Shadow's Blade by David B Coe

Author:David B Coe
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
ISBN: 9781476781259
Publisher: Baen Books
Published: 2016-05-03T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 13

Gracie didn’t respond right away. She was watching me, her mouth open in a small “o.” Her expression reminded me of one I saw on Billie’s face on those rare occasions when I managed to surprise her.

“That was you,” she said in a breathy whisper.

“What was him?” Emmy asked.

“Mister Fearsson—”

“Jay, please. I really don’t like being called Mister Fearsson.”

“That old man called you Mister Fearsson,” Zach said.

I laughed. “You’re right, Zach, he did. I don’t like him either.”

Gracie regarded me for several seconds. “All right, Jay it is. Jay here is a bit of a hero. He managed to . . . to catch a man who had been doing some terrible things to people in Phoenix.”

Emmy faced me. “What terrible things?”

I glanced past her to Gracie, wondering how much to say.

“He was killing people, sweetie,” Gracie said. “And apparently he was using magic to do it.”

“That’s right.”

Gracie’s cheeks had lost some of their color. “I had no idea.”

“The police kept that pretty quiet. Some people know.” I thought of Amaya. And Saorla. “But it’s not general knowledge.”

“So he’s in jail now?” Emmy asked.

I faced forward again, feeling a sudden need to keep my eyes on the road.

Which, of course, left it to Gracie to tell my lie. “Yes, he’s in jail.”

Emmy eyed us both before giving a little shake of her head “No, he’s not.” To me she said, “He’s dead isn’t he?”

Smart kid. Thinking about it, I realized that I should have waited until Gracie and I were alone to mention Cahors. I had a lot to learn about being around kids.

“Is he dead?” Emmy asked, sounding less certain, and more afraid.

Gracie and I exchanged another look.

“It’s all right,” she said.

“Yeah, he’s dead.”

“Did you kill him?”

“I had some help, but yes I did. And while it’s a terrible thing to kill someone, given the chance I’d do it again. He was a bad man.”

“Who else have you killed?” Zach asked.

This was not a conversation I wanted to have with anyone, much less a five-year-old kid. Fortunately, his mom stepped in.

“That’s not an appropriate question, Zach.”

He frowned, but said, “Sorry.”

“That’s all right. It’s not something I like to talk about, okay?”

He nodded, and for several moments no one said a word. A dry wind blew through the windows and the crunch of gravel and squeak of my father’s truck filled the cab.

“Did you kill him with that gun?” Zach asked, breaking the silence.

“Zach!” Gracie sounded mortified.

“I was just wondering!”

“Hey, there’s a coyote.” The timing couldn’t have been better, and I didn’t even have to lie this time. I pointed out the front at a coyote slinking along the top of a low ridge, weaving among the saguaro trunks.

“Where? I don’t see it.”

Gracie spotted it right away and pointed it out to both kids. I slowed, then stopped to be sure they both saw it. I even gave those old binoculars back to Zach.

While they watched it, I checked the sky again. No sign of another chopper.

Once the coyote disappeared from view, I got us moving again.

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