Neal Barrett Jr. - The Prophecy Machine

The crowd was behind Finn now, and there, not a dozen feet away, the man who'd tried to kill him stood before him once again. And, at the very same moment, Sabatino recognized him.

He stared, threw back his head and laughed soundly at the sky.

“Why, I can't believe this. Is it truly you, Master Finn? By damn, it is. What are you doing here, sir? I never expected to see you again!”

Sabatino stalked forward, bracing the old man with one hand, grasping his sword with the other. The crowd stepped even farther back. A pack of yellow-hats followed, keeping their distance, clearly not ready to let the pair out of their sight.

Finn gripped the hilt of his sword. Did this brute take him for a fool, greeting him like a friend? At least he had a weapon himself this time.

Finn glanced over his shoulder at Letitia. Her face was the color of chalk. Under his cloak, he could feel Julia Jessica Slagg clawing her way quickly from his frontside to his back.

“Coward,” Finn said beneath his breath, “if he spits me with that great heavy blade, it'll do you little good to hide there.”

Julia didn't answer. For the first time that Finn could recall, the loud-mouth lizard had nothing to say.

Sabatino came to a halt. “Well, sir, as I say, I did not expect to see you again.” He raised his eyes past Finn. “And that would be your Newlie, ah-serving wench, yes? Most attractive, my friend. I only got a glance aboard. She's certainly worth a second look.”

Sabatino's glance was so bold, open, and rife with lewd intent that it quickly brought Letitia's color back. Sabatino couldn't miss the sudden change in Finn's stance. He shrugged and met his foe's challenge with a grin.

“You're overly sensitive, sir. I only expressed admiration, I meant no sore offense.”

“You, sir, are an offense in yourself,” Finn said. “I know what you meant, and I resent it quite a bit.”

Sabatino sighed. “That's a craftsman for you, always sees himself a step above his class. An artist, if you will, a man of deeper soul. He strives for greater station, and forgets he was born to the hammer, not the brush.”

“This is neither the time nor the place, Sabatino, but by damn, you owe me satisfaction, and I'd have it now.”

“Yes? Now is perfectly fine with me.” He paused, then, and raised a curious brow. “Ah, where is that little tin toy of yours, sir? I only got a quick look before our-quarrel aboard that odorous vessel. If it's as pretty as I recall, I'd buy it from you-proceeds to whatever beneficiary you wish to name, of course …”

Finn stepped back and raised his blade. At once, Letitia moved up to his side.

“Don't be foolish, dear. You don't have to do this.”

“Listen to her, Finn.” Sabatino glanced over his shoulder, then faced Finn again. “Better still, heed a word from me.”

To Finn's surprise, Sabatino sheathed his weapon, left the old man on his own, and drew closer still.

“What you must do,” he said, so softly that no one else might hear, “is forget, for now, this quarrel with me. You don't know the game we're playing, or the rules, and I've no time to explain it to you now. We've very little time. I'd say two, three minutes at the most. I've cut it awfully short, standing here wasting time with you.”

Finn frowned. “What in all the hells are you talking about? I have no-”

“-no time at all, so kindly shut up, my friend. You and that pretty can stand here and die if you wish. Which you surely will, for they see you're in company with Sabatino Nucci, and that's what they have in mind for me.

“The rules, you see, call for the Moment of Useless Combat, then the Payment of the Honorable Fee. That's done, and we've jabbered right through the damned Horror of the Fallen, so we must get out of here, or wait for the Reckoning of the Just. That should begin about now.”

“I have no idea what you've gotten yourself into,” Finn said, “but whatever it is, it has nothing to do with Letitia and me.”

“Look back there, if you will,” Sabatino said. “Tell me what you see.”

“I see the same lot of yellow-hatted crazies I saw before. They're milling about, nodding their foolish heads. If I didn't know better, I'd say they'll soon break into dance.”

“Very perceptive, sir. In a moment, they'll pound those sharpened poles on the ground. We should have about twenty-two seconds after that. If you'll hold on to Father, I'll bring up the rear and try to hold them off. Keep your head and we'll make it out of here.”

“You mean him? ” Finn looked at the shaggy-haired old man, bent, miserable, ready to collapse. “That's your father ?”

“Yes, damn you, it is,” Sabatino said, quite annoyed now. “Do you think I'd pause to talk to the likes of you if I didn't require your help?”

Sabatino curled his lips in disgust. “Now would you do as I say, noble craftsman? Thanks to you, we have scarcely any time left.”

Indeed, Sabatino was right, for there was truly no time left at all. His words had scarcely passed his lips before the madmen began to pound their sharpened poles against the square, sway, shout, and dance madly about …

Finn needed no further urging after that. As he came to the old man's side, an unearthly howl rose from the rear, a sound that fair chilled him to the bone.

“Letitia,” he said, “I think we'd best go. I fear these brutes are quite serious about this.”

“Will you move , please?” Sabatino ran a finger down his blade. “Go, and don't look back. I shall be there with you, don't be concerned about that.”

“Oh, I surely won't,” Finn said. “How could I have any doubts about you?”

With Letitia's help, he hurried the old man across the square and back toward the market. The people gave way, opening their ranks to let them through. They shook their fists and shouted, but made no effort to interfere.

Evidently, Finn decided, that was one of the rules of this game Sabatino had not had the time to describe. Finn detested games of every sort. The whole thing was a fool's pastime. Or would have been, except for the parts about skinning, hanging and loss of inner parts.

He retreated down one narrow street and then the next. Letitia assured him they'd come this way before, and Finn didn't doubt that she was right. Mycers came from folk who had to know exactly where they were at all times if they wished to stay alive.

“Who the hell are you? I don't know you, never saw you before, what're you doing to me?”

Finn gave the old man a curious look. It was the first time he'd spoken since his rescue from the rack.

“My name is Master Finn. What I'm doing is risking my life to save you from those dolts back there. If you'd like me to leave, I can surely do that.”

“Huh.” The old man thought about that, reached back and scratched his rear. “You a friend of that worthless son of mine?”

“Not even remotely, no.”

“Good. I'll accept your help, then, if I've got your word on that.”

“That's a great relief to me. I feared for a moment I'd have to leave you here.”

The old man glared, and tore away from Finn. “Don't talk back to me, young man. I'll have your feet flailed to bloody nubs. I'll-”

He stopped then, and stared. His bleary eyes went wide with surprise as he suddenly noticed Letitia, standing right beside Finn.

“Glory be,” he said in wonder, his weary features stretching in a grin, “Why, you naughty girl, I've had dreams about you, didn't think you'd ever come. Get over here and hug an old man, tell me your name, pretty thing.”

“I don't think so,” Letitia said sweetly, “just get that out of your head. And try not to breathe on me, you smell like everything I should've thrown out before we left home.”