Tyrant's Stars: Parts Three and Four (11 page)

He intended to launch an attack on the count’s vehicle. Greater Noble or not, in this sunlit hour his foe would have no choice but to sleep in his coffin with nothing save the darkness for a companion. This was a perfect opportunity. No matter what kinds of mechanical security devices the car might be equipped with, it had to be worth a try.

The giant was about to start walking, and then he looked over toward Sue. Normally as expressionless as a stone Buddha, his face rippled with shock waves.

There was no sign of Sue.

It was impossible to enter or escape one of his mazes, but in this case someone had completed the circle, which, ironically enough, made escape from it all too easy.

After Seurat had scanned his surroundings twice and then run off, there was a rustling in the bushes near where the cyborg horse was tethered to a tree, and then Sue appeared. Something strange rested on her left shoulder. It appeared to be a man’s left hand. If someone took a picture, it could’ve passed as an example of spirit photography. But that wasn’t all, as it actually said to her, “He left, eh?”

“Uh, yeah,” Sue said.

“You know, considering I just freed you and everything, you look mighty displeased.”

“I’m not. I’m really happy. But he’s not a bad guy.”

“Probably not,” the left hand said, agreeing with Sue for the first time. “But he’s the enemy just the same. In which case, you should hope he gets his as soon as possible . . . but I don’t suppose you’ve got that in you. Get up on the horse. Let’s get going.”

“Going where?”

“There’s a set place for us to rendezvous with the count’s vehicle. No matter how hard Seurat looks, he’ll never find the car. Still, I’ve gotta wonder where the hell D is at. He ain’t doing much of a job of guarding you, little girl, if I had to find you first.”

“Um, D—well, D was. . .” “What happened?” the left hand asked her, and apparently it sensed something in her tone of voice, because it put even more strength into its fingers. And then it flipped around from behind Sue, did a little hop, and skillfully balanced itself on her shoulder again.

“He had this power used on him, and then got knocked into the water . . .”

“What?”

Sue recounted the battle between D and the giant.

“Hmm, it’d take more than that to keep a man like him down, but water—and running water at that—doesn’t sound good. Okay, what do you say we go hook up with Braujou, then go out looking for D?”

“Good enough,” Sue said with a nod. She’d been concerned about D all along.

The two rode along for about ten minutes before they came across Braujou’s car in the forest. On entering the vehicle, the voice of the count immediately rained down on them, saying, “I see you’re fine.”

Hearing the unmistakable ring of relief and concern in his words, Sue was a bit bewildered.

“You sounded quite nice,” he continued.

“Excuse me?”

“When you sang that song. What’s it called?”

The girl finally remembered what he was referring to. The count must’ve heard her singing from his car so far away.

“It doesn’t have a title. My mother used to sing it all the time.”

“Hmm. Very well, then. Off we go. He’ll be coming.”

“Good,” Sue said, feeling relieved. Her rescue could be concluded without Braujou and Seurat having to fight each other.

“Good? What’s good?” the count inquired.

“I—I don’t want to see either of you get hurt,” the girl replied, feeling safe.

But the count’s response carried a force and hostility that made Sue grow pale. “Oh, so the abducted lass is concerned for the well-being of her abductor? How interesting! Now I shall have to stay and see what this fellow is made of.”

“That’s not what I meant to—” Sue countered desperately. “It’s just—he’s really not a bad person.”

“Bad or not, he’s the enemy. He’s out to take your life. And we must defend you.”

Sue didn’t notice the anger and envy running through the Nobleman’s words.

“Where might the enemy be?” Braujou asked.

The car’s female voice responded, “Six hundred and nine yards north-northwest of here, milord, and he’s currently wandering the periphery.”

“Very well, take us there.”

“Wait!” another voice interjected. It was the left hand sitting on Sue’s shoulder. Its forefinger pointed straight up at the ceiling—in Braujou’s direction. “I could’ve sworn you just said defending her is your job. Stay and fight, and you’ll only be courting disaster. You’d also be betraying your own promise.” Its tone was rather dignified.

After a momentary silence, Braujou’s voice rang out. He sounded somewhat crestfallen as he said, “Disregard that last order. Return to the fortress.”

As relief settled over Sue once more, the left hand tapped her lightly on the shoulder.

Seurat could make out the sound of the car’s engine in the distance. Though he’d been running after it at full speed, he hadn’t caught a glimpse of the vehicle before he could no longer hear it. Determined to set out after it again immediately, he went back for the cyborg horse he’d left behind, but the mount had vanished, most likely the work of whoever had taken Sue—the same person who’d beaten the iron walls of his maze.

He stood still in defeat.

“Messed up, didn’t you?"

Seurat looked to the right. A form in a crimson, hooded robe stood among the interwoven trees. The figure sounded vaguely like an old woman, but neither its face nor its hands could be seen.

“I am Kima—an instrument of the grand duke’s power,” the crimson figure said. “The load you bear is too heavy for you to bring the rest of the way. So I have orders to assist you.”

The giant didn’t know how to respond to this.

“I won’t act directly. I’m here strictly in a support capacity for you. You should keep that in mind. Now, as to the car you’re after—I’ve arranged so that Count Braujou won’t make it back to the fortress. Once you’ve thought of a way to slay him, you may pursue him at your leisure.”

He sensed someone entering the room. It was probably Sue. Matthew opened his eyes. His eyelids didn’t sting as much as they had before.

“My, but you’ve been hurt badly.”

Every inch of the boy stiffened immediately, and not because the hoarse voice reminded him of D’s left hand. Rather, it was due to the malevolence of its mocking tone.

“Who . . . are . . . you?” he managed to squeeze out in a thread-thin voice. Due to the strength of his medicine, his lips wouldn’t move.

“An instrument of the grand duke’s power,” the voice continued. “And my job is to bring you and your sister back to the grand duke’s domain. You see, those initially sent to do this proved unexpectedly inept or else got themselves slain . . . though that does reflect the power of those guarding you. Don’t move, boy. You’ll split your skin open again just when it’s starting to heal. My name is Kima.”

Matthew was at a loss for words.

“I’ve come here to get you, but I won’t force you to go. I’ll just arrange it so you choose to go to the grand duke of your own free will. Oh, you mustn’t get up!”

The old, hoarse voice suddenly became a youthful, buoyant one, and the presence the boy sensed morphed into that of someone else entirely.

“I told you you weren’t supposed to move. You’re such a handful.” “Is that you . . . Sue?”

“Yes, it is. Okay, now roll over onto your side.”

With the girl pushing against his shoulder, Matthew’s hand hit the hard floor.

“Wasn’t there . .. someone else ... in here . .. just now?”

“Not a soul. But now that you mention it, when I first came in, for a second I thought I saw something red—but it was only my imagination.”

Life on the Frontier was hard. People couldn’t be bothered to worry about the harmless visions or dreams that evil spirits or mirage beasts made them have.

“Medicine time—I’ll change your dressings.”

Sue’s ministrations were warm and personal. Removing his bandages, she wiped away the old ointment with gauze before carefully sponging his body off with warm water.

“You’ve gotten a lot better. It’ll be fine for you to talk now. I suppose it might be okay for you to walk around, too.”

“This is your house, isn’t it?” Matthew asked, his mouth finally free again.

“It sure is.”

“You sure it’s okay for me to stay here and everything?”

“I’m all alone anyway. Don’t worry about it.”

“And people in the village—they won’t say anything about it?” “Never mind about them,” she replied, sounding somewhat peeved. “That shouldn’t concern you. I’ll be sleeping on the sofa anyway. Don’t try anything funny.”

Applying new ointment, she wound the bandages around him again, but this time he only needed them on his chest and part of his back.

“Okay, that should do it!” she told Matthew.

“Thank you—but I’ve got to leave.”

Sue’s eyes went wide, and she said, “Excuse me?”

“I don’t wanna impose on you any more than I already have, and I have a little sister to get back to. I’ve gotta get back to her as fast as I can. I’m sorry, but could you loan me some food and a horse?

I promise I’ll get them back to you later.”

“You don’t have to give them back to me,” Sue said. The terribly grave expression she wore stunned Matthew. “But in return, you have to take me with you wherever it is you’re headed.”

“Why’s that?”

“Tomorrow, my husband’s coming back.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I was already planning on leaving, but then when I saw you, I had a change of heart. I thought I’d show you to him and tell him what a good man I’d got myself.”

“Just a second now—”

“Relax,” Sue told him with a laugh. “On further consideration, that didn’t seem like such a smart thing to do. Besides, my husband’s big and he likes to hit things. When he went off to the Capital to do some sightseeing, the whole village got together and petitioned the sheriff’s bureau, and they ended up throwing him in jail there.” “So, this husband of yours—what does he do?”

“He’s a Fire Dragon Hunter.”

Matthew was speechless.