Devil Riders

“One of the Trader’s men,” J.B. scowled. “Did the local baron’s bride and started a war. Damn fool.”

“Love makes folks do crazy things,” Mildred added softly. “I wonder what happened to the woman?”

“Hopefully long dead,” Krysty said with a sigh. “And probably done a lot worse than this.”

“Let’s get moving before the same happens to us,” Ryan said, heading for the front door of the temple.

Chapter Thirteen

The banded door to the keep slammed aside and Baron Gaza strode out of the structure, dragging a sec man by the throat. With a roar of anger, Gaza threw the man down the front steps onto the cobblestone street, where he landed sprawling before the waiting company of sec men filling the courtyard.

“My lord, it’s true!” the man cried, rubbing his sore neck. “The people who saw the chilling claim that Ryan has a blaster that makes no noise!”

“Liar!” Baron Gaza shouted. “Find me those traitors and stuff them into the Black Queens!”

The sec men reacted badly to that order, and several openly stroked the grips of the blasters.

“But some of them were children,” a sec man from the crowd said in a loud clear voice. Then almost grudgingly he added, “My lord.”

Gaza turned on the man, but before he could speak, Hawk strode through the crowd leading his stallion by the reins.

“The children and women are spared, of course,” Hawk said, striding through the crowd. “In fact, forget these liars until tomorrow. Tonight we concentrate on finding those murdering outlanders.”

Murmurs of approval rose from the guards, and Gaza forced his rage under control. These weren’t his wives, broken and beaten until they lived to serve, but armed fighters who he controlled only through fear. The ville was already twitchy enough about cutting off relations with Trader. If the stupe cattle knew his real plans, they’d probably revolt even faster than if they discovered the truth about the water.

“The outlanders are the top priority,” Baron Gaza agreed loudly. “They aced sec men, a crime for which there is only one punishment. To become food for the god and earn this ville more water!”

Shouts of agreement came from the men, a mixture of revenge and greed crossing their dirty faces. Yes, he thought, they would like that idea.

“Except for this Ryan, who goes to the table!” Baron Gaza added as an afterthought. “Perhaps the knives can make him tell the secret of this silent blaster, eh?”

Now the sec man laughed at the foolish notion, his momentary outburst forgotten.

“Wall Sergeant Franz, Gate Sergeant Henny, double the guards on the wall,” Hawk commanded. “Nobody leaves this ville tonight without the baron’s personal authorization.”

“And send off outriders,” Gaza directed. “I want twenty men on patrol in the desert around the ville. If this Ryan gets outside Rockpoint, they’re to bring him back alive. Chill the rest.”

“But what about the night muties?” a man began, glancing toward the high walls.

“My lord, we can’t double the wall patrols and send outriders while searching the ville,” Hawk said quickly, walking his horse closer to the furious man on the stoop. “We don’t have enough troops.”

“Do as you think best,” Gaza conceded, then sensing a loss of power quickly added, “But the man who captures Ryan alive can have his redhead as a reward. Permanently!”

The baron could see that the guards liked that idea. Pitiful fools. Norms were like horses—you needed a carrot and a stick to make them obey. Beat them once so they knew the taste of pain, then reward them often but always at the end of the stick so they would remember.

“However, I lay claim to the black woman,” Hawk said, climbing onto his horse and gesturing at the men on top of the keep. “Even if she surrenders, I want her dead! Now to the walls! Let’s find these coldhearts and show their guts to the stars!”

The alarm bell on the roof of the brick building started clanging once more and the sec men rallied to the sound, rushing to their posts on foot and horseback, waving their blasters and crossbows.

With only his personal bodyguards staying close, Gaza stood on the stoop of the imposing keep and looked across the roofed ville. The one location he ignored was the temple. Only feebs would dare to venture to that place. His secrets were safe there. Now where could the outlanders be hiding? Where?

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