The instant the beast came through the membrane, Danny Blue acted; using his elbows to power himself up, he slapped his hands about the wrist on Simms’ knife hand and toppled him into the water; he set his feet against the thief’s floundering body and kicked, using the resistance to help him roll out of the pool. He was over the sill and on his feet before Simms surfaced sputtering. Panting a little, Danny smiled at Korimenei, waved a hand at the mancat. “A friend, I hope?”
She chuckled. “My demon’s better than yours.”
“No argument there.”
The mancat interrupted with an apologetic coughing rumble. He was uncomfortable in the damp and thought it was time he left.
“Right,” she said. “Danny, you take care of him, I’ll do her.” She nodded at Simms who was holding on to the edge of the pool, watching them warily, then padded around to face Felsrawg. “Are you intelligent enough to know the truth when you hear it?” She inspected the woman, sniffed. “I wonder.” Over her shoulder, she said, “Where’d you meet this pair, Danny?”
“They were my backup getting Klukeshama.” He smiled lazily at Felsrawg. “And sent along to slide a knife between my ribs once we got her.”
“Shuh! I don’t think much of your taste.”
“Not mine.”
“Minh.” She tapped the mancat on his shoulder. Lower your urn arms a little, my friend; I need to get at the woman’s neck. After he readjusted his tentacles, she put pressure on the carotid until Felsrawg was unconscious. Put her down, thanks. Anything I can do for you? No? Well, let’s send you home. She pulled her mindseine about him and snapped him back to his sandhills, promising in transit to visit him, them, again when things weren’t so hectic.
When she looked around, Danny Blue was watching her, a hungry look on his face. She didn’t understand. He was a sorceror and a ripely Talented one if her nose wasn’t fooling her. Gods of Fate and Time as Maks would say-why am I thinking of Maksi-that’s his business not mine, Tungjii’s blessing on us both for that.
He shook off whatever it was on his mind. “You going to wash the poison out of them, Kori? I wish you would. I don’t owe this pair anything, but poison!” He dredged up a wry grin. “Besides, the only way I know of to get rid of them is kill them or cure them.”
“Right,” she said. “I’m just about to do that. Aili, where are you? Good. Watch my back. Danny, if you don’t mind, fetch my clothes, hmm? This is no season for parading about as Primavera.” Without waiting to see what he did, she dragged the chain over her head, dropped Frunzacoache on Felsrawg’s leather bosom and began the cleansing.
9
“Frunzacoache the Undying,” Danny said aloud, though he was speaking to himself, not Simms. “First Klukesharna, now Frunzacoache. Coincidence, maybe? Coincidence, hell.”
Careful not to move too suddenly, Simms pulled himself onto the sill and sat with his legs dangling in the heated water. He watched Korimenei work, nodded. “I c’n feel it,” he said. “You wahn’t havin’ us on.”
“What? Oh. Yeh.” Danny dragged himself away from the pulses of power throbbing out from the girl; the part of him born of Ahzurdan found the effect intoxicating. He ran a hand through his hair, frowned down at Simms. “You’re not stupid.”
“C’n see where you might think I was. Young for ‘t, an’t she.”
Danny yawned. As the tension drained out of him, his weariness came flooding back. “If she weren’t still tender, you’d be ash and gone. Give me your hand.” When Simms was on his feet, Danny tapped him on the shoulder, pointed toward the dressing room. “Come on; she wants her clothes and I’m tired of prancing around stark.”
“What was that thing?”
“Don’t ask me, it’s not one of mine.”
##
Simms hauled off a boot, upended it and shook out the water. “Sling me one of those tow’ls, eh Laz?”
“Make it Danny, Lazul was for the duration only.”
“Sure. Why not.” He pulled off the other boot, dried his feet and legs, then the inside of the boots. “Us’ly I don’ bath with m’ clothes on.”
“Better I dump you than I fry you. I could’ve, you know.”
“I ‘spect you could. I ‘spect you din’t ‘cause you’d fry yourself with me.”
“Maybe so.” Danny stomped his feet down in his boots, ran a towel over his hair, scooped up Korimenei’s clothing. “On your feet, Simmo. She should be ready for you by now.,,
In the Bath Room he tossed the shirt and trousers to Kori. There was a pile of knives, poison rings and other weapons on the tiles. Felsrawg stood on the far side of the pool, glowering at nothing in particular, hands thrust in her trouser pockets. She turned that scowl on Danny a moment, then looked away.
“Gracefully grateful, I see,” he said.
Kori grinned at him. “Yes, oh man, you did it much better. You, Simms, if you roll up that towel, you can stick it under your head and be a bit more comfortable. Stretch out where she was and I’ll get to work on you.”
Danny dropped to a squat, began examining the collection of weapons, trying the balance of the knives, testing the mechanisms in the rings. He felt eyes on him and lifted his head. Felsrawg was glaring at him, indignant at the insult he was offering her. He looked down at the ring he was fingering, then at her; he got the feeling he might as well have been fingering her naked body. He set the ring down and got to his feet, embarrassed at his boorishness, annoyed at the woman for challenging him. Muttering under his breath he moved to stand behind Kori; once again the waves of power she was outputting swept through him, pleasuring him. He drifted in that borrowed glow for a few moments, felt a wistful deprivation when the power abruptly cut off. Kori continued to kneel for a short time longer, head bent. Slowly, with visible reluctance, she reached for Frunzacoache and lifted it off Simms. The way she handled the talisman, it was far heavier than it looked. And hotter. She slid the chain over her head, slipped the pendant under her shirt.
“Want a hand, Kori?”
“I could use one.” She swiveled round on her knees, held up her arms and let him pull her onto her feet. “What are we going to do with this pair?”
He swung her against him, her back to his chest, folded his arms under her breasts. “If they don’t behave,” he murmured into her ear, “you can send them to join your feline pet.”
“Certainly not, he’s a friend, I wouldn’t do that to him.”
Simms sat up, grimaced at his unexpected weakness. “A thought I wish you’d keep firmly in mind, Angyd Sorcelain. Why do I feel like the end of a long fast?”
Danny felt her relax against him; her ribs moved as she took a deep breath, let it out. “The poison has been working in you,” she said. “I stripped fat and muscle from your bones to heal that damage. You’ll get it back with a few good meals and some sleep.”
“Sleep, sounds good.” He got heavily to his feet. “You going to boot us out of here?”
“And waste my work? No.”
Felsrawg snorted and came strolling around the end of the pool; she was pale and drawn, there were dark smudges under her eyes, but she refused to give in to her weakness. “Laz, where do you go, come the morning?”
“Where do I go, Kori?” He slid his hand down her side, rested it on her hip.
“Where you want. Why ask me?”
He chuckled. “I wouldn’t touch that if you paid me.” He eyed Felsrawg. “South,” he said. “We go south all the way to water. Why?”
“We can’t go back to Arsuid, not for a while anyway.” She turned to Simms; he nodded. “This isn’t a good time for traveling, the wolves are out, four legs and two. I want to come with you. Simms? Yes. We’re not begging, Laz. We’ll pay our way.” She ran her eyes with slow insolence from Danny’s bare feet to his stubble-shadowed face. “You look a fool on that pony. We can mount you. Her too, if she wants.”