An Age Without A Name by Randall Farmer

Author:Randall Farmer [Farmer, Randall]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-07-27T04:00:00+00:00

Count Frederick Dowling (3/20/73)

“I tell you, something’s up,” Fred said.

“If you have a concrete observation, tell me, your grace,” Rose answered. She refused to let him drive any vehicle she occupied. The two of them were returning to Stone Point by car, after making the rounds of all the cooperative Focuses as well as a couple of short visits with two Focuses who were extremely hostile. A long trip, over a day, but worth it. Crow Master Zero’s guess had been right, that a presentation by both predators was necessary to convince the Focuses to work together and take orders. Not that Fred was going to be giving them orders, he realized. That was Rose’s responsibility. The only group that really pulled at him to add to his list of responsibilities was Inferno.

“Political agitation.”

She sighed. “Local or otherwise?”

“Local, but not our people. Two things going on at once, and I can’t separate them, but I don’t believe they’re connected. First, I really didn’t like Focus Wilson or her people.” Focus Pansy Wilson actually said she wouldn’t help them defend the San Francisco area even if the Hunters were camped out on her front lawn and threatening to eat her people. “The thing with her attendants in white cloaks with the flaming hill badges really gave me the creeps. Her place was practically drowning in dross – they really need a Crow there, they don’t have one, and I can’t believe they still live in that cesspool. Second, it’s like there’s a new Arm or another Crow VIP in the vicinity. Or higher ranking Noble, but that’s impossible, unless…”

“Unless what?” Rose paid the toll at the Carquinez Bridge and pulled the car forward into Vallejo. It was a beautiful day, cool, a little cloudy, with a light breeze in from the sea. Fred still smelled the gathering storm to the east, a storm threatening to break at any moment.

“Unless Haggerty’s army’s showed up.”

“Well, that would be problematical, your grace.”

“You don’t get along with Arm Haggerty?”

“No. I don’t,” Rose said. Fred repressed a sigh; this must be Arm politics of some totally obscure variety. He waited while Rose ground her teeth, and he subtly supported her, and leeched away her stress. Traffic was lighter here in Vallejo, and they made it through quickly. Just a few minutes more, and they would be home.

“If she comes here, even though she’s senior to me, I have rank on her because it’s my territory, and because that’s the way we set up the tags,” Rose said, as they drove through the quieter countryside that was Napa. Someone, somewhere, seemed to have decided that Napa was wine country, and that wine was good for making money. Fred wondered if maybe it might be a wise idea for Stone Point to pick up some of the nearby land for vineyards, before other people bought up all the good land. He decided to mention the idea to Ellen. “She’s not going to come here unless it’s an emergency, though.

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