Firefly--Carnival by Una Mccormack

Author:Una Mccormack
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Titan

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The afternoon was wearing on and the preparations for the Roberts’ First Night party were by now well underway. Zoë, standing by the window, had watched as a stage was built, and a firework display arranged. She’d seen huge floral displays arrive, a few dozen chairs laid out, and big round tables set. Watched people bring out silver cutlery and fine crystal glasses. Then the food was brought out on platters. Bottles and bottles of wine. Lanterns were placed along the terrace, and, as the sun went down, they were lit. Then musicians came out and started tuning up. At the sound of this, the Shepherd, who had, so far as Zoë could tell, done nothing more with the afternoon than slowly explore the shelves, picking out book after book, rifling through them, and then putting them back, at last came over to take a look.

“Ah,” he said. “String quartet. That’ll be pleasant. And fireworks too, by the look of things. Not the big show, but a nice display nonetheless.”

“If it’s all the same to you, preacher, I’d rather not be here for the party.”

“Hm,” said Book, folding his arms. “The day is wearing on, isn’t it?”

“You’ve noticed.”

“I’m assuming,” Book said, “that Mal has been spending the time since our capture busily planning some kind of escape for us.”

“Fair assumption,” said Zoë.

“I’m also assuming that by now the situation has gotten wildly out of hand, and that he’s further away from mounting a rescue attempt than ever.”

“Knowing Mal, that’s an even fairer assumption.”

The Shepherd leaned back against the wall. He looked to Zoë’s eyes to be very relaxed, but she didn’t take the Shepherd on face value.

“I imagine,” he said, “that when the ransom was demanded for our release that the captain made some kind of ill-advised attempt to negotiate. Now he finds himself having to raise a large amount of money in a very short amount of time.”

“So Roberts said.”

The string quartet struck up, just as the first of the guests arrived. Well-dressed, very rich. Roberts materialized, the impeccable host, making them welcome. Drinks were handed rounded. More guests began to arrive. The music lilted on, sweetly.

“Nice,” said Book. “Very nice. Mal will want to get the shipment back, I should think. He doesn’t like people getting one over him. But whoever those folks were, they knew what they were doing. That cargo’s long gone by now.” The Shepherd shook his head. “No, that’s a poor option. There’s the casinos, of course, but I doubt Mal will be willing to gamble everything on, well, gambling. Seems to me those aren’t the kinds of risks he generally takes. No, Mal’s not a gambling man.”

He was right there. Back in the war, Mal rarely threw in his lot in the card games the rest of them played. Kept his luck for the more life-and-death situations the ’verse threw at them. Hadn’t changed, much. “You seem to have this all worked out, Shepherd, but I don’t see where all this talk is leading us.

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