John Ringo: East of the Sun, West of the Moon

“In Raven’s Mill, right after the Fall,” Courtney said, frowning as she looked at the menu and blanched at the prices. “This food is outrageous !”

“My treat,” Megan said. “Traditional in a business deal like this so don’t try to argue. And any restaurant that fit the bill for what we’re trying to achieve would be as expensive. Or more so. And the food is, at least, good. You wouldn’t believe how bad the food is in some of the really expensive restaurants in town. How’d you get to Raven’s Mill?”

“Well, I’d lived nearby,” Courtney said, shrugging. “I met Mike on the road and we sort of ganged up for protection, you know how it was…” She trailed off unhappily.

“I do,” Megan said. “The area I was in wasn’t taken by the Changed for about six months. Once New Destiny established control it was actually a bit better and they didn’t burn and loot everyone . But when they were passing through was… bad. Very bad.”

“Well,” Courtney continued, “we got checked in at Raven’s Mill. Did you have something like that?”

“No,” Megan said, interested. “Edmund was there from the beginning, right?”

“Oh, yeah,” Courtney said. “And you could tell. I mean, it’s just a couple of weeks after the Fall and it’s, like, civilization . You got checked in and they asked you questions about your skills and stuff, then they put you up for a few days to get your head together. After that you had to get to work. Anyway, we met Herzer the first night, I think, right Mike?”

“Yeah, first night,” he said, sipping his beer.

“So we hung out together until we joined the apprenticeship program and we were in that together too. Then, well, he joined the legions while we were still in the program and Mike hit it off with Myron Raeburn, who was the guy in charge of the farming program. He decided that running a farm was what he wanted to do. Herzer helped with that, too.”

“Just a bit,” Herzer said. “I had picked up a few extra credits and I figured Mike was a good bet.”

“More than that,” Courtney said. “He’d gotten an ox and some other livestock in the lottery. There he was, laid up in bed—”

“Laid up?” Megan asked, frowning. “You were wounded?”

“Injured,” Herzer said, chuckling. “I hit my head on a branch while I was riding.”

“Herzer!” Courtney protested. “I can’t let you get away with that. We were rounding up ferals to get some food and separate out the young ones and things so we could use them for farm animals. I mean, most of them had been from farm breeds so they could be used again. Anyway, this big boar—”

“Courtney,” Herzer said.

“Shut up. Anyway, this big boar was about to gore Shilan and Herzer charged it on his horse — that was Diablo, right?”

“Yeah,” Herzer said, grumpily. “It was Diablo.”

“He charged it and got it with a spear and kept it from getting Shilan but then when Diablo jumped over the boar Herzer hit his head on a branch. It darn near killed him.”

“Sounds like my Herzer,” Megan grinned. “You should see him on a dragon. But the question is: Who is Shilan?”

“Oh, Shilan was from the apprenticeship program, too.” Courtney grinned. “I don’t think she and Herzer ever really had a ‘thing’ you know, but they were pretty chummy,” she added, grinning more broadly.

“Thanks, Courtney,” Herzer growled.

“Then there was… what was the name of that redhead?” Courtney continued.

“Morgen.” Herzer sighed. “Courtney, are you going to do a whole list?”

“Yes,” Courtney said, grinning at Megan. “That only lasted about four hours…”

“Four hours ?” Megan said, laughing. “Four hours ?”

“From lunch until sometime in the early evening,” Courtney confirmed. “Okay, maybe five. I don’t know what they were doing in the interim, but they were pretty sweaty!”

“It wasn’t sweat ,” Herzer said, loftily. “We’d washed off in a stream. We were picking wildflowers.”

“Oh, is that what you call it?” Courtney grinned. “Then they had an argument and Morgen stormed off. I think she works in the baths now.”

“Okay, that’s Shilan and Morgen,” Megan said, glancing at Herzer who was turning red. “Now. Tell me about… Bast .”

“Arrrgh,” Herzer groaned.

“Well, I wasn’t there when they met,” Courtney said. “But Mike was, weren’t you, honey?”

“Yeah,” Mike agreed.

“She was hanging around with Rachel Ghorbani, you know, Edmund’s daughter?”

“I’ve met her,” Megan said, smiling faintly. “Of course, the last time I saw her she was covered in blood.”

“Really?” Courtney said. “Surgery?”

“No,” Megan noted. “She’d just killed one of New Destiny’s top field agents. I spent some time sharing a cabin with her also. Nice girl.”

“Is madame ready to order?” the waiter asked nervously.

Megan glanced at the menu again and shrugged. “I hear they have a very good lobster.”

“Well…” Courtney said, realizing that she hadn’t really been paying attention to the menu.

“I’ll have the strip steak, rare,” Mike said.

“Lobster for me,” Megan added, closing her menu.

“Same here,” Herzer said.

“Make it three,” Courtney added, closing her menu and shrugging. “I haven’t had lobster since before the Fall.”

“Still no tea,” Herzer pointed out. “Or chocolate. Edmund complains about one and Daneh complains about the other…”

“I hadn’t heard about that,” Courtney said. “Rachel killing someone. I’m surprised; it doesn’t seem like her. But I haven’t seen her in ages; she’s hardly in Raven’s Mill anymore.”

“Army surgeon corps,” Herzer said. “I think she’s back at Balmoran. You could run up the road and visit her if you wanted.”

“Probably won’t have the time,” Mike said.

“About Bast…” Megan said.

“Well, she met up with Herzer and just sort of picked him out,” Courtney said. “Told him he’d probably clean up well or something. After that they had quite a time. She wandered off for a while, then turned up again when Dionys McCanoc’s group was coming. Saved your life, right, Herzer?”

“Yeah,” he said, sighing. “I’d stayed behind to cover the retreat of a cavalry patrol. Diablo was just about worn out and I couldn’t outrun the group that was pursuing us. So I stayed back. I’d gotten a couple of them but I was having trouble with the rest and then Bast showed up.” He paused and shrugged. “End of fight. Good guys six, bad guys nothing.” He paused again and shook his head. “Make that bad guys one. Somebody… what the hell was his name. I can’t believe I’ve forgotten his name. Anyway, they got one of the cavalry guys.”

“Was that your first fight?” Megan asked.

“Yeah,” Herzer mused. “It seems like an eternity but it’s only been… five years? Jesus. All these changes in five damned years. But that’s why I can’t believe I don’t remember his name. I thought he was going to make it but… well…” He stopped and shook his head, furrowing his brow.

“So how long did Bast stay around?” Megan asked.

“Not long after McCanoc got his,” Courtney said as she looked at the muttering Herzer. “And we didn’t see much of Herzer, either. He was always out of town. He’d show up at the farm from time to time, just passing through.”

“I think she’s gone for a while, this time,” Megan said. “Right after the battle of Balmoran she dimension shifted out with one of those Changed elves. Even Mother can’t track her. No knowing when she’ll be back or even if she’ll survive.”