“Oh, Marron, you shouldn’t have.” But, if he hadn’t, he would not have gotten past her door. “What a strange necklace. Are these serpents?”
“Real silver,” he said. “And rubies. It caught my fancy. Ugly, but the craftsmanship is superb.”
“I think it’s gorgeous, Marron. How much did it cost?”
“Too much,” Shed replied, smiling sardonically. “I couldn’t tell you. More than I should have paid for anything.”
Sue did not press. “Come here, Marron.” She must have had orders to play him carefully. Usually she gave him a hard time before surrendering. She began disrobing. Shed went. He took her rough, something he had not done before. Then he took her again. When it was over, she asked, “What’s gotten into you?”
“I have a big surprise for you. A big surprise. I know you’ll love it. Can you sneak out without anyone knowing?” “Of course. But why?”
“That’s the surprise. Will you do it? You won’t be disappointed, I promise.” “I don’t understand.”
“Just do it. Slip out a few minutes after I leave. Meet me in the alley. I want to take you somewhere and show you something. Be sure to wear the necklace.”
“What are you up to?” She seemed amused, not suspicious.
Good, Shed thought. He finished dressing. “No answers now, darling. This will be the biggest surprise of your life. I don’t want to spoil it.” He headed for the door. “Five minutes?” she called. “Don’t make me wait. I’m a bear when I have to wait. And don’t forget the necklace.” “I won’t, dear.”
Shed waited nearly fifteen minutes. He grew impatient, but was certain greed would bring Sue out. The hook was set. She was playing with him.
“Marron?” Her voice was soft and musical. His heart twisted. How could he do this?
“Here, love.” She came to him. He enfolded her in his arms.
“Now, now. Enough of that. I want my surprise. I can hardly wait.”
Shed took a deep breath. Do it! he yelled inside. “I’ll help you up.” She turned. Now! But his hands were made of lead.
“Come on, Marron.”
He swung. Sue slammed into the wagon, a mewl the only sound she made. He hit her again as she bounced back. She sagged. He took a gag from the wagon, forced it into her mouth before she could scream, then tied her hands quickly. She began kicking when he went for her ankles. He kicked her back, nearly let anger carry him away.
She quit fighting. He finished binding her, then propped her on the wagon seat. In the darkness they looked like man and wife about some late business.
He did not speak till they were across the Port. “You’re probably wondering what’s going on, darling.”
Sue grunted. She was pale and frightened. He retrieved his amulet. While he was at it, he stripped her of jewelry and valuables.
“Sue, I loved you. I really did. I would have done anything for you. When you kill a love like that, you turn it into a big hatred.” At least twenty leva worth of jewelry, he guessed. How many men had she destroyed? “Working for Gilbert like that. Trying to steal the Lily. Anything else I could have forgiven. Anything.”
He talked all the way up the hill. It distracted her till the black castle loomed so large it could no longer be overlooked. Then her eyes got huge. She began to shake, to stink as she lost all control.
“Yes, darling,” Shed said, voice pleasantly rational, conversational. “Yes. The black castle. You were going to deliver me to the mercy of your friends. You made a bet and lost. Now I deliver you to mine.” He halted, climbed down, went to the gate. It opened immediately.
The tall being met him, wringing spidery hands. “Good,” it said. “Very good. Your partner never brought healthy game.”
Shed’s guts knotted. He wanted to change his mind. He only wanted to hurt and humiliate Sue... But it was too late. He could not turn back. “I’m sorry, Sue. You shouldn’t have done it. You and Gilbert. His turn will come. Marron Shed isn’t what everybody thinks.”
A whining noise came from behind Sue’s gag. Shed turned away. He had to get out. He faced the tall creature.
It began counting coins directly into his hand.
As always, Shed did not barter. In fact, he did not look at the money, just kept stuffing his pockets. His attention was on the darkness behind the creature.
More of its kind were back there, hissing, jostling. Shed recognized the short one he’d dealt with once.
The tall being stopped counting. Absently, Shed put the coins into a pocket, returned to his wagon. The things in shadow swept forward, seized Sue, began ripping her clothing. One yanked the gag out of her mouth. Shed started packing his rig.
“For God’s sake, Marron. Don’t leave me.”
“It’s done, woman. It’s done.” He snapped his traces.
“Back up, mules.”
She started screaming as he turned toward the gate. He did not look. He did not want to know. “Keep moving, mules.”
“Come again soon, Marron Shed,” the tall creature called after him.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Juniper
Banished
The summons from Whisper caught me unprepared. It was too early for the daily report. I’d barely finished breakfast. I knew it meant trouble. I was not disappointed.
The Taken prowled like a caged animal, radiating tension and anger. I went inside by the numbers, stood at a perfect attention, giving no excuse for the picking of nits-in case whatever it was was not my fault.
She ignored me for several minutes, working off energy. Then she seated herself, stared at her hands thoughtfully. Her gaze rose. And she was in complete control. She actually smiled. Had she been as beautiful as the Lady, that smile would have melted granite. But she was what she was, a scarred old campaigner, so a smile only ameliorated the grimness of her face.
“How were the men disposed last night?” she asked. Baffled, I responded, “Excuse me? You mean their temper?”
“Where were they stationed?”
“Oh.” That was properly Elmo’s province, but I knew better than to say so. The Taken do not tolerate excuses, sound though they may be. “The three men on the ship south with Bullock, looking for that man Asa.” I worried about her having sent them. When I do not understand the motives of the Taken, I get paranoid. “Five down in the Buskin pretending to be foreign sailors. Three more down there watching people we’ve found especially interesting. I’d have to double-check with Elmo to be positive, but at least four more were in other parts of the city, trying to pick up something of interest. The rest of us were here in the castle, off duty. Wait. One man would have been down in the Duke’s secret police office, and two would have been at the Enclosure, hanging around with the Custodians. I was with the Inquisitors most of the night, picking their brains. We’re scattered pretty thin right now. I’ll be glad when the Captain gets here. We’ve got too much going for the available manpower. The occupation planning is way behind.”
She sighed, rose, resumed pacing. “My fault as much as anyone’s, I suppose.” She looked out a window for a long time. Then she beckoned. I joined her.
She indicated the black castle. “Just whiskers short. They’re trying to open the way for the Dominator already. It’s not yet time, but they’re getting hurried. Maybe they’ve sensed our interest.”
This Juniper business was like some giant, tentacled sea beast from a sailor’s lie. No matter where we turned or what we did, we got deeper into trouble. By working at cross-purposes with the Taken, trying to cover an increasingly more obvious trail, we were complicating their efforts to deal with the peril of the black castle. If we did cover well, we just might make it possible for the Dominator to emerge into an unprepared world.
