Stormcrow: Book Two: Birds of a Feather

by N. C. Reed

  “Now,” she declared. “The Razor's Edge is this way,” she pointed.

  “We don't have to go there, you know,” Sean told her.

  “I want to see it too,” Jess reminded him. “And no one said you have to buy anything. But if I found a good knife, and you approved of it, I wouldn't mind learning to use one. Since you're an aficionado of knifery, can I assume you'd at least teach me the basics?”

  “I don't think 'knifery' is a real word,” Sean told her, looking amused.

  “Don't change the subject,” the diminutive pilot insisted. “Would you or not?”

  “I guess,” Sean sighed. “It's not like we don't have time for it,” he shrugged. “But are you sure you want to do something like that?”

  “I am, actually,” she nodded. “I realized when that guy grabbed me that my size is a detriment. I did okay against him, but I surprised him as much as he did me. I've never shot a gun, and I can't learn to shoot on the ship, but. . .I can learn to use a knife, maybe. With a good teacher, anyway,” she added slyly.

  “Fine,” Sean mock grumped. She had known he would do it as soon as she asked, he was sure. He had never been able to say no to her even when he knew he should. And that bothered him more and more every time he thought about it. He still hadn't found a way to get around it, though.

  “C'mon, then,” she ordered, grinning in victory. “It's at the far end of the mall, but it's on the second floor like this place was.”

  -

  “Eagle Pass?” Lucia looked at the sign above the entrance to the store with a frown. The windows showed mannequins with climbing equipment, jeans, flannel shirts (flannel of all things!), and heavy boots. Behind them were shelves and racks of other 'rough work' clothing, as Talitha had called it.

  “Great place,” Talitha nodded. “And don't worry, it's almost as expensive as the places you shop,” she jabbed. “It's just that here, the clothes are worth the money.”

  “My clothes are worth the money!” Lucia protested as Talitha led her into the store.

  “I'm sure they are,” the body guard said absently. “Now, first things is pants. You need jeans, and maybe some rougher wear, too. We'll see what we can find there first,” she said as a clerk came their way. “My friend needs to be outfitted,” Tal smiled at the young woman. “She'll need the works, too.”

  “Where would you like to start?” the clerk smiled, thinking of her commission. This was her lucky day.

  -

  “Wow,” Jessica said softly as the two entered the Razor's Edge. “This is incredible.”

  The store was a cave of cutlery. Everything from the highest quality kitchen knives to precision made swords and all stops in between. Sean saw nothing in the store that didn't smack of quality.

  “It is something,” he agreed. “I'm glad we came to see it, now,” he admitted.

  “What's that?” she asked, pointing to an odd shaped blade that looked like half of a saucer with a wooden handle.

  “That's an Ulu,” he told her. “Woman's knife,” he translated.

  “Is that supposed to be sexist or something?” Jessica demanded.

  “No, that's what Ulu means,” Sean grinned at her. “It was designed to scrape hides and peel fat from whales and walruses and what not. The design dates all the way back to old Earth. Thousands of years.”

  “Oh,” Jessica sounded more subdued. “Sorry.”

  “No problem,” he shrugged. “It's a nice historical piece, but it doesn't have a lot of practical applications really. Unless you think we'll come across a walrus somewhere,” he teased.

  “Suppose we could skin a Cinnabear with it once we get to Elvy,” Jess grinned.

  “I'd rather avoid them if possible,” Sean laughed lightly. “What kind of knife are you looking for?”

  “I don't know,” Jessica shrugged helplessly.

  “Well, what do you want to do with it?” Sean tried again.

  “I don't know that either,” she admitted. “I want to use it to defend myself, but there's no point in having a knife I can't use every day, either. Right?”

  “Well, not necessarily. Depends on what you want to do with it. There are different knives for different things, that's all.”

  “Faulks had this folding knife that Lincoln used to cut that guy's throat open with to put the tube in it,” Jessica mused. “I could use something like that for sure, working on a ship.”

  “True,” Sean mused. “Well, lets see what they have like that.”

  -

  “Are you serious?” Lucia demanded, looking at the drab flannel shirt Talitha held up to her.

  “Do I look like I'm joking?” Tal smirked. “I just let you choose my damn underwear of all things,” she challenged. “A deal's a deal, missy.”

  “Fine,” Lucia grabbed the shirt and stomped off to the changing area, a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt already thrown over her arm. Talitha fought down the urge to laugh only by the greatest of efforts as she turned to looking for things of her own. If Lucia was going to dress the part then Tal had to as well.

  -

  “That's not as big as Faulks' knife, but then I'm not as big as Faulks, so that's okay. Right?” Jessica asked.

  “Right,” Sean nodded. “And remember that Faulks isn't a beginner. She learned to use a knife in the Marine Corps. You're starting from scratch. No one just buys a bunch of knives all at once.”

  “How many do you have?” she asked out of the blue.

  “What?”

  “How many knives do you own, Sean?” Jessica asked.

  “What difference does that make?” he asked, puzzled.

  “None, I was just curious,” she admitted.

  “Several,” he shrugged. “But I learned to use a knife when I was a kid, too. A lot of what I own I don't use anymore because I've outgrown them.”

  “What's that?” Jessica saw something that caught her eye. Sean followed her point and saw a brace of throwing knives complete with leather sheath.

  “Those are throwing knives,” he told her.

  “I wonder if I could learn to do that?” she mused aloud.

  “You should be able to do anything you put your mind to,” Sean told her without thinking and immediately regretted it. He should not be encouraging her.

  “Can I see those?” she asked the attendant, who nodded and handed them over from the display case.

  “Oh, they're pretty,” she gushed, looking at the laser etching on the gleaming blades. “What are those symbols?” she asked him.

  “Looks like something oriental,” Sean told her, looking. “No idea what they say,” he admitted. She called the clerk, who returned with a smile.

  “Do you have any idea what these symbols mean?” Jessica asked, offering the blades back.

  “Yin,” the clerk indicated the first one, “and Yang,” he pointed to the second. “That's what the symbol set into the grip means, too,” he added.

  “What does that mean?” Jess asked. “Do you know?”

  “It's a karmic thing from Old Earth,” the clerk told her. “Balance. For there to be light, there must be dark. For there to be good, there must be bad. That sort of thing. It's a very ancient sort of teaching. Do good and good comes back to you. Same for evil.”

  “Nice,” Jessica mused. “They seem well balanced,” she added idly.

  “If you like, there's a target in back,” the clerk scented a sale. “Give them a throw.”

  “Really?” Jessica looked interested. She glanced at Sean. “What do you think?”

  “If it's something you want to do, go for it,” he shrugged in reply. “They do look well made. Just don't pay extra for window dressing I always say.”

  “Well, women pay for window dressing,” she grinned. “I'll try them,” she told the clerk. He led the two to the back of the store where a small ten foot alley was kept clear. Against the wall stood a man sized wooden cut out. Foam covered the wall behind it and the floor beneath it to prevent damage to the merchandise.


  “Have at it,” he told Jessica. “Just make sure you're aiming at the target,” he laughed.

  Jessica smiled back and took the Yin knife in hand, holding it by the grip.

  “The guys in the vids do this by the blade, but that seems wrong,” she told Sean, who nodded.

  “It is,” he agreed. “Good way to slice your hand. You've got it right. Remember to use your shoulder, not just your arm,” he added.

  “Right,” she nodded seriously and then looked at the target.

  What am I doing? she thought to herself. What the hell do I know about throwing a knife anyway?

  Once more she could almost feel the wheels in her mind turn, flooding her with information. Balance, grip, form, timing. Without a thought her right hand whipped back and then forward. The blade shot away from her hand and buried into the board with a resounding thunk.

  Before anyone could speak, her left arm whipped back the same way letting the Yang blade fly. It landed just two inches beneath it's twin, vibrating slightly with the force which it buried into the board.

  “Damn,” the clerk was the first one to speak. “That was really impressive, miss,” he complimented. “I don't know that I've ever seen better.”

  “Just luck,” Jessica smiled demurely, walking down to take the two knives from the board. “I think I'll take these,” she said calmly, handing them to the clerk. “That sheath comes with them right?”

  “Yes ma'am,” the clerk nodded.

  “Good. I'll take that folder we looked at too, I think,” she added. “It looks like a good work knife.”

  “It's a fine lock-blade ma'am,” the clerk nodded. “Hardened blade and Kriton handles. Practically indestructible. Holds an edge day-to-day as well.”

  “Sounds good,” Jessica said absently. “Sean, did you see anything you wanted?”

  Sean had been watching Jessica all this time, working to hide his surprise at her ability. Throwing a knife wasn't something you learned at art school or in a teaching program. Throwing a knife with either hand equally well required more than just training, it required an ambidextrous ability that not many people had. And the degree of ability that would be needed for what Jessica had just done would be higher still.

  Sean could do it because he'd been trained from the time he was able to walk to use either hand for anything. He'd begun learning to use a knife when he was four and had never stopped learning. A trained and experienced warrior who had fought many battles.

  Not a homeless and orphaned schoolteacher.

  “Sean?” Jessica asked.

  “What?” he asked. “Sorry. Nice job,” he complimented absently. “So much for needing me to teach you anything,” he added wryly.

  “It was just luck,” she shrugged. “Besides, using either of those in a real knife fight probably wouldn't work too well, would it?” she asked.

  “Depends,” he shrugged. “On how the other person was armed and how good they were.”

  “Well, against that knife you usually carry I don't think Yin and Yang there could do much good,” she snorted.

  “In the right hands they might,” he shrugged. “The bigger knife doesn't always win. Anyway, you didn't really come in here looking for a fighting knife anyway, did you?”

  “I don't know,” she shrugged. “I just wanted to see, I guess. I'm tired of depending on everyone else to protect me.”

  “So far you've done a fine job protecting yourself,” he pointed out.

  “But it's luck, nothing else,” she stressed. “I can't keep depending on luck any more than I can depending on you guys. Sooner or later luck runs out.”

  “That's true,” Sean agreed. “Well, if you want a fighting knife, one you can learn to fight against another knife wielder, then it needs to be a fixed blade knife with a full tang and a wrapped handle. Preferably with leather or wire. Or even better, with both,” he added.

  “See anything like that?” she asked him.

  -

  “Admit it, Lucia,” Tal grinned. “You like it.”

  “I don't hate it,” Lucia offered, still looking at her butt in the mirror. “These jeans do show my butt off, don't they,” she added, clearly pleased.

  “That's not why you needed them,” Tal resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

  “I know that,” Lucia shot back, allowing the shirt to fall, covering her rear. “This shirt is a problem though,” she added.

  “It's supposed to be worn inside your jeans,” Talitha offered.

  “That's uncomfortable,” Lucia shook her head. “I don't like it.”

  “Well,” Tal mused for a second, then grinned. “Try this.” She took the tails of the shirt, pulled them up to the waist line of the jeans, and then tied them together in a simple knot that would release easily.

  “How's that look?” she asked her younger charge, who turned to the mirror once more.

  “Hmm,” Lucia mused, turning from side to side, modeling for herself. “That's not bad,” she admitted without realizing she spoke aloud. “Not bad at all.”

  “See?” Talitha folded her arms. “Told you.”

  “All right, you told me,” Lucia agreed, almost against her will. “Fine. I like it,” she admitted finally. “Happy now?”

  “Delirious,” Talitha snorted. “C'mon and let’s get the rest. We've wasted enough time here.”

  “Okay.”

  -

  “What is that?” Jessica saw something else that caught her eyes.

  “It's called a multi-tool,” Sean explained, pointing to the device so the clerk would hand it over. “There's dozens of different ones but this one is pretty high quality. Has pliers, screwdrivers, knife blade, a tiny saw blade, there's fifteen, maybe twenty tools on here,” he handed it over.

  “Twenty-one, counting the pliers,” the clerk offered before moving to assist someone else.

  “What is this good for?” she asked, still examining it.

  “Well, it's essentially an emergency tool box,” Sean shrugged. “It's not as good as a tool set, but a lot better than nothing. See what I mean?”

  “Yeah,” she nodded. “Do you have one?” she asked.

  “More than one, actually,” he nodded, removing a leather case from his back pocket and showing it to her. “Had it a long time. I use it a good bit,” he admitted. “It's handy to have when you're not near a tool box.”

  “It's nice,” she sighed a bit. “But between the folder and the others, it's a bit much. I've spent a good bit already.” She reluctantly handed it back. “Let's look at the fixed blades you were talking about.”

  Sean handed the tool to the clerk, then pointed to himself and back to it. The clerk smiled and nodded, laying the tool and it's accessories aside. Sean followed Jessica to where she was looking at knives again.

  “Some of these are bigger even than yours,” she said softly. “I'd never be able to handle something like that,” she admitted.

  “No, but you don't need to,” he told her. “You need one you can handle without any problem. Weight, length, heft, everything needs to be a close to perfect for you as it can be. Try that one,” he said, pointing to a simple black bladed clip point. The clerk handed it over and Jessica turned it over in her hands.

  “It's ugly,” she commented and Sean snorted.

  “Knife fighting is an ugly business,” he told her bluntly. “It's not romantic, it's not chivalrous. It's nasty, and it's deadly. Done in the dark, from behind, from whatever direction you can get it done and not get cut yourself. Don't go into this thinking it's 'cool'. It's not.”

  “Okay,” she nodded somberly. “I just want to be able to fight back,” she reminded him.

  “Nothing wrong with that,” Sean assured her. “Just don't think this is going to be clean and neat. You fight with a blade, against a blade, you're probably going to get cut. Simple as that. Accept it and move on. Easier that way when the blood starts flowing.”

  She spent ten minutes listening to Sean tell her what to feel for with the blade, tossing
it from hand to hand to see how it felt in her grasp and if she could handle it without difficulty. She changed her grip without the blade leaving her hand, she held it at arm's length, down by her side, before her, any motion she would need to make using it for real, Sean had her imitate. Finally, he was satisfied.

  “From what you're telling me, I'd say this is a good one to start with,” he admitted. “It seems to fit you well. As you learn, you may want to trade up, or not. But to start with, I'd say this one suits you.”

  “Okay,” she nodded, trusting his judgment. “I do like the way it feels in my hands,” she admitted.

  “Good enough,” he nodded. Sean haggled with the manager of the store for a few minutes and got her purchases at a slightly reduced rate, then paid for his own without allowing her to see it. Finished, they set out, intending to head back to the Celia.

  “Well, that leaves me broke,” Jessica said in a good-natured complaint. “Good thing we'll be in the black for the next little bit,” she laughed.

  “Didn't have to buy it all at once,” Sean shrugged.

  “Might not ever be back here, like you said,” Jessica shrugged. “And I can't spend the money in space, right? Besides, I can spend my down time on the way out and back practicing. No sense in wasting all that time.”

  “That is absolutely true,” Sean nodded as the two started down the escalator to the ground floor.

  -

  “Let's go up on the second floor,” Lucia said as the two women made their way out of the second store. Behind them one of the security team was carrying numerous packages back to the car for them.

  “What for?” Talitha asked.

  “There's a little food stand there that serves sugar cakes,” Lucia told her. “I hardly ever eat sweets, but those things are addictive.”

  “I do like them myself,” Tal admitted. “All right, we'll go have one, but after that Lucia we really need to head back. You have a lot to do and so do I.”

  “Okay,” Lucia readily agreed. “One cake and we're outta here!”

  -

  “Thanks for this, by the way,” Jessica said as she and Sean descended to the ground floor.