Talen glanced about. Nobody had come to investigate the cries. His best bet was to leave now and get some help.
Fabbis looked at Sabin. “Maybe he’s right. What were we thinking? Deliver the boy to Master Half-breed.”
Sabin approached, malevolence in his lazy eye. But Talen knew exactly what he was going to do, and he wasn’t going to let Sabin within a dozen feet. “Just let him go,” said Talen, taking a step back. “I’m sure he’s seen the error of his ways.”
“Of course,” said Sabin, but just then Talen heard something behind him. He turned and saw Cat, painted eyes and shining hair, with a rope. Talen dodged out of the way, but he wasn’t fast enough and the rope fell about his shoulders.
Talen grabbed at the rope, but Cat gave it a yank, and the rope tightened about his neck. Cat yanked again and Talen stumbled to his knees, the rope choking him.
Talen pulled at the noose with one hand and grabbed the rope with the other.
“It looks like we’ve rolled double pleasure with today’s dice,” said Fabbis. He kicked Talen in the side. “Get his feet.”
Panic rose in him, and Talen yanked at the rope with all his might. He didn’t expect to wrest it free from Cat so easily. But Cat could not keep his grip. He yelled and opened his hands as if they’d been burned. Talen loosened the noose and rolled to his feet.
Fabbis pulled back the snake to swing it into him. But Fabbis hadn’t taken a good stance, and Talen delivered a sweeping kick that knocked Fabbis’s feet from underneath him.
He fell, arms wheeling, the snake flying wide.
Talen saw his chance. He snatched the snake as it flew. And before it could coil about his arm and bite him, he grasped it by the base of the head.
Fabbis landed with a thump, and Talen fell upon him, driving his knee into Fabbis’s gut.
Fabbis grunted. He tried to roll, but Talen stuck the serpent in his face.
“Should we see if Zu Snake wants a taste of walnuts and sausage?” asked Talen. “No? How about a kiss?” Talen shoved the mouth of the snake against Fabbis’s cheek.
Fabbis turned his head away.
“No kiss?”
Fabbis tried to struggle away, but Talen found he could hold him.
He couldn’t explain it. This shouldn’t be happening. Da forced Talen to wrestle Fabbis in the musters. He said the best practice for fighting someone bent on your death was to fight someone bent on your death. And since they didn’t have a large supply of young Bone Faces about, he found the next best thing—a Fir-Noy. Fabbis always beat him. Once he’d broken Talen’s nose just to spite him. But perhaps Talen had finally begun to get his speed and size. He glanced over at Sabin to make sure he didn’t get blindsided, but Sabin just stood there with his mouth hanging slack like some great fish.
Cat had not moved. He still stood in the same spot, his hands held out in front of him.
Then Talen noticed Nettle just beyond Cat, a look of surprise on his face.
“Oh, now you show up,” said Talen. “Grab the boy.”
The beggar boy looked at Talen with fright on his face. He pulled away from Sabin and ran down the lane.
“How sad,” said Talen to Fabbis. “Your bounty has just floated down the river.” He got up, making sure to push down extra hard on Fabbis’s gut with his knee.
The snake tried to coil itself around Talen’s arm, but Talen simply changed his grip, grabbed the tail, and let it hang loose.
Fabbis scrabbled to his feet and backed away, weeds clinging to his clothes and hair. He had a strange look in his eyes. “Nobody moves like that,” he said.
“I just did,” said Talen. Then he swung the snake at Fabbis. “Don’t be scared.”
Sabin and Cat backed away as well.
“Oh, come,” said Talen to Sabin. “You were willing enough to tangle with me yesterday.”
“Stay away,” said Fabbis. He backed up, Sabin and Cat not a pace behind him.
Talen couldn’t believe it. “Cowards,” he said. Da had always told him that the meanest bullies were always the biggest cowards. He had never believed that. But maybe it was true.
Fabbis pointed at him. “You’re a dead man.”
“Ya!” Talen shouted and lunged at them.
The three of them startled, turned, and ran.
Except Talen knew Fabbis: he wasn’t running away. Fabbis wasn’t one of those who could be satisfied knowing he’d been beaten. He’d be back,