Page 4 of A Blade of Lies and Spirits

“It suits you,” he observed when he turned, his eyes heating as he took in my attire.

“Don’t care. I hate red clothes. And fucking heels? Traveling together is going to be rough in these.” When he only grinned, I pushed on. “So why am I bodyguarding you? Where are we going?”

I recovered my satchel from the unconscious merc by the door. No sign of my boots or clothes. Knowing Chance, they were off being cleaned somewhere. I’d get my boots back at least.

“A murder,” Walker answered. “In one of the western territories. I’m assigned to investigate—”

“I thought you did taxes,” I interrupted.

“Because of cultural issues. The Investigator who went out previously ran into issues with cooperation and culture. I’m more familiar, so Silver asked me to take over. I’ve brought some supplies, but we need to move. Are you ready?” He picked up a small backpack by the door and shrugged it into a comfortable position.

I nodded. Since he could call the Road for us, we’d be back soon and I could track the Wendigo from here. Possibly with his help.

TWO

Alys

Walkerand I emerged from the Road in a stark and beautiful landscape. Slabs of stone reared from the barren ground. The remains of a highway ran close by the path we took, but the desert had nearly reclaimed it. Rocks surrounded us, carved by wind into tormented shapes, their colors so clear they stung my eyes. There was little vegetation, so motion caught my eye where a small bird ran after a lizard.

The liquid clarity of the sunlight dazzled.

Walker passed me a wide-brimmed hat, socks, and hiking boots from the backpack. They would make a peculiar pairing with my outfit. “Why didn’t you give me the boots before we got on the road?”

“It wasn’t far, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to watch you walk in heels.”

“Uh-huh. Someday you’ll find torture devices on your feet and I’ll watch you walk in them. Did you bring sunblock? More reasonable clothing?” I asked. Kicking the heels off, I pulled on the socks and then the boots. Fresh, new boots. If we walked too much, I’d be lucky to escape blisters. They fit really well, though.

His sheepish expression answered me. “I didn’t know a complete outfit would be needed. We’ll get there soon enough, and you can switch out.” Then, his sheepish look faded away and a protective one took over. “Who was that man? And what the fuck was he doing?”

The anger in his voice surprised me, but I recovered quickly. “It was just a little reunion, nothing to worry about.”

“You’re a terrible liar.” He moved so close to me, we were almost touching. His hand lifted, hesitated over the marks on my chest, and then touched my cheek so lightly it surprised me. “Is he someone we need to worry about?”

The we in his sentence made me pause. Made me want to tell him more. But if I did, there could be real and possibly permanent consequences for Chance. I might find the idiot annoying, but he was still family, and it was still my job to protect him.

“He’s harmless.”

Walker didn’t look happy, but he nodded. “At one point, I do want to hear the truth about that… situation.”

Even though some part of me just wanted to tell Walker everything, trusting people didn’t come easily to me. ”I want a lot of things that haven’t happened.”

He turned away from me, seeming to pick a direction at random, and then I hurried to catch up in my new stompy boots. We walked in silence, and for a minute I felt like I might have gone too far. But then, his emotions hit me and I knew his focus had shifted. His face had reverted to sharp lines, and the weary sadness and anger that rolled off him sealed my mouth. There was no way those emotions were just about me. Something more was going on here. I could ask later, when his mood lightened.

The sun had long passed its zenith when we entered a canyon. The abrupt cut to shade and coolness, however relative, was a relief.

“The town’s a few miles away,” said Walker.

I glanced at him sideways. “So, why on earth do you need a bodyguard?”

He shrugged. “Interpreter would be a better way to put it, but bodyguard went with your talents better. And I wanted you to be the one with me here.”

The statement warmed me. “Why interpreter?”

“The people here won’t talk to me,” he answered after a few minutes. “I’ve made choices they don’t agree with, so I’ve been ostracized. The Investigator asked for me, but I need someone to talk to people, or I’ll find nothing out. The old Representative for this place, Malcolm, died, murdered, and a faction in Capitol wants to know what happened. If his son can inherit. The old man voted the way he was told to by the Progressives, and they’re upset because the son, Onni, has made an approach to the Values side of the aisle. Someone’s started a rumor that Onni killed his father, which has to be settled before he takes the seat. It’s an important one; the old man had gotten the seat appointed to the economic committee.”

That made sense to me. So, before the father's death, he'd been trying to get more technology to his people to make their lives easier. But now that the son was taking over, he was siding with the Values, meaning he felt technology should remain in the big cities for fear the people on the Outside would misuse it. The notion was a bit surprising for a town so far away from any major city. Why wouldn't the son want to give his people access to technology?

I didn’t ask what his choice had been; if he wanted me to know, he’d tell me. But I kind of hoped someone else violated his privacy and told me without me needing to ask, since curiosity had kindled in me. What kind of choices could Walker have made that upset an entire group of people?

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