wasn’t clear himself on how it went after
that, except that he got himself between the ogres and Amiranda,
with his back against the buggy, and went to work with a knife and
club of his own, and when he lost those, with bare hands and brute
strength.
“I killed five or six, but there just ain’t a whole
lot any one man can do when he’s outnumbered so bad. They
just kept piling on me and hitting and cutting me. That girl, she
didn’t have enough sense to run. She tried to fight, too. But
they dragged her down and cut on her . . . I
thought I whipped them for a minute ’cause they all ran off.
To the edge of the woods. But then I went down and couldn’t
get up again. Couldn’t even move. They thought I was dead.
They dragged me over and dumped me in the brush, then they
dragged everyone else over, then they started going through the
girl’s stuff, cussing ’cause there wasn’t nothing
worth nothing, but they squabbled like sparrows over every piece
anyway. And not once even thinking about helping their buddies that
was hurt.”
Then they heard someone coming. They scurried around cleaning up
after themselves, then took off down the road with the buggy and
Saucerhead’s horse. About that time Saucerhead got himself
together enough to get on his feet. He found Amiranda, scooped her
up, and headed out.
“I wasn’t thinking so good,” he said. “I
didn’t want her to be dead so I didn’t believe it.
There’s this witch I know that lives about three miles from
there, back in the woods. I told myself if I could get the girl to
her everything would be all right. And you know me. I get my mind
set . . . ”
Yeah. I tried to picture it. Saucerhead half dead, still
bleeding, stumbling through the woods carrying a dead woman. And
after that, he walked all the way back to TunFaire so he’d be
in the right place when he died. I asked a lot of questions then,
mostly about the ogres and what they’d said when they’d
thought him dead. He hadn’t heard anything I could use. I got
directions to the witch’s hut.
Saucerhead was getting weaker then, but he was working himself
up again. I told him, “You just relax. If I don’t get
it straightened out, you can take over when you’re well
again. Morley, I want you to get him out of here. Come on. Morley
will be back to get you, Saucerhead.”
Morley finally spoke when we hit the street. “Nasty
business.”
“You heard of anybody getting rich since
yesterday?”
“No.” He gave me a look.
“Got any contacts in Ogretown?” If you aren’t
part ogre, you can’t get the time of day down there. I had a
couple of people I knew there but none I knew well enough to get
any help on this.
“A few. But not anybody who’ll tell me anything
about a deal that has Raver Styx on the other end of it.”
“That’s my problem.”
“You going out there to look around?”
“Maybe tomorrow. Got some loose ends to knot up around
here first.”
“Use some company when you go? I’m way behind on my
exercise.”
He pretended he was interested in anything but what interested
him. “I don’t think so. And somebody has to stay here
and keep reminding Saucerhead that he’s hurt.”
“It got personal, eh?”
“Very.”
“You be careful out there.”
“Damned right I will. And you keep your ears open.
I’m interested in news about ogres and news about anybody
with a sudden pocketful of gold.”
We parted. I went home and wrapped myself around a couple
gallons of beer.
----
XIII
The Dead Man’s mood hadn’t soured by the next
morning. I got worried. Were we getting to the beginning of the
end? I didn’t know enough about the Loghyr to be sure what
sort of symptom persistent good humor might be. I told him about
Saucerhead, leaving out none of the details. “That give you
any ideas?”
Several. But you have not given me enough information to
form more than one definite opinion.
“A definite one? You? What is it?”
Your little overnight
that, except that he got himself between the ogres and Amiranda,
with his back against the buggy, and went to work with a knife and
club of his own, and when he lost those, with bare hands and brute
strength.
“I killed five or six, but there just ain’t a whole
lot any one man can do when he’s outnumbered so bad. They
just kept piling on me and hitting and cutting me. That girl, she
didn’t have enough sense to run. She tried to fight, too. But
they dragged her down and cut on her . . . I
thought I whipped them for a minute ’cause they all ran off.
To the edge of the woods. But then I went down and couldn’t
get up again. Couldn’t even move. They thought I was dead.
They dragged me over and dumped me in the brush, then they
dragged everyone else over, then they started going through the
girl’s stuff, cussing ’cause there wasn’t nothing
worth nothing, but they squabbled like sparrows over every piece
anyway. And not once even thinking about helping their buddies that
was hurt.”
Then they heard someone coming. They scurried around cleaning up
after themselves, then took off down the road with the buggy and
Saucerhead’s horse. About that time Saucerhead got himself
together enough to get on his feet. He found Amiranda, scooped her
up, and headed out.
“I wasn’t thinking so good,” he said. “I
didn’t want her to be dead so I didn’t believe it.
There’s this witch I know that lives about three miles from
there, back in the woods. I told myself if I could get the girl to
her everything would be all right. And you know me. I get my mind
set . . . ”
Yeah. I tried to picture it. Saucerhead half dead, still
bleeding, stumbling through the woods carrying a dead woman. And
after that, he walked all the way back to TunFaire so he’d be
in the right place when he died. I asked a lot of questions then,
mostly about the ogres and what they’d said when they’d
thought him dead. He hadn’t heard anything I could use. I got
directions to the witch’s hut.
Saucerhead was getting weaker then, but he was working himself
up again. I told him, “You just relax. If I don’t get
it straightened out, you can take over when you’re well
again. Morley, I want you to get him out of here. Come on. Morley
will be back to get you, Saucerhead.”
Morley finally spoke when we hit the street. “Nasty
business.”
“You heard of anybody getting rich since
yesterday?”
“No.” He gave me a look.
“Got any contacts in Ogretown?” If you aren’t
part ogre, you can’t get the time of day down there. I had a
couple of people I knew there but none I knew well enough to get
any help on this.
“A few. But not anybody who’ll tell me anything
about a deal that has Raver Styx on the other end of it.”
“That’s my problem.”
“You going out there to look around?”
“Maybe tomorrow. Got some loose ends to knot up around
here first.”
“Use some company when you go? I’m way behind on my
exercise.”
He pretended he was interested in anything but what interested
him. “I don’t think so. And somebody has to stay here
and keep reminding Saucerhead that he’s hurt.”
“It got personal, eh?”
“Very.”
“You be careful out there.”
“Damned right I will. And you keep your ears open.
I’m interested in news about ogres and news about anybody
with a sudden pocketful of gold.”
We parted. I went home and wrapped myself around a couple
gallons of beer.
----
XIII
The Dead Man’s mood hadn’t soured by the next
morning. I got worried. Were we getting to the beginning of the
end? I didn’t know enough about the Loghyr to be sure what
sort of symptom persistent good humor might be. I told him about
Saucerhead, leaving out none of the details. “That give you
any ideas?”
Several. But you have not given me enough information to
form more than one definite opinion.
“A definite one? You? What is it?”
Your little overnight
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