Hsandtuss rose and turned to Sszaxxanna. She raised the human weapon in her hand and pointed it at him. But nothing happened. Hissing in frustration, she shook the metal device, but it was no more deadly or loud than a stone. Hsrandtuss cuffed her across the face, knocking her to the ground and knocking the weapon from her hands.
“Great king!”
Suddenly Szakhandu and Kendra were there.
“Are you injured, husband?” asked Szakhandu.
“Yes, I am.”
Szakhandu began examining him, prodding the wound on his head until he pushed her away. Kendra reached down and picked up the weapon of the soft-skins. She moved it from one hand to the other and then held it out straight in front of her. A deafening roar echoed through the hill as the device spat fire, and Sszaxxanna flopped over onto her side, a large bloody hole in her head.
Hsrandtuss looked at Kendra. She just shrugged and held out the weapon.
“I’m not touching that!” said the king. “Put it away somewhere before it decides to kill somebody else.”
Kendra took the satchel from Sszaxxanna’s body and slinging it over her shoulder, placed the gadget inside. Within half a minute, several dozen lizzies had gathered around, drawn by the thunderous report. Szakhandu took charge.
“Bring the healing women for the king,” she ordered. “Find Chutturonoth and arrest him. And take that.” She pointed at the body near her feet. “Throw it into the river and let the crocodiles eat it.”
* * * * *
Saba walked along the sidewalk, carrying DeeDee on his shoulders. Eamon Shrubb walked along beside him, similarly burdened with his son Homer, while the two older boys, Saba and Al walked along side-by-side behind them. It was a warm day, though the wind had come up the night before and it was still quite breezy.
“Don’t come crying to me about your lack of free time,” Saba told Eamon. “You had a fine job as inspector and you gave it up.”
“I just don’t feel investigating is the best use of my abilities.”
“What do you mean? You uncovered our bomber.”
“I’m an officer of the peace. I’m good at it. I don’t see why I should have to change positions just because I’ve been here longest.”
“That’s not why, you ninny. It was supposed to have been a reward.”
“It’s just the way I feel,” said Eamon.
“Fine. Say no more about it. I freely admit you’re the best police sergeant that ever was. Maybe it would be better to elevate one of the wizards.”
They turned the corner onto Forest and walked up toward J.D. Kinney’s 5 and 10 Pfennig Dry Goods and Sundries, to find a large crowd milling around the front of the building. None of the group, all men, seemed to be interested in going into the store. They parted as Saba, Eamon, and the boys stepped up.
“It’s no use, inspector, they’re all out of shovels and pans,” said one of the men.
“Every store in town is out,” said another.
“What in the world are you talking about?” asked Saba.
“Gold,” said the first man. “Haven’t you heard?”
“Heard what exactly?”
“Ripley Everton and his brother just came back from trading with the lizzies. They discovered gold.”
“Did they, or did they just say they did? You know how Everton is always shooting his mouth off about something. You should take what he says with a grain of salt.”
“I’ve seen the nuggets,” said another man. “Three of them, as big as peas.”
“So you’ve all decided to become prospectors?” asked Eamon.
“Somebody’s got to get out there and get that gold. We can’t just leave it to the lizzies.”
“Good luck with that,” said Saba, continuing past the men and into the store.
There were just as many men inside as there were outside. None of them seemed to be shopping particularly. Like those outside, they were just standing around and grumbling.
“We’re completely out of shovels and pickaxes too,” the proprietor said in a pleading voice. “Believe me, if I had any I would gladly sell them to you.”
“All right, you lot!” shouted Eamon. “If you’re here to purchase a tin of biscuits or a bottle of soda water, stay. But if you’re after mining supplies, take on off. They’re all out. Go see if your neighbors have a shovel to sell.”
“Say, that’s a good idea,” said one man.
Quickly the crowd filed out the door, leaving Saba, Eamon, DeeDee, and the boys alone with the shopkeeper. A quick glance out the window confirmed that those who had been milling around the entrance were leaving as well.
“Thank you, constables.”
“Don’t mention it,” said Saba, lifting DeeDee off his shoulders and setting her on the counter. “You can show us your gratitude by selling us six Billingbow’s.”
“Right away.”
The transaction was quickly concluded and the Colbshallows and Shrubbs were soon enjoying the sarsaparilla and wintergreen soda water, DeeDee and Homer sipping through straws while the others swigged.
When the bell above the shop door rang, Saba looked up to see Wizard Cameron and Wizard Winton stride in. Both wore their blue uniforms. Cameron smiled when he saw his fellow constables and walked to the back of the shop to shake hands with Saba and Eamon. Winton stayed near the large store window.
“Gentlemen,” said Cameron. “It’s quite a fine day, don’t you think?”
“A little windy for my taste,” said Eamon.
“Well, perhaps it is. A little wind never hurt anyone though, if you ask me.”
“So what are you about?” asked Saba.
“Oh, just taking care of some business.”
Winton, still by the window, let out a quick whistle. Cameron turned and rushed back to the front of the store.
“See you,” he said, before they both rushed out. Outside, he pointed at the door. There was a small blue flash.
Saba and Eamon looked at one another. Then the sound of an explosion outside rattled the ceiling. Saba ran to the door and shoved, but it didn’t budge. It wasn’t locked, but the latch wouldn’t work. Pressing his face to the glass he saw the two wizards striding out into the street. Winton was casting a spell, while Cameron pulled a crumpled paper from his pocket. He said something and the paper bloomed into flame and then disappeared. Though no magic expert, Saba knew it was some kind of stored spell. He had seen them before, produced by the Result Mechanism. Because of his limited viewpoint and an inconveniently placed tree, he couldn’t see at whom this magical firepower was aimed. And then he did.
Walking down the slope from the print shop was a teen-age boy that Saba didn’t recognize, in a sharp grey suit and bowler hat. Taking her place beside him was Zurfina the Magnificent. No, it wasn’t Zurfina. It was Senta, though she looked so much like her mother, dressed all in black leather. And she was carrying the baby.
Glancing quickly around, Saba picked up a metal display shelf and flung it at the large front window, which shattered. Climbing over stacks of displayed shop goods, he jumped outside, knocking down more glass in the process.
“Stay here and take care of the kids!” he called back to Eamon, before rushing away.
The police inspector didn’t run out into the street. He knew enough about magic to know that he stood no chance against anyone wielding that kind of power. Instead he hugged the edge of the shops, keeping parked steam carriages and shrubbery between him and the magic users as much as possible. As he did so, he kept his eye turned toward them.
Colorful bolts of energy shot back and forth between the two uniformed wizards and the boy, evidently a wizard himself. One of the energy bolts was deflected away and set fire to the front of the millinery shop. Another caused a steam carriage to explode. Saba saw Senta wave her hand, and he expected something amazing. But nothing seemed to happen. The look on her face told him that she was as surprised as he was.
The world turned bright blue monochrome as a bolt of lightning
shot from Winton’s fingertips, hitting the Drache Girl in the upper body. She was sent flying and the baby fell unceremoniously onto the street, letting out a loud wail. Saba jumped to his feet and ran toward the little girl. He had gone no more than ten steps when his legs were kicked out from beneath him. He tumbled down over the grass, over the sidewalk, and into the gutter.
He looked up to see his assailant race past him. Saba didn’t so much recognize him as knew instinctively who he was. It was Baxter, the man who he had met in the men’s shop: the one who had been carrying this same baby in his arms. Diving across the pavement, he scooped up the little girl, rolled and came to his feet, cradling her in one arm while aiming a pistol at the two police wizards. He fired off six rounds, not stopping until he reached cover behind a car. Either he missed his target or the wizards had a shield up to protect them. Saba watched in fascination as the man cradled the child to him, kissing her on the head, all the while emptying his pistol of the spent cartridges.
The police inspector’s attention was jerked back to the present. Senta was back on her feet. Hissing epithets, she swept her hand around her head and then aimed it toward the two wizards. So many things happened at once that it was almost impossible to see and understand them. A gigantic tyrannosaurus appeared in a black cloud of smoke near Wizard Cameron. In a smaller cloud of smoke, a growling wolf appeared near the sorceress. A blast of energy hit the young wizard near her, knocking him down. A huge spectral hand appeared above Wizard Winton and mashed him flat to the ground.
His eyes drawn to the tyrannosaurus, Saba saw Cameron blast it with a bolt of lightning. The beast fell over onto its back, kicked the air several times, and then rolled back to its feet. Its tail overturned the car behind which Baxter was hiding. Not bothering with the kneeling man holding the baby, the predator stalked away toward the southwest. Looking to his right, Saba saw that the wolf that had threatened Senta was already dead—frozen into a block of ice. A massive fireball, twenty feet in diameter, rolled from Cameron towards the sorceress. She waved her hand and it was deflected away, hitting a large pine tree across the street and setting it afire. Saba glanced back at Cameron just in time to see that Baxter had moved up parallel with him. Baby still in his arms, he aimed his pistol toward the wizard’s head and fired. Cameron’s brains sprayed out across the street. He stood still for a few seconds, and then toppled over onto the pavement.
Jumping to his feet, Saba ran toward Senta. She looked pale and weak and before he could reach her, she dropped to her knees. He was almost next to her when she yelled, “Stop!” It took a second before he realized that she wasn’t yelling at him. He looked over his shoulder to see Baxter a few feet behind, aiming the pistol at him.
“Are you all right?” Saba asked, reaching out and holding her shoulder.
“See to Peter.” She pointed at the young man.
In two steps, Saba was by the boy’s side. He was unconscious but it was obvious he was breathing. The shoulder of his suit had a smoldering hole in it. The skin beneath was badly burnt. He quickly looked over the rest of his body, but found no other obvious injuries.
“He’ll be all right. How’s the baby?” He suddenly realized that the child hadn’t made a sound since she had been picked up.
“She’s fine,” said Baxter, still aiming the gun in Saba’s general direction.
“Put that away,” ordered the police inspector.
Looking around he saw Eamon and the children climbing out of the broken pfennig store window. Then from around the corner ran Wizard Bell and four constables, each of whom was carrying a rifle.
“Uuthanum bashtai,” growled Senta.
Saba turned to find her pointing her finger toward Bell. Looking back, he saw the wizard raise his hands as if he had a gun pointed at him.
“There’s a tyrannosaurus gone that way,” Saba shouted to the constables, pointing. “Get on after him.”
The four men took off in the direction he had indicated. They would have no problem following the trail. Saba looked at Bell. The wizard opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He shrugged.
“He won’t be able to say anything for a few hours,” said Senta, struggling with Baxter’s aid to her feet. “I’m not taking any more chances with your wizards.”
“Uuthanum eetarri,” she said, extinguishing the flames on the front of the millinery shop and in the pine tree across the street.
“So what was all that about?” he asked her.
“What do you think?” said Baxter. “They attacked her.”
“They were after my magic,” she said. “It’s that Kafira-damned machine. They used the same spell on me that Suvir Kesi used on Zurfina all those years ago. It neutralized my power. I guess I’m partly to blame though. I should have properly disposed of that paper instead of just throwing it away.”
“There’ll be an inquiry,” said Saba. “After all they were constables.”
“They were attempted murderers,” said Baxter. “If this is your police force, I don’t think much of it.”
Saba didn’t say anything for a minute. He couldn’t exactly argue with the man. He looked at the child in the other man’s arms. She was a beautiful little thing—a copy of Senta in many ways. But there was something else. Around her nose and mouth, he could see a resemblance to DeeDee.
“May I hold her?”
Baxter turned his back.
“It’s all right,” said Senta.
With a scowl, the redheaded man turned back around and handed the child to Saba. The little girl looked at him with her wide grey eyes for just a minute, and then her face scrunched up and she began to cry. Saba kissed her on the cheek and then handed her back to Baxter. She immediately quieted.
A crowd was gathering, including several more constables and a pair of white-clad hospital workers—one a church acolyte and the other a nurse. Something grabbed onto Saba’s leg and he reached down to lift DeeDee into his arms. Eamon and the boys gathered around him.
“Shall we get some law and order established, Sergeant?”
“Right-o,” said Eamon and then turned and began giving orders for the street to be closed, the fire wagon called, the injured boy seen to, and the bodies of the two wizards to be taken away.
Saba turned back to speak to Senta, but she was at the fallen boy’s side, helping the church acolyte tend to his wounds.
Chapter Twenty-One: Life in Birmisia Colony
Senta and Hero stood side-by-side on the steps of the Church of the Apostles. Hero held the fussy baby Senta. Her own Senta rode horsy back on her father across the lawn, while Benny Jr. rode his Uncle Hertzel. All four seemed heedless of the stay off the grass sign. The adult Senta cradled the sleeping Hannabeth Markham.
“It’s too much, really,” said Hero. “I don’t think Benny will allow it.”
“If he has a problem with it, he can tell me,” said the sorceress. “I don’t care if he approves or not. I’m paying for her college education. You said you wanted your Senta to be special. What’s more special that a proper college educated lady?”
“I don’t know. Do I know any proper educated ladies?”
“Mrs. Government.”
“Oh,” said Hero with a frown.
“Egeria Korlann.”
“Oh, well she’s okay.”
“Of course, if you don’t like that plan, we could always just trade. I’ll take your little Senta and you can take mine.”
“Don’t even joke about that,” said Hero, and then changing topics. “What did the police inquest decide?”
The sorceress shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t go.
“Um, aren’t you worried?”
“If they want to track me down, I won’t be hard to find.”
Benny Markham walked up, carrying his eldest child under one arm like a sack of potatoes. He kissed his wife on the cheek. Right behind him was his brother-in-law, now out of breath, with Benny Jr. on his shoulders.
“Look, you’ve both ruined the knees of your tr
ousers,” said Hero.
“You’ve got to have fun while you have the chance,” said Benny.
Hertzel nodded.
Benny tickled the chin of the blond baby.
“Would you like to play horsey?”
“You don’t have time,” said his wife. “The ceremony is going to start in just a few minutes.”
“I don’t think anyone expected you to be here,” Benny whispered to the sorceress. “They just send the Drache Girl an invitation out of respect. It’s like sending one to the governor.”
Senta nodded her head in the direction of the street and the others turned to see a car driven by Governor Staff and containing her husband and her daughter pull up and park, two tires completely up on the sidewalk.
They turned and filed into the church, taking their places toward the back on the right hand side. It wasn’t a packed house by any means. Less than a hundred people, about equally divided between the groom’s and bride’s sides, filled the front third of the pews. As the Markham party was getting settled in, the governor’s family filed past toward an empty pew in the front. Iolana Staff waved as she passed. A mechanical music player began the first chords of Kafira’s Marriage. They all turned to watch Wenda Lanier walking down the aisle to where Father Galen and Walter Charmley awaited her.
“It’s nice that her mother could come,” whispered Hero, gesturing to where Melody Wardlaw, the mother of the bride, sat near the front, still wearing a metal brace outside of her dress.
“I just hope Wenda knows what she’s getting into,” whispered Benny.
“What do you mean?” asked Senta.
“Nothing. Never mind.”
* * * * *
The following day was a warm one. Iolana and her friends Dovie Liklighter and Willa Tice sat at a small table in the gazebo on the west side of the Dechantagne Staff garden. Dovie, wearing a bright pink day dress stood out from the other two girls, who wore simple black skirts, white blouses, and black neckties. A pair of microraptors squawked loudly from a nearby tree as Iolana poured the tea, and she glanced up with a frown.
The Sorceress and her Lovers Page 26