"Heiseg,” McGann said quietly, ignoring my comments. I didn't mind. I wanted her to think about them. I entertained a faint hope that I might be able to turn her from her masters. “What about him?"
I shrugged. “He was amusing. Arrogant and idiotic, much like Collins. I watched what he was doing to see how far he would fall, since he knew very little about either magic or the Dreamlands. I didn't think he would be so stupid as to open a gate and summon Hakarl."
"Or rape anyone?” McGann asked coolly.
I turned to face her, since that accusation stung. “That wasn't something he just thought up. Heiseg had planned that for a long time. He had the arrogance to do what he did because no one told him that he had limits. If I had known about Keno, I would have rescued him before it had gotten that far. But I wasn't the one who imprisoned a boy for a simple mistake, making him fear for his life."
McGann was silent. “Keno was good. Even now, he'd probably give any other hacker a run for his money, not having touched a computer for as long as he has. He did a lot of damage when he ruined our servers. I think the Trustees were angrier about that incident than with Collins's kidnapping. But did you take Keno to save him or to use him?"
"You expect me to say that I would have done so to save him,” I said. “To use him, of course. But I wouldn't have abused and neglected him as much as you had, even if my consort hadn't taken him under his protection."
"Abused?” McGann repeated.
"Frightened out of his wits most of the time,” I said scathingly, wondering how she could have been so ignorant of or callous about someone under her protection. “Hungry and always reminded that his simplest pleasure was at someone else's whim. What else would you call abuse? I think that you just didn't care enough to really hurt him."
"Or didn't think about him as much as I should have,” McGann said, not denying my accusations. “But aside from Keno and our treatment of him, do you have any issues with dealing with the Trust?"
I hesitated for a second, thinking about my answer carefully. “I have no issues with the group that is here, since you all have been honorable with me in the past. Your Trustees are another matter. Collins was very informative when we had our ‘discussions’ before he died."
McGann paled, but her voice was steady, “And what did you find out?"
"I was always curious about why the real world was suddenly interested in the Dreamlands,” I said. “He simply told me why. A most interesting reason, but I really doubt that the Dreamlands are the threat the Trustees think they are."
"The monsters—"
"Are vermin that manage to slip between the edges of our worlds. You should treat them as such. Other than that, we are no threat to you, no matter what your Trustees seem to think. So why do they think that they want an alliance here?"
* * * *
Mason
I spent most of the day wandering around the island and wondering what we were going to have to do to get out of here. These people weren't the allies the Trustees were looking for. I didn't know why they were even bothering. We had been killing anything that came out of the Dreamlands for decades, and now they wanted to stop? What had changed? Did I really want to know?
When I got back to the hut, Tamazusa was outside trying to scrub herself clean at what looked like a horse trough, which was what passed as a bathtub here. She looked pissed, which was an interesting look for her. I could have almost liked it, if my insides were going to survive intact.
"Things that bad?” I asked cautiously.
Her T-shirt was damp and sticking to her in a couple of interesting places. I reminded my dick of what Heiseg had looked like when we found him, and it behaved. She was skinnier than I remembered, but her kimonos had been in layers, from what I remember, which might have made her look heavier. Or it might be something else, because she wasn't acting like I remembered. There was something vulnerable about her now.
"I loathe cooking,” she said.
I noticed that her nails were all broken now and she had a couple of nasty-looking bruises, as well as a few cuts on her hands and arms. I was going to have to dress those for her so they didn't get infected. We didn't need that crap on top of everything else.
"That's why I eat out a lot,” I said cheerfully. “Can't cook worth shit. What did Helga the Horrible have you doin'?"
"Cleaning chickens. After that, it was scrubbing pots,” she said. “McGann and I got all the dirty work."
"'Cause you two are a pair of sexy mamas,” I said with a grin. She glared at me. “Seriously, you two are,” I added.
"Does McGann know you think of her like this?” she asked.
"Probably,” I said. Hell, McGann was a ‘path, she got to pick up a lot of stupid shit like that. “But it don't mean that I don't think that the two of you aren't kickass. Or smart enough to be in charge. I just like your packaging a lot more than Wolf's."
"I have no idea what you're talking about,” Tamazusa said with a shake of her head.
"Speaking of talking, the two of us should go over some ground rules,” I said.
She frowned at me. “Ground rules?"
I tried not to get flustered. Hell, McGann probably would be laughing her ass off if she could see me now, trying to be polite and nice to a woman, because I wasn't polite to a lot of people. But then, most of them weren't powerful oni, either. “Like, I'm supposed to be your protector."
She froze. I tensed up and hoped she didn't turn my insides into Jell-O. I could see she was beyond pissed now. “Listen, I don't want you to have to do something stupid to these people."
"I see,” she said frigidly.
"Yeah, well, I don't think any of these people are the sharpest pencil in the box."
She wrinkled her brow at that one, trying to figure out what I was saying, I guessed, before asking, “You think of them as people?"
"Just because they're dumbass enough to call you and me nasty names, that doesn't mean that they're not people,” I said, trying not to sound too sarcastic.
"Mason, we're in the Dreamlands,” she said, like I was really stupid. I should have been pissed, but she wasn't being a bitch about it like Anya the ice bitch would have been. She was just trying to make me think or something like that. I wasn't going to tell her it was a waste of time.
"Really?” I asked her sarcastically, watching the look of frustration on her face as she wondered if I was as dumb as I was acting. Shit, as dangerous as she was, she also was fun to tease. “Man, I thought this was a fun, fun time on spring break in Florida."
"No one here,” she said patiently, “is human, besides Keno and your party."
"Shit, really?” I exclaimed. “Fuck, this isn't Florida, is it? That means the salsa dancing and mojitos are out. You got the wet T-shirt contest part down, at least."
"That means that most of those in your organization will not think of anyone here as ‘people',” she said slowly. I was just glad she didn't ask me what a wet T-shirt contest was. I hoped Keno or someone else didn't tell her.
"That's something that they're gonna have to work on,” I said, taking her seriously finally. “Shit."
I thought about that. While I wasn't educated, I knew enough. I knew about all the shit that went down in our world when someone thought someone else wasn't a person. And I also knew how big a bastard most of the Trustees could be, never mind the grunts. Fucked didn't even cover it. If this alliance thing went through, we'd have to change our whole way of thinking because of it. I wondered if most of the other TCs could do that. I would bet they couldn't. While the Vikings here were kind of dumb, our people—well, none of us really—were thought to be too sane. Sane people didn't run around killing monsters.
"You understand the issue?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Can't take care of that here,” I said. My willingness to not sweat the small stuff was the reason I was never going to be more than a TC. “Plus, fuck, I trust those fucking idiots about as far as can throw a Hakarl."
"So you d
on't believe this talk of an alliance?” she asked, tilting her head to the side a little. I wasn't surprised to see that she probably agreed with my assessment of the Trustees. But what did she want from me?
"Mrs. Adams said we're doing it. That's all I really have to know,” I said. “But shit, you also know they don't tell me shit, either. McGann's the one to talk to about this."
"Still playing the buffoon?” Tamazusa practically purred.
"What you mean ‘playing'?” I asked with a grin.
"Mason, let us be frank,” she said. “You are not the fool that you claim to be. While not a scholar, you are not ignorant."
"Man, you need to talk to Murphy, then,” slipped out before I even thought about it. That Tamazusa and Murphy hadn't parted on good terms didn't even cover the hard-on of hate Murphy had for her. I didn't know if the man hadn't liked her because she wasn't Irish or because of ‘Nam or because she wasn't someone who took his shit. Fuck, I didn't know how she felt about him, but I knew she had been very willing to kill him. “He thinks that I'm dumber than dirt."
"And how is he?” she asked. “Did he appreciate all that you did for him?"
I shrugged. She knew what had happened even though she hadn't been there. Murphy had been screaming at the top of his lungs that I was a traitor because I'd traded that magic man Fairinox for Murphy's release, when Tamazusa had locked down Boylston Street while getting Fuse and Keno back from us. Never mind I did it for him and his wife and kids. “Traitor” was the nicest thing he'd been saying about me. She had heard most of it when I was bargaining for his life with her. And you know what? I was stupid enough to do it again if I had to.
"I also assume, from what I learned from Keno and Collins, that his attitude was prevalent in your organization,” Tamazusa continued without missing a beat. “So while McGann talks of alliances and this Mrs. Adams attempts to play the Game with me, I doubt that such a thing will happen."
"Well, that's something that I'm really not gonna know about,” I said. “I've been stuck being a fucking rent-a-cop for these people."
"And why do you think that happened?” she asked, looking very interested all of a sudden.
I knew I was out of my league here, but really didn't care. Shit, it wasn't like I had anything to hide here. “'Cause I didn't think that all you people here were the bad guys."
"Fuse-hime was that charming?” she asked, trying not to sound too catty.
"Actually, it was you and the boy toy,” I told her, ignoring her surprised look. “You all were nice to the lot of us, even with the shit the ice bitch and Murphy were pulling. I know that no one would have batted an eye if you killed us. But you didn't and, shit...."
"Thank you, Mason,” Tamazusa said quietly when I didn't finish what I was saying, because I didn't know how. “And what was it that you needed to talk to me about?"
"Um... shit, we're bunking together,” I said in a rush. “Not that I don't think that Keno can take care of you or anything, it's just that he's little, and I don't think that being your ‘brother’ can shield you."
"I see."
Shit, that wasn't helping me any. “And you know, not that I'm hitting on you or anything, but I'm gonna have to show them, too, that you're... mine. Not that I think you can't take them or anything, just, you kill one of those idiots, and it's an ‘us versus them’ situation, and a lot of people would get hurt. Most likely Keno."
She nodded slowly, her expression neutral. I knew she was giving me enough rope to hang myself, but I blundered on. “So, I'm going to be touching you a lot, just so they get the message. Not that I think that any of these men want to do something nasty to you. Drunk, one of them might be stupid enough to be curious."
"But to them, I'm not thought of as a human being, according to your scholar,” Tamazusa protested. “So I doubt that they would be interested in me that way."
"Trust me, a guy gets drunk enough, the stupidest things sound like a good idea,” I said. “Any of these guys make an Irishman look like a teetotaler.” They put it away like there was no tomorrow in the evenings. Logan and I were given shit because we didn't keep up with them. I liked my liver, thank you very much, and didn't try to drink anyone under the table.
"I think that you're just taking advantage of the situation,” she said.
It took me a long moment to realize she was teasing me. I grinned at her, relieved she wasn't pissed at me.
"Damn straight, sister,” I said. “Hard to find a hot mama like yourself in my line of work. So I'll be strutting around with you on my arm."
She looked down at what she was wearing. I wasn't surprised to see it was covered in things I didn't want to think about. I'd lend her another top and see what I could do about getting stuff clean. She'd probably be one of the ones who got stuck with that chore too.
"You and McGann make a plan,” I suggested, trying to cheer her up. “Getting you and Keno home sounds better than sticking around here. These assholes are fucking nuts."
"I fear that there is something that might complicate things,” Tamazusa said softly. “Helga, and probably the rest of the women, because that woman cannot keep her mouth shut, seem to think that McGann is carrying Wolf's child."
I couldn't help it. I choked and then practically fell on the ground laughing my ass off. It was too fucking funny. I'd ride Wolf for months about it.
Tamazusa was just shaking her head at me. “Think,” she practically hissed.
"About what?” I asked. “And why do they think that McGann's got a bun in the oven?"
Now that I was thinking about it, could these people get pregnant? Did demons or oni or whatever they were have kids? I hadn't seen any around, but that didn't mean it didn't happen. But I was going to have to ask someone else, because I was sure as hell not asking Tamazusa about the demon birds and the bees. I was pushing it with her as it was. I might have asked Keno about it, but then he might tell a little too much about his arrangement with Samojirou. Hell, I really didn't care. It wasn't like I was worrying about that right now, because I knew that Tamazusa and me weren't going to get that friendly.
"She reacted most interestingly to a chicken being slaughtered in front of her,” Tamazusa said. “It seemed a more acceptable explanation than whatever the truth is."
"What do you mean?” I asked, grinning like a loon. This was going to be a great joke for a while. When we got back, I was going to make sure all the TCs heard about Wolf being a daddy. I just wasn't going tell them with who, though. I wasn't going to give McGann that grief, because the TCs didn't need to give her shit too. Plus, you never know with chicks about the baby issue. For all I knew, she wanted one and couldn't have one.
"While I doubt that McGann is very familiar with how food gets to her table,” Tamazusa said with a smile that told me she knew there was something we weren't telling her, “there is no doubt she knows that it once had life. Something upset her, and not for the reason she told me."
I couldn't say anything. I knew that truth, and it was that McGann was a ‘path. She probably got a stray thought out of Helga, and that was what made her lose her breakfast. I didn't want to know what it had been if it had made McGann puke. Tamazusa studied me, but she had to know I wasn't going to tell her shit. “I don't expect you to tell me what's going on. I just want to make sure that you are aware of the issue."
"Shit, what does this have to do with me?” I asked.
"Helga accused McGann of carrying your child, not Wolf's,” Tamazusa said coolly. “Adultery isn't tolerated in this society."
"What a bitch,” I snarled. “Shit, I thought that I could stop worrying about that shit because the ice bitch wasn't here."
"She is trying to get into Wolf's bed,” Tamazusa explained. “He is a warrior and might be of high rank or at least someone who would get her out of here. That might only happen if McGann wasn't in the picture. But Helga is a fool, because I know how Wolf looks at McGann. He wouldn't believe any accusation or do anything against her. Helga is going to st
ir up trouble. She may attempt to trick Logan in some manner, so you should warn him about this. I'll get Keno to keep an eye on the man also. If she gets desperate or inventive, she might cry rape."
"And what would you do about her stirring up trouble?” I asked.
"Get out of here as fast as possible,” Tamazusa told me bluntly. “A woman can cause more trouble than you could believe. If you don't believe me, talk to Logan about such things. Their sagas are full of tales of the trouble a vengeful woman can cause. Aboshi spent some time translating them once and amused me reading them during the rainy season."
"Not Logan's area of expertise,” I said. “He's a Mayan archeologist, not Viking. We were supposed to end up there, wherever that is."
"Then what are you doing here?” she demanded. “This is nowhere near where you want to be."
"Fuck,” I blustered. “I have no clue how the damn roller coaster works. I get on and I get off. And I curse whoever thought of the ride, because this ain't worth the price."
* * * *
Dinner was chicken and some sort of greens. Both Keno and McGann didn't touch the chicken. Tamazusa sat next to me and made sure I was served before her and my stein didn't get empty of beer. Keno was sitting on the other side of me, acting like he was her chaperone or something.
"Mason,” Keno practically hissed at the beginning of the meal.
I knew what he was telling me: treat her right or he was going to kick my ass. And you know what? I thought that he would be able to do it. I still remembered seeing the practice fight he had the first morning we were at Tamazusa's estate. The big guy hadn't let him win; Keno had kicked his ass fair and square. And I knew he'd be willing to do the same thing to me to protect Tamazusa. But no one else here would think that he would or could, and there'd be trouble the first time someone pulled shit on him or Tamazusa.
Tamazusa said something quietly to him in Nipponese, and he calmed down. I was betting she pulled rank on him. Most everyone else was watching either us or Wolf. I knew these people were bored and isolated, but it didn't make me like being the center of attention any better. I split my veggies between Tamazusa and Keno. I'd have liked to give some to McGann, but that would have started that Helga rumor mill again, and I didn't want to deal with that. Keno gave his chicken to Tamazusa, and she shared it with me, giving me the bigger portion and the better pieces, serving it elegantly like we were dining at the Ritz. It was all nice and cozy, and shit, it was beginning to feel like a weird date. Not that I dated; I was a pay-as-you-go type of guy. It made things a lot less complicated.
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