It was more sedate inside, and we were able to find a place to sit. Jacks greeted us all smiles and free drinks.
“Least I can do for our heroes, eh?” he said, thumping the mugs onto the table.
I shot back a scowl. “I’m not a hero.”
“Sorry, not up to you to choose. For now, you are. So enjoy it.”
I scowled again, but just then Aldebar and Reyna came in. Both beamed smiles as they came to the table, but Reyna’s faltered a bit when she saw Kai.
We introduced all around, then Aldebar leaned in. “Imagine you’ve heard lots of you’re our hero talk, eh? Sick of it, yet?”
“Very.”
His face went grave. “People forget heroes are what people are called after the heroic things happen. And those things often aren’t heroic at all. Usually lots of fear and pain, and blood, and dying. You okay, Cus?”
I gave him a look that was probably just how I felt, surprised and grateful. This was a very wise man.
I shrugged. “Yeah. A few tough moments, but nobody got hurt that didn’t have it coming.”
“That don’t sound good.”
I looked around, taking in the general air of relieved happiness. Kai and Reyna were now making small talk, but in a way that made it clear they were still sizing one another up.
“They’d best enjoy the good feelings now,” I said, “because they aren’t gonna last.”
Aldebar frowned hard. “What do you mean?”
Before I could answer, a voice called my name from near the door. I saw Lorna approaching, along with a couple of other upright-looking citizens who probably sat with her on the Watermanse council.
I raised my mug. “Lorna.”
“If it ain’t the man of the hour,” she said, then looked at Flint. “And the lady of the hour as well, of course.”
“Ladies,” I said, introducing Kai and giving a quick rundown on her part in what had happened.
“Well, we owe you a huge thanks then, too,” Lorna said to Kai. “But I’m gathering there’s something to what that trader, Reegan Moss, was claiming about Osterway.”
“Oh, there’s something to it alright,” I said. “They’re coming this way, and they’re doing it in force. And they aren’t likely to let anything stand in their way.”
Lorna exchanged deep frowns with her co-councilors. “I’m getting the idea you’re meaning us.”
“Sorry to say I am.”
“Well, what, exactly, would we be in the way of?”
I caught Aldebar looking at me keenly. Reyna, too. Only Kai knew what I knew, but she watched me as well.
I shook my head. “Not sure this is something we should discuss out in the open like this.”
Lorna’s frown deepened. “Okay, Cus, I’m walking away from concerned now and heading for worried. What’s going on?”
I shrugged, puffed out a sigh, and told them. All of it. From the seizure of the ships, to the sack of Kai’s cabin, to the wanton slaughter of animals, to what we’d discovered at the Osterway supply dump, including the Blackwing and the Huntsmen. I also told them about the note I’d found that claimed someone was making new Hightec. I’d been a little concerned when I described how we’d questioned the mercenary raider, but the only reaction was shrugs and a, “Bastard deserved worse,” muttered from Aldebar. That was good, because I wanted to stay the on the good side of the people for as long as possible. It was far better than any other option.
Lorna, who was still standing beside our table, said, “Oh, shit,” and sat down.
I signaled for Jacks to bring her a drink—something strong.
“Okay,” she finally said, “we need to have a town meeting. You need to tell everyone what you just told me.”
One of her co-councilors nodded, but the other shook his head. “You sure about that, Lorna? Making Hightec? Who could even do that?” He gave me a hard look. “We’re grateful for what you’ve done, but that’s pretty hard to believe.”
“Doesn’t matter if you believe it,” Aldebar said, glaring back at the man. “Doesn’t even matter if it’s true. What does matter is that Osterway seems to believe it, and they’re apparently set on finding it.”
I gave Aldebar an even more appreciative look. Yes, he was a very wise man, indeed.
“I’ll talk tonight if you want me to, Lorna,” I said. “Just be ready, though. This might make a lot of people scared.”
She nodded. “I know. But Aldebar’s right. If Osterway believes this, then we’ve got a serious problem. So I kinda hope it does scare them. We need ‘em to be scared, because that’s the only way anything’ll get done about it.”
I nodded at that. In her own way, Lorna was as wise as Aldebar.
Word got around, of course, before the town meeting. I’d gone to replenish some supplies around Watermanse—and got hero pricing when I did, so no complaints there—then started back for The Drowned Man. Kai had gone off to do her own thing but planned to meet me there in time for the meeting, which was happening at sundown. As I made my way back through the market, though, I heard talk of an invasion, an army, even an army of Hightec, whatever that meant, all descending on Watermanse to steal everything everyone here owned, or drag them all into slavery, or even just outright kill everyone. I tried to ignore it, but I couldn’t when two men stepped in front of me, blocking my way.
I looked from one to the other. “Can I help you fellas?”
“Yeah,” one of them said, “you can walk back your stories about armies coming from Osterway. My wife’s convinced she’s gonna be raped.”
“Think maybe you’re just stirring up trouble,” the other one growled. “Decided you like being a hero and don’t wanna give it up.”
I glanced around. A crowd gathered. A lot of them had their hard glares turned on these two, and someone—a woman—said, “He saved our people, Mory. Let him be.”
“Oh, I know he saved our folks,” the one named Mory said. “So let’s say thank you for that. Hell, let’s let him take what he wants from the market. But then he can clear out, let us get back to just doing what we do.”
“Well,” I said, “it’s not that I don’t have other places I could be. I just happen to like Watermanse, and would kinda like to see it staying a place where you can just do what you do.”
Mory shook his head. “Sorry, friend. It’s just been too hard lately. Too much strife. We don’t need the talk you’re peddling.”
“No,” the other one said, “we sure don’t.”
I sighed. “Fellas, just get out of my way, okay?”
Flint stepped forward and bared her teeth. The two recoiled, but Mory snapped, “See, that’s how he does it. It’s that damned dog. Probably the real hero for saving our people.” He scowled hard at me. “Without that fucking mutt, you ain’t nothin’.”
I sighed again, harder. I didn’t have the time or patience for this. I waved Flint back and she obliged, leaving me facing the two of them.
“Okay,” I said, “Flint’ll stay out of this. Now, if you really want me to just walk away from your town, the two of you can make me. You get me outside the edge of town, and I promise I’ll go and never come back.”
Mory looked at his friend, then they both charged.
I waited.
Mory went high; his friend went low. I let them. I did make a show of trying to dodge their attacks, but they connected. Mory’s fist slammed into my face, while his friend drove into my legs, knocking me back and down. They both landed on top of me and made to start pummeling me.
Okay, that was enough. To everyone watching, it would be as clear as rainwater I hadn’t thrown the first punch.
Mory’s fist came down and I caught it, stopping it cold. I yanked up my knees, slamming them into his friend’s gut, while at the same time knocking him partway off me. I then lifted my feet up, brought them down, pushed back with my free elbow, and threw myself up and forward, back to my feet. Mory flew backward, but I caught him by the neck and punched him in the face twice, while k
icking his friend just under the chin. Both fell to the ground, stunned and groaning.
I brushed dust and grit off my clothes. Mory tried to lunge at me again, but my tech telegraphed every tension of muscle and tendon, as well as his shift in weight, so I was able to kick him under the chin, too. Throughout it all, I scaled back the force to only a part of what I’d normally deliver. I didn’t want to actually do serious harm to these two.
They both stayed down this time, gasping, dripping blood from split lips. They’d have some spectacular bruises coming up, too. My own face stung where Mory cold-cocked me, but my tech was already on it, the sting rapidly fading to a tingle.
I crouched and looked from one to the other. “We done?”
Mory gave a heavy nod and muttered something that sounded like, “Yeah.”
I stood. “Believe me, it’s nothing personal. I just want you”—I paused and looked at the crowd gaping around me—“all of you, to listen to me. Hear what I have to say. This is serious stuff. Fucking serious. Osterway is coming, and if they decide you’re in their way, they won’t leave you looking like that.” I pointed at Mory and his friend. “They won’t leave much at all. All of this,” I went on, gesturing around, “will be gone, looted and wrecked. And all of you will be dead.”
A wave of murmurs and sharp whispers rippled through the crowd.
“I’m pretty sure you don’t want that,” I said. “I know I sure don’t.”
I gestured to Flint, and she followed me into The Drowned Man. Behind me, I heard anxious conversation buzz and swell.
Good.
I hated having to scare these people like that, but they needed to be scared. Scared people do the things they need to do to stay alive.
The town meeting happened not just inside The Drowned Man, but also in the street and square outside. As Lorna spoke, and some of the town elders spoke after her, I heard their words being repeated at the door, relayed to those thronged outside. I just waited until Lorna nodded at me.
“You all know Custis Mars, or you at least know of him. He, and his dog Flint—”
“Just Flint,” I said. “She’s not my dog. More like I’m her human.”
There were chuckles all around, then a few more as Flint gave a half-growl, half-bark.
Lorna grinned. “Sorry. Flint, and her human Custis, and Kai, who lives with her dad up the coast. They got our people free so they could come back home. For that, we owe them a debt of gratitude.”
Then came applause, whistles, and a cheer or two. I mostly ignored it. Kai looked uncomfortable. The only one who really seemed to enjoy it was Flint.
But the applause died, and Lorna’s grin faded. “Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the end of it, does it, Cus?”
I stood and pulled the missive I’d taken from the Osterway camp from my pocket. “No, it doesn’t. You’ve all probably heard of the Osterway, and you know they’re trouble. A bunch of raiders and bandits and slavers.”
“Bunch of assholes,” some said. Someone else shouted, “Fuck ‘em!”
Nods, and even some scattered applause followed. When it subsided, I went on.
“Yeah. Sure. They’re all that. But they’re also strong, and organized, and well-equipped, and ruthless. I’ve seen it myself. If there’s something they want, they’ll try and take it. And they’ll want this.” I held up the paper.
“Tell them, Cus,” Lorna said.
“This paper is an order from Venari, their leader. She says word has come to her that someone, apparently out west of here, has Hightec. And not just Hightec they’ve found, either. It’s new Hightec. They’re making it.”
There was silence as that sunk in. Finally, whoever had called the Osterway assholes, spoke up.
“That can’t be true. No one makes Hightec. No one knows how. Not anymore.”
“Yeah,” someone else said. “Sounds like someone’s been smoking jumpy weed.”
“Doesn’t matter,” I shot back, glancing at Aldebar. “Like a wise man said, doesn’t matter what we think. Doesn’t even matter if it’s true. Only matters what they think. And if they think someone’s making Hightec, they’ll drain Le’kemeshaw to get their hands on that sort of operation.”
Again there was silence. This time, it was heavy and glum, with no more outbursts.
Aldebar stood. “Okay, so you pretty much all know me. I don’t exactly live here in Watermanse”—he looked at Jacks behind the bar and winked—“though with the amount I trade to this place for a roof over my head and my daughter’s, I might as well.”
“It’s what you drink that keeps me flush, Aldebar,” Jacks put in, and there were some laughs, but they were brief and tense.
“Anyway,” Aldebar went on, “I trust Cus in this. I believe him. Osterway is coming. The only choice here is, do we wanna be ready for them? If not”—he looked again at Jacks—“then sorry, my friend, but I’ll be moving on, finding somewhere safe.”
Again there was silence. But Aldebar speaking up put a new edge on things. I didn’t know the man too well, but these people did, and they obviously put a lot of stock in what he said.
Finally, one of the earlier voices broke the quiet. “So what do we need to do?”
Everyone looked at Lorna, and me, and Aldebar. No one dissented or protested.
Looked like we had a decision.
But a decision wasn’t a plan. That would be the next step. Lorna wisely decided to adjourn the meeting to give everyone time to digest what they’d heard and think about what to do next. She also persuaded the council to put a few more men on guard, which made everyone a little happier. That was just for show, though, as the worried looks on the elder’s faces proved.
The next morning, some of those same elders came back to The Drowned Man while Aldebar, Reyna, and I were still eating a breakfast of fried fish and wild onions. Kai had already left, saying she wanted to tan that ghost hide I’d given her before it started to rot.
“We’ve still gotta wrap ourselves up in it, break it in,” she said, giving me a sly smile.
Reyna, I noticed, seemed awfully glad when she was gone, even if it would only be until midday or so.
The elders sat down with us, and Lorna started things. “Okay, Cus, what are we going to do?”
An elder named Garet leaned forward before I could speak. He smelled of fish and smoke; I recalled he had one of the stalls in the market with the huge salmon. “There’s still some of the younger folks that don’t really believe there’s a threat,” he said, “because they don’t wanna believe it. Whatever we do decide, we need to make sure everyone’s on board with it.”
Aldebar scowled. “Easy lies always go down better than hard truths.”
“And we know you’re not lying, Cus,” Garet added. “Want you to know that.” He looked around the table. “We don’t like hard truths more than anybody else, but we know them when we see them.”
“I appreciate that,” I said. “Well, first thing is, the Osterway can’t come west. If they do, and that Hightec really is being made new and they get their hands on it, then that’ll be that. We’ll be fucked.”
“And never mind us just being in their way,” Garet put in.
“But why would they come after us to begin with?” one of the other elders asked. “They can just go around us, ignore us completely. We got no Hightec.”
“That’s true,” Aldebar said, “but you can bet they’re going to want our supplies—food, clothing, even our weapons. Enough here to keep them supplied for a long time.”
“Not to mention,” Garet added, “they probably won’t like having us back here, threatening to kick their ass when they’re looking west.”
There were glum nods around the table, then Lorna spoke up. “Okay, so we’ve got about a hundred and thirty that can fight, give or take. And we’ve got guns for about half, though not a lot of ammo, and crossbows for the rest.”
“And that mortar we found a few years back,” Garet said, “along with a few dozen rounds.” He sh
rugged. “Fired it once, so we know it works.”
I shook my head. “That’s enough to antagonize them, and that’s about it. Try to stand against them with that, and you’ll be overrun in a few hours.”
Lorna blew out a long sigh. “So what do we do, then?”
I scraped my chair back and stood. “I have an idea, but I’m going to scout south of here first, see what’s what. When Kai gets back, give her a list of everything this town has that it can use to defend itself. Not just guns and crossbows, but knives, axes, everything. Also, exactly how many people can fight, and what the defenses are right now.”
With agreement all around, the meeting broke up. I headed outside with Flint, but someone shouted my name. I turned to find Aldebar hurrying after me. Reyna hung back; I could tell she wanted to talk to me, but obviously not until there was a more opportune time.
But she could just come south with me.
“Cus,” Aldebar said, “you’re going south? Why?”
I pulled out my knife and started scratching into the bark of a dead tree The Drowned Man used to hold up its sign. I scraped out the rough geography around Watermanse, and south—the shore of Le’kemeshaw, the two major rivers that flowed through the area, high and low ground, the biggest stretches of forest—then I marked where I expected Venari and the Osterway would be coming with her men. And slaves.
Aldebar shrugged. “Men, women, slaves—all just an army we gotta face, right?”
I shook my head. “No, there’s a difference. A big one. I won’t kill slaves or let them be killed.”
Legacy Page 7
