Golden Box Book Publishing GBBP Magazine, June, 2017 | Page 33

I wondered who and what that friend was: scholar, collector of
rare books, or dealer in stolen goods. If it sounds as though I was
suspicious — I was. “That must be one important book. Books
that big usually are.”
“It’s just a scholarly text. Very boring to most folks.”
“Aren’t they all?” I grinned and wiped my runny nose; my
three-day old mustache was as stiff as the bristles on a scrub
brush. “The books, I mean. Though some folks can be quite
boring at times, too.”
Suddenly, my horse neighed again, and I pulled back on the
reins as three men on horseback rode out of the shadows of the
winding road ahead.
“Steady, old girl,” I spoke gently to Rora.
“Going somewhere, Dowser?” asked the eldest of the dirty
and unkempt trio.
“Hello, Ludius,” I said. “I thought you and your brothers
would be in Hell by now.”
“When we get there, you’ll be waiting for us,” Pahg told me.
He was the fat, younger brother. His cold, blue eyes seemed to
glow in the dark as he reached for the crossbow hanging from his
saddle horn. All thre e Khodo brothers were armed with swords
and knives.
“I see you’ve picked up the stray kitten we’ve
been looking for,” said Murek. He was the middle child in that
litter of guttersnipes. His gray eyes glittered in the moonlight.
Miluva cowered against me. “Oh, no,” she whispered.
I hadn’t seen the Khodo boys since Valuta Jefoor’s execution
in Widow’s Fell, three weeks earlier. I wondered who the inbred
trio answered to, now that Balambo Mogg had gone to meet his
maker by way of the headsman’s axe. The fact that the brothers
had managed to get away free and easy, avoiding the gallows or
the edge of my sword was a wrong I so desperately wanted to
make right.
“Well, Ludius,” I said, “it looks to me like you’re ready to pay
me back for the beating I gave you and your brothers.” My fingers
tightened around the hilt of my brand-new saber. “So what it’ll
be? One at a time? Or all three of you at once?”
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