Deadly Games

“Did you see it on this street?” sheasked.

“Naw, over on West Monument. Saw it rollingout of the old fire brigade building a little after midnight a fewnights back.”

“Monument, good, thank you.” A nervousflutter disturbed her stomach. That was the direction she had sentBooks and Akstyr. “I don’t suppose you’re heading over that way?”she asked, thinking of the proffered ride. It would be faster thanthe bicycles if she could convince these fellows to detour fromtheir route-and not pick up trash on the way.

“Naw.”

“Any chance you could be convinced tohead that way?”

“Well, my partner drives, so reckon I gots toask him.” The man held up a finger, then swung up to address theperson manning the controls.

While they conversed, Amaranthe looked forMaldynado. She could signal him to stop searching the buildings offthis spur if she spotted him, but nothing stirred on the street. Amuggy breeze whispered off the lake, bringing harder rain. Anotherreason to switch from bicycles to covered conveyances.

“…take that long,” her scruffy ally wassaying.

The only word Amaranthe caught in theresponse was “teats.” She arched her eyebrows. The fellow might beinvoking the ancient imperial platitude about the unfairness ofsuckling on a dog’s rearmost teats, or he might be referencing herchest. Neither sounded promising.

“…nice girl,” Scruffy said. “…not goingto do that.”

“Nice?” the response came, voice louder.“Nice girls don’t roam the streets at two in the morning. They’rehome with their fathers or husbands.”

“Ssh. I’m not asking her…”

No, this did not sound good at all. She tooka step forward, thinking she had better handle the negotiating, butScruffy swung down and faced her first.

“Sorry,” he said, “but Chalts figgers we’regoing to get took down by our boss if we delay our route that much,so it’s got to be real worth the hollering at.” He shuffled hisfeet and prodded one of the vehicles fat tires. “He says we’ll doit if you show us-show him-your, uh…”

“Emperor’s warts, Scuv, we’ll be here allnight if you talk.” The second man leaned out of the cab so thelights on the vehicle illuminated his face. He was comelier thanhis scruffy comrade, but that did not make Amaranthe appreciate hisrequest more. “Pull up your shirt and show us some teats, and we’llgive you a ride.”

While she had paid greater prices for thingsbefore, she doubted a mercenary leader striving to build areputation for competence should entertain such an offer. Sheunbuttoned her jacket, intending to show them her pistol ratherthan any skin.

“She’s going to do it!” Scruffy whispered inan aside to his comrade.

“Told you,” the other muttered. “Sheprobably-oomph!”

Without further warning, the man flew out ofthe cab and crashed to the street at his comrade’s feet. A familiarfigure slid into the vacated seat-Maldynado. The soldier’s riflerested across his lap.

“I haven’t even seen under her shirt,”he said, “so there’s no way you two shrubs are going to get ashow.” He gave her a wide-eyed significant look, as if to ask whatshe had been thinking by unbuttoning her jacket.

Amaranthe smiled and lifted the garment todisplay the pistol.

“Ah, right.” Maldynado wriggled his fingers.“You coming? I’m sure I can drive this.”

“You want to steal it?” She eyed thegarbage workers.

Scruffy was helping his comrade to his feetamidst much groaning.

“I just wanted a ride,” Amaranthe added.

“Aw, come on, boss,” Maldynado said. “Ihaven’t gotten to abscond with an official imperial vehicle sincewe molested those soldiers up at that secret lake.”

“We didn’t molest them, we helped them.”Amaranthe rubbed her face. It was so difficult to establish areputation for being a doer of good. “These two gentlemen weregoing to give us a ride. I don’t think we need to steal theirvehicle and get them in trouble.”

The man Maldynado had thrown out lunged forthe cab, his hand balled into a fist and drawn back to throw apunch. He halted mid-swing when the rifle whipped up. The coldsteel muzzle pressed against his forehead.

“I don’t think we want these fellows ridingalong with us,” Maldynado said.

The driver backed down, arms raised. “Toldyou she wasn’t nice,” he muttered to Scruffy.

“What did I do?” Amaranthe asked.

Both men glared at her. Maldynado grinned.Yes, this might have gone past the point of salvaging with words.She took out her pistol. Though she did not point it theirdirection, she made sure they saw it.

“You two have any rope in there?” she askedScruffy.

“Spare winch cable.”

“Can you get it, please?”

He shrugged and unlocked a box near the frontwheels. He pulled out a large spindle of metal cable.

“Thanks,” Amaranthe said. “Now, you two sitover there, back to back, please. I’m going to tie you up.”

“What?” Scruffy balked.

His comrade scowled. “Definitely not anice girl.”

“Actually, I thought this would keep yougentlemen out of trouble,” Amaranthe said. “Better to beincapacitated by deadly bandits than simply wander back toheadquarters without your truck, right?”

“Oh,” Scruffy said. “Like a lot ofbandits, right?”

“At least six, I should think,” Amaranthesaid.

He sat on the cement. After a glower atAmaranthe’s pistol, his grumbling comrade did the same.

“Want me to beat them up a bit?” Maldynadoasked. “To add verisimilitude?”

“No time.” Amaranthe finished tying the menand joined Maldynado in the cab. “They can smash their headsagainst each other’s faces if they feel the need to add physicalevidence to corroborate the story.”

Maldynado threw a lever. Gears turned,pistons pumped, and the truck lurched backward, flattening an ashcan.

Amaranthe groaned. “Why do I find it sodifficult to be a law-abiding citizen these days?”

Maldynado shoved the lever the otherdirection, causing the vehicle to roll forward. “Is there a lawagainst smashing people’s trash cans?”

“Imperial City Code 174 covers it. There arenumerous pages on vandalism.”

“It can’t be vandalism if it’s done byaccident.” Maldynado fumbled about, and they veered toward a stonewall.

“No, no, use the turning arm!” came a cry ofadvice from the bound men.

Maldynado located the controls and turned thevehicle to the left. He angled toward an intersection. “Good thingyou didn’t gag them.”

“Yes, they’ll be in big-bigger-troublewith their boss if we wreck their vehicle.” Amaranthe realized herhand was gripping the side of the cab with clenched fingers.

“Nah, I’ve got it now.” Maldynado pushed thevehicle to full speed. “We’ll be there in a few minutes. This isfun. Far better than riding that ridiculous bicycle.”

Wind drove rain droplets through the openside, and moisture spattered Amaranthe’s cheeks. She was alreadyregretting her choice. That theft would be reported, and theenforcers would match it to her once the workers described her. Sheshould have handled the situation better.

“Quit it,” Maldynado said.

“What?”

“Self-flagellating. I heard what that mansaid; you got the location of the rail carriage. We wouldn’t havegotten that if you hadn’t gone up to talk to them. And it’simportant to get over there quickly in case Books and Akstyr havealready found it and are on the brink of getting themselves introuble.”

Amaranthe wiped water from her cheeks.“You’re wiser than you let on most of the time. In fact, youusually hide it well.”

“It’s late. I’m not at my best.” He noddedtoward an upcoming intersection bisected by rail tracks. “There’sour street.”