could see a sour-faced teenager scowling my way if I cracked an eyelid.