Mech 2 by B. V. Larson

Author:B. V. Larson
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Science Fiction
Published: 2010-11-14T23:00:00+00:00

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Aldo Moreno continued his trek to the north after the duel in the park. He left Bern behind, there were far too many Fleet people there around Nexus Command, and he’d been a fool to stop there at all. A week later he found himself in a quiet valley that reminded him of home. He found an inn that had a good feeling to it. Warm lights gleamed from within. Wooden bric-a-brac—cut-out shapes of birds and beasts—decorated every window. The light cast from each window shaped itself into squares and curves of yellow on the sidewalk.

He stepped up to the door, and rang the tiny, tinkling bell. He smiled at that. It was quaint to find such an affectation of the old colonial days today. True, he was out at the northern borders of canton Bern, but this bell was something from the distant, windswept valleys where travelers were rare. An inn, out in the wilder valleys, was really someone’s rambling house. Usually an elderly couple ran it, most of their children having long since left. They took in occasional boarders to make ends meet. This place had that feel.

It had been a long time since he’d felt at home in a place. When the door opened, Aldo had high hopes. Matching those expectations, a weathered woman answered the door. She smiled at him and her apple cheeks glowed redly. A hundred broken red capillaries shown beneath her smiling blue eyes. The sun, Kale, had beat down on this woman’s face for many long years. And she had never bothered to edit her face, preferring the honest look of the land.

Aldo smiled at her in return. He was politely ushered inside and set at a table in the common room. She eyed his sword, but didn’t object or try to make him leave it outside. It was a gesture he appreciated.

There was one other person in the common room. A woman, surprisingly pretty. She had a hard look to her, however. She had seen much, he could tell in a second.

She looked up at him, and stared at him a second or two too long. Was she suspicious? Did she run from someone? To put her at ease, he nodded, smiled and took a seat at a neighboring table. The innkeep soon brought out a bubbling pot of hot stew, a basket of crusted bread and a carven mug of wine. He took everything graciously and dug in.

He ate for several minutes, in truth he was ravenous, without looking at the woman. When next he glanced at her, she glanced back, at the same instant. Both looked down at their food, disturbed.

Aldo snorted and shook his head. Why had this woman discomfited him so? He was normally smooth with the ladies. He had charm and wit and a rogue’s good looks. Best of all, he knew these things, and worked them to his advantage.

He was quite surprised when a shadow fell over his table.

He looked up and saw the woman stood over him.

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