“Not now,” the Magus whispered. “Not now. Later. Yes, later, Ryan.”
And he turned on his heel and vanished along the deck into the clouding spray.
Chapter Twenty
“I say go whack them,” Jak stated, pounding his right fist into his left palm.
“Could take them at St. Louis.” J.B. crossed his legs and looked across the cabin at the others.
The worst of the storm had eased, and the paddle steamer was once more making her steady way upstream on the Sippi. Over two hours had slithered by since the bizarre encounter with the Magus on the stern deck.
“They’ve got all the sec men, and I reckon that their stateroom’ll probably be barricaded.” Mildred was washing her hands in the basin.
There had been a number of injuries during the typhoon or hurricane or whatever it had been, and she had offered her help, setting broken limbs and bandaging cuts. Her first care had been for Krysty, who had been nearly knocked unconscious when she was carried over the railing. There was a deep swelling under the fiery hair, just above the right ear, and several purple-crimson bruises all along her legs and arms and around her ribs. It had taken Mildred some time to make certain there were no fractures. Now she rested on the bed, looking pale and washed-out.
Doc paced up and down the room, the ferrule of his swordstick rapping on the boards and then making a more muffled sound on the carpet. He was biting his lip, fingers constantly stroking the silvery stubble on his chin.
“Upon my soul! But this is a damnably strange experience. These two villains are seemingly set on a course of action destined to allow them some vengeance for some old and ill-imagined slight. But they are prepared to wait for it.”
Ryan laughed mockingly. “Believe me, Doc, there’s nothing ill imagined about their vengeance. Days we rode with Trader, me and J.B. stepped on some toes. And some faces. Left some smoldering villes. Some weeping widows and plenty of red-eyed orphans. More than a handful of widowers, as well.”
“Magus and Wolfram got more claims against us than most,” the Armorer said. “Wolfram’s business of trading in stickies was ruined by us. He got some wounds in that action. And the Magus Well, he’ll never again be the man he was.”
“Finding them both here.” Ryan shook his head. “Damn, but my clothes are still wet.”
“You fieldstrip and clean and oil the SIG-Sauer?” J.B. asked.
Ryan nodded. “Sure. Thing is, the bastards got a plan. No doubt. Can’t be a coincidence they’re here. I wonder if they might’ve been watching us from back in Twin Forks. The steel-eyed fuck-head had me right in the palm of his hand.” He gestured, squeezing his fingers together. “Like that. But he just said that it would come later. Confident. Real confident.”
He stood and stretched, feeling the stiffness in his arms and wrists from the battle to save Krysty’s life, wincing at the strain of the deep black bruise where the unnatural grip of the Magus had plucked him from a watery tomb.
“I’ve changed my mind,” Krysty said quietly.
“About staying aboard?”
She took a long, slow breath, managing a pale smile at Ryan. “It’s a woman’s prerogative, isn’t it, lover? If it had just been an ordinary sort of ambush” She let the words trail off into the stillness, a stillness that was only broken by the regular pounding of the stern-wheel a few yards away from them.
“I don’t know.” Ryan sat by her and squeezed her hand. “There’s things a man shouldn’t run away from.”
“Very runic and old West,” Mildred said, half teasing, half serious. “Very John Wayne. A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. Even if he ends up in Boot Hill.”
They all froze, every head turning upward when they felt rather than heard the sensation of someone moving above them. Ponderous, slow feet, very heavy.
“Wolfram,” Jak said. “Shitter’s letting us know he’s there.”
The crackling intercom was suddenly switched on, and they all listened to the distorted voice of Captain Huston.
“Storm did some damage to the superstructure of the Eagle, but we’ve got that in hand. Soon have the old lady looking as fresh and good as new. Worst was the calliope got mostly blown away. We carry some spare pipes so, the Good Lord willing, we’ll be tuning up some music for you in a day or so. Main thing is that we’ve lost some time.”
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