The Silver Spike

XI

Raven reined back to a walk. "We gave that old boy a fright."

"Probably figures we're bandits. We look it. You going to kill these horses today? Or can we string them along for awhile?"

Raven grunted. "You're right, Case. No sense getting in so big a hurry we end up taking twice as long because we have to walk most of the way. Funny. That old boy reminded me of that wizard Bomanz that got eaten by the Barrowland dragon."

"All them old-timers look the same to me."

"Could be. Hold up." He studied the crossroads. I tried to spot the old man in the copse. I was sure he was watching us.

"Well?" I asked.

"They split up like they said they would."

Don't ask me how he knew. He knew. Unless he was just faking it. I've seen him do that.

"Darling went east. Croaker kept heading south."

I'd play his game. "How do you figure?"

"She was with him." He rubbed his hip. "She would be headed for the Tower."

"Oh. Yeah." Big deal. "Which way are we headed? Whichever, we got to rest soon."

"Yes. Soon. For the horses."

"Sure." I kept my face blank. Inside I was wishing I had balls enough to yell at him that he didn't have to go on being the iron man for me. He didn't have to prove anything to me but that he could stop sucking wine by the gallon and could stop feeling sorry for himself. He wanted to show me how much guts he had, let him show me he had the kind it took to go find his kids and make up with them. He didn't have to prove anything to that old man over there in the trees, did he?

I wished he would go ahead and announce the decision I knew he was going to make. I was getting uncomfortable, knowing I was being watched. "Come on. Which way?"

He responded by spurring his mount down the south road. What the hell was this? I even started to turn east before I realized what he'd done.

I caught up. "Why south?"

Kind of hitting it sideways, he told me, "Croaker was always an understanding kind of guy. And forgiving."

The son of a bitch was crazy.

Or maybe he'd suddenly gone sane and didn't need to whimper over Darling anymore.