Patriots

"I don't like cute boys, fellows," Griggs said ironically to his companions. "Do you guys like cute boys?"

"Gentlemen, I'm very sorry if I've given you offense," Mark said. He tried to keep eye contact with Griggs while he folded the hypnagogue shut. It was a fairly rugged unit, but it could be broken if somebody tried hard enough.

So could Mark himself.

"Don't have no use a'tall," another Zenith said. He swept a big boot at Mark's ankle to knock his feet out from under him. Mark skipped over the kick. The Zenith swore and punched Mark hard on the shoulder.

There was absolutely no reason for what was happening, except that Mark had been reading. And, of course, that he was available.

Dr. Jesilind opened the door of Room 14 and peered out furtively. He caught Mark's eye for an instant, then ducked back. Jesilind's lock clacked shut audibly.

"Let's see what you got there, cutie," Griggs said. He stepped forward, reaching for the hypnagogue. Mark dodged between Griggs and another Zenith. He walked-just short of ran-toward Room 36. He wished he hadn't locked the door when he came out.

"Hey, where you think you're going?" A Zenith demanded, grabbing Mark's arm. Mark tried to shrug loose. He couldn't. Two of the luggage handlers were a bit bigger than Mark, while Griggs and the fellow holding Mark's arm outweighed him by a good hundred pounds.

"Sir, I must ask you to let go of my sleeve!" Mark said in a voice that snapped with authority. Only moral authority, though, and that wasn't what was called for at the moment.

The Zenith laughed and released Mark. They were ringing him again, tighter now so that he couldn't duck through them.

"Look, I'm going to tell you what, punk," Griggs said. "I don't like cute boys, and I'll bet you don't like real men. So I'm going to let you punch me, just as hard as you can. And then I'm going to punch you. That seem fair?"

Mark slipped the hypnagogue into a side pocket. This isn't really happening… But of course it was.

"Sir, can't I buy you a drink?" Mark said, praying that his voice was steady.

"He had his chance, boss," a Zenith said. "Slug him."

Mark grimaced and with all his strength punched Griggs on the jaw. The shock went all the way to Mark's shoulder. His hand hurt as if he'd slammed it in a car door.

Griggs shook his head. All four Zeniths laughed uproariously.

"Your turn, Griggsie!" a rough said gleefully.

Mark stood stiff, his hands at his sides. His eyes were open, though nothing they saw was penetrating to his brain. All Mark had left was his dignity as a gentleman of Quelhagen. Griggs would take that from him at any moment, but Mark wasn't going to give it up by screaming or flailing uselessly at the Zeniths.

"Let's see what the little guy had for breakfast, hey fellers?" Griggs said. He drew back a big scarred fist to swing at Mark's belly.

"Let's not," Yerby Ba

The impact sounded like a maul hitting a tree trunk. The men dropped. They couldn't have been more limp if Ba

One of the remaining Zeniths put his hand into his jacket pocket. Ba

For illumination at night, the caravansary mounted light sconces above the doorways of alternate pairs of rooms. Ba

The fourth Zenith snatched at the fallen pistol. Mark hit him over the head with the metal bucket. It rang echoingly in the big domed room.

Ba

The man Mark had hit turned slowly toward him. He held the pistol, but his eyes were glazed. Mark stepped back and with all his strength swung the bucket overhead. It bonged and bounced from the fellow's skull. The Zenith remained standing.

"Better hit him again, kid," Ba

"No," Mark gasped. He was exhausted. His right hand throbbed so fiercely from punching Griggs that he had to let go of the bucket's vibrating handle. "I can't."

I won't. The Zenith bled from a cut scalp. His face streamed blood. It made Mark sick to look at him.

"Well, it's your choice," Ba

The Zenith's eyes rolled up. He dropped the pistol and fell over beside it.

Mark set the bucket on the floor. He had to brace himself on it before he could straighten up. Rage and fear had wrung more of the strength out of him than physical effort had, though he'd swung the bucket with everything he had. The thick metal was dished in as though a vehicle had driven over it.

"Know where this lot bunks, lad?" Ba

"They're in thirty-seven, sir," Mark said. He took a deep breath. "Beside me."

Ba

He looked over his shoulder, smiled, and added, "And particularly don't hit him on the jaw. You can hurt yourself bad that way."

"I think I did," Mark muttered. He could still flex his right hand, though. It hurt like blazes and had already started to swell, but he guessed he hadn't actually broken anything.

Ba

He gripped the padlock with one huge hand and twisted. A piece of the hasp flew off with a snap and pinged nervously on the floor.

Ba

Ba

"I used to be real good at this," Ba

Ba

The remaining Zenith stopped struggling. He hung rigid from the light sconce, obviously terrified of drawing further attention to himself.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Ba

"Tsk," said Ba

He looked around and murmured, "Now, what'll we-yeah, that'll do nicely."

The corner of a heavy cart had cracked the doorpost of a nearby room. Over the years, further impacts and water seeping into the weak places had flaked off most of the concrete covering a reinforcing rod. Ba