Chapter Sixteen
Watching from the window of the keep, it seemed to Baron Gaza that the sky was on fire, with pieces of burning cloth dropping into the streets everywhere, embers swirling thick as sand fleas over the adobe buildings. Several roofs were already smoldering, others blazing away, orange tongues licking at the stars.
For some reason, his wives were terrified of the outlanders and wouldn’t allow him any closer than he was to an open window. As if somebody could accurately shoot a longblaster this high!
“They didn’t breach my private armory, did they?” Gaza demanded, shifting uncomfortably on the stool.
He had caught a piece of shrapnel from the exploding wags, and a healer was cleaning the wound before sewing it shut. The old man was slow, but the best in the ville. Which was why Gaza had hobbled the man, cutting the tendons in his legs so he couldn’t escape. Rockpoint ville had no slaves, but there were many different levels of freedom here.
His eldest wife, Allison, started to nod yes, then shrugged. Unlike the other wives, the blonde had a gift, a talent, a feeling for things that couldn’t be described. Sometimes it was so haunting it was like trying to hold a moonbeam in your hand. Other times it was a slap in the face that something bad was near. This day had been such an occurrence, and while she didn’t exactly know what it meant, Allison knew enough to keep her beloved husband under cover. And still he had been nearly chilled when the outlander wag exploded. Such a fireball!
The room was lush with furnishing, a wooden table covered with linen and silver bowls of cactus fruit. Bottles of aged shine, and sparkling clean water stood about for anybody to sample, and there was a huge roast of camel filling a center plate. Pictures adorned the walls and there were rows of books. Each of them lovingly preserved by the wives, and untouched by Gaza. Some bore the great name of Texas on the cover, but most spoke of things indecipherable.
“Black dust, it’s like skydark out there!” the baron grunted, as the probe dug into his flesh.
The old man apologized, and the mute wives rushed forward to stroke their husband and show the healer how to do his job.
“Away with the lot of you!” Gaza shouted, shoving them away. “I can’t fragging stand it when you all hover around like I was made of glass. Get out and check on my horse. Take ten guards armed with rapidfires. I’ll be there shortly after Hawk reports on the temple.”
The slim redhead called Kathleen waved her hands in concern.
“Damn door is jammed and they had to smash through. I already sent sec men to climb onto the roof, so if the outlanders are inside, they’re trapped with no way to escape.”
Allison glanced at the burning ville and signaled that there was still much danger, and she didn’t want to leave him alone.
“I’m fine, woman,” Baron Gaza said, gritting his teeth from the pain. “Hawk is coming, and Darvis has been with me for a decade.”
There were powders, even jolt to ease the pain, but those clouded the mind and Gaza needed to stay sharp. This Ryan was a tricky bastard, worthy of being a baron himself. Walked right in the gaudy house used by his officers to buy a meal. That took some major balls, or a hot steaming ton of stupidity.
Reluctantly, the women departed to do his will, taking the guards from the room, their steps echoing along the stone corridors until out of range.
Outside, there came the snarl of a cougar and the scream of dying men.
“Ouch! Careful, fool,” Gaza muttered, turning on the healer. “Just because we’re alone for a minute doesn’t mean you can start rushing the job. That hurt!”
Then the baron stopped talking as he felt sharp steel pressing hard to his throat, the body of the healer warm against his back.
“Did you think I would forget, or forgive?” the wrinklie wheezed, forcing the knife harder into the flesh until a thin line of blood formed along the blade. “You took my daughter screaming to your bed, then sold her to the Devils as a gaudy slut when she didn’t bear you a child.”