Wicked Bronze Ambition

46

So there we were, outside the place where Vicious Min had gone to ground. Supposedly.

“What a dump.” Dr. Ted had invited himself along after a final check on Shadowslinger. And a dump it was. And I was wondering if I shouldn’t have visited Moonblight first.

I joined Penny, Barate, Mashego, Dollar Dan, and his troops in agreeing with Ted. Only henchrat Fire wasn’t there to opine. He had gone back to John Stretch headquarters to gather the murder of rat men that would lifeguard Kevans once her whereabouts was determined.

I grumbled, “Yeah. I’ve never seen worse.”

It was a brickwork shell with half a roof, most of the wood stripped out to burn and the metal stolen to sell for scrap. I was surprised the bricks themselves hadn’t been carted off.

Barate suggested, “Something must have been done to keep looters away.”

I saw no bleached bones scattered around. The protection must be moderately subtle. “If Min actually lives here, that might be enough. I wouldn’t mess with her if I didn’t have to.”

“Perhaps,” Barate conceded. But that meant Min would have been there awhile, in turn meaning that she could not be a recent immigrant from a demon realm.

The dogs did not want to get any closer.

I said, “We’ve seen a place like this before.”

Barate nodded. “Where the kids did their bug experiments.”

That had happened in a bespelled ruin with secret cellars underneath. Kip, Kevans, and gang had indulged in such socially useful tasks as the creation of giant bugs. As if the roaches we have already, big enough to toss small children across their backs and abscond, aren’t magnificent enough.

I explained for the others. Dan suggested, “I smell exaggeration.”

“Maybe some. But ask somebody who was there. Those bugs were bigger than these mutts.”

“Nor will I argue with you, Garrett. I have heard such claims from others. Sadly, I missed out.” He eyed Penny.

She nodded. “They were big. It was scary. I’m so glad those kids didn’t make any giant spiders.”

Barate chuckled. “A sentiment often heard. Can you imagine a camel spider or banana spider jumped up as much as those other bugs were?”

We all took a moment to be grateful.

Giant spiders have to be some kind of universal human nightmare.

Dan said, “I hear there was some good eating on some of those bugs.”

Half the people in the world, even when they aren’t really people, are the glass-half-full kind.

Mashego asked, “Is it your intent to stall and reminisce indefinitely, or will we actually do something?” Her accent had thickened. “I do have work waiting at home.”

I did not remind her that she was with me at her own insistence.

“Same goes for me,” Penny said.

I restrained a petty remark about never having seen her do much. I really had no idea what she contributed. On reflection, though, I doubted that Singe or Dean would let her freeload.

I asked, “Barate? Thoughts?”

“We’re here. And she can only get healthier.”

“Um.” On the other hand, I could just relay news of her whereabouts to the Civil Guard.

I had questions I wanted to ask myself, though.

Dollar Dan suggested, “We should probably do it while we still have some light and the rain hasn’t started.”

An excellent point. The gloom kept getting thicker though the rain continued to hold off.

Penny stated my feelings for both of us. “It’s been a long, long day.”

It was unlikely to be over soon, either.