cannae be provin' a thing! I claim salvage rights!"
Tonks own temper rose to match the Irishman's. "We've people down in all that snow and trees, eh? A word from you where they went would be turnin' the tide in the right direction for everyone! RiBeld and his damn butchers wouldn't know, we'd send you off on whatever port you wish."
"Help ye? Ye own people shot me!" The Irishman spat on the deck at Tonks' feet.
Enraged, Tonks grabbed the man by the front of his dirty linen shirt and hauled him to his feet and slammed him against the wall. "So you were there! Talk ta me you snake! Or so help me I'll throw you overboard myself!"
"Ye don't have the stones!"
"Oh?" The pilot jerked the man so hard that he ripped the Irishman's shirt and accidentally bounced the mercenary off the doorframe. Slipping from the larger man's grasp, the Irishman fell to the floor then scrambled to stay out of Tonks' reach. Unfortunately for the Irishman, the room was only so large and Tonks latched on again like a tiger might grab its prey before dragging him from the room.
"Stop! A'ight! Stop!"
Tonks glared at the man with a white hot anger. "Talk then!"
"RiBeld's havin' us play the devil agin' some bunch dat t'were prowlin' around the wreck. 'None be leavin' the mountain', says he. 'Why', asks some o' us. 'Cause dat be what our pay's for', says he. He be tellin' us dat there tae be no survivors. So we try shootin' 'em. Wily buggers ye people are, they slipped away on us then. So's me wingman get's himself an idea. See, we'll start an avalanche. We pinched enough watches and such from the wreck tae prove there be no survivors he says. I ha' been shot so's I set down while he's off droppin' the bloody mountain on any down there. Cept' they found some cave. Made their way loose and headin' around towards the Yeti. Cannae be more'n hours ahead now. They'll be on foot if the Yeti hav'nae taken 'em!"
"Yeti? No such thing! Talk straight!"
"Ah be! Ah be! Ah be seein' 'em with me own eyes! Thick furred and strong they be wit' some sorta long claws. Likely be tearin' a man's head from his shoulders!"
Tonks hauled the man back to the closet and pushed him in. The Irishman collapsed in a heap against the wooden bench. "Nae be tellin' RiBeld will ye? Ye dinnae know what he'll be doin' tae those dat talk. Flog the skin from me back he would! Lashes at the rail, or even the yard arm!"
His hand on the door, Tonks anger cooled somewhat. In his past he had worked for a mercenary company or two and had seen both good and bad. What little he had heard of RiBeld tended toward the latter. "You coulda been more cooperative, but it's the captain's call once he's back." Tonks hesitated and his softer side won out. "I'll pass a good word along ... if what you say plays true."
The padlock snapped shut with a hollow echo in the dark cargo hold. Tonks turned and dropped the key into his pocket to return to the keybox upstairs just outside O'Fallon's quarters. He quickly turned on his heel and stalked towards the ladder. Yeti? Avalanche? Tonks shook his head and shuddered involuntarily.
"I gotta a bad feelin' about this."
Chapter 12
T he slow warmth of the fire pit spread through the one story room. Tendrils of smoke wound its way along thick, dark wooden beams that braced the gently arched rooftop and out small, concealed holes. Smoke drifted lazily through the holes but not the warmth. Rich, dark stone formed the foundation of the room and supported the wooden walls that began where the stone stopped a few feet off the floor. Rough woven linen and furs had been laid out around the long room to surround the fire pit. Empty hooks and pegs - normally used for weapons - adorned two of the walls in between narrow shuttered windows. The back wall was covered by a rough linen tapestry alive with a multicolored array of mosaic patterns in an abstract shape of a gigantic eagle in flight. Hunter paced the length of the stone long house like a caged wolf. His coat had
Tonks own temper rose to match the Irishman's. "We've people down in all that snow and trees, eh? A word from you where they went would be turnin' the tide in the right direction for everyone! RiBeld and his damn butchers wouldn't know, we'd send you off on whatever port you wish."
"Help ye? Ye own people shot me!" The Irishman spat on the deck at Tonks' feet.
Enraged, Tonks grabbed the man by the front of his dirty linen shirt and hauled him to his feet and slammed him against the wall. "So you were there! Talk ta me you snake! Or so help me I'll throw you overboard myself!"
"Ye don't have the stones!"
"Oh?" The pilot jerked the man so hard that he ripped the Irishman's shirt and accidentally bounced the mercenary off the doorframe. Slipping from the larger man's grasp, the Irishman fell to the floor then scrambled to stay out of Tonks' reach. Unfortunately for the Irishman, the room was only so large and Tonks latched on again like a tiger might grab its prey before dragging him from the room.
"Stop! A'ight! Stop!"
Tonks glared at the man with a white hot anger. "Talk then!"
"RiBeld's havin' us play the devil agin' some bunch dat t'were prowlin' around the wreck. 'None be leavin' the mountain', says he. 'Why', asks some o' us. 'Cause dat be what our pay's for', says he. He be tellin' us dat there tae be no survivors. So we try shootin' 'em. Wily buggers ye people are, they slipped away on us then. So's me wingman get's himself an idea. See, we'll start an avalanche. We pinched enough watches and such from the wreck tae prove there be no survivors he says. I ha' been shot so's I set down while he's off droppin' the bloody mountain on any down there. Cept' they found some cave. Made their way loose and headin' around towards the Yeti. Cannae be more'n hours ahead now. They'll be on foot if the Yeti hav'nae taken 'em!"
"Yeti? No such thing! Talk straight!"
"Ah be! Ah be! Ah be seein' 'em with me own eyes! Thick furred and strong they be wit' some sorta long claws. Likely be tearin' a man's head from his shoulders!"
Tonks hauled the man back to the closet and pushed him in. The Irishman collapsed in a heap against the wooden bench. "Nae be tellin' RiBeld will ye? Ye dinnae know what he'll be doin' tae those dat talk. Flog the skin from me back he would! Lashes at the rail, or even the yard arm!"
His hand on the door, Tonks anger cooled somewhat. In his past he had worked for a mercenary company or two and had seen both good and bad. What little he had heard of RiBeld tended toward the latter. "You coulda been more cooperative, but it's the captain's call once he's back." Tonks hesitated and his softer side won out. "I'll pass a good word along ... if what you say plays true."
The padlock snapped shut with a hollow echo in the dark cargo hold. Tonks turned and dropped the key into his pocket to return to the keybox upstairs just outside O'Fallon's quarters. He quickly turned on his heel and stalked towards the ladder. Yeti? Avalanche? Tonks shook his head and shuddered involuntarily.
"I gotta a bad feelin' about this."
Chapter 12
T he slow warmth of the fire pit spread through the one story room. Tendrils of smoke wound its way along thick, dark wooden beams that braced the gently arched rooftop and out small, concealed holes. Smoke drifted lazily through the holes but not the warmth. Rich, dark stone formed the foundation of the room and supported the wooden walls that began where the stone stopped a few feet off the floor. Rough woven linen and furs had been laid out around the long room to surround the fire pit. Empty hooks and pegs - normally used for weapons - adorned two of the walls in between narrow shuttered windows. The back wall was covered by a rough linen tapestry alive with a multicolored array of mosaic patterns in an abstract shape of a gigantic eagle in flight. Hunter paced the length of the stone long house like a caged wolf. His coat had
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