Read Online Commitment Hour by James Alan Gardner - Free Book Online
Authors: James Alan Gardner
Ads: Link
dent in these two. Stop pretending to be effective and escort them back to the cove. Let the mayor and council sort out this mess.”
Bushes rustled on the far side of the clearing and Bonnakkut stepped out. In the darkness, I could only make out his silhouette: massive shoulders, massive chest, massive ax held in one hand. “So,” he said, pointing the ax-head at me, “look who’s become a Neut lover. Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“It surprises me,” Steck said, craning Its Neut neck to peer at me. “Where’d you find this sudden streak of common sense?”
“The solstice dance breeds common sense,” Leeta answered, saving me the trouble of an excuse. “The dance puts things in perspective.”
“And while we’re brimming over with perspective,” Rashid said brightly, “shall we go to Tober Cove?”
“Taking you to the cove would start a riot,” Bonnakkut replied, planting himself and his ax squarely in front of us all. “We don’t want riots.”
“Neither do I,” Rashid assured him. “I’m one hundred percent in favor of tranquility. You’re some kind of local town guard?”
“I’m Bonnakkut, First Warrior of the Tober Warriors Society. I protect the peace.”
“Hence, the repetition of ‘warrior’ in your official title,” Rashid murmured. Then in a louder voice, he said, “I happen to be carrying an official peace offering for the leader of the local constabulary. This seems like an excellent time to pass it on.”
Without waiting for a reply, Rashid reached into a pouch on his thigh and pulled out something I couldn’t see in the darkness. “This,” he told Bonnakkut, “is a classic Beretta Model 92F automatic. You know what that is?”
“A firearm,” Bonnakkut said. “A pistol. It shoots bullets.”
“Indeed it does. It holds fifteen 9mm Parabellum cartridges, and Steck has another sixty rounds in her luggage. The powder and primer are guaranteed fresh. You could probably sell each bullet for twenty crowns on the black market in Feliss City. As for the gun itself…what would you say, Steck, five thousand crowns for a mint condition 92F?”
“It depends whether buyers in Feliss know anything about guns,” Steck replied. “A lot of so-called collectors can’t tell the difference between a perfectly maintained pistol like this, and some rust-eaten thing that will blow off your hand when you try to fire it.”
“You’re giving me the gun?” Bonnakkut asked, not quite tuned up to pitch with the conversation yet.
“No, he’s not,” Leeta said fiercely. “The last thing Tober Cove needs is a new way to hurt people. Shame on you, Lord Rashid, for bringing it.”
“A responsible man like the First Warrior will only use the gun for reasonable ends.” Rashid held out the weapon to Bonnakkut, butt first. “Here you go.”
“Is this a bribe?” Bonnakkut asked.
“Yes,” Leeta replied.
“No,” said Rashid, “it’s a peace bond. To show I support the laws of Tober Cove and those who enforce them. Go ahead, take it.”
“Don’t you dare,” Leeta ordered.
But cautiously, Bonnakkut shuffled forward, holding his ax at the ready in case…well, I don’t know what he expected Rashid or Steck to do, but whatever it was, they didn’t do it. They stood placidly while Bonnakkut reached out, took the pistol, and hurried back away.
“This gun actually works?” he asked.
“Just point and click,” Rashid answered. “I left the safety off because I knew you’d want to try it.”
To no one’s surprise, Bonnakkut fired at Rashid.
The bullet made a blindingly bright flash and an exceedingly loud bang at both ends of its trajectory. The flash coming out of the gun was yellowy orange. The flash on Rashid’s end was violet: a huge mauve-tinted blaze that fizzed and crackled after the initial impact, spitting molten drops of the bullet’s lead. Casually, Rashid reached out a booted foot and tamped out the flames where the red-hot spatter had lit the pine
Bushes rustled on the far side of the clearing and Bonnakkut stepped out. In the darkness, I could only make out his silhouette: massive shoulders, massive chest, massive ax held in one hand. “So,” he said, pointing the ax-head at me, “look who’s become a Neut lover. Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“It surprises me,” Steck said, craning Its Neut neck to peer at me. “Where’d you find this sudden streak of common sense?”
“The solstice dance breeds common sense,” Leeta answered, saving me the trouble of an excuse. “The dance puts things in perspective.”
“And while we’re brimming over with perspective,” Rashid said brightly, “shall we go to Tober Cove?”
“Taking you to the cove would start a riot,” Bonnakkut replied, planting himself and his ax squarely in front of us all. “We don’t want riots.”
“Neither do I,” Rashid assured him. “I’m one hundred percent in favor of tranquility. You’re some kind of local town guard?”
“I’m Bonnakkut, First Warrior of the Tober Warriors Society. I protect the peace.”
“Hence, the repetition of ‘warrior’ in your official title,” Rashid murmured. Then in a louder voice, he said, “I happen to be carrying an official peace offering for the leader of the local constabulary. This seems like an excellent time to pass it on.”
Without waiting for a reply, Rashid reached into a pouch on his thigh and pulled out something I couldn’t see in the darkness. “This,” he told Bonnakkut, “is a classic Beretta Model 92F automatic. You know what that is?”
“A firearm,” Bonnakkut said. “A pistol. It shoots bullets.”
“Indeed it does. It holds fifteen 9mm Parabellum cartridges, and Steck has another sixty rounds in her luggage. The powder and primer are guaranteed fresh. You could probably sell each bullet for twenty crowns on the black market in Feliss City. As for the gun itself…what would you say, Steck, five thousand crowns for a mint condition 92F?”
“It depends whether buyers in Feliss know anything about guns,” Steck replied. “A lot of so-called collectors can’t tell the difference between a perfectly maintained pistol like this, and some rust-eaten thing that will blow off your hand when you try to fire it.”
“You’re giving me the gun?” Bonnakkut asked, not quite tuned up to pitch with the conversation yet.
“No, he’s not,” Leeta said fiercely. “The last thing Tober Cove needs is a new way to hurt people. Shame on you, Lord Rashid, for bringing it.”
“A responsible man like the First Warrior will only use the gun for reasonable ends.” Rashid held out the weapon to Bonnakkut, butt first. “Here you go.”
“Is this a bribe?” Bonnakkut asked.
“Yes,” Leeta replied.
“No,” said Rashid, “it’s a peace bond. To show I support the laws of Tober Cove and those who enforce them. Go ahead, take it.”
“Don’t you dare,” Leeta ordered.
But cautiously, Bonnakkut shuffled forward, holding his ax at the ready in case…well, I don’t know what he expected Rashid or Steck to do, but whatever it was, they didn’t do it. They stood placidly while Bonnakkut reached out, took the pistol, and hurried back away.
“This gun actually works?” he asked.
“Just point and click,” Rashid answered. “I left the safety off because I knew you’d want to try it.”
To no one’s surprise, Bonnakkut fired at Rashid.
The bullet made a blindingly bright flash and an exceedingly loud bang at both ends of its trajectory. The flash coming out of the gun was yellowy orange. The flash on Rashid’s end was violet: a huge mauve-tinted blaze that fizzed and crackled after the initial impact, spitting molten drops of the bullet’s lead. Casually, Rashid reached out a booted foot and tamped out the flames where the red-hot spatter had lit the pine
Similar Books
