“Is she chilled?” someone murmured. It was a voice she couldn’t quite identify because it whispered, but it was familiar. The other, when it replied, was immediately identifiable.
“She’s not moving, and not talking, and that’s something for which we must be joyous,” Elias said in a quiet voice barely louder than his companion’s.
“This is not the time for humor,” snapped the unidentified voice. Mildred desperately wanted to open an eye to see who it was, but knew this would bring certain death.
“Who said I was being particularly funny?” Elias returned. “She talks too much, and is a pain in the proverbial ass, whether you mean posterior or animal. She’s come between Barras, Sineta and my attempts to wheedle my way into that loathsome woman’s favor. The only good thing I can see about her, as far as I’m concerned, is that she’s taken your brother’s mind off being my competition.”
“Do not bandy words or push whatever luck you may have left,” the second voice raged, attempting to keep a low voice despite the level of rage causing his words to be little more than a venomous hiss.
So the second voice belonged to the albino Chan? Mildred found it hard not to show any amazement as she lay there. The arbiter of integration and the prophet of separatism made for strange bedfellows. What could have brought them together, and why was their venom directed toward her?
More to the point, what the hell was she going to do lying here playing possum with two enemies upon her, at least one of whom was armed?
They were within feet of her now and would soon determine that she was still alive. Not for long, she was sure. But as long as they kept arguing, it gave her some time to think.
“I wouldn’t get overexcited if I was you,” Elias said with that sardonic calm that Mildred had found so infuriating earlier and that seemed to have the same effect on his uneasy ally. “I believe it was my shot that actually claimed the bitch, rather than yours. That gives me the moral advantage, I believe.”
“You?” Chan spit. “You have no idea of what the word even means. Do not talk to me of such matters. This is pragmatism, pure and simple.”
“Of course, whatever you say…and your motives are pure at heart, are they?” Elias mocked.
“My motives are not your concern, although they are fueled by the likes of yourself.”
Elias sighed. “Whatever you say. I would suggest, however, that rather than discuss philosophy with this creature sprawled in front of us, we would be better employed disposing of her.”
Chan snorted. “We haven’t even checked whether or not she is breathing.”
“Then all the more reason to do so. If she’s still alive, we carry her off and finish the job where we’re going to dispose of her. I don’t have any particular desire to be caught with the half-chilled or chilled by any of your brother’s lackeys. Even you would find that hard to explain to him. Besides, I have plans for her.”
There was something in the tone of his voice that made Mildred want to shiver, something she was barely able to suppress. At least they didn’t plan to chill her then and there when they inevitably discovered that she was still alive. It would buy her a little more time, and that was all she had.
She felt a foot prod at her, tentatively, and with some disgust that managed to communicate itself even into that gesture. She stayed limp and allowed the sharp toe of the booted foot to jab her several more times in the ribs without giving way to the desire to gasp at the pain.
“Still breathing—I can see that—but not responding. She’s either unconscious or playing. If the latter, then I’ll just emphasize to you that you keep that blaster trained on her and blow her fucking head off at zero range regardless if she so much as makes a move,” Elias commented.
She stayed still and silent, allowing the giant to turn her over. He was as strong as he looked, for she felt the lightness of his touch as he flipped her over with ease. She felt blood from the crease along her forehead run back into her plaits and was thankful it didn’t ran down to her eyes. That would make the next part of her act easier.