“Good you said ‘our’ blasters,” Ryan noted, “but the situation is still basically the same. We’re still going to be workers, at the mercy of others.”
“Join the club, Ryan—that’s what my ancestors were,” Mildred said heatedly.
“Fair point.” The one-eyed man shrugged. “I’m just worried that someone will get over excited and try to get some retroactive vengeance using us as the pawns.”
Mildred sighed. “Ryan, there’s no real way of winning here, is there? Look, I don’t figure that’s going to happen. You know why I want to help Sineta. I haven’t felt like this since I was a kid. And you know I don’t want to let you guys down. Yeah, I’m torn here, but I need your help to help me. Prove to the idiots here that not all whitelanders are against them. As for those that would try to chill you to prove their point… Shit, there’s fools like that trying to chill us every day.”
“That’s fair,” Krysty murmured. “We should help Mildred. That way we all get to the mainland and all get what we want.”
The one-eyed man pondered that. Finally he said, “Yeah, okay. I can’t pretend to understand how you feel, but I know you realize why I feel like I do. But I warn you—if the shit hits, then we’ll have to go in hard and for our lives.”
“Wouldn’t expect it any other way, Ryan,” Mildred told him.
Krysty looked up at the waiting sec man, who had stepped onto the path at Mildred’s entrance. She indicated his presence to both Mildred and Ryan before she spoke.
“Come on, let’s get back to the ville to see what we’re supposed to be doing, before Markos and that brother of his start getting reports that’ll give them ideas.”
Chapter Seven
“Father, now that we have the opportunity, we must act,” Sineta pleaded, holding the old man’s hand while his healer administered the injection of morphine, supervised by Mildred.
“You push me when I cannot think straight. My mind is traveling ever more like a maze, like the path of a half-crazy snake. Perhaps that is what I now am—” Barras halted as another spasm of pain racked his body, biting hard to try to prevent crying out in agony.
“Just hang in there,” Mildred said softly. “It’ll take a few moments to start working.”
She indicated to Sineta to follow her to the far side of the room. She didn’t want the baron to hear what she had to say, although, looking at the hard lump protruding from his stomach, the only sign of anything other than skin and bone on his wasted frame, she knew that in his heart he already knew what she had to say.
“Mildred, I know he is not long for this world and will soon join our ancestors, but that is why I must press him,” Sineta said quickly, preempting Mildred.
“Sineta, I can’t remember the last time I saw cancer like that. The tumor inside him must be huge, and it looks like it has spread over his whole body. He must be in immense pain. Any shots I can give him are not going to be strong enough. Pretty soon, he’ll be too resistant to the dope to get any relief. How can he make any decisions like that?”
“But he must. He is the baron, and we cannot move without his word.”
Mildred closed her eyes and sighed. “Okay, but don’t be hard on him. It must be all he can do to keep lucid right now.”
They returned to the baron’s bedside. From the expression on his face and the misting in his eyes, the morphine had kicked in enough to give him temporary relief.
“Father—” Sineta began, but was cut short.
“I know. I have a brief time of calm in which to gather my thoughts. Find Markos quickly and bring him here.”
Sineta rushed from the room, leaving Mildred and the healer alone. The baron dismissed the healer with a wave, then extended his arm, offering Mildred his hand. She took it and felt how weak his grip had become.
“Listen to me, Mildred Wyeth. I have two things that I must do before the long night draws in on me. I must authorize the evacuation of our now-barren home, and I must decide between Elias and Markos for a husband.” He smiled weakly, catching a look in Mildred’s eye. “You think I should let my daughter rule alone, as she wishes? Ah, if only it were that simple. I would trust her to be a good leader, but the people of this island believe that a baron should be male.”