Hood Read online

  Kali decided going with the woman was better than walking the streets dressed the way they were. She started toward the woman, assuming the other girls would follow. To her surprise, she realized the leather-clad woman wore a sword. She’s very fit, Kali thought. I wonder if she’s any good with that sword. She said, “Well, Joan, I thought the king was letting us go. Why would he send someone around asking questions later?”

  The woman quirked her a grin, “The king was under some duress when he ordered your release.”

  “Really?” Kali said, her eyes widening, “Someone’s making him let us go? Who?”

  Joan snorted. “The man whose voice comes out of thin air,” she said, using an ominous tone. “You heard him. He doesn’t want you to know his real name either.”

  Kali stopped, “He told me to call him ‘Hood.’” She thought a second, “If the king’s going to be coming after us, especially if he’ll be seeking revenge, maybe we should turn ourselves back in.”

  The woman turned and gave Kali a disgusted look, “Sure, go back and spread your legs for the son of a bitch.” She looked at the other five young women, “Do the rest of you want to go back too? Or, do some of you want to get the hell out of there?”

  Angry, Kali said, “I don’t want to go back either! But, if the ‘son of a bitch’ is going to kill everyone in my family… then I will go back. From what you’re saying Hood isn’t going to be able to protect us or our families, is he?”

  Nerri spoke from just behind her, “I think he’ll be able to. Any time someone tried to hurt us, he knocked them down. Sometimes they threw up. We might not be able to see him, but he’s got… He’s got power. A lot of it.”

  Kali had turned to listen to Nerri, now she turned back to Joan. “This ‘Hood,’ guy, is he really going to be able to protect us?”

  Joan looked angry for a moment, then the starch went out of her. She shrugged, “He will. He’s… got powers you won’t believe. And he’s the kindest, most caring man I’ve ever met. But, he’s not a god—he can’t be everywhere all the time. He… he can’t stay in Realth forever.”

  “So this is only a brief reprieve, then Uray’ll go back to doing whatever he wants?”

  “I think Hood’s going to put the fear of the gods in your king. He hopes to make it so Uray’s afraid to go back to abusing girls like you. Will it work?” She shrugged again, “ I don’t know. Is it even worth doing if you people don’t have the courage to fight for yourselves? To stand against…” Joan paused briefly, then, sounding both sad and disgusted, said, “Oh hell, I don’t know. I guess you don’t have the training to fight. There’s nothing—”

  Kali interrupted, “You’re right, I don’t know how to fight. But I can stand up for my rights… Take me home.”

  After some dithering, the other girls decided the same.

  It didn’t take long to get them all fitted with cheap men’s clothing. This included woolen caps they could use to cover their hair. None of the pretty young women really looked like men in their new outfits, but you might be fooled at a glance. Most importantly, they no longer looked sexy. Still pretty, but not racy. Maybe we can get home with just a girl for a guard, Kali thought.

  They’d dropped off two of the girls and were heading for the third home when they rounded a corner and encountered a group of three young ruffians. The one in front leered and said, “Well, what’ve we got here?”

  Kali stopped and began to ease back. She thought, I should’ve known this’d happen! Why did I tell those guards we could get home without their help!

  The man stepped forward.

  There was a sudden “whiiick” sound from beside Kali, then the ruffian’s crossed eyes were staring down at Joan’s sword, the tip of which rested beneath his chin.

  How the hell did that happen? Kali wondered.

  The man behind the lead ruffian stepped forward, scrabbling for the machete at his belt. As soon as the tip of the machete cleared its scabbard and began to rise, it was hammered out of his hand by a blow from Joan’s sword.

  By the time Kali’s eyes had returned from watching the machete clatter over the pavers, the tip of Joan’s sword was back under the first ruffian’s chin.

  When Kali looked over, Joan’s eyes were on the third ruffian. She shook her head at him.

  The third guy slowly stepped back.

  Joan’s eyes went from one to the other of the three frightened-looking men. She slowly pulled the tip of the sword out of a drop of blood under the first man’s chin. With a quick motion, she wiped the tip of the sword on the man’s shirt, then—after briefly surveying the three ruffians—she flicked the fingers of her left hand in a dispersing motion.

  They turned and ran.

  “Lead on, Kali,” Joan said calmly.

  Holy shit! Kali thought. I think this girl might be better protection than four or five palace guards. She started down the street toward Nerri’s house. Turning, she said, “Joan? Could I learn to… to use a sword like that?”

  The woman in leathers turned to Kali with a puzzled wrinkle between her eyebrows. “You’re asking me?”

  Kali nodded.

  “What’d you call me?”

  “‘Joan.’ Isn’t that what you said to call you?”

  “Oh. Yeah, I guess I did.” She grinned, “I should listen a little more carefully to what I say, shouldn’t I?”

  ~~~

  When Tarc refocused his ghirit back into King Uray’s chamber, he found the king approaching the guards where they were gathered around their wounded comrade. Tarc focused his hearing there.

  The king leaned down close to the guards and whispered, “It turns out the bastard can’t hear me when I whisper. I’ve whispered some ugly shit about him and he hasn’t done anything. So, in a moment I’m going to send one of you guys for some healers. Come back with healers and the entire King’s guard. Have them surround this room and find the bastard who’s been screwing with us. He’s got to be some kind of witch, so tell them to kill the son of a bitch as soon they find him. We don’t want him performing any more of his weird…” The king broke off as Tarc’s ghirit tugged on his testicle.

  Tarc spoke from above their heads, using a disappointed tone. “Ah, King Uray. It’s not that I can’t hear you when you whisper, it’s just that I have better things to do than to listen to you all the time. Therefore, I must count on you to police yourself when I’m not paying attention. What I mean by that, is that, even though you’re the king, you shouldn’t be committing crimes or taxing your people into poverty. You should spend the majority of the taxes you collect to your people’s benefit in the form of policing, protecting the city, building and maintaining sewers etcetera. I won’t be watching you all the time, but if I find out you committed a capital crime while I wasn’t paying attention, you’ll get the same kind of capital punishment one of your citizens would. If you’re living in too much luxury, you’ll have to give money to the poor. Do you understand?”

  “You can’t…!”

  Tarc punched the man’s testicle. As the king fell to his knees, then collapsed on his side holding his crotch, Tarc spoke conversationally, “I can, and I will.” He found the man’s eyeball. Wincing at the thought of it, he heated a tiny spot—all he could do at that distance—on the sclera of the man’s eye.

  With a screech, the big man pulled one hand from his crotch and clapped it over his eye.

  “When you get to a mirror,” Tarc said conversationally, “you’re going to see there’s a burn on the white of your eye. It won’t blind you, but if that burn had been on your pupil, you’d have been blinded in that eye. A burn like that in your brain would’ve caused a stroke. You’re at my mercy. Behave yourself.” Tarc started to leave, but then he had another thought. He spoke again from above their heads. “And the same rules apply to you guards. Tell the others.” He thought of elaborating the rules but decided not to. If they’re carefully defined, they’ll try to work around them.

  Chapter Five

  As they
walked in, Argun was pleased to see the Hyllis Tavern serving a standing room only crowd. It’d been shut down while the plague ran rampant. Everything had been pretty much closed at the height of the outbreak.

  The fact that businesses were getting busy again meant the plague was in control. That the city was recovering. Most importantly, it meant this tavern was rolling in money!

  Also, a big crowd in the tavern was good because it made it less likely the people working there might recognize him. He and his heavyset partner—who wanted to be called Jersey, though Argun didn’t think that was really his name—joined the long line of people waiting to order. He leaned closer to Jersey, “You see the kind of business they’re doing here? They’re busy like this day in and day out.”

  The man nodded.

  “At the end of a day like this, their coffers have got to be full, right?”

  Jersey nodded again but then leaned close to whisper, “And if someone hears you saying shit like that it’s going to ruin the whole plan. Shut the hell up.”

  Pissed to have a lowlife like Jersey telling him what to do, Argun thought about turning around and walking out. But I’ve got to have muscle for this plan, he thought, reminding himself to grin and bear it.

  “Their food’s so good they bring in crowds like this every day,” Argun said with a small sense of triumph. I said something despite this asshole telling me to shut up, but didn’t say anything that’ll endanger the plan.

  Jersey only grunted.

  “I shouldn’t stay in line any longer,” Argun whispered. “The guy who’s taking the orders might recognize me.” He handed Jersey a few coppers. Turning on his heel, he spoke over his shoulder as he walked away, “Get me a slice of the spicy sausage pizza and a beer. I’ll wait outside.” He felt he’d scored another little triumph, essentially having forced Jersey to serve him.

  Jersey looked to be in a foul mood when he arrived outside with their beer and pizza. Argun resisted the temptation to smirk at him. Instead, he said, “Wait’ll you taste this stuff. I may hate these people, but they make the best food and brew the most amazing beer I’ve ever had.”

  Jersey grunted noncommittally, but Argun thought he’d already been tantalized by the smell.

  They ate, Jersey wolfing down his big slice of pizza. He guzzled his beer, then abruptly got up and went back inside.

  He’s getting more beer and another slice, Argun thought blackly. He left suddenly because he didn’t want to take a chance I’d tell him to bring me more too. Score one for Jersey.

  But I will get even.

  When Jersey returned with another beer and a partly eaten second slice, he smirked and lifted an eyebrow at Argun. “Good stuff,” he said.

  Their table was at the edge of the deck and no one was sitting nearby, so Argun leaned closer and said, “So, we arrive late at night, right before they close, when the coffers are full of the day’s take.”

  Jersey sucked his teeth, “Yeah, little problem there. While I was waiting for my order, a guy showed up and collected most of the coin from the wimp who takes orders and changes money. Went off around the corner so I couldn’t see where he put it.”

  Shit! Argun thought as he considered this complication. He shrugged in what he thought would look a nonchalant fashion, saying, “Not a problem. Point a blade at the weasel and he’ll lead us to it.”

  Jersey sucked beer off his mustache and gave a little shrug, “The guy who collected the cash looked pretty tough.”

  That’s gotta be Daum, Argun thought. He said, “That’s the owner. He does look pretty tough, but he’s got all those women working for him. Unlucky for him, he cares about them. We grab and threaten a couple of them, he’ll give up the cash, no problem.”

  “What if some of the customers take exception to what we’re doing?”

  “You and one of your guys hang around inside nursing beers until everyone who looks like they might have the balls to give us trouble has staggered off home. Then you step outside and give us the signal.” He shrugged, “If it doesn’t look good, we’ll just do it a different night.”

  Jersey gave Argun that kind of look you’d give a long-dead fish. “Of course, you wouldn’t be in there, would you?”

  “First of all, they’d recognize me. Second, I’m sure you want to decide for yourself whether there’s anybody in there that’s going to cause trouble, right?”

  “Right,” Jersey said, getting up. He hocked a loogie that nearly hit Argun’s shoe.

  It was obviously intended as an insult, but not one Argun could react to. Not until we’ve concluded our business anyway, Argun thought.

  As they walked back to Clancy Vail, Argun’s mind turned once again to disguising himself during the raid and, much more importantly, the issue of how to make sure Jersey didn’t cut him out of his share. He’d been assiduously saving his coppers toward an upgrade of his sword.

  And, he’d been using his old sword to practice.

  ***

  Kali was deep in thought. Her reception when she’d gotten home from being held at the palace had been about what she’d expected, but certainly not what she’d hoped. At first, her family’d been happy to see her. But when she told them how she’d come to get free from the king, they’d become fearful.

  They’d gotten through dinner the night before, her brother and sister’s excitement at having her home blunting any interrogation. But, this morning, after her younger siblings had left for their schooling, a post-breakfast session had begun with oblique questions that attempted to divine the likelihood there might be retaliation for her “escape.”

  At first, she tried to tell them it wasn’t an escape. Nonetheless, they’d kept referring to it by that term. Eventually, she’d blown up, shouting that the guards said the king “released” her. Her mother and father had looked at one another, then her mother said, “If they come looking for her we can tell them that’s what we were told.”

  Horrified, Kali asked, “Does that mean if they come looking you intend to turn me back over to them?”

  Rather than the vehement denials Kali’d been hoping for, her parents looked at one another again. Then, her father said, “Turn you over? No.” Then he shrugged, “However, realistically, we can’t keep them from taking you if they want.”

  Her mother said, “And we must think of your sister and brother as well.”

  I’m so screwed, Kali thought.

  “Maybe…?” her father said thoughtfully, then looked at his wife, “Maybe we could send her to stay with your brother in Denton’s Crossing?”

  Kali’s eyes widened. “You’d send me away?” she asked, dismayed.

  Her father shrugged, “You wanted to be safe from the king. We could tell his guards you ran away.”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “The man… the one who freed us, he said the king’d had a change of heart.”

  “You’ve…” her father grimaced, then euphemized, “met the king. Do you believe that?”

  Slowly, Kali shook her head, realizing her own father thought of her as sullied goods. “But, it may be more that the man intimidated the king. Made him afraid to keep doing the things he’s been doing.” I’m euphemizing too, she thought.

  Her father gave her a doubtful look. “I’ve seen the king. He’s massive. It’s hard to imagine him being frightened of anyone. And, Realth’s the largest city around, with the most powerful guard. Who could intimidate him?”

  “Someone did. He let us go, didn’t he?”

  “You’ve seen this someone? Someone powerful enough to frighten King Uray?”

  Kali sighed and shook her head. She knew she couldn’t tell her parents that she’d been talking to a voice that came out of thin air.

  Her father said, “Let me take you down to the caravan grounds this afternoon. We’ll see if there’s a caravan going toward Denton’s Crossing. If so, maybe we can negotiate a passage for you before the king or his guards can come looking.”

  Reluctantly, Kali said okay, thinking
she’d tell herself it was an adventure. Traveling with a caravan to see exotic places. Though I don’t think Denton’s Crossing would be very exciting. People who live there probably think Realth’s the height of glamour. She started to go to her room, then turned back to her parents, “I want to go out and check on the other girls. The ones who were held at the palace with me.”

  Her parents looked at one another again. Her mother said, “It might be good. If the guard comes around looking for her, we can say she left. Even if they search the house, they won’t find her.”

  To Kali’s amazement, they’d soon arranged a coded signal—a white ribbon tied to the back gate. Kali should check for the ribbon before entering the house. If the ribbon was present, she should stay at an inn. Her father gave her money and arranged a way to pass messages if she couldn’t come back to the house. Then he left to talk to Neil, the young man who lived next door, to ask whether he’d accompany Kali on her visits to the other girls—for protection.

  From the way Neil had looked at her in the past, Kali wondered whether she might need as much protection from him as she did from ruffians along the way. But, tired of arguing, she didn’t protest.

  While she waited for her father to make arrangements, Kali went back to her room and put on the men’s clothing Joan had gotten her. Somehow, wearing them, she felt safer. She was considering how she might pack for a trip to Denton’s Crossing when Hood’s voice came from the air above her, “Kali?”

  She jumped. Then, though she knew no one could be above her, she couldn’t keep from tilting her head back to stare at the empty ceiling. “Yes?” she responded softly.

  “It’s Hood. I’m checking back to see how you and the other girls are doing…” When Kali didn’t respond for a few seconds, he continued sounding uncertain, “You know, like I said I would?”

  “Um, yes,” Kali said, thinking. Then, “How sure are you that the king is going to leave us girls alone? My parents are worried.”

  “Um… pretty sure. Though you’ve probably heard the saying that the only truly sure things are death and taxes?”