half.”
“Whoa, girl. That’s asking for big trouble with no guarantee of any —”
“This may be my first, last, and only chance to make a hit big enough to get away from my mother. If I could get that money before she comes home, I could disappear so thoroughly she couldn’t find me with an army. You could do pretty good with a hundred thousand, too.”
“That I could. That I could.”
She posed. “And there are ancillary benefits, too.”
“Yes. Yes indeed. I’ll need some time to think about what I’d need and what I’d have to do. In the meantime, I’ve got a friend in the infirmary trying to die. I want to see him before he goes.”
“Sure.” She didn’t sound thrilled to hear about obligations imposed by friendship. “I’ll come back tomorrow if I can get away from Courter and his bullies. Next day for sure. Maybe you could give that old man the day off.” She turned on the smile.
“Maybe I’ll think about that too.”
She giggled. “You do that.”
I patted her fanny. “Come on. Off with you. My friend Morley will be getting impatient.” I followed her to the front door. There is nothing I can say to disparage the view from that perspective.
Dean was waiting to bolt up after me, which meant he had been eavesdropping again. I shot him an ugly glare, but it ricocheted like water off the proverbial duck.
Morley was waiting outside. While I stood listening to Dean shoot the bolts, we appreciated Amber’s departure.
“Where do you find them, Garrett?”
“I don’t. They find me.”
“Bull feathers.”
“It’s true. I just sit here like a big old trapdoor spider and nab them when they walk by. Then I turn on the Garrett charm and they swoon into my arms.”
“That one is no swooner, Garrett. The one the other night wasn’t, either. High Hill fluff, both of them. Right?”
“Off the Hill. I wouldn’t call them fluff.”
“No. Probably not.” He sighed. “Why doesn’t something like that ever turn up at my place?”
“You’re doing all right from what I see. Don’t get your heart set on this one. You’d be asking for a visit from the whirlwind. Her mother is a Stormwarden.”
“Another dream shattered by bitter reality. Still, it’s a pity. A pity — that’s sweet. Let’s go see Saucer head and find out which way to lay our bets.”
__XII__
The bledsoe infirmary is an imperial charity, meaning it’s supposed to provide medical care for the indigent. If you’re in the place, though, your chances improve a hell of a lot if you or a friend happen to come up with some cash. Human nature, 1 guess. I’m not always the biggest fan of my own species. They weren’t going to let me near Saucer head at first. He was supposedly in real bad shape and would be checking out very soon. Then somebody saw the flash of gold between my fingers and heard a hint or two about metal changing hands if the prognosis improved, and first thing you knew the whole infirmary had a new attitude. Zip! Morley and I were in Saucer head’s ward watching a gang of physicians and healers do their stuff.
Saucer head looked terrible when they started, paper pale after losing what appeared to be several gallons of blood. He didn’t look much better when they finished, but his breathing was steadier, less inclined to the characteristic sighs. I scattered a few marks and showed that I had a few more that might want to keep the others company. Saucer head didn’t do anything but breathe for a couple of hours. Good enough by me. That put us a few points up on Death.
Morley spoke only once the entire time we were waiting, in a tiny whisper. “If I ever get so desperate I come in here, you come cut my throat and put me out of my misery.” The remark illuminated the side of Morley Dotes with a morbid dread of sickness. After this visit he would be on double rations, stoking up on green leafies and whatnot, for weeks.
Not that the Bledsoe was anybody’s idea of
“Whoa, girl. That’s asking for big trouble with no guarantee of any —”
“This may be my first, last, and only chance to make a hit big enough to get away from my mother. If I could get that money before she comes home, I could disappear so thoroughly she couldn’t find me with an army. You could do pretty good with a hundred thousand, too.”
“That I could. That I could.”
She posed. “And there are ancillary benefits, too.”
“Yes. Yes indeed. I’ll need some time to think about what I’d need and what I’d have to do. In the meantime, I’ve got a friend in the infirmary trying to die. I want to see him before he goes.”
“Sure.” She didn’t sound thrilled to hear about obligations imposed by friendship. “I’ll come back tomorrow if I can get away from Courter and his bullies. Next day for sure. Maybe you could give that old man the day off.” She turned on the smile.
“Maybe I’ll think about that too.”
She giggled. “You do that.”
I patted her fanny. “Come on. Off with you. My friend Morley will be getting impatient.” I followed her to the front door. There is nothing I can say to disparage the view from that perspective.
Dean was waiting to bolt up after me, which meant he had been eavesdropping again. I shot him an ugly glare, but it ricocheted like water off the proverbial duck.
Morley was waiting outside. While I stood listening to Dean shoot the bolts, we appreciated Amber’s departure.
“Where do you find them, Garrett?”
“I don’t. They find me.”
“Bull feathers.”
“It’s true. I just sit here like a big old trapdoor spider and nab them when they walk by. Then I turn on the Garrett charm and they swoon into my arms.”
“That one is no swooner, Garrett. The one the other night wasn’t, either. High Hill fluff, both of them. Right?”
“Off the Hill. I wouldn’t call them fluff.”
“No. Probably not.” He sighed. “Why doesn’t something like that ever turn up at my place?”
“You’re doing all right from what I see. Don’t get your heart set on this one. You’d be asking for a visit from the whirlwind. Her mother is a Stormwarden.”
“Another dream shattered by bitter reality. Still, it’s a pity. A pity — that’s sweet. Let’s go see Saucer head and find out which way to lay our bets.”
__XII__
The bledsoe infirmary is an imperial charity, meaning it’s supposed to provide medical care for the indigent. If you’re in the place, though, your chances improve a hell of a lot if you or a friend happen to come up with some cash. Human nature, 1 guess. I’m not always the biggest fan of my own species. They weren’t going to let me near Saucer head at first. He was supposedly in real bad shape and would be checking out very soon. Then somebody saw the flash of gold between my fingers and heard a hint or two about metal changing hands if the prognosis improved, and first thing you knew the whole infirmary had a new attitude. Zip! Morley and I were in Saucer head’s ward watching a gang of physicians and healers do their stuff.
Saucer head looked terrible when they started, paper pale after losing what appeared to be several gallons of blood. He didn’t look much better when they finished, but his breathing was steadier, less inclined to the characteristic sighs. I scattered a few marks and showed that I had a few more that might want to keep the others company. Saucer head didn’t do anything but breathe for a couple of hours. Good enough by me. That put us a few points up on Death.
Morley spoke only once the entire time we were waiting, in a tiny whisper. “If I ever get so desperate I come in here, you come cut my throat and put me out of my misery.” The remark illuminated the side of Morley Dotes with a morbid dread of sickness. After this visit he would be on double rations, stoking up on green leafies and whatnot, for weeks.
Not that the Bledsoe was anybody’s idea of
Similar Books
