at least. Hell, they could be twice my age for all I knew. Not sure they got enough food, though. Worn looking, and a little on the thin side. I wondered if maybe they were homeless. Lot of that going around.
“You hungry?” I asked, remembering the potato salad and second sandwiches in the pack. “You look like you’ve missed a few meals.”
“We could eat,” Gletts said, his eyes eager. “Never turn away hospitality.”
“This is our place,” Skella said. Her voice and body language was all about caution. “We should be offering them something.”
Katie smiled and picked up the pack to hand out food.
“It does appear,” I said, “that you have offered us leave of your home, and some interesting information.”
Skella eyed the sandwich Katie brought out of the pack. “That’s true. Maybe we could share a meal with you.”
And so we did. They ate every last crumb we had with us, and would’ve eaten more.
They gave us a lot of information, like how this mystery guy calling himself the King of Vancouver had been consolidating all of Jean-Paul’s holdings. “It’s like he knows where all the bodies are buried,” Gletts said after he’d licked his fingers clean. “Making peace with the gangs and all. City is getting quiet again after weeks of street fighting.”
Skella let Gletts talk, as he seemed to relish the intrigue and violence. When he’d finally run down, she looked over at me and took her turn.
“Dwarves took your singer friend. We heard about it.”
“Why’d they snatch him?” Katie asked.
Skella shrugged. “Not sure. I just know there are lots of new folks, fey and not, that have been flocking here. The King is claiming Vancouver as a free port. No dragons or their ilk allowed. If he thinks you may be working for one of them, he has you rubbed out.”
“So, these dwarves,” I continued. “They’re new to town then?”
“No, been here longer than we have, or so Gran says.”
I thought a few minutes. Rolph probably had information on them, being a dwarf himself. Hell, they could be family for all I knew. Not sure I totally trusted him, not after last year when he tried to take Gram away from me. To be fair though, I was trying to give it to the dragon Duchamp at the time. In my defense, I was exchanging it for Katie and Julie. It was a big mess, but it worked okay in the end. I killed the dragon, saved the girl, and liberated this fair city. Not bad, if I do say so myself. And I couldn’t really blame Rolph. He served the sword before all else. He’d be outraged to know I’d let Jimmy keep Gram hidden at Black Briar. I wasn’t even sure myself why I hadn’t gone and taken her from him. Well, beyond cowardice, I guess.
I’d give Rolph a call and see what he knew.
Nine
Jimmy stood in the bank vault, hidden behind the curtain with his father’s safety-deposit box. Inside were a few important papers and three small clay figurines: Odin, Thor, and a Valkyrie. Each stood on a round pedestal about two inches across. There were initials carved on the bottom of each.
He picked up the Valkyrie and studied the way the carvings wound around the base in an unbroken chain, including the stylized figure of a dragon biting its own tail.
He pulled a bandana out of his pocket, wrapped the Valkyrie in it, and set it on the floor. With a quick motion, he stomped his boot down, shattering the statue with a dull thunk.
“Everything okay in there?” the guard asked from the other side of the curtain.
“Fine,” Jimmy said, bending down to pick up the bandana. He unwrapped the shattered clay statue and pulled the pieces apart. Inside the base was a ring with a green gemstone. A sigil was carved in the stone, sort of a fanciful S or F. Inside the body of the Valkyrie was a thinly scrolled sheet of paper. He unrolled it. It was in code, but one he had a passing familiarity with. Here was his contact. Jimmy placed the ring inside the watch pocket in his jeans and tucked the paper
“You hungry?” I asked, remembering the potato salad and second sandwiches in the pack. “You look like you’ve missed a few meals.”
“We could eat,” Gletts said, his eyes eager. “Never turn away hospitality.”
“This is our place,” Skella said. Her voice and body language was all about caution. “We should be offering them something.”
Katie smiled and picked up the pack to hand out food.
“It does appear,” I said, “that you have offered us leave of your home, and some interesting information.”
Skella eyed the sandwich Katie brought out of the pack. “That’s true. Maybe we could share a meal with you.”
And so we did. They ate every last crumb we had with us, and would’ve eaten more.
They gave us a lot of information, like how this mystery guy calling himself the King of Vancouver had been consolidating all of Jean-Paul’s holdings. “It’s like he knows where all the bodies are buried,” Gletts said after he’d licked his fingers clean. “Making peace with the gangs and all. City is getting quiet again after weeks of street fighting.”
Skella let Gletts talk, as he seemed to relish the intrigue and violence. When he’d finally run down, she looked over at me and took her turn.
“Dwarves took your singer friend. We heard about it.”
“Why’d they snatch him?” Katie asked.
Skella shrugged. “Not sure. I just know there are lots of new folks, fey and not, that have been flocking here. The King is claiming Vancouver as a free port. No dragons or their ilk allowed. If he thinks you may be working for one of them, he has you rubbed out.”
“So, these dwarves,” I continued. “They’re new to town then?”
“No, been here longer than we have, or so Gran says.”
I thought a few minutes. Rolph probably had information on them, being a dwarf himself. Hell, they could be family for all I knew. Not sure I totally trusted him, not after last year when he tried to take Gram away from me. To be fair though, I was trying to give it to the dragon Duchamp at the time. In my defense, I was exchanging it for Katie and Julie. It was a big mess, but it worked okay in the end. I killed the dragon, saved the girl, and liberated this fair city. Not bad, if I do say so myself. And I couldn’t really blame Rolph. He served the sword before all else. He’d be outraged to know I’d let Jimmy keep Gram hidden at Black Briar. I wasn’t even sure myself why I hadn’t gone and taken her from him. Well, beyond cowardice, I guess.
I’d give Rolph a call and see what he knew.
Nine
Jimmy stood in the bank vault, hidden behind the curtain with his father’s safety-deposit box. Inside were a few important papers and three small clay figurines: Odin, Thor, and a Valkyrie. Each stood on a round pedestal about two inches across. There were initials carved on the bottom of each.
He picked up the Valkyrie and studied the way the carvings wound around the base in an unbroken chain, including the stylized figure of a dragon biting its own tail.
He pulled a bandana out of his pocket, wrapped the Valkyrie in it, and set it on the floor. With a quick motion, he stomped his boot down, shattering the statue with a dull thunk.
“Everything okay in there?” the guard asked from the other side of the curtain.
“Fine,” Jimmy said, bending down to pick up the bandana. He unwrapped the shattered clay statue and pulled the pieces apart. Inside the base was a ring with a green gemstone. A sigil was carved in the stone, sort of a fanciful S or F. Inside the body of the Valkyrie was a thinly scrolled sheet of paper. He unrolled it. It was in code, but one he had a passing familiarity with. Here was his contact. Jimmy placed the ring inside the watch pocket in his jeans and tucked the paper
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