“Are you sure you don’t want me to kill himfor you?” Cedar asked. “It’d be worth going to jail if it made youhappy.”
Sebastian coughed. “Er, I’ll just, uh. I’llgo now. Yes.” He backed out the door. “My offer’s still good if youchange your mind Kali!”
The door thumped shut so hard it bounced openagain.
A couple of seconds passed before Cedarreleased her, and she found herself wishing he wouldn’t, but hestepped away, arms dropping. The cold air against her back made heraware of his absence.
Kali turned to face him. “That was…” Niceof you, she thought. Pleasant. Something we should do again withoutsilly pretexts or ex-beaus looking on. “Scratchy,” she saidinstead. “I hope you shave that stubble before entertaining theladies at the dancing halls. And why are you wearing a rock likeit’s a diamond?”
Cedar’s brows arched.
Kali closed her eyes. She was an idiot. “Imean, thanks for, you know. Helping.”
“You’ve told me enough about what he’s done,”Cedar said. “Reckon I wouldn’t mind tormenting him some for you,though I do need to retract my offer of a killing. I must findCudgel Conrad and avenge my brother before I do something thatcould see me hanged or jailed for years.”
“Understandable.” Despite all her threats,she could not find it in herself to wish Sebastian dead anyway. Shewasn’t the sort to kill folks, making it strange that she’dpartnered up with a bounty hunter, but Cedar’s deal had been toogood to resist, and she did not have so many allies that she couldturn them away.
“And this-” Cedar lifted the rock and spunit, “-is a lodestone. I won it gambling. It’s supposed to bringluck.”
“If the previous owner lost it gambling, itcan’t be that lucky.”
“True, but the chain is silver. I can alwayssell it.”
Ah, yes, speaking of monetary matters… “Didyou find Koothrapai?” she asked, naming adeserter-turned- murderer-and-rapist who had come to Dawson toescape the law. Normally she left the scouting of targets to Cedar,but the thug had wandered past her shop, and she had recognized himfrom the newspaper.
“Yes,” Cedar said.
“And did you…?” Kali glanced at hissword.
“Yes.”
“And collected the reward money?”
“Yes.”
She waited. This was the point when heusually handed over her share. He did not.
“We’re not splitting this one?” Kali asked.It was understandable, since she had done little to help this time,but Cedar had stipulated a fifty-fifty cut when she first agreed towork with him, modifying his weapons and making usefulcriminal-thwarting gadgets.
Cedar hesitated before answering. “I did nothave need of your services to take Koothrapai down.”
“True, but I did alert you to the man’spresence in town.”
“Which began a three-day hunt, during which Ihad to traipse all over the valley after a man who served as ascout and knew how to hide his tracks and fight when cornered.”
“Yes, but you like those activities.”
“I do. My argument is that your portion ofthe work was not commensurate with a fifty percent cut.”
Kali propped her hands on her hips. “Really.Did you use any of my smoke nuts?” she asked, naming theshrapnel-flinging smoke grenades that were one of her trademarkinventions.
He hesitated again. “Yes.”
“See, I helped. You just tracked him down.It’s not my fault it took you three days. A trained hound could dothat job.”
His nostrils flared and his eyes grew flinty.Even before that, Kali regretted her words. He was her only friendhere-one of her only friends in the world.
She rubbed her face. “I’m sorry, but I needmoney to build my airship.”
“Perhaps,” Cedar said, “in this instance, anominal finder’s fee would be suitable.”
She closed her eyes, glad he was too matureto lash out at her life’s work the way she had at his. Or maybe shewished he would. It was hard knowing she was the childish one.
“A finder’s fee?” Kali asked, glad shemanaged a reasonable tone of voice. She almost gave in out of hand,but if she accepted those terms once, might he not try to pressthem on her every time? If so, it could take her years to reach hergoal. “You said we were partners who would split everythingfifty-fifty. I came along because you seemed like the best bet forearning the money for the parts and raw materials that can one dayget me out of this frozen- eight-months-out-of-the-year hell.”
“Is that the only reason you came with me?”Cedar asked, surprising her. That wasn’t what he was supposed tolatch onto.
“What?” she asked. Was he trying to derailher argument? “Of course that’s why I came. What other choice did Ihave? You cost me any chance of winning that dog sled race andgetting my airship money that way.”
“I see.” He sounded disappointed in her.
And that made her bristle more than themoney. “I can’t order what I need if all I’m getting are ‘finder’sfees.’ Once I have everything I need, I’ll help you for free whileI’m building my airship. That’ll take months. And, listen, if youhaven’t found Cudgel in that time, I’ll help you hunt him down.”She tried a smile. “By air.”
Cedar’s eyebrows disappeared beneath the brimof his hat. There, that had him intrigued. “Perhaps,” he said, “butI’m hoping we won’t need that much time. When I was turning inKoothrapai’s head, I ran into an old comrade who gave me atip.”
He gripped her arms. His eyes burned with anintensity that had not been there during their argument.
“On where to find Cudgel?” Kali asked.
“Possibly.” Cedar noticed his grip andreleased her. “One of Cudgel’s trusted men, John Wilder-or WildJohn as he goes by-just registered a claim up river. His head isworth a couple hundred dollars, but more importantly: when he’saround, Cudgel’s never far off.”
Kali forced a smile, trying to show she washappy for him, but her first thought was that he’d have littlereason to stick around and work with her once he’d completed hisquest. “Think he’s here, trying to get rich?” she asked. He wasprobably waiting for her to say something encouraging.
“Must be.” Cedar nodded. “Your old beau isright.”
She winced. She did not want that wordassociated with her and Sebastian.
“Big finds were made here last year,” hesaid, “and folks’ll be flooding the town this summer. Thepopulation’s already growing.”
“I know. This is all new. My mother’s peoplehad a camp here when I was a girl. Nothing short of gold would makemen stupid enough to build a city on land that turns into a swampwhen it thaws. I used to-er, wait. You were standing outside,listening to our conversation?” That meant he had heard thoseinsults. The last thing she wanted from him-or anybody-waspity.
“Ah. Well…” Cedar removed his hat andscraped his fingers through his tousled black hair. “When I heardthe gunshot, I ran over to check on you. Thought bandits might haveinvaded the shop. Then, when I figured that wasn’t the case, Iwasn’t sure if I should walk in or not.”
“Oh.”
“Are you game to help with Wilder?” heasked.
“Yes,” Kali said, glad to change the subject.“You want to go out and check on his claim, see if he’s about?”
“Yes, but claim jumpers are a problem uphere, aren’t they? Folks might get suspicious if we’re roamingabout, peering about people’s properties.”
“You think someone is going to mistake me fora claim jumper?” Kali patted her overalls, causing tools to clinkand clatter.
“You, perhaps not. But it’s possible folksmight think me…” He touched the scar on his cheek.
“Menacing?”
“Dangerous,” Cedar said.
“Dangerously menacing?”
“I’m not menacing. Villains aremenacing.”
