Between

Episode 37

Episode 37

Stubbs grumbled to himself as he hopped up onto a stool at Tenta's stall along Shard's main road. He could feel three or four nice welts forming on his midsection, and his hands, feet, and face had visible slashes from claws and/or teeth. His irritable cohort, the vampire known as Duke, was already present.

"I tell ya. Ya know what the main problem with fighting women is, Duke?" Stubbs said. "They don't spend their childhoods tussling, so they don't learn to fight fair. It's all 'scratch yer eyes' and 'boot to the vittles.' That's no way to fight. Leaves scars."

"You are an unshaven fungus and you ruin everything you touch with your dimwitted schemes..." Duke muttered.

The hulking vampire was comparatively unscathed, but you'd never know it to look at his face. He had a few dull scratches here and there, and some marks on his neck from an attempted asphyxiation. Whereas Stubbs seemed at best irritated by the lumps he'd taken, Duke was filled with seething anger.

"Just a setback, Duke of mine." Stubbs slapped the table. "Oi! Service. I've got a busy day of watching the sky fer an invading army that won't come."

"A setback? You have lost the vial of memories..."

"And I'm on the outs with the missus. Another low blow, that one. Stab me if ya like, but ya don't tinker with a man's home life..."

"We don't know where his device is, and we are forbidden from seeking out the man who could make it work. Your 'plan' is completely in shambles."

Tenta set down a bowl of something unspeakable in front of Stubbs and a large tumbler of steaming red fluid in front of Duke.

"Bah. The Overseer's got a nice, short attention span. The way I figure it, once the next thing goes wrong or goes right, he'll be on to that and forget all about this. Then we're back at it. And Brankle's still got the boy-o, who still thinks he's fetching the bits and pieces to get the machine made up."

"Which Beatrice will be free to use."

"Yeah... There is that..." Stubbs said.

Stubbs tossed a token on the counter and scooped into the bowl, shoveling into his mouth pasty forms that may or may not have been moving. Duke presented his token and downed the tumbler in one angry gulp.

"Not all bad though. Yer supposed to be on watch with me. Means we can keep a close eye on Trixie along with the rest of Shard. So we'll know what she's up to."

"You do it. I am through with you."

Duke turned to leave. Stubbs gulped up the remainder of his meal and hurried after him.

"Now, now, now, Duke of mine. Now's not the time to lose yer nerve."

"This is not a matter of losing nerve, fungus. This is a matter of no longer being foolish. What is to be gained by defying the Overseer further? Beatrice has every opportunity to complete her plans, whatever they may be."

"Wrong question. The question is, what've we got to lose?"

"Our lives, if we disobey while the Overseer is still angry."

"Fine, fine, but what else? There certainly isn't anything to gain by moping around here letting Trixie go off and get her win, is there? The way I figure it—"

"No more figuring. You are finished figuring. I make the plans now, if there will be any plans at all."

"Fine, fine," Stubbs said, raising his hands. "I had my go, I got us this far. Yer entitled to calling a few shots."