Shadow Games

Chapter Thirty-three: TAGLIOS: DRUNKEN WIZARDS

It had not been a good day. It got no better because the sun went down. The high had been Frogface reporting Sindawe reaching Vejagedhya. The low followed immediately. There was no material to fortify the town. A ditch would be it.

But the ground was so sodden the walls of a ditch would keep collapsing.

Oh, well. If the gods were out to get us they were out to get us. All our wriggling on the hook wouldn't change a thing.

I was ready to collapse into bed when Murgen burst in. I was so tired I was seeing double. Two of him did not improve the state of the universe. "What now?" I snapped.

"Maybe big trouble. Goblin and One-Eye are down at Swan's place, drunk on their asses, and they've started in. I don't like the smell of it."

I got up, resigned to another sleepless night. It had been a long time brewing. It might get out of hand. "What are they doing?"

"Just the usual, so far. But there's no fun in it this time. There's an undercurrent of viciousness. Anyway, it stinks like somebody could get hurt."

"Horses ready?"

"I sent word."

I grabbed up the officer's baton some Nar had tossed me as we had approached Gea-Xle. No special reason other than that it was the nearest thing handy for thumping heads.

The barracks was quiet as we passed through. The men sensed something afoot. By the time I reached the stables Mogaba and Lady had joined the parade. Murgen explained while they cursed our Taglian stablehands into readying two more horses.

That the feud had gotten out of hand was obvious from blocks away. Fires illuminated the night. Taglians were coming out to see what was happening.

The wizards had squared off in the street outside Swan's place. That had been gutted. Fires flickered up and down the street, none major, just patches gnawing the faces of buildings, evidence of the errant aim of a couple of drunken sorcerers.

Those troublesome little shits were having difficulty standing, let alone shooting straight. So maybe the gods do watch out for fools and drunks. Had they been sober they would have murdered each other.

Unconscious bodies lay scattered around. Swan and Mather and Blade and several guys from the Company were among them. They had tried to break it up and gotten creamed for their trouble.

One-Eye and Goblin were escalating. One-Eye had a pained-looking Frogface sicced on Goblin. Goblin had something that looked like a black snake of smoke growing out of his belt pouch. It was trying to get past Frogface. When the things grappled a shower of light washed the street, revealing Taglians crouched, watching from relative safety.

I halted before they noticed me. "Lady. What's that thing Goblin's got?"

"Can't tell from here. Something he shouldn't. A match for Frogface, which I would have thought was out of One-Eye's class." She sounded vaguely troubled.

There were times I'd had that notion myself. It did not seem reasonable that you could walk into a shop and buy a Frogface off the shelf. But it hadn't bothered One-Eye, and he was the expert.

Frogface and the snake came to grips midway between their masters. They started grunting and straining and screaming and thumping around. I wondered aloud, "Is that what Goblin brought back from the country?"

"What?"

"From the first time I saw him after his set-to with the brown guys directing the shadows he had this smugness about him. Like he finally had him some way to whip the world."

Lady thought. "If he picked it up from the Shadowmasters' men it could be a plant. Shifter could tell us for sure."

"He ain't here. Let's make the assumption."

The last fire burned itself out. Goblin and One-Eye were totally preoccupied. One-Eye stumbled over his own bootlace. For a moment it looked like Goblin would get the upper hand. Frogface barely turned the snake's strike.

"Enough. We can't do without them, much as I'd like to bury them both and have done with their crap." I spurred my horse. Goblin was nearest me. He barely started to turn. I leaned down and thumped his head. I did not see the result. I was on One-Eye already. I whacked him up side the head, too.

I turned for a second charge but Lady, Mogaba, and Murgen had them wrapped up. The battle between Frogface and the snake died out. But they did not. They eyed one another across ten feet of pavement.

I swung down. "Frogface. Can you talk? Or are you as crazy as your boss?"

"He's crazy, Cap, not me. But I got an indenture. I got to do what he says."

"Yeah? Tell me this. What's that thing growing out of Goblin's pouch?"

"A kind of imp. In another form. Where'd he come up with it, Cap?"

"I wonder myself. Murgen, check these other guys out. See if we've got any real casualties. Mogaba, drag that little shit over here. I'm going to knock some heads together."

We plunked them down side by side with Lady and Mogaba holding them sitting from behind. They began to come around. Murgen came to tell me none of the unconscious men were injured.

That was something.

One-Eye and Goblin looked up at me. I paced back and forth, smacking the baton into my hand. My dictator's stalk. I whirled on them. "Next time this happens I'm going to tie you two into a sack, face-to-face, and drop you in the river. I don't have the patience for it. Tomorrow, while your hangovers are still killing you, you're going to get up and come down here and make good fhe damage. The expense will come out of your pockets. Do you understand?"

Goblin looked a little sheepish. He managed a feeble nod. One-Eye did not respond.

"One-Eye? You want another whack up side the head?"

He nodded. Sullenly.

"Good. Now. Goblin. That thing you brought back from the country. Chances are it belongs to the Shadowmasters. A plant. Before you go to bed I want it stuffed in a bottle or something and buried. Deep."

His eyes bugged. "Croaker... "

"You heard me."

An angry, almost roaring hiss filled the street. The snake thing came up off the paving and struck at me.

Frogface flung in from the side, deflecting it.

In a sudden, drunken, bug-eyed panic Goblin and One-Eye both tried to get it under control. I backed off. It was a wild three minutes before Goblin got it squished into his pouch. He stumbled into Swan's place. A minute later he came out carrying a closed wine jar. He looked at me funny. "I'll bury it, Croaker." He sounded embarrassed.

One-Eye was getting himself together, too. He took a deep breath. "I'll give him a hand."

"Right. Try not to talk too much. Don't get started again."

He had the grace to look embarrassed too. He gave Frogface a thoughtful look. I noted that he did not take the imp along to do the heavy work.

"What now?" Mogaba asked.

"Pains me all to hell, but now we count on their consciences to keep them in line. For a while. If I didn't need them so much I'd make it a night they'd remember the rest of their lives. I don't need this shit. What're you grinning about?"

Lady did not stop. "It's smaller scale, but this is what it was like trying to keep a rein on the Ten Who Were Taken."

"Yeah? Maybe so. Murgen, you were out here boozing anyway, you finish picking up the pieces. I'm going to get some sleep."