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  Rrica took a breath to go on, but Eva interrupted her, “The Gellers donated that medication. It not only directly saved the people it was given to, but curing them kept them from spreading the disease to others. You could say it saved many, many more people than the ones it actually cured. I hope you can understand that repaying Gellers from the city purse would make them more willing to make such efforts in the future?”

  “Of course, of course!” the baron said. “Just submit a reasonable accounting of the costs to Mr. James here. He’ll take care of it.”

  “He’s already got that accounting,” Eva said. “The fact that they haven’t been reimbursed yet is making the Gellers nervous.”

  The baron looked at James.

  The financier, looking a little flustered, said, “Um, before we disburse the funds we thought we should confirm some of the expenditures they claimed in their accounting.”

  The baron kept looking at James for another moment, then turned back to Eva. “I’m sure the money’ll be disbursed soon. If not,” he glanced at James again, “please let me know. Do we know how many people actually died?”

  Eva turned to Rrica. She glanced at her notes, then said, “In the end, five hundred and twenty-two people were infected. One hundred and seventy-three people lost their lives. It’s now been ten days since anyone’s died and seven days since any new infections have occurred. We’re fairly certain the epidemic’s over, but we need to remain vigilant about flea control.”

  “A hundred and seventy-three deaths!” the baron exclaimed. He looked at Eva, “And you think we did well?”

  Eva looked at Rrica again. Rrica said, “In other cities, without the measures you instituted, as many as eight or nine out of every ten people have died. We don’t know Clancy Vail’s exact population, but we think less than two out of a hundred people died here. I’m sad to report their deaths, but that’s actually a real triumph.”

  The baron nodded thoughtfully. “Thank you for all you’ve done. It makes me feel better to know Clancy Vail has someone who can stop plagues.”

  Eva said, “That’s something we’d like to talk to you about. Rather than trying to stop them once they’re underway, it’s much better to keep epidemics like the plague from striking in the first place.”

  The Baron chuckled, “Well, I’d agree with that. But how can we possibly know what kind of plague’s going to strike in the future?”

  “We can’t,” Eva said. “But we know certain conditions make epidemics much more likely. A lack of cleanliness breeds disease. I can tell you that pipes or aqueducts to provide clean water and sewers to carry away wastewater are enormously important in preventing cholera and typhoid.”

  Kazy was glad to see the men grimace at Eva’s mention of the two dread diseases.

  Eva continued, “Your authorization of repairs and improvements to the town’s aqueducts will make an enormous difference. But, it’d really help if we had definitive regulations requiring that outhouses or at least slit latrines be used by everyone. Rules enforced by the Guardia. We should be working toward a sewer system as well.”

  The baron turned and called out, “Jesse.”

  The room’s back door opened and a page stuck his head inside, “Yes Baron?”

  “Ask my secretary to set up a meeting between the Hyllises and that aqueduct engineer… I think his name’s Patel. Oh, and have him include Major Simpson of the Guardia.”

  The baron turned back to Eva and they spoke some more, but Kazy missed it. She was still focused on the page, Jesse. Even though he’d left the room she was following him with her ghirit and tasting his mind as best she could over the distance. He’s what I sensed when we first came into the room, she thought. The young man looked to be barely older than Kazy herself. He wasn’t classically handsome. He’s cute though. Can you say “cute” about a guy? Cute or not, there’s… something about him.

  With a struggle, Kazy tried to get her mind back in the room for the end of Eva’s conversation with the baron. Then she thought, I’ve got to get myself invited back up here, she thought. Learn more about him. She edged a little closer to the guard behind her, guiltily hoping to pull Jesse’s last name out of his mind. She was almost relieved when it turned out the guard didn’t know it.

  However, when they left, the baron called Jesse back into the room and had him usher them out the back door to talk to the baron’s secretary about dates for their meeting.

  When Kazy walked past Jesse she found herself staring at him. His name was Jesse… Martinez. I wonder if he’s one of the Martinez family that deals in antiquities?

  Her hair stood on end. What’s happening to me?!

  Eva turned and blinked at Kazy. She glanced at Jesse. As they walked over to the secretary’s desk, Eva grinned and whispered, “Kazy’s in love!”

  That’s… plainly ridiculous, Kazy thought. I haven’t even met him. I ’m just… interested.

  Chapter Seven

  Out of the corner of his eye, Argun saw a flash of light indicating the door of the Hyllis Tavern had opened again. He turned and focused on it. A group of six men wandered out looking pleasantly inebriated. After they’d left, a bulky man stood in the doorway for a minute or so, outlined in the lights of the lanterns inside. He slowly lifted one foot and rubbed it up and down the inside of the other leg, scratching.

  Jersey, Argun thought. “Okay,” Argun said, turning to where Jersey’s men stood beside him, “What aren’t you going to do when we get inside?”

  In a bored tone of voice, one of the men said, “Not gonna hurt the pretty girl with straight black hair and dark brown skin.”

  Before Argun could continue, another voice spoke with amusement, “What if there’re two pretty girls with black hair and dark skin?”

  “Leave both of them alone,” Argun said with irritation. “Okay, team one, you’ll head on down and around to the back of the tavern. Remember to stay in the shadows five to ten meters from the back door. Your signal will be one long whistle. When you hear it, go in the back door. Break it down if you have to. Come in and look to me or Jersey for orders. Right?”

  “Right,” they chorused in bored tones.

  If these bastards weren’t dumb as cow pies, I wouldn’t have to repeat their instructions ad nauseam, Argun thought disgustedly. He said, “Team two, you’ll head down and wait at least ten meters to the Clancy Vail side of the building. If we decide to use the fire arrows you do not want to get hit, right?”

  Another bored chorus, “Right.”

  “If I’m not with you, your signal to go in will be two short whistles with a long space between them.” Argun demonstrated the pattern by whistling it softly. “Just like team one, once you’re inside, do what Jersey or I tell you to do.”

  Argun turned to the three bowmen. “Team three, at my wave, light your arrows, then just stand here in sight of the windows. Do not, I repeat do not shoot an arrow unless you hear three short whistles close together.” Again, Argun demonstrated the pattern by quietly whistling it. “Everybody clear?” Receiving their nods, he clapped his hands and said, “Okay, let’s get to it.”

  Argun followed teams one and two down the slight slope to the tavern. Once they were in place, he waved exaggeratedly at the bowmen.

  It took them a minute or two to light the oil-soaked rags on their arrows. Once Argun could see them burning, he signaled Jersey hooting like an owl.

  ~~~

  Jersey’d gotten terminally bored, sitting in the Hyllis Tavern’s dining area, dawdling over a couple of Hyllis’s excellent beers. With nothing better to do, he’d had to constantly remind himself, Miguel and Roscoe, the big men he’d brought with him, to drink slowly. Once all the other patrons left the tension ratcheted up.

  He’d stood in the door and signaled the way that asshole Argun wanted, then found that continuing to sit there looking bored got even harder. Hyllis alternated between staring through his fancy spectacles at something behind the bar and looking over them to give Jersey’s team incr
easingly suspicious looks.

  Finally, Jersey heard Argun’s unbelievably poor imitation of an owl’s hoot. Standing, he settled his sword belt on his hips. Miguel and Roscoe did the same.

  A bell started ringing upstairs. Moments later a man shouted, “There’re men outside!”

  Irritated at having his surprise preempted, Jersey turned toward the bar to make the best of it. Hyllis had already lifted a little section of the bar and exited the space behind it. Makes it easier, he thought. “Mr. Hyllis,” he said, “those’re my men outside.” He turned and pointed out the window. “Worse for you, if you’ll look out there, you’ll see that three of my men have fire arrows ready.”

  Hyllis turned to look out the window.

  Imagining the fear on Hyllis’s face, Jersey looked out the window himself as he continued, “Those’re rough men outside. If you don’t want them coming in and hurting your ladies, or, worse, us burning your little tavern to the ground, I’d sugg—” Jersey broke off at a wet crunching sound back and to his left. A quick glance showed Roscoe staring at a knife handle sticking out of the left side of his chest.

  Jersey heard the same sound on his right.

  Shit! Jersey thought, diving to his left and snatching at the hilt of his sword. The sword was only a third of the way out of its sheath when Hyllis tackled him, bearing him to the floor.

  Hyllis was bellowing for help at the top of his lungs.

  Jersey momentarily wondered who Hyllis thought he was going to get help from. The only men who’d been in the tavern were the bookish bartender and the wimpy looking healer’s apprentice. Then Jersey was too busy to think. Hyllis’s bear hug kept him from drawing the sword, so Jersey scrabbled for his knife.

  Hyllis managed to throw his legs around Jersey’s middle, continuing to pin his arms to his sides.

  Surprised by Hyllis’s strength, Jersey thought, His arms are free now! Jersey redoubled his efforts to twist his wrist into a position where it could get his knife out of its sheath. I’ll stab the bastard in the leg…

  Jersey felt a sharp prick at his left nipple.

  “Don’t move,” Hyllis grated.

  Jersey glanced down. Hyllis had the point of a big work knife against Jersey’s chest. He found himself dazedly thinking that it wasn’t a lightweight knife like the one buried in Roscoe’s chest.

  Jersey relaxed. He’d been in this kind of situation before. If you relaxed and acted non-threatening, people like Hyllis wouldn’t stab you. If I were him, Jersey thought, I’d be sinking that big blade to the hilt. Like most people, he’s probably too much of a pussy.

  Hyllis said, “Toss your knife aside.”

  Jersey’d just gotten the damned knife free. With a sigh, he gently tossed it aside. Gently enough that it’d only go about half a meter (19”) or so. If he broke free he’d be able to grab it almost instantly.

  Footsteps were pounding down the stairs. One of the girls had come out of the kitchen. She knelt by his head. Jersey felt his concern about how this was going begin to fade. It’s going to be okay, he thought as his muscles relaxed even further.

  Hyllis shouted “Bar the doors!” at the people entering the room. He looked up at the girl bending down by Jersey’s head. “Okay?” he asked.

  The girl nodded. Jersey was drunkenly admiring the dark-haired brown-skinned girl. He thought, Hey, it’s Argun’s girlfriend.

  Hyllis let go and ran for the stairs. As he went he shouted behind himself, “Tell me their plan as soon you figure it out,!”

  Lazily Jersey thought, He left me with the girl. I could just grab her as a hostage and make the rest of them let me go. But he felt so tired. He felt his eyes drifting closed.

  ~~~

  Standing tensely beside team two, Argun adjusted his mask while praying Jersey’d be right about the Hyllis’s reaction to the threat of fire arrows. Argun’d seen the results of house fires and he desperately didn’t want to go down that path. In fact, he’d repeatedly insisted they abandon that part of the plan. But Jersey’d rejected his demands.

  He kept imagining the plan going off the rails in some fashion. That somehow the arrows actually got fired.

  His mind’s eye kept seeing…

   The tavern burning.

   The fire spreading so quickly they couldn’t get into the Hyllis’s strongbox and collect the cash.

   Argun getting burned trying to find the love of his life.

   Jadyn dying horribly in the flames.

  Jersey was sure the Hyllises would just give up when they saw the waiting fire arrows. As soon they saw them they’d willingly turn over the money and no one’d get hurt. Team one and team two wouldn’t even have to enter the building, introducing all the kinds of unpredictability that came with keyed up dumbasses like the ones who worked for Jersey.

  They’d just walk out with Jadyn and the strongbox and disappear into the night.

  Suddenly Argun heard the “thrum” of a bow being fired. He glanced to the south, thinking one of the fire arrows must’ve been fired. As he was turning his eyes that way to see if one of the fire arrows was flying toward the tavern, he thought, But it sounded like it came from up on the roof!

  Argun’s bowmen hadn’t moved.

  Suddenly he heard a “thump” come from that direction.

  His middle bowman shrieked and fell, dropping his flaming arrow.

  Another thrum came from up on the roof.

  Dammit! Somebody’s shooting out of that stupid-looking little shed on top of the roof! Argun turned to check on his bowmen. Two of the burning arrows were on the ground.

  One fire arrow was flying toward the tavern!

  Two man-sized lumps lay on the ground, one still, the other writhing. Argun thought he saw one bowman running toward Clancy Vail.

  Argun looked up. He could see the shack. That means the bowman can see me! he thought. Shouting, “Get under the eaves!” Argun ran for the wall of the building.

  Reaching the wall Argun spun around to check on the men. He saw the whites of the eyes of the idiots in team two. They were staring at him in confusion but hadn’t moved. Then a wet “thwock” came from that direction.

  One of the men shrieked and started flailing about.

  With that, the rest of them ran for the tavern wall like he’d already told them.

  Argun produced the long loud whistle that told team one to go in the back door, then yelled at the men around him, “Get in the front door now! Go!” He ran for the door. Arriving, he crashed into it with his shoulder, expecting to plunge into the room.

  He bounced off. They’ve barred it, he thought, a little dazed. Looking back, he saw Jersey’s men, still frozen against the wall.

  Argun screamed, “Come on!” and waved them to him.

  Glancing up at the roof, they started shuffling his direction.

  ~~~

  Up in the guard shack on top of the tavern’s roof, Keller Sarno’d been awake, but in the moonless dark, he hadn’t noticed the two little clusters of men walking toward the tavern.

  But then someone lit three torches about thirty meters (100’) up the gentle slope toward Clancy Vail to the south. The torches cast faint light and shadows around a group of men standing just south of the front of the tavern—from his position Keller couldn’t see the men at the back of the tavern. He glanced once more at the three torches. Are those fire arrows?! he wondered.

  Fear gripping his heart, Keller started pulling the rope that rang the bell downstairs. After hearing it clang several times, he plunged for the trapdoor down into the tavern. Lifting it, he shouted down the stairs to let the Hyllises know there were men outside.

  That done, he started stringing his bow.

  Keller looked out again. Those’ve got to be fire arrows, he thought. He dithered for a moment about whether he should take a shot at the men holding them. He didn’t want to shoot without Mr. Hyllis’s permission, but it’d be a disaster if one of those arrows set the tavern on fire. Ruefully, he thought, The way I shoot, in t
he dark at this distance, I’d surely miss.

  Still vacillating over whether he should shoot at the bowmen, Keller settled for stringing Mr. Hyllis’s bow.

  A moment later, Hyllis swarmed up through the trapdoor, took the proffered bow and promptly shot two arrows at the bowmen. To Keller’s amazement, despite the distance and the darkness, each arrow dropped a bowman. The third one fired his arrow, then ran. Hyllis looked downward, then shot one of the men standing near the tavern. The rest of them ran in under the eaves where they couldn’t be seen.

  Hyllis dropped the bow, jerked open the trapdoor, and headed down the stairs.

  Keller shouted after him, “Should I come with you?”

  “No!” Hyllis shouted, turning for the second set of stairs. “Watch for more trouble outside! Shoot ’em if you can!”

  ~~~

  Argun looked frantically at the flaming arrow stuck in the high timbers of the tavern. Too high to reach or he’d try to pull it out himself. I’ve got to get Jadyn out of there! he thought frenetically. He screamed at the idiots Jersey’d saddled him with. They’d gathered around him but weren’t showing any initiative. “Hit the door! We’ve got to break it down!”

  Most of them glanced up at the eaves, worrying about arrows. A few backed up a couple of feet, then charged the door with their shoulders. They did it raggedly, rather than as a unit and bounced off one at a time.

  “Idiots! All together now, back up three feet!” Argun was somewhat surprised when they did so. He resisted the temptation to look up at the eaves and see if the bowman had them in his sights. Instead, he shouted, “On three, charge the door! One. Two. Three!”

  This produced a better, though still raggedy charge.

  The door sprang inward a little but bounced back.

  They must have a hell of a big bar behind it, Argun thought. While he moved over to the closest tavern window, he bellowed, “Try it again! Back up a little farther.” When they still only backed up about three feet, he shouted, “More! You’ve got to get a run at it.”