Death's Angels

Chapter Twenty-Three

Rena surprised Rik by handing him a package. She smiled and looked a little embarrassed as if she half expected him to reject it but he took it from her hand and rose from the bed. They were in the same room in which he woken the previous day. This was getting to be a habit, he thought. He was not sure if he liked the idea. Sabena had left him wary of being close to any woman.

“What is it?”

“A Solace Gift,” she said. Now he felt a little embarrassed. He had nothing to give her but some coin. It was not something he had expected from one of Mama Horne’s girls.

“Thank you.”

“Open it if you like.” He unwrapped the package and discovered a small prayer crystal on a copper chain. It was inscribed with Malok, the Elder Sign of protection. He performed a swift valuation and judged that it had probably cost the girl all the money he had given her and perhaps a bit more.

“This was unnecessary,” he said with more coldness than he intended. Malok was a sign traditionally given by parents, wives or sweethearts to those going into peril. He was more touched than he cared to let on. No one, not even the Old Witch, had ever given him such a gift before.

“I wanted to give you it. The spell-carver said it would keep you safe on your travels. It’s a very powerful ward, he said. And you are going to war.”

“Then I thank you for it, and am glad to have it. I am sorry but I have nothing to give you in return.”

“I did not give you it in expectation of anything of the sort,” she said. “I just want you to live and come back so that maybe I can see you again.”

She was obviously hoping for him to say something. Something more was going on here than he had expected. Things had become more ambiguous than the simple commercial relationship of soldier and brothel girl, even he was prepared to admit that. He had been half-looking for her when they had come back to Ma Horne’s last night and he had not been surprised when she approached him.

“I am sure you will see me again,” he said, the lie being easier than anything else, for he was not sure whether he wanted to do so, or to even acknowledge the small claim she seemed to be making on him. It was perfectly possible, he told himself, that he would march away from here and never see her again, and not regret it at all, but now was not the time to mention that.

She grabbed him and kissed him with more emotion than he expected and it came to him that she was not really seeing him at all, but the promise of something that she held in her own mind. There was no way she could really know him. If truth be told, there was no way he wanted anybody to really know him. He was certain that if they did, they would be horrified.

“I worry about you,” she said and then shut her mouth swiftly as if she had said too much.

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

“There’s the hill-men. There’s whatever strange business you and your friends are involved in. There’s the fact you are going to war soon.”

“If I don’t worry about them, why should you?”

“That’s all the more reason to worry. Put the prayer crystal on.” Somewhat reluctantly he did so, and he had to admit he felt better for it.

“This must have cost you a fortune,” he said. “Let me pay you for it.”

“No,” she said swiftly. “It’s a gift. I don’t want anything for it. Such things should be given freely and unstintingly to be effective. That’s what the spell-carver said.”

“He would. It lets him jack up his prices and claim it will increase the effectiveness of his wares.”

“Are you always so cynical about everything?” He considered it for a moment.

“Yes,” he said at last.

“Maybe you should try being less so. The whole world is not your enemy.”

“Maybe.” She playfully punched him and they wrestled on the bed, until their play turned into something else entirely.

“Good morning, Halfbreed” said Weasel as Rik and Rena entered the saloon. He sat alone at the table playing patience. The girls he had been with the night before were nowhere to be seen.

“A pleasant Solace to you,” said Rik.

“We should get back to the camp, pick up the stuff and get ready for Solace night.”

“It’s going to be a big party,” said Rena. “Solace always is.”

Weasel produced some coin. He tossed it to the girl. “Go get yourself a nice mask,” he said. “I want to talk with your boyfriend alone.”

“More of your mysterious business?” Rena asked.

“You guessed it — now scat!”

Rena went. Weasel looked at Rik. Rik met his stare openly.

“You been telling her anything?” he asked. “Men sometimes say things as they shouldn’t when they are a-bed with a pretty lass.”

“It’s the Barbarian you should worry about. You know me better.”

“Aye, I do.”

“So?”

“So why do I feel there’s something I should know about?”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s something odd going on with you right now, Rik.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Me neither. Something’s bothering you, something about the books. I noticed it last night.”

Weasel was acute. Rik had to give him that. The man’s instincts were very sound. Rik considered his reply carefully.

“This whole business makes me uneasy. These are magician’s books. Who the hell wants a dark sorcerer’s books? I think this might be Brotherhood business. I think Bertragh might be Brotherhood.” Rik knew that invoking the ancient sorcerous conspiracies would make Weasel uneasy, and that would help explain his own unease. No one really knew what the Brotherhoods were about; mostly they were associated with tales of demon worship and human sacrifice. As he considered the matter, Rik thought his lie might even contain more than a grain of truth.

“He might be. In which case that’s a good reason to dump the books as quick as possible.”

“And I don’t like Bertragh,” Rik said. “And I don’t trust him.”

“Me neither but I like his gold, and if it talks to me sweetly I will believe it too.”

“He was too keen to buy. He agreed to our price too quickly.”

“You think we could get more?” Weasel asked.

“I think we could get dead.”

“Keep talking.”

“If these books are so valuable, and so filled with dark secrets, will he really want us around afterwards, our fists filled with gold, our guts filled with beer? We might talk to the wrong people.”

“Killing us might cause people to ask the wrong questions, too.”

“Not if there is an easy explanation of why we are dead. Not if we show up with our dicks chopped off and stuffed in our mouths.” Rik had just spinning out his excuses but he was surprised with how much sense he was making. These were things worth considering.

“How would Bertragh know to do that?” Weasel replied.

“Doesn’t it strike you as slightly suspicious that you hear about a potential buyer for our books about the same time as friend Vosh got a mouthful of himself?”

“Coincidence.”

“Willing to bet your life on that?”

The former poacher appeared to come to a decision. “We’ll change the meeting place to somewhere of our choosing. If Bertragh is as keen as appears, he’ll go for it. We’ll have some of the lads on hand just in case.”

“Where?” Rik said.

“Here’s as good a place as any. We can rent a room. Nobody will be the least suspicious if some Foragers are in here.”

“Makes sense.”

“But we still need your share of the books, Rik. And you need to go get them. I say we both go together. Hopefully we can slip in and out of the camp without anybody noticing us.”

“What if we can’t?”

“We’ll slip out again after drums roll. It won’t be too difficult to do after dark. We’ve done it before.”

“We’ll get going as soon as I say goodbye to Rena. We should pick up some other stuff too. I have a plan, just in case things go sour.”

“Let’s hear it.”

Sardec allowed the Inn’s servants to dress him. They pulled on his boots, adjusted his jacket, held the mirror so he could make sure he looked immaculate. As he dressed he dealt with various small bits of business that had arisen. His costume for tonight’s Solace mask had arrived from the boutique. There were various small matters of bills due that he was required to sign for. There was a request for his attendance on the person of Colonel Xeno as soon as he had breakfasted.

After breakfast he visited the Colonel at his office in the Redoubt.

Xeno studied him as he entered, rose, bowed slightly and then returned to his desk. He finished signing some documents and said; “You visited Lady Asea yesterday.”

“I did, sir. You gave me permission.”

“And you discussed your recent mission with her.” Sardec saw where this was going now.

“Lady Asea is one of the First, sir, and she was curious.”

“So you told her what she wanted to know.” Xeno’s tone was silky. Sardec sensed the danger in it. He remembered some of the rumours that had flown around the officer’s mess about Xeno and Lady Asea. There was some long-standing animosity between them, over what no one seemed to know. Sardec guessed it was political. In politics Xeno was so conservative he was almost purple.

“I told her what seemed reasonable to tell her, sir.”

“And what was that?”

“I told her about the Ultari. I was hoping she could throw some light on the matter.”

“She certainly seems determined to. She has a ripjack in her cage about Uran Ultar and someone trying to reawaken him. She sent me a message about it this morning.”

“Perhaps someone is, sir.”

Xeno steepled his fingers and looked up at the ceiling. He let out a long sigh. “Yes, Lieutenant, perhaps someone is. That is why you shall be accompanying the Lady Asea back to the ruins of Achenar as soon as she finds it convenient.”

“Sir?”

“The Lady Asea requires an escort into the mountains. You and your men were the last ones at the site she wishes to visit. It seems logical that you should be the one to accompany her. Don’t you agree?”

“Indeed, sir, but we are mobilising for intervention in Kharadrea.”

“A trip into the mountains will not take too long, I hope. We can’t have one of the First wandering around on her own in such dangerous territory, not with the hill-men all stirred up now, can we?”

“You are correct, sir. When must my men be ready?”

“She is hosting her famous Solace Ball this evening, so I doubt the Lady Asea is going to be ready to travel before tomorrow. The men can have their Solace leave. After that, be ready to go.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And Lieutenant Sardec…”

“Sir?”

“Next time please be a little more careful before discussing your duties with anybody not in this regiment. No matter who they are.”

“I will, sir.”

“That will be all, Lieutenant.”