The Way of Caine ,The Warcaster Chronicl - By Miles Holmes Page 0,35

met Gerdie’s glare evenly.

“This thing ... aye, it’s over yer pay grade.”

Gerdie nodded, unperturbed. “Is it done?”

“I’m afraid not. I made a mess of things, last night, when I saw ... well, what was afoot here. Yer right. I shouldn’t have left you. I had no idea … those bastards ... would ... do as they did.” Caine waved to the procession of mercenaries out on the water. “Just the same, this is only the start of it if I can’t see this thing done.”

Gerdie nodded, the hostility gone from his face now. “How can I help?”

Caine pulled his chin. “Well for starters, I need yeh to go back. Keep an eye on our friend the baron. Keep him there. No matter what he threatens ...”

“Keeping a nobleman under arrest without any real evidence? He’ll have you court martialed for certain!”

Caine nodded. “There’s nothing for it. Doesn’t matter now, anyways.” Caine said absently, his thoughts racing ahead to Merywyn. He recalled the camp around the city, and the spectacle he’d made of himself. He kicked the wooden long boat at his feet appraisingly. “Ech, I doubt I can go back the way I came, but maybe I can come at this from another angle.”

Gerdie squinted at the boat. “Anything else you need?”

Caine nodded, reaching into a pocket.

“A cigar. My warjack fixed, fast as can be.” His hands came up empty, and he frowned.

“But mostly, that cigar.”

The rain had fallen throughout the day, and the damp began to wear at Caine’s soul. As he returned to the shore of the Black River at late afternoon, it appeared the rain had finally run its course. The Brillig Marsh to the south of the highway came alive with the song of its inhabitants. Frogs croaked happily in such volume as to nearly drown out all thought.

The boats remained where they had been left, and Caine approached on foot. Ace went ahead, the dun colored warjack setting down its axe to overturn the nearest boat, and then drag it to the water’s edge. Caine followed slowly after the lithe warjack. Ewan had replaced the Longarm and patched Ace where he could. The mechanik seemed to have no end of spare parts, no matter how rare. To Caine’s eye, Ewan’s repairs looked first rate. Ewan had nevertheless grumbled he needed more time to properly restore the wounded beast, arguing Ace wasn’t ready, but Caine had only waved him off.

Time was running out.

Ace sensed Caine’s thoughts and looked back, steadying the boat in the water. Caine looked into the fire of its eyes.

“Ech. It’s now or never.”

Ace sighed softly, the creak of groaning iron.

The dory drifted slowly down river leaving the afternoon behind. Caine kept the boat near the river banks, guiding it with a long wooden pole, while Ace burned a low steam and kept mostly covered with an old tarpaulin. He passed some ships along the way, but none that found him particularly remarkable. After all, cloaked and hooded as he was, he appeared no more than the common folk that made their living along the river each day.

As he approached the border, a station could be seen along the east riverbank. He could scarcely believe his luck. Compared to the difficulties of the evening prior, this tiny bunker and docks had but a small garrison. Engaging Ace’s umbrella once more, he and his metal companion became no more than a smudge on the water. Above, the overcast skies gradually grew darker and darker.

Caine carefully drove his pole into the murky water, working quietly against the gentle current. Their passing was as silent as it was invisible. Caine could hear the Llael border guards on the docks laughing at some crude joke as they passed around a bottle of spirits and smoked cigars. So still was the air as he drifted by, he could smell the Hooaga leaf they smoked.

Something else too, perhaps. Caine wrinkled his nose, picking up the scent of something acrid in the air, and getting stronger by the second.

Even so, there was nothing for it and the station was soon distant behind them. No longer needed, Ace released the umbrella and they were on their way. Merywyn was not far ahead now, perhaps only another bend or two from sight. Finally, he would get to business. He looked out over the water, seeing no traffic ahead.

“Too easy! I reckon I might have left you back tonight, for all the trouble this has been.”

Ace turned back, his smoldering eyes somehow less