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Authors: Alex Archer
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move put Annja on guard. He was no man to take for granted.
“You’re seriously going to take on a girl?” she taunted. It worked sometimes.
“I will do what I must to protect my own,” he replied. “But if you put down your weapon first, I will follow. Perhaps we can talk about this?”
She liked the idea of an exchange between blades much better, but Annja consented with a nod. She wasn’t about to lay down her sword, though. Not until he put his away, which he did, sheathing it behind his back.
She walked over to the vehicle and made a show of putting the sword in the backseat. By the time she’d returned to stand before her aggressor she knew the sword had returned to the otherwhere, until Annja once again needed it and could call it forth with a thought.
“Let’s talk, then,” she said. “But not with your angry crew flanking you. Can Luke and I take a look over the site to make sure no one has caused it any damage, then we can meet in town? Over lunch?”
With a nod toward the others, he said, “They will leave, but I will stay to watch over you.”
“Fair enough.” For now.
That spoiled her plans to make a hasty lift of the skull from the ground. But she hadn’t mentioned how long it would take her and Luke to “look over” the site. If they played their cards right, they could finagle a few hours’ work and perhaps lift the skull without the Gypsy swordsman being the wiser.
Annja strode over to Luke while the man spoke to the others in the Romani dialect Annja couldn’t decipher.
“You okay?” she asked Luke, who slowly nodded. She inspected the back of his head and found an inch-long gash at the base of his scalp. “A little blood, but it looks like an abrasion. You’re tough.”
“Hurts like hell, but...where did you get that sword?”
Always difficult explaining the sudden appearance of a medieval battle sword in her hands. So she never tried.
“Just something I like to keep handy. Oh, hell.”
She noticed the tarp had been lifted and the dig pit had been covered over with loose dirt. The skull, which had once been visible, was now completely buried. The dirt wasn’t packed down, though, so they should be able to recover it. Enough to make her and Luke’s day a long one. And that was if they weren’t interrupted by more Romani. And if the man with the katana let them.
“I think there’s a first-aid kit in the car,” she said.
Luke nodded and she went back to the vehicle, the Welshman in her wake. She cast the Romani a glare, but he ignored her and made a show of slashing his sword once or twice in front of him. The Gypsies, and the three gunmen, began to drift into the forest. There must be a path through the forest to their encampment, Annja guessed.
Luke muttered something and she turned to see that he’d stumbled over to the Jeep after her and Katana Man. Luke was now gripping the Jeep door, leaning against it and not hiding the pain. She sensed the workday for him had already ended. “Sit down before you fall down. You could be concussed.”
“It’s not that bad. Just wasn’t expecting a headache so early in the day.”
She rummaged through the glove compartment and found a white plastic box filled with Band-Aids and alcohol. She had no idea where the Roma camp was, but it must be either in or on the opposite side of the forest. They could live in town, but she guessed most didn’t.
Five minutes later, she’d treated Luke’s wound, but hadn’t put a Band-Aid on it because of all his hair. It was thick and soft and she tried not to run her fingers through it after she’d taken care of the wound. Smelled nice, too, like spicy aftershave.
“I’ll survive,” he said. “Now let’s get to it. If we want to lift the skeleton out of the ground it’ll have to be sooner rather than later. I don’t suspect they’ll stay away for long.”
“You’re thinking the same thing I was thinking,” she said. “Their leader isn’t going to take his eyes, or
“You’re seriously going to take on a girl?” she taunted. It worked sometimes.
“I will do what I must to protect my own,” he replied. “But if you put down your weapon first, I will follow. Perhaps we can talk about this?”
She liked the idea of an exchange between blades much better, but Annja consented with a nod. She wasn’t about to lay down her sword, though. Not until he put his away, which he did, sheathing it behind his back.
She walked over to the vehicle and made a show of putting the sword in the backseat. By the time she’d returned to stand before her aggressor she knew the sword had returned to the otherwhere, until Annja once again needed it and could call it forth with a thought.
“Let’s talk, then,” she said. “But not with your angry crew flanking you. Can Luke and I take a look over the site to make sure no one has caused it any damage, then we can meet in town? Over lunch?”
With a nod toward the others, he said, “They will leave, but I will stay to watch over you.”
“Fair enough.” For now.
That spoiled her plans to make a hasty lift of the skull from the ground. But she hadn’t mentioned how long it would take her and Luke to “look over” the site. If they played their cards right, they could finagle a few hours’ work and perhaps lift the skull without the Gypsy swordsman being the wiser.
Annja strode over to Luke while the man spoke to the others in the Romani dialect Annja couldn’t decipher.
“You okay?” she asked Luke, who slowly nodded. She inspected the back of his head and found an inch-long gash at the base of his scalp. “A little blood, but it looks like an abrasion. You’re tough.”
“Hurts like hell, but...where did you get that sword?”
Always difficult explaining the sudden appearance of a medieval battle sword in her hands. So she never tried.
“Just something I like to keep handy. Oh, hell.”
She noticed the tarp had been lifted and the dig pit had been covered over with loose dirt. The skull, which had once been visible, was now completely buried. The dirt wasn’t packed down, though, so they should be able to recover it. Enough to make her and Luke’s day a long one. And that was if they weren’t interrupted by more Romani. And if the man with the katana let them.
“I think there’s a first-aid kit in the car,” she said.
Luke nodded and she went back to the vehicle, the Welshman in her wake. She cast the Romani a glare, but he ignored her and made a show of slashing his sword once or twice in front of him. The Gypsies, and the three gunmen, began to drift into the forest. There must be a path through the forest to their encampment, Annja guessed.
Luke muttered something and she turned to see that he’d stumbled over to the Jeep after her and Katana Man. Luke was now gripping the Jeep door, leaning against it and not hiding the pain. She sensed the workday for him had already ended. “Sit down before you fall down. You could be concussed.”
“It’s not that bad. Just wasn’t expecting a headache so early in the day.”
She rummaged through the glove compartment and found a white plastic box filled with Band-Aids and alcohol. She had no idea where the Roma camp was, but it must be either in or on the opposite side of the forest. They could live in town, but she guessed most didn’t.
Five minutes later, she’d treated Luke’s wound, but hadn’t put a Band-Aid on it because of all his hair. It was thick and soft and she tried not to run her fingers through it after she’d taken care of the wound. Smelled nice, too, like spicy aftershave.
“I’ll survive,” he said. “Now let’s get to it. If we want to lift the skeleton out of the ground it’ll have to be sooner rather than later. I don’t suspect they’ll stay away for long.”
“You’re thinking the same thing I was thinking,” she said. “Their leader isn’t going to take his eyes, or
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