After the Downfall

“Riskier to send him back into Bottero’s kingdom, then,” she said. “If he can tell us where the skeleton lies, we can have people who don’t know why they’re doing it collect the bones and bring them back to Bucovin.”

“You should be a marshal,” Hasso said. If the people getting the bones didn’t know what they were good for, the Lenelli could torture them or cast spells at them till everything turned blue without finding out. The Wehrmacht officer did hold up a warning hand. “Not sure skeleton is still there. Sca

“Well, if it’s gone, we’ll think of something else, that’s all,” Drepteaza said with a shrug. “This is the best chance we have, and we need to grab it.” She dropped Hasso a curtsy. “Bucovin is in you debt. I’m sure Lord Zgomot will reward you as you deserve.”

“What about you?” Hasso asked.

“It is not my place,” Drepteaza said primly. “He is the Lord of Bucovin.”

“Too bad. He is not too young and not too pretty,” Hasso said.

He wondered if he would make her angry, but she smiled. “And I am too young and too pretty?” she asked.

“You are not too young. You are just right. And there is no such thing as too pretty,” Hasso answered.

“You don’t think so? You might be surprised,” Drepteaza said. Sure as hell, Velona came up in Hasso’s mind. Was it the goddess dwelling within her that sometimes made her beauty like a blow in the face? Or was it just that she was what she was?

What she was … was gone. Hasso didn’t know how many times she had to try to kill him to get the message across. However many times it was, she’d finally crossed the threshold. He truly believed she didn’t want him back. He didn’t like it, but he believed it.

Drepteaza wasn’t in that class – but who was? She was more than pretty enough. Hasso bowed, returning the curtsy. “I would like you to surprise me,” he said.

“I bet you would.” She wagged a finger at him. “You cooked up this whole scheme against the Lenelli for no better reason than to get me into bed with you.”

“How could there be a better reason?” Hasso asked, as i

“Go pour a bucket of cold water on yourself,” Drepteaza said. “Then go talk to Lord Zgomot. He is the one who has to set things moving.”

“And after that?”

“After that, go pour another bucket of cold water on yourself,” Drepteaza answered. But she was still smiling. Hasso clung to that, as a drowning man would cling to … to an anvil, if he’s dumb enough, and odds are you qualify, the German thought. He went off to see Lord Zgomot.

Zgomot was none too young and none too pretty. But he was plenty smart. “If this works,” he told Hasso, “it will be the most important weapon we’ve ever found against the Lenelli.”

“Not perfect,” Hasso said. “If your army is in a pass and they magic up a landslide, amulets don’t stop falling rocks. I am sure of it.”

“So am I.” The Lord of Bucovin’s voice was dry. “We have tried all sorts of things to block their magic. I am not surprised no one thought of dragon bones till now, though. Dragons are just too hard to come by.” He spoke to one of his attendants: “Fetch the blond named Sca

“Yes, Lord.” The man bobbed his head and hurried away.

When Sca

“He is not complaining of you. He says you know of a dragon’s skeleton in Bottero’s kingdom. Is that so?”

“I ought to break him in half. I will, too, first chance I get.” Sca

“That will be later. Answer my question now,” Zgomot said. “Do you know where there is a dragon’s skeleton in King Bottero’s lands?”

Sca

“You will set down directions for reaching this place. You will do so as exactly as you know how to do. If we succeed in bringing back dragon bones, you will be rewarded as handsomely as we know how. If you lead us astray … That would be unfortunate. For you.”

“Hey, I wouldn’t do that, Lord. You know me. I hate Bottero more’n you do, that blowhard pile of pig shit.” Sca

“You can do what I ask of you, then?” Zgomot pressed.

“Sure. Only I don’t know if the bones’ll still be there, y’know? I haven’t had anything to do with ‘em for years and years, so you can’t scrag me – well, you shouldn’t scrag me – if they aren’t, like. It’s at the butt end of nowhere, too.”

“If my men believe you have led them to the right spot, no harm will come to you – by Lavtrig I swear it,” Zgomot said. “There should be some evidence of that, whether the bones remain or not. Is that fair?”

“I guess.” But Sca

Lord Zgomot looked at Hasso. Hasso looked back at the Lord of Bucovin. He didn’t think Zgomot would say anything. But the native did: “What you don’t know, Sca

“You’ve got some kind of fancy reason for not telling me,” Sca

Hasso and Zgomot looked at each other again. Sca

“I wasn’t going anywhere, Lord.” There was that whine again, this time thick enough to slice. Hasso eyed Sca

“That is what I want. Go talk to the scribes. Tell them where the place is. Draw them a map. Do that now, while the thought is fresh in your mind,” Zgomot said.

“Whatever you want, Lord.” Sca

As soon as he was out of earshot, Hasso said, “Keep an eye on him, Lord. Keep an eye on his wife, too. Watch them the same way you watch me.”

“I intend to keep an eye on him, and an eye on Nechemat as well,” Zgomot answered placidly. “And you have an interesting way of putting that.”

Shrugging, Hasso said, “I know you keep an eye on me. You need to. I hope I know the difference between what I like and what is. And now you really need to keep an eye on Sca

“Yes. And he likes to talk, too. You do not have that vice, anyhow,” Zgomot said.

“In my world, I know how important keeping secrets is,” Hasso said. “Now some secrets to keep here, too.”