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But it was giving him a lot of trouble, meaning that he walked with a limp on
the right side.
Trader paced around the room, slapping his hands together, fired up, ready to
go again.
"That mealy prick says he'll give up the ville, then what do we do?"
Krysty sat next to Ryan, holding his hand. "Problem is that the ransom is
meaningless. They think they've got his son. We all know that they haven't."
"So he'll tell us to go bite the fresh air?"
Ryan shook his head. "Lots of barons would. Not sure about Weyman. I think
he'll listen a lot to Jamie.
Partly his fault they've got Dean. We'll find out over supper."
J.B. stood by the window, looking out across the darkening land. "I agree. I'd
lay my jack on him wanting to help us out."
"My suspicion is that the baron will do what he can to hang on to his power,"
Doc said, "which will probably mean having to assist us in attempting to save
dear Dean. Of all the barons I've seen during my time here in Deathlands, I
have to say that Weyman seems the most decent."
"Losing his power," Abe commented.
Doc smiled at the little gunner. "They say power corrupts and that absolute
power corrupts absolutely.
Perhaps it makes for a better class of baron if they are weakening somewhat.
What think you?"
Jak had been doing kneebend exercises against the foot of the bed, wincing at
the strain it put on his leg.
"Waste time talking. Know soon enough."
ONE OF THE SERVING WOMEN at the supper table kept crying until she was taken
away from her duties.
"Micah's daughter," Rainey said. "Lost her mother only six months ago from the
flux."
Neither the baron nor his son had appeared when the first course arrived at
the long refectory table, though the sec boss said that he'd received orders
to get started on the meal on the understanding that
Weyman and Jamie would be down to join them a little later.
The soup was a rich mix of tomatoes, leeks and potatoes, with succulent chunks
of braised pork. It was perhaps a little too heavily salted for Ryan's taste,
but the wholemeal bread made it more palatable.
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Rainey was deeply on edge, only toying with his bowl of soup. He played with
the cutlery, staring out across the room toward the shuttered windows.
He sighed suddenly and looked over at Ryan. "Well?" he said.
Ryan read the subtext in the single word! "We'll go after the brushwooders.
Bring out Dean and take some blood payment for the three dead men."
"We don't have the practice. Not for a drag-them-down-and-kick-the-shit kind
of firefight. Been too long.
We're all too slow for Straub and his butchers."
Trader tipped up his bowl to drain its dregs. He put it down and belched his
satisfaction. "Tell you what, sec man," he said. "Danger is when someone
doesn't know that they're weak. You're lucky. You got all of us to ride with
you and shoot with you."
"One or two of us aren't at our best," Ryan said, "but there's nothing to stop
us coming along."
"Stupes." Mildred shook her head. "I know none of your wounds are seriously
life-threatening, but they're all nasty enough. You all need at least two or
three days rest. Make sure the infection's cleared up."
Ryan knew in his heart that the woman was right. The middle of his back was
extremely sore, and he was aware that he couldn't turn or bend anywhere near
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as quickly and freely as he would normally.
Jak answered her first. "True, Mildred."
J.B. also nodded. "I can get by, but that's the best I can say."
Ryan looked at Trader. "Seems like the old times have just come around again,"
he said. "Best you take charge of the raid."
Trader nodded solemnly. "Hell, why not."
BARON WEYMAN CAME DOWN with his son at his side, when the rest of the group
had almost finished the main course of smoked mutton with a mustard sauce.
He looked older and sicker, his face a dusty gray, and he leaned heavily on
Jamie's shoulder as he walked to his place at the head of the table.
The serving woman offered him a choice of the soup or the meat, but he waved
her away, taking only a bowl of warm milk with some of the bread crumbled into
it.
But when he eventually spoke to the company, his voice was surprisingly
strong. "I have talked with
Jamie, and we are of one mind and one heart. Your son, Cawdor, has been
trapped because of my son's foolishness."
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"And because Dean was extremely brave in offering himself up as a worthy
sacrifice in my place, Father.
We should not lose sight of that."
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