Hood

by Laurence Dahners

  Pongo turned to Tarc, “Let me just tell the Lieutenant where I’m going.”

  Tarc said, “It’s probably much more important that you be at the meeting here.” He looked at Kawhi, “If Cpl. Kawhi can show us the way, there’d be no need for you to go with us?”

  Pongo turned to Kawhi, “Can you do that corporal?”

  Kawhi nodded, but Lizeth could see the disappointment in his eyes. She thought the man had a bit of hero worship for Pongo. Kawhi said, “Um, sergeant? What’re we supposed to do when we get there?”

  Pongo studied the corporal for a moment, then said, “Do you understand what we’re about here Kawhi?”

  Kawhi’s face firmed and he gave drew himself up, “Overthrowing King Uray for the crimes he’s committed.”

  Pongo clapped the corporal on the shoulder “And putting someone we can respect in his place, right?”

  The corporal nodded.

  Pongo said, “Our first job’s to get rid of Uray.” He nodded at Tarc, “If you’ll find Uray, Hood’ll take care of that item.”

  Kawhi’s eyes widened and darted to Tarc. He spoke to Pongo in a whisper, “That can’t be Hood. He’s just a kid!”

  Looking him in the eye, Pongo put his hand on Kawhi’s shoulder, “Trust me, corporal. This kid can do it.”

  Kawhi nodded, but Lizeth could tell the man didn’t believe.

  ~~~

  As they approached Capt. Keith’s house, Kawhi said, “It’s around the corner on the right. Second house across the street.”

  Lizeth’s ghirit quickly told her the house only contained two people neither of which were the king. Not wanting to say anything in front of Kawhi, she looked over at Tarc and gave a little shake of her head.

  He nodded, looking complacent.

  Kawhi pointed, “That’s the captain’s house. What’re you going to do, just go up and knock? Say, ‘Hey, is king Uray here?’”

  Tarc gave Kawhi a thoughtful look. “Can you go up and knock, say you have a message for Capt. Keith?”

  Kawhi gave him an incredulous look, “And what’s this message supposed to be?!”

  “For his ears only. If he’s not there, ask where you could find him to give him the message.”

  Kawhi rolled his eyes, “And if he is there?”

  “Tell him the king’s disappeared. That Lt. Lars wanted Capt. Keith to know so he could make preparations.”

  Kawhi’s eyes widened, “We don’t want Keith preparing a run at the throne!”

  Patiently, Tarc said, “Corporal, Capt. Keith already knows the king disappeared. He’s not going to make preparations because he knows the king’s not dead.” Tarc shrugged, “Unless he’s just killed Uray, in which case he’s definitely already getting ready to take his shot at the crown.”

  Kawhi’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully, then he turned and started for Keith’s door without acknowledging the truth of Tarc’s arguments.

  Lizeth sent her ghirit along to listen. The woman that answered the door said Keith wasn’t there. When Kawhi said he had an important message, she said he was guarding the king today and he should take the message to the palace. Keith didn’t come back here with the king, Lizeth thought, they went somewhere else.

  When Kawhi returned, he was pissed, feeling like he’d wasted his time.

  Mildly, Tarc said, “Let’s go knock on some supporters’ doors. We’ve got to find him.”

  Giving him an exasperated look, Kawhi said, “Which one?”

  “I wouldn’t know, corporal, we’ll have to trust your judgment. I’d be thinking about people you believe are supporters of both Capt. Keith and King Uray. But if there’s someone else we can check on the way to the most likely suspects, we should do that.”

  Lizeth expected the corporal to protest, but when he didn’t she realized that Tarc’s words—putting himself at the mercy of Kawhi’s judgment—had Kawhi thinking instead of complaining.

  Turning and stepping out, Kawhi said, “This way first.”

  It wasn’t far before they entered a neighborhood with walled compounds and bigger houses. When they turned a corner, Kawhi said, “Next compound on the right. How do you propose to find out if he’s in this one?”

  Lizeth sent her ghirit into the house.

  Tarc turned to study the building, so she assumed he’d done the same. He said, “Who lives here?”

  “Walter Witt, textile merchant. Wealthy. Big supporter of King Uray’s.”

  Lizeth’s ghirit found a massive man in the garden behind the home. Yes! Lizeth thought. We were due for a bit of luck.

  Tarc said, “Is there an alley behind the house? I’d like to go in through the back garden.”

  Kawhi rolled his eyes, “You’re not planning to send me to the front door, asking a bunch of stupid questions?”

  Tarc turned the regard of his pale blue-gray eyes on Kawhi, solemnly studying him. Lizeth was suddenly struck by just how handsome her boyfriend—ex-boyfriend?—was. The force of his personality made her want to fidget, and he wasn’t even turning it on her.

  Kawhi obviously felt the same force. He didn’t fidget, but he did say, “Sorry!” the word almost bursting out of him. “Um, I’m afraid I don’t know. Almost all these big houses have alleys behind them, but we’ll have to check to know for sure.”

  “Okay,” Tarc said calmly. He turned and walked back around the corner they’d just passed.

  In the alley, Tarc stopped at the gate of the compound next to the one with the king. Though it had a fancy lock, Tarc jiggled it, then saying, “Huh, it’s unlocked,” he pulled the gate open and walked in.

  Kawhi leaned in the gate behind him and hissed, “This’s the wrong house!”

  Equably, Tarc said, “Yeah, I know. I’m hoping we can get a peek over the wall, check the lay of the land.”

  Lizeth had her ghirit out, so as Tarc walked across the backyard, she checked the house it belonged to. There were only three people inside and they were all near the front of the house. Next, she sent her ghirit to inspect the yard next door where the king was. She wasn’t surprised to see Tarc was heading for a section of wall that’d have an almost unblocked line of sight between the plantings in the next yard to the spot where the king was standing with several other men.

  Reaching the wall, Tarc set down his blanket wrapped bundle, leaped up, grabbed the top of the wall, and slowly pulled himself up to edge an eye over the top. Dropping back down, he smiled as if hanging there had been no effort at all. He spoke quietly, “I think we’re in luck.” He bent and drew in the dirt, boxing out a square area he designated as the neighboring house. “There’re four men standing here,” he said, marking four spots in the dirt. He designated one, “This one’s very tall. I expect he’s the king.” Tarc designated another spot, “This one’s wearing a guard uniform, I imagine he’s Capt. Keith.” He eyed Kawhi, “I hope you can tell me who the other two are?”

  Kawhi gave Tarc a dubious look. He also leaped up and caught the top of the wall.

  When the toes of Kawhi’s boots scrabbled at the wall in the effort of pulling himself up, Tarc stepped forward and lifted his feet. Tarc calmly said, “Don’t want them hearing your boots.”

  Lizeth saw Kawhi send a wild and embarrassed looking glance down at Tarc, then, freed of the strain, he gradually lifted his head and peered over the wall.

  Back down on the ground, Kawhi confirmed the position of the king and Capt. Keith. Walter Witt, the textile merchant was the third man. The fourth one Kawhi didn’t know. “Probably one of Witt’s guards,” he opined.

  “Okay,” Tarc said, bending and laying his bundle on the grass. A moment later, he’d unrolled it. He handed Lizeth the quiver and the blanket, then set about stringing the bow.

  Kawhi said, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

  Tarc pulled one of the arrows out of the quiver, then fixed Kawhi with his gaze. “Assassinating the King and Capt. Keith. I thought you were on board with this?”

  “I am! But surely you don’t th
ink you can climb up onto this wall and take shots at them?! They’ll see you, take cover, and call the rest of Witt’s guards! You’re going to get us all killed!”

  Tarc gave him a nod, “You might be right. I’m going to give it a try anyway. It’d really help if you stepped out into the alley to warn us if anyone comes.”

  Lizeth watched as Kawhi’s conscience fought against his fear. Finally, he said, “How do I warn you?”

  “Throw a pebble over the wall so it lands in the yard. We’ll hear it and know trouble’s coming. You get the hell out of there, whichever way you can.”

  Kawhi nodded, swallowed, and walked over to the gate. He glanced back once as he stepped through it, then pulled the gate almost closed.

  Tarc walked some distance across the yard and laid out the blanket. He turned his left side to the location of the king.

  Lizeth walked around to stand in front of him, holding an arrow at the ready.

  He looked at her, “We’ll need to get out of here as soon as I shoot. In case we get separated, I’ll be headed for the Martins’ house.”

  She nodded.

  He drew and shot, watching after the arrow as it flew, though he did pluck the next arrow out of her fingers. Lizeth got out another arrow while her ghirit followed the arrow’s flight, across the yard and over the wall. As it winged across the next yard, she could sense its path curving a little on its way to driving itself into the left side of Uray’s chest.

  Even as far away as she was standing she faintly heard the thump as the arrow plunged in.

  Tarc was drawing the bow again.

  In her ghirit, Uray’s image was clawing at the shaft of the arrow.

  Keith’s head spun to look at Uray. Apparently deciding the king had no chance, he crouched, head pivoting to look in the direction the arrow had come from. Lizeth detected the slight flinch Keith had time for, before the second arrow plunged into his chest.

  Holy shit! she thought. And, just like that, it’s done!

  Tarc calmly unstrung the bow and dropped it on the blanket. He took the quiver from Lizeth. placed it beside the bow, and rolled everything up.

  The hue and cry from the yard next door had just begun when they stepped out the gate and Tarc quietly closed it behind them.

  Kawhi gave them a wild-eyed look, “What happened?!”

  Tarc said, “It’s done,” as if it were an everyday chore. “We’ve got some other things to take care of, so you might want to head on back to Lt. Harris. He probably needs you for other tasks.”

  “You’ve got to be shittin’ me!” Kawhi said.

  “I’d hurry if I were you,” Tarc said, trotting out of the alley and—rather than turning east toward Lt. Harris’ house—he turned west.

  ~~~

  It started to rain as they arrived at the Martins’ huge home with its extensive gardens. Lizeth sent out her ghirit. There were a lot of people inside the building. Regretfully, unlike the Witt’s home, none of them were out in the gardens within ready arrow shot. Even if they’d been outside, she thought, with the rain I suppose they’d have been going back in.

  She turned to Tarc, “This makes it a little tougher. Our ghirits can’t tell us which one’s Martin. Even if we knew, with him inside, you can’t just take Martin down with an arrow.”

  Tarc just stood looking at the Martins’ mansion—though Lizeth felt sure he was mostly using his ghirit. After a moment, he said, “I’m going to need to get inside the garden and right up against the house. Can you watch my back?”

  Lizeth almost asked him why the most dangerous man she’d ever met, someone whose ghirit could sense anyone within at least a hundred meters, needed someone to watch his back. Then she realized, He’s going to be focused on sorting out what’s going on inside the house. He needs someone to watch his back because he won’t be paying attention to who might be coming up behind him. “No problem,” she said.

  Tarc leaped up, grabbed the top of the wall, and pulled himself up. He leaned down and stretched out a hand for her.

  “What if they see us climbing over the wall?”

  Tarc lifted an eyebrow, “There’s no one near a window right now.” He winked, “But if you screw around long enough, there might be.”

  Lizeth rolled her eyes and took his hand. Then she felt her eyes widen at the smooth power that drew her up the wall—so rapidly she had but to gently bend her knees to fly over the top without touching.

  He didn’t let go, so on the inside of the wall, he smoothly decelerated her to a butterfly light landing.

  Damn! I knew he was strong but… Damn!

  Tarc dropped softly beside her, then led the way across the garden toward the house.

  As she followed, admiring his powerful, V-shaped back, she thought, Handsome, strong, deadly; do they get any sexier than this?

  Tarc stepped up to a notch in the wall of the house and closed his eyes in concentration. Lizeth expanded her ghirit to encompass the house and the grounds, relieved but a little scandalized to realize that there weren’t any guards outside. Either Martin’s not paying his watch enough, or he’s not getting what he pays for, she thought.

  It’s good for us though.

  The curtain on the next window twitched back and Lizeth found herself looking at a guard. The curtain dropped back into place but she heard the man bark something inside. She glanced at Tarc—hidden from the window in the notch—but his eyes were still closed. He trusts me to protect him, she thought, suddenly feeling the responsibility. She sent her ghirit into the room to see where the guard went.

  The man was across the room, about to exit onto the porch. Another man was converging on him. As they went out the door, Lizeth quickly surveyed the rest of the house to figure out how many guards were coming their way. I’m probably going to have to break into Tarc’s little trance so we can get the hell out of here, she thought.

  To her astonishment, only the two warm bodies seemed to be heading for exterior doors. Oh, she realized, since he couldn’t see Tarc he thinks it’s just a girl out here. She grinned fiercely, drew her sword and strode toward the corner the two guards would be coming around. He probably thinks calling for one more guard was overkill. She found it irritating, but knew being underestimated for her sex was very helpful in fights.

  Lizeth paused at the corner and waited for the two men. She’d never used her ghirit in a fight before and suddenly realized just how immensely useful it was about to be.

  She didn’t even have to wait until she got a glimpse of the first man coming around the corner.

  Her ghirit told her he was about to.

  Her sword was already moving.

  As he came into view her blade plunged into his chest.

  She jerked it back out.

  The first guard fell. The next man stumbled over his legs.

  Lizeth’s sword speared him as he went down.

  The looks of surprise and dismay on their faces briefly caught at her sentiments.

  Think of their expressions, she sternly reminded herself, and don’t ever be that cavalier yourself.

  She turned, sending out her ghirit in reaction to the admonishment she’d just given herself.

  No one was coming.

  Tarc opened his eyes and leaned away from the wall, starting toward her. He looked sad.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked.

  He sighed, “Just doesn’t seem fair.”

  For a moment Lizeth thought he was accusing her of killing the guards without giving them a chance, but then his eyes went to the two guards, gasping and gurgling their last at the corner. “Sorry. I see you had some trouble. If you needed help—”

  “I didn’t,” Lizeth interrupted, not wanting to discuss it. Then, curious, she asked, “What were you thinking didn’t seem fair?”

  He started off through the gardens toward the wall. “Taking down Martin. I mean, he never had a chance. Probably didn’t deserve one, but…”

  “Wait. ‘Taking down’? What do you mean? Don’t we
still need to… do something to keep him from challenging Harris?”

  “Already done.”

  “How?! You didn’t even go in the house!”

  “Ghirit. Punched holes in his brainstem the way I did Uray’s balls. That’s what I meant about it not seeming fair.”

  “Brainstem?”

  He pointed to the base of his skull, “The top of the spinal cord.”

  “Um… What the hell? If you could do that, why’d you take down Uray and Keith with arrows?”

  Tarc leaped up, grabbed the top of the wall, pulled himself up, then reached down for Lizeth. As he pulled her up and over, he spoke without even grunting. “I wanted everyone to know Keith and Uray’d been executed for the crimes they’d been committing.” He jumped down beside Lizeth and they turned back north. “I didn’t want Sylvia to know I killed her dad.” He shrugged, “Even if she wanted him dead. This way they’ll just think he died of a stroke or something. No one’ll ever know he was assassinated. She won’t carry the guilt of thinking her words to me brought about the death of her own father.”

  Lizeth’s eyes narrowed. “You got the hots for her?”

  Tarc gave Lizeth a revolted look. “No. But no one should have to go through life feeling like they killed their own parent.”

  Lizeth felt embarrassed. But, also irritated he’d made her feel that way.

  Yet, somehow, the care he’d taken for Sylvia made him even sexier.

  ~~~

  Dusk fell as they walked back across town toward the gate to the caravan. Lizeth was thinking yearningly of getting some rest.

  Tarc slowed at a corner. “You go on and get back. I’ve got a couple more things to do.”

  Lizeth sighed, but then braced herself, “I want to see this through. What’s still on your ‘to do’ list?”

  Tarc hesitated a moment, “Shibone, the crime lord that owns the Palace Tavern now. He arranges murders. He sent the men who went to kill the Descarte family.”

  Lizeth frowned, “Owns it now?”

  Tarc shrugged, “I didn’t see him when we stayed there during Mom’s rescue. I think he’s taken over since then.”

  “How’re we supposed to find him?”

  “I’m pretty sure he sits at the same table every evening.”