Bounty (16 page)

Damious allowed himself to suffer the first blow, but then reacted and turned the tables, intent on putting Godren quickly in his place. He was clearly much more experienced, and infinitely more skilled, and Godren could feel his professional finesse slipping effortlessly through all of his own, crude cracks. He was not prepared to submit, though, and fought back with a fierce determination that he knew Mastodon would expect of him.

Driven by his own fight for survival in this world, Godren was impassioned by a strong wave of possessiveness toward the woman behind the desk. He fought for her, driving Damious back regardless of the blows he took to himself. There was a violent flurry of forearms and fists, ducking and dodging, missing and hitting, in which Damious ended up back on the other side of the desk and Godren ended up covered in injuries. He concluded the tousle with a nice, resounding punch to Damious’s neck, though, and then brought out his knife between them as the stunned assassin was recovering.

“
Well,” Damious remarked, rubbing his neck. “You’ve certainly sparked the loyal reserves in
this
fellow.”

Mastodon hadn’t moved a muscle the entire time. She smiled slightly at Damious’s observation. “Indeed I have. Hello, Damious.”

“
Hello, Xinna.”

Godren took pause at the sound of that name, tempted to glance quizzically over his shoulder at Mastodon.
Xinna?
He had never actually given much thought to a real name beyond the one she went by in her world of business.

“
How’s business?” Mastodon asked.

“
Plentiful.”

“
You mean ‘boring’?”

“
Now, Xinna. What do you mean to imply by that?”

Listening to the two of them start to carry casually on as if he weren’t huffing and puffing between them, having just been walloped by the very figure suddenly being friendly, Godren let out his breath in a whoosh of insignificant exasperation.
What did I just get wailed on for, anyway?
He glanced at his bleeding knuckles, thinking,
Well that’s the last time
I
jump in uninvited. Next time, I’ll wait until she asks.

“
That you’re clearly after bigger game, here in my city, so you must have finally gotten bored,” Mastodon replied to Damious’s question.

“
Bigger game? And how do you know the significance of my late victims, eh?”

“
Damious, you insult me.”

“
Xinavane, you flatter yourself,” Damious corrected.

Xinavane,
Godren thought.
Huh.
Ignored between them, he began to feel a little foolish. But what could he do? Stepping aside would be a wry, embarrassing move, like he’d realized attacking Damious had had no point and he’d gotten all heated and acted all fiercely for nothing, but standing there defensively between them while they chatted just felt silly. Finally, shaking his head in perplexity and letting it go, he stepped aside.

“
Well, then you tell me why you’re here,” Mastodon suggested.

“
Aren’t you going to offer me a drink?”

“
I drink incense,” Mastodon said matter-of-factly, and Damious took in the smoke curling up from her desk.

“
Ah. Then I suppose I’ll just have to smoke some.” Pulling the chair closer, he sat and extended his hand, wanting an incense stick.

“
It’s expensive,” Mastodon said, making no move to oblige.

Damious scoffed. “It’s smuggled, that’s what it is.” He waved his fingers impatiently, still wanting some.

“
You are not my guest, Damious.”

“
What
am
I?” he wanted to know, resting his elbows on the arms of the chair and raising his feet onto her desk.

“
A complication.”

“
Ohh,” he said disappointedly, tsk-ing his tongue. “That’s not very nice.”

“
Tell me what you want and get out.”

“
But what I want is within your boundaries.”

“
You were never going to
get
what you want,” Mastodon informed him. “But I know you came here to tell me, and I wouldn’t want your trip to be completely wasted.”

“
No?”

“
Hmm. You’re welcome to just get out now,” she changed her mind.

“
Now, Xinna. Don’t be inhospitable. We could have a nice time, you and I. And your fellow over there in the corner.”

“
I think you’ve made a fairly lasting impression on Godren already,” Mastodon reminded him. “I think it was clear from the beginning how he felt about you.”

Considering Godren, Damious scratched his chin in thought. “You’re right. I hardly walked through the door and he was trying to throw me out. Didn’t even wait until after introductions. Where I come from, that’s rude.”

“
He had plenty of an introduction,” Mastodon said. “I gave it to him.”

Damious looked at Godren. “Did she tell you bad things about me?” he asked, appalled.

“
None at all,” Godren assured him sweetly, though the effect was rather spoiled by the fact that he spoke through nearly gritted teeth. “But if an introduction is all that we’re required to surpass before pursuing fatalities, well…let’s just say I didn’t like your name.”

Clapping delightedly, Damious turned back to Mastodon. “He has spunk, Xinna. I like him.”

“
Good. You’ll like him even more when he sends you packing.”

“
Packing? I don’t go packing,” Damious said. “Besides, he’s just a puppy.”

“
He battles wolves with his bare hands,” Mastodon brought up. “Full-grown, rabid wolf seeking to tear his throat out. He’s no puppy.”

Godren felt a little strange hearing Mastodon defend him, boasting on his behalf.

“
Wolves, eh? Well that’s something. But I won’t be sent packing, Xinna. Not this time.”

“
Then you tell me what’s going to play out. Since you seem to be on such confident terms with your future here.”

“
Well. First I’m going to encourage your little war with the bounty hunters, maybe pick a few favorites and play along with them. That should be fun. Then I’m going to bundle them all up and toss them skidding on their backsides to you, collect the prices you put on their heads, and then pause on my way out to really cut to the chase. Which, naturally – ironically, of course – has been none other than you all along.”

Mastodon stared at him, her expression like dry ice. After a time, she blinked – but it was only once.

Putting his hands casually behind his head, Damious blinked back at her, but his expression was considerably more cheerful. “What do you think? Brilliant, is it not?”

“
It’s hogwash.”

Damious pouted. “I rather liked it,” he said defensively.

“
You are an idiot, Damious.”

“
A live one,” he pointed out.

“
What does that have to do with anything, you addlebrained dolt?”

“
I’ve been in the fatal business for decades, Xinavane. The fact that no one has gotten the better of me yet, that they’ve all fallen prey to the status of
victim
, suggests I’m not such an idiot after all. After all, they’re all dead – and I’m not.” He shrugged. “If you do the math, it just adds up to my obvious brightness.”

“
Nonsense. Idiots get lucky all the time. Besides, I never made a claim to your lack of intelligence – just your lack of wisdom.”

“
That’s nice,” Damious allowed, frowning.

“
I don’t know what makes you think you can take me on without a hitch,” Mastodon said, “but I never planned on going down easily for anyone, and I’m certainly not going to go down easily for you. You know you’ll regret this.”

Sighing, Damious gazed at Mastodon. “This does bring back fond memories,” he remarked.

“
Good. Maybe sheltering these fantasies, you’ll fall doubly as hard.”

“
So bitter,” Damious observed disapprovingly. “Don’t you have any fond memories of me, and my undying, undeniable charm?”

“
I burned my memories,” Mastodon said matter-of-factly.

“
Oh. How unfortunate.”

“
You’re welcome to see yourself out now.”

“
What’s this – not even willing to accommodate me until the storm passes? I rebel against the suggestion.”

“
You are unwelcome to stay,” Mastodon revised, and he sobered.

“
Well then. Can I ask one favor? Would you refrain from shooting me in the back on my way out?”

“
Why should I?”

“
Isn’t there anything I can grant you in return?”

“
Leave the city.”

He tsk-ed his tongue again. “I’m very sorry. That cannot be arranged.”

“
Then no, I will not ask Godren to refrain from doing anything. If he wants to eliminate the man who carries so offensive a name, he is welcome to be my guest.”

“
So ruthless to boot,” Damious criticized. “I’d heard rumors, but refused to believe them.”

“
Like I said, you are a fool.”

“
Love is blind,” Damious said with a shrug.

“
Love is also self-sacrificing. So feel free to sacrifice yourself any time you want to.”

“
Ah, Xinavane. If only I wanted to.”

“
I would prefer that you stop calling me that.”

“
So many favors! I ask one, and you lay all your pent-up, unreasonable demands on me at once. I can only grant one, in exchange for you putting a hand on your puppy and asking him to let me walk out of here alive.”

“
If you’re so convinced he is a puppy, why does he threaten you at all?”

“
Because I did not come to indulge in violence. If he turns violent, I’m at his mercy.”

“
You weren’t earlier.”

“
He caught me off guard. I reacted.”

“
Do you mean to tell me you wouldn’t fight back?”

“
Actually I’m just intent on doing you a favor, but I know you wouldn’t let me unless it was in return for something else. I’m making this up.”

Mastodon considered that. Then she gave in. “Godren will restrain himself. You will leave unharmed,” she granted.

“
Well thanks, Xinna. So what is this conclusive favor you surely want in return?”

“
I’m looking for information. There are some characters poking around that are unfamiliar to me. I want their names.”

“
Describe them.”

“
An old cripple – a woman with a wooden leg? Uncanny and fierce.”

“
Oh, Alice? Didn’t know she was grappling with the elephants. Yes, Alice. Only female bounty hunter I’ve encountered. Probably the oldest, too. A semi-sorceress. We butted heads a few times when she wandered across the border, got into a bit of friendly rivalry.”

“
A semi-sorceress?” Mastodon asked for confirmation, narrowing her eyes. “How much magic, precisely, does she possess?”

“
Nothing more than small-spell capability. You know, lighting candles with her fingertips, deterring insects – though she
eats
those, and I believe rather likes the effect of
attracting
them, so that’s not put to much use.”

“
It surprises you that she’s after me?”

“
Not really. She’s a bit mad.”

“
Know anything about a wolf tamer? We think he goes by ‘Wolf’.”

“
Well
that’s
ironic,” Damious said sarcastically. “Ah – no. I don’t. That where the wolf attack came from?”

“
It is. Anyone else of significance poking around my name?” Mastodon wanted to know.

“
Yes, actually. A fellow that goes by Fangswift. That’s me.”

“
Fangswift?” Mastodon questioned.

“
I decided to take up a last name. It has a bit of a ring to it, doesn’t it? Damious Fangswift.”

“
Yes. Delightful,” Mastodon said dryly.

“
Well, it’s been a pleasure,” Damious said, rising. He flourished a bow and turned to leave. “Have a pleasant war.”

“
And you, pleasant nightmares,” Mastodon returned.

“
Thank you; they’ve been a little disagreeable lately.”

With that, he swept his cloak through the door and disappeared down the corridor without.

Godren and Mastodon sat in the silence for a moment, and then Mastodon shrugged here eyebrows and spoke;

“
So tell me, Godren. What’s your impression of the infamous Damious Fangswift?”

“
As far as I’m concerned,” Godren replied, “‘Fangswift’ does nothing to improve the name.”

And Mastodon laughed.

14:
Corrupt Undercurrents

W
ith the pending war ready to erupt into action, Mastodon wanted to extend advertisement for the prices she was offering for the numerous bounty hunters intent on hunting
her
.