the little man told Zach. “Now!”
Reluctantly, Zach swung Evvy down, while the mount continued to whistle in alarm. Zach put a hand on the beast’s head and stroked it to calm her, then tethered her loosely to a nearby tree. He did this slowly, trying to think. He knew his best chance was to maintain the bluff he had begun, to establish himself as a man used to commanding authority. He turned back to the highwaymen.
“I am a delegate of the Principal, traveling on official business,” he said. He showed his seal ring. There were very few such rings in the District; with the present state of technology they were impossible to counterfeit.
“It looks genuine,” admitted the little man. “What sort of business do you have in this remote area?”
Taking a chance, Zach went on. “I’m an emissary to the leaders of the Garden. You may know of it.”
“The place across the lake? We trade with them sometimes. But to tell the truth, we’re no more afraid of the Garden than we are of the Principal. Laws ain’t too important out here.”
“Laws are important everywhere,” said Zach. “Without them men become beasts.”
The small man shrugged. “Even beasts have to make a living.”
Zach took a moment to control his anger, then spoke again. “You seem to be sensible men. Take the metal I gave you and let us go on. I won’t report this.”
The highwayman’s eyes narrowed. “Can you give me one good reason why we shouldn’t just drown you in the swamp and take the girl?”
Zach sensed he was losing any small advantage he had. “The penalties for girl-stealing—” he began.
“Death by machine. Yes. Neither of us wants to die that way, but you know as well as we do the chances ain’t good we’d ever be caught.”
“Don’t be too sure,” said Zach. “A contingent of the Principal’s men is riding a few hours behind us.”
The brothers again exchanged glances. “I see no reason to believe you or not to believe you, stranger,” the small man said.
“Then let us go.”
“I don’t see how we can do that now. Especially if what you tell us is true.”
“If anything happens to me, the Principal himself will track you down and punish you, even if he has to spend the rest of his life doing it.” Zach spoke with conviction; this, at least, was the truth.
“Perhaps,” said the little man. “But that don’t change anything. You see,” he went on, “my brother and I have been lonely. A few months ago our wife ran off with the Traders. We’ve been looking for another, but unattached women ain’t so easy to find. And then you come along with this girl, and it seems like a deena-sent gift, if you see what I mean.”
Zach felt sick. After everything that had happened, his decision to betray the Principal, his promises to Evvy, he could not allow her to be taken by two such men.
“But lonely as we are,” the man continued, “now that we’ve taken a closer look at you and the girl, other possibilities come to mind. A girl like this would be worth a lot of money to somebody.”
“My daughter is not for sale,” said Zach.
The man looked closely at Evvy, then at Zach. “She is very beautiful,” he said. “But I don’t need to tell you that. I also don’t have to tell you that she doesn’t look anything like you. I don’t believe you’re her father.”
“He’s my second-father,” Evvy said quickly.
“Then why do you look at him that way? That ain’t the kind of look a girl gives to anyone but her lover.”
Zach tensed, but there was nothing he could do or say.
“Where did you steal her from?”
“Ermil,” said the taller brother, sounding nervous, “let’s get on with it.”
“Don’t worry,” said Ermil. “Look at his face. He’s lost and he knows it.”
“What about his seal ring?”
“Most likely he stole that too, or . . .” The little man stopped talking and thought for a moment. “Maybe you didn’t steal her at that,” he said to Zach. “If your
Reluctantly, Zach swung Evvy down, while the mount continued to whistle in alarm. Zach put a hand on the beast’s head and stroked it to calm her, then tethered her loosely to a nearby tree. He did this slowly, trying to think. He knew his best chance was to maintain the bluff he had begun, to establish himself as a man used to commanding authority. He turned back to the highwaymen.
“I am a delegate of the Principal, traveling on official business,” he said. He showed his seal ring. There were very few such rings in the District; with the present state of technology they were impossible to counterfeit.
“It looks genuine,” admitted the little man. “What sort of business do you have in this remote area?”
Taking a chance, Zach went on. “I’m an emissary to the leaders of the Garden. You may know of it.”
“The place across the lake? We trade with them sometimes. But to tell the truth, we’re no more afraid of the Garden than we are of the Principal. Laws ain’t too important out here.”
“Laws are important everywhere,” said Zach. “Without them men become beasts.”
The small man shrugged. “Even beasts have to make a living.”
Zach took a moment to control his anger, then spoke again. “You seem to be sensible men. Take the metal I gave you and let us go on. I won’t report this.”
The highwayman’s eyes narrowed. “Can you give me one good reason why we shouldn’t just drown you in the swamp and take the girl?”
Zach sensed he was losing any small advantage he had. “The penalties for girl-stealing—” he began.
“Death by machine. Yes. Neither of us wants to die that way, but you know as well as we do the chances ain’t good we’d ever be caught.”
“Don’t be too sure,” said Zach. “A contingent of the Principal’s men is riding a few hours behind us.”
The brothers again exchanged glances. “I see no reason to believe you or not to believe you, stranger,” the small man said.
“Then let us go.”
“I don’t see how we can do that now. Especially if what you tell us is true.”
“If anything happens to me, the Principal himself will track you down and punish you, even if he has to spend the rest of his life doing it.” Zach spoke with conviction; this, at least, was the truth.
“Perhaps,” said the little man. “But that don’t change anything. You see,” he went on, “my brother and I have been lonely. A few months ago our wife ran off with the Traders. We’ve been looking for another, but unattached women ain’t so easy to find. And then you come along with this girl, and it seems like a deena-sent gift, if you see what I mean.”
Zach felt sick. After everything that had happened, his decision to betray the Principal, his promises to Evvy, he could not allow her to be taken by two such men.
“But lonely as we are,” the man continued, “now that we’ve taken a closer look at you and the girl, other possibilities come to mind. A girl like this would be worth a lot of money to somebody.”
“My daughter is not for sale,” said Zach.
The man looked closely at Evvy, then at Zach. “She is very beautiful,” he said. “But I don’t need to tell you that. I also don’t have to tell you that she doesn’t look anything like you. I don’t believe you’re her father.”
“He’s my second-father,” Evvy said quickly.
“Then why do you look at him that way? That ain’t the kind of look a girl gives to anyone but her lover.”
Zach tensed, but there was nothing he could do or say.
“Where did you steal her from?”
“Ermil,” said the taller brother, sounding nervous, “let’s get on with it.”
“Don’t worry,” said Ermil. “Look at his face. He’s lost and he knows it.”
“What about his seal ring?”
“Most likely he stole that too, or . . .” The little man stopped talking and thought for a moment. “Maybe you didn’t steal her at that,” he said to Zach. “If your
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