But before I can go ballistic, I stop myself. It’s a mighty big charge, and I may be completely wrong. I hope I am. I need more proof before I go off on him, but so help me, if he’s…
I take a deep breath. I’ll probe my secretive companion and get some real answers. I’m sick of his secrets, and I’m not letting him off the hook again. I know I’ve told myself that before, but not this time.
Zeki’s pleading returns my focus. Harpoc and Zeki continue talking, or perhaps I should say Harpoc talks and Zeki begs because Zeki’s kneeling and sounding even more desperate.
“I know you’re a smart man, Zeki.”
I barely stifle a laugh, yeah a real savant.
“This is your first infraction—”
I yip as I feel a hand grab the fabric of my jacket’s hood, then something sharp pricks the back of my neck. A low voice with an Arabic accent whispers in my ear, “No sudden moves and you won’t get hurt, now move.”
Harpoc’s head pivots in an instant, and he stares down whoever’s directing me.
Gold eye, silver eye. The image shoots to the forefront of my mind, and I finger my ring, anything to find some small measure of comfort in this grand adventure, as that fist compels me forward.
At least my inner voice stays quiet. The last thing I need is for her to say “I told you so.”
Zeki’s shoulders hunch, I can’t tell if he’s defeated or relieved at the actions of his compatriots.
“Your agreement was unfair, King of Roses,” another, higher pitched voice says from behind me.
The grip on my hood doesn’t slacken, and I’m forced to continue forward.
Harpoc doesn’t so much as look at me, and I don’t know what to make of it. He’s promised me he won’t let anything happen to me. I still believe that, but he could at least reassure me.
I take step after step until that hand jerks me to a stop.
Harpoc forces a smile to his lips that doesn’t reach his eyes, then shifts, arms crossed as if relaxed, so he’s looking straight at whoever spoke behind me.
If I didn’t know him, I’d believe the act, but in just three days I’ve come to know his tells. He’s anything but relaxed. His jaw is tense.
Harpoc leans back and says, “Zeki, it seems you have a management issue to deal with. It’s never fun to have to set your underlings straight, but you’ll need to because I made the agreement with you and you alone, for this entire production facility.” He waves an arm about. “Now I can easily let your government—”
Zeki raises his folded hands, still kneeling. “No. Don’t.”
“Zeki,” Higher-Pitch-Guy behind me says, “why are you begging when we control the king’s greatest weakness, right here.”
Greatest weakness? I’m no one’s weakness, especially not Harpoc’s. I nearly laugh, but the blade pokes my neck again, with intention this time, and I snarl.
Harpoc grins, still not looking at me. “I’d be careful what you say about, as well as, to her. She may look harmless…” Thanks Harpoc. “… but she’s deftly dealt with creatures of mythic proportions.”
His death-eye stare only intensifies and quiet descends on the group, like everyone’s sizing up each other’s BS quotient.
A second later, the hold on my hood eases. Guess Harpoc’s convincing.
But I’m still captive.
I replay Harpoc’s words whether he means for me to or not. He’s right, I’ve been part of dealing with Irik, then a sphinx, as well as a damn harpy. Granted Harpoc did the heavy lifting, but I was there and learned a thing or two. I am dangerous, sort of.
The higher-pitched idiot starts blathering to Harpoc about the injustice of the situation while Zeki remains quiet, still on his knees.
Why doesn’t Harpoc just knock them all out like he did Irik? We’d be out of here in no time. Maybe he can’t handle more than one at a time, I’ve no idea. I tune out, because no one’s making any moves, and consider our predicament.
You can do it, Pell, my inner voice encourages the plan that begins to form, but it gets more complex when I hear scuffling in the dirt behind me, and it’s not from Mister Higher Voice. Damn, there’s at least two more goons from the sounds of things.
Duh, Pell, there were six abandoned cups.
If I deal with the guy with his grubby mitts on me, can Harpoc manage the others, because they’re above my pay grade.
If I can just get Harpoc’s attention.
I cough, drawing Harpoc’s gaze for only a second, and bob my head, then ram an elbow into the ribs of my captor and pivot, winding up my leg for a hard and accurate hit. I won’t miss this time.
I don’t either. The guy doesn’t know what hits him between my elbow that winds him and my boot, because I make a direct hit.
He howls, grabbing his balls as he drops. A machete clatters to the hard-packed dirt beside where he writhes. I didn’t kick him hard enough to kill him, but he’ll definitely remember me.
Chaos breaks out around me for a second, then everything goes deathly still.
“King of Roses…” I scan the area, then exhale.
Five large thugs lay motionless behind me, plus the squirming, no-longer-machete-wielding dude. The insufficiently dressed boy we followed, darts back into the weed. Only Zeki’s still upright, still on his knees before Harpoc.
Harpoc doesn’t so much as give me a glance, just keeps talking to Zeki, “As I mentioned, she doesn’t look dangerous, but she packs a punch.”
Zeki turns and looks me up and down before returning his gaze up at Harpoc.
“We’ll honor the agreement.” I swear his voice quivers.
“That’s a wise decision, see that you do. Now if you’ll just get me
