Chap. 316 The Set Up

Chap. 316 The Setup

Vika gave up trying to force the horse to go any faster than a walk.

I hope to catch that pack horse. This one is about dead. I’m going to have to continue on across the savannah, in the open. I’m not going back up this path.

“You’d better carry me to the caves, horse, or you’ll be sorry,” she hissed at the horse. The gelding plodded on without response.

She entered a large clearing, created by several giant fallen trees. She stopped, befuddled. There were three paths diverging from the edge of the clearing. Every one of them had tracks of all sorts.

She looked for guidance at the datalink, but the paths were too small and overgrown with vegetation for the starship’s cameras to see.

She noticed a small, wizened man, chopping limbs off a fallen tree next to the path. She rode up to him, within arms reach.

“Hey, old man! Hey!”

The man kept chopping, ignoring her.

“You! Codger, hey, there!”

He looked up.

“You! What are you doing?”

The man was silent for several moments, as if pondering how to answer such a complicated question.

“Chopping,” he finally said.

Vika resisted the urge to swat him.

“Impertinent yob! I can see that. Did you see a horse run past here?”

The man looked skyward, as if the answer was in the clouds.

“Was it your’n?”

Vika scowled.

“Yes. It had a pack on its back. It broke away from me.”

“Not much of a packer, are ye?”

“Silence, fool,” she snapped.

“You tell me to silence? You broke it with your yap. Go away.”

“You lout, I could kill you,” she snapped, putting a hand on her dagger.

The man raised his machete.

“You could try. But by the time you unsheathes that toothpick I’ll have your arm off. It ain’t nuthin’ but a matchstick for me machete here,” he said.

Dumbskull, she thought. Must be inbred, from the looks of him. But her arm suddenly felt bare and exposed. She raised her hand carefully so he could see it was far from her dagger.

“Okay. Did you see a horse come by here?”

“Depends. How much is it worth to ye?”

“What! How much? You want money?”

“They’s three differnt paths, not countin’ the one you’s on. Two of ’em eventually lead back uphill. Hoss coulda taken any one o’ them.”

Swearing under her breath, she dug in her pouch and pulled out the smallest coin she had. It was half a mark. She tossed it to the man.

He caught it in midair and examined it closely.

“It’s good,” she snapped, knowing he didn’t trust it.

The man nodded and pushed it into his pocket.

“So, did you see a horse run past here, a pack on its back?”

“I did. It were running fast.”

“Where did it go?”

The man motioned downhill with a jerk of his head. “Take the middle path there. It gets steep for a whiles. Take it slow, eh? You’ll be dismounting to get through the steep parts. Your hoss, e’s got shoes on and iffen you push him hard, e’ll slip on t’ rocks, sure as sunrise. The pack horse’ll be waiting at the caves. That’s where folks usually unload and it’s got lots of good graze for her.”

She forced the ‘thank you’ and reined the horse back.

Then the thought hit her.

“Have you seen a dragonrider recently?”

“What sort o’ dragonrider?”

“Fool! A man riding a dragon!”

He looked at her expectantly.

“Damn your eyes,” she hissed, but she took another coin from her pouch and tossed it.

“Aye, I saw him. ‘E come flying over early this mornin’. Name is T’ovar. E’s a rogue, e’s not with any Weyr. E’s not the one to cross, specially if he thinks you’s about to cheat him. E’ can smell his own kind, and you look like one o’ them.”

She sneered. “I’m not afraid of dragonriders, lout.”

“You’ll be the lout iffen you don’t keep a civil tongue in your head,” the man hissed. “You’s a liar and a horse thief. I happen to know the man what owns that pack horse. The forest gots eyes, thief, and we don’t take kindly to innocent people being beat up and their livestock stole. Jus’ so happens that T’ovar and the man you stole that horse from? They’s got an arrangement, you know? T’ovar, he don’t like it when chumps like you interfere with his trading partners,’specially when they’s snooty wimmen. ‘E’ll take your scraggy haired head off afore you can draw your dagger.”

Her hands darted to her hair, something she was inordinately proud of. Then she dragged her hand away, aware she looked scared. She gulped.

“You better be off. We might look like yokels, but there’s a dozen differnt ways we can kill you afore you know we’re there. We’s watchin’ you now. Don’t come back.”

_______________________________________________________________

The pack mare had trotted right up to Rand, her ears perked.

“Good girl, aren’t you the clever one,” Rand had said. She snorted and nuzzled his hair. “Go on, girl, you’re daft,” he said, lovingly.

“That’s always been a handy thing to teach a horse,” K’ndar said, thinking of his own grey gelding, Jordan. The sore spot in his heart twinged. I’ll never forget you, Jordan. Never.

“Aye,” Rand said, “it wouldn’t be the first time we had a horse thief in the area. She’s been stolen at least twice. Just takes a whistle to bring her back home! Hee hee! Let’s unload her, she’ll be wanting a roll and a good bit of hay. I’ll put her up in the boma. Vika won’t see her, not from the path.”

“Do you want me to go check on your farmer friend? I can pass over his farm while I’m taking the pack back to Landing.”

“Nay. I’ll send Mushroom, my friend knows him. If he needs help, THEN I’ll call you for transport? Is that okay?”

“Of course.”

Raventh waited for him on one of the fallen trees. Just below him, the pack was secured to cargo straps.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come down and join our capture?”

“Nay, K’ndar. I’ve had enough adventure for one day. Besides, someone needs to put a bug up her butt, just to keep her off her game. I’ll send her the hard way down to the savannah. There’s parts she’ll have to dismount. By the time she gets down to where your dragonmen are, she should be so pissed she won’t see the snare til her head’s all the way in.”

“Okay. Thank you for your help, Rand. I can’t tell you how much. I’ll talk to Jansen about bringing you on. And getting you a datalink.”

“Aye, I gave it a lot of thought. It can get boring up here, cataloging will give me something to do, and bring in a little money.”

His datalink called.

“Jansen here, K’ndar! Are you going to bring the pack here?”

“Yes,” he said, “I’ll be leaving here in just a few moments.”

“If you don’t mind, there’s a pack waiting for you to take back,” she said. “There are dragonriders and Lord Dorn’s armsmen near a cave complex.” He could hear amusement in her voice. “You’ve reported that she killed Scar. That’s enough in my book to have her tried for murder, but as you didn’t see it in person, we have to have some extra evidence. Keep your datalink on recording, please? We want to hear her admit ownership of the pack. I’ve pinged it, and confirm that it’s full of electronics that Shawn stole, datalinks, cameras, and what I suspect are artifacts.”

“I don’t doubt it,” K’ndar said. “Does D’mitran and the others know this?”

“Yes. I’ve been in touch with D’mitran. They’ve got a plan of their own, too. I can’t see Vika right now, the path she’s on is so covered with jungle vegetation. But given her speed, I guess you have about thirty five, forty minutes before she gets to the cave complex. Even so, I suggest that you depart as soon as possible.”

“Okay. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Is the decoy pack ready to go?”

“Yes. Gary’k is standing by in the dragon meadow, he’s rigged it for transport. He said he’d love to come help, but said “too many hunters spook the game.” If you would, please? take it back to where the dragons are waiting for you.”

K’ndar began to laugh. “Is it a, um, a surprise?”

Jansen laughed, so tickled she could barely get the words out. “Oh, yes, K’ndar. Most definitely yes.”

________________________________________________________________

He’d lowered the pack in a wide open area, not far from the caves. F’mart, his three dragon riders, and D’mitran had unclipped it.

F’mart was the first to bump fists. D’mitran was second. Lief, Lord Dorn’s Master at Arms, had three of his men with him. All were heavily armed. One had a rope.

With the exception of Kenth, F’mart’s bronze, and Raventh, no dragons were visible.

They’re in the caves. I am going to join them, Careth says there is room for me Raventh said. He waddled towards the caves.

Siskin landed on K’ndar’s shoulders, but his attention was on two green fire lizards on one of the men’s shoulders.

“Hello, K’ndar. Good to see you,” Lief said.

He bumped fists with the big man. “I am very happy to see you, sir. I hope you’re not too gentle with Vika. She doesn’t deserve it.”

His men all laughed. “We know all about those two, dragonrider. Remember, we had to process all those people at the cothold,” one said.

Lief nodded. “We heard stories to curl your hair, K’ndar. There’s not a man at Singing Waters or the new cothold who didn’t want to come here and get even. I could only bring me and my three men here.”

Random came up to him. His two green fire lizards were on his shoulders. He lowered his arms and they sidled down each one. “Girls, lookout. See the edge, that path? Watch. Send me images when you see horses.” The two greens chipped in unison and launched.

Siskin chittered, wanting to go, too.

“Good lad! Yes. Go help. Watch for the woman on the horse,” K’ndar said. Siskin lifted and followed the greens.

“I have GOT to get one of those,” one of the dragonriders said.

The green’s owner faced him. He stuck a hand out. K’ndar shook it. “I don’t remember you, K’ndar. I’m Random. If we met, I’m sorry, I was in very bad shape at the cothold, so I’m very glad to meet you. You’re responsible for not only finding us, but saving my life.”

K’ndar, awed by the man’s charismatic presence, shrugged.” I saw what Karloch, I mean Shawn, had done to you. I’m glad things have worked out.” Then the memory hit him. “We HAVE met, Random.”

“I don’t recall?”

“On the ridge above the cothold? When you and Scar came riding to exact a tithe from an old couple? I was the dumb lout in the hut.”

He saw the man struggling with the memory.

“I..by the stars, yes. Now I remember. Yes! My fire lizards insisted they’d seen a gold dragon fly off with them. I didn’t believe them. Was I wrong?”

“You were. Our weyrwoman took them off. Later on, you did see a bronze, the weyrleader’s.”

“And my brown, Careth,” D’mitran said, indicating the caves with a toss of his head.

Random laughed. “I’m sorry. I had so many beatings from Karloch, I think he addled some of my brains. You played the dumb lout perfectly, K’ndar.”

“He wasn’t playing a part, Random,” F’mart teased.

“Arsehole,” K’ndar retorted. Then he laughed.

“Easy, Weyrleader. This man saved my life,” Random said. He turned to K’ndar. “I owe you one. And better late than never, thank you.”

“You’re welcome. By the way, there’s only Vika coming.”

Random went white.

“NO. Don’t tell me Scar got away? SHARDS, not again!”

K’ndar laughed. “Oh, no, no, no. He’s blocking the path about ten kilometers from here. Vika killed him.”

Random and the others raised their arms in victory. “I hope he suffered?”

“Not for long, I’m sorry to say. She nailed him in the back with a crossbow, and then stabbed him. He’s dead as a hammer.”

F’mart had a huge anticipatory grin on his face. “I remember the tales the women told about Vika. She’s a tough one, eh? I hope she throws a punch,” he said, rubbing his hands in glee.

“She’s quick with a weapon,” Random said, “and she’s not afraid to fight.”

“Ah, that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

D’mitran said, “What we’ve planned, K’ndar, is for F’mart to play the role of T’ovar. I chose him, mostly because she probably saw you and me at the cothold.”

“But not me, K’ndar. I was there with my wing, we spent all our time sorting people out. Besides, I ordered D’mitran to let me play T’ovar.”

“Um, Weyrleader F’mart, I don’t work for you anymore,” D’mitran said with a grin.

“Damn. No wonder I’m having troubles with wings,” F’mart said, laughing.

“That makes sense, though, D’mitran. I heard Vika say she’d never met T’ovar.”

Lief looked at him.

“Did you actually talk to her? Or Scar?”

“No. Rand, the forester, and I sent our fire lizards to eavesdrop on them as they were riding here. They send images and voices. It’s how I saw Random in the cave in the first place.”

“So how is it you have this pack?”

“Well, first off, it’s not the original pack. THAT is at Landing. Jansen, Landing’s tech, had the starship ping it and confirmed what I suspected, that it was full of stolen electronics.”

“Karloch had a bunch of them,” Random said, “And other wonderous things. Vacuum tubes? A camera. All sorts of things.”

“And we never did find any but one or two when we searched the caves,” Lief said.

“And you got the pack how?”

“They’d stolen Rand’s horse from a farmer who was leasing her. When their packhorse dropped dead, they shifted the pack to Rand’s mare. Rand and I bushwacked across the forest to get ahead of them. Then he whistled for her and she got away from Scar, who was leading her, and ran all the way home. I took the pack to Landing. Jansen had this one waiting for me. She said ‘it’s a surprise”.

The men laughed. “Oh, this is going to be FUN,” F’mart said.

Lief was thinking law.

“You said Vika shot and killed Scar. Did you witness it with your own eyes?”

“No, sir. We-me and Rand-saw it through our fire lizard’s eyes. That’s why Landing wants us all to witness Vika selling what she believes is stolen artifacts and electronics, stuff that belongs to Landing. Just to make it all legal.”

“Aye, that was the sticking point, in my mind. One hook catches a fish just as well as many. Once you testify to Lord Dorn, we’ll pile on the rest of the charges.”

Random nodded. “Sir, you needn’t worry about testators. I have a cothold full of them. Never mind my own testimony.”

“Lord Dorn is a stickler for the Charter, although I’d just as soon string her up from the nearest tree. I’ve seen too much of her and Scar’s work to have any doubt they need to have their heads removed,” Lief said.

K’ndar looked up at Kenth, F’mart’s dragon. To this day, he could not get over how big the bronze was.

“Well,” D’mitran said, “I think the trap is set. She should be here any minute. Let’s all of us, save you, F’mart, retire to the caves. Lief, I would like for your men to be ready with crossbows, just in case Vika smells it. Or attacks F’mart.”

“Don’t you take a fight from me, D’mitran. I can handle her.”

“I don’t doubt it, I’ve seen you fight. It’s just a precaution. She’s going to be expecting to see a packhorse and a dragonrider. If something smells wrong, she might just bolt.”

“Maybe not, D’mitran. Rand said he would meet her and ‘stick a bug up her butt’, so she may not be thinking straight. Plus, her horse is dog tired. They rode one horse to death, and this one might be about ready to keel over.”

“The thing that worries me, D, is that T’ovar’s dragon was brown. Kenth is obviously a bronze. Will she catch on?”

F’mart shook his head. “In this case, K’ndar, it’s necessity. Kenth doesn’t fit in the caves.”

Kenth rumbled, laughing.