off the last ramp onto the ground. From the people, all dressed in a variety of utilitarian clothes—tough coveralls and handmadejumpsuits, work shirts, heavy boots in decent condition and even helmets on several men busy with more dangerous work—to the streets, which, apart from bloodstains from the dead and wounded and the occasional piece of shrapnel or twisted piece of metal that was obviously from the wall, the entire place was otherwise neat and orderly.
J.B., Mildred and Doc were all waiting off to one side, with Jak nowhere to be found. Ryan made a casual inquiring signal to J.B. about how everyone was, and received the answering all-clear sign. For once, the Armorer wasn’t yawning, a good sign that he felt they weren’t in any immediate danger.
Major Kelor noticed Ryan’s raised eyebrow. “Your other associate—the snow-haired one—is being treated by our healer. I’ll be sure to leave word to have him transported to the Magnolia once he’s ready to go.” He flagged down a young man and instructed him to bring around a wag for transporting their guests, and also to find Jak at the hospital and make sure he was escorted to the Magnolia. “Do you want to send your man any sort of message?”
Ryan thought for a moment. “Just tell him to behave himself.”
The major nodded, and the sec man ran off with a quizzical frown on his face.
“Right kind of you, Major,” Ryan said before introducing the rest of his party. When he was done, he asked the sec man, “Expecting any more trouble from those green shirts?”
Kelor turned and looked at Ryan in surprise, then chuckled. “That’s as good a name as any for Tellen’s bastards. That was the largest offensive we’ve seen fromthem in a long while. They must’ve been planning it for quite some time.”
“True enough. We ran into some of them south of here, on the very outskirts of the city. They seemed to be clearing the area, looking for prisoners.”
Turning his head, Kelor spit into the dust. “Yeah, that sounds like Tellen all right. He sweeps the surrounding area with patrols, looking for anyone he can capture and conscript into his little army. ’Course, if they don’t know about us, most go willingly, if only for the food and protection.”
“Do you know where he gets his wags from? Or his fuel?”
“Don’t know for sure. It’s rumored he’s running out of Boulder. It’s close enough for him to keep an eye on us, and we him, but far enough away that we can’t risk sending a large enough force to eradicate him without— Ah, here’s the wag.”
One of the open-topped trucks came to a halt in front of them, and the major opened the rear door. “After you.”
Chapter Ten
The companions climbed in, and the major got in afterward, muttered a few words to the driver, then sat down on the bench nearest to the driver’s seat.
“There’s no need to stick with us the whole way, Major. I’m sure you have plenty to do elsewhere,” Ryan said.
Kelor smiled, but his expression didn’t soothe Ryan. It seemed real, but thin, as if it had been pasted on his face. “Orders of the commander say I’m to escort you personally to the Magnolia, and that is exactly what I intend to do.”
“Fair enough.” Ryan leaned back against the slats of wood and caught J.B.’s eye. The Armorer, his face clean now and a neat bandage covering his head wound, regarded him from across the flatbed. Ryan nodded slightly toward the major, his question clear: What do you think?
J.B. rubbed his right jacket sleeve with his index finger, where a patch would be sewn on a uniform: Sec man, what do you expect?
Ryan touched the corner of his right eye: Stay alert.
J.B.’s brows narrowed, and he gave a brief A-OK sign as he passed his hand across his chest.
With that, Ryan watched the blocks pass by. Everyone was looking outside the truck now, staring in wonder at the relatively untouched buildings around them.
“Hey, look at that!” Krysty pointed, but
J.B., Mildred and Doc were all waiting off to one side, with Jak nowhere to be found. Ryan made a casual inquiring signal to J.B. about how everyone was, and received the answering all-clear sign. For once, the Armorer wasn’t yawning, a good sign that he felt they weren’t in any immediate danger.
Major Kelor noticed Ryan’s raised eyebrow. “Your other associate—the snow-haired one—is being treated by our healer. I’ll be sure to leave word to have him transported to the Magnolia once he’s ready to go.” He flagged down a young man and instructed him to bring around a wag for transporting their guests, and also to find Jak at the hospital and make sure he was escorted to the Magnolia. “Do you want to send your man any sort of message?”
Ryan thought for a moment. “Just tell him to behave himself.”
The major nodded, and the sec man ran off with a quizzical frown on his face.
“Right kind of you, Major,” Ryan said before introducing the rest of his party. When he was done, he asked the sec man, “Expecting any more trouble from those green shirts?”
Kelor turned and looked at Ryan in surprise, then chuckled. “That’s as good a name as any for Tellen’s bastards. That was the largest offensive we’ve seen fromthem in a long while. They must’ve been planning it for quite some time.”
“True enough. We ran into some of them south of here, on the very outskirts of the city. They seemed to be clearing the area, looking for prisoners.”
Turning his head, Kelor spit into the dust. “Yeah, that sounds like Tellen all right. He sweeps the surrounding area with patrols, looking for anyone he can capture and conscript into his little army. ’Course, if they don’t know about us, most go willingly, if only for the food and protection.”
“Do you know where he gets his wags from? Or his fuel?”
“Don’t know for sure. It’s rumored he’s running out of Boulder. It’s close enough for him to keep an eye on us, and we him, but far enough away that we can’t risk sending a large enough force to eradicate him without— Ah, here’s the wag.”
One of the open-topped trucks came to a halt in front of them, and the major opened the rear door. “After you.”
Chapter Ten
The companions climbed in, and the major got in afterward, muttered a few words to the driver, then sat down on the bench nearest to the driver’s seat.
“There’s no need to stick with us the whole way, Major. I’m sure you have plenty to do elsewhere,” Ryan said.
Kelor smiled, but his expression didn’t soothe Ryan. It seemed real, but thin, as if it had been pasted on his face. “Orders of the commander say I’m to escort you personally to the Magnolia, and that is exactly what I intend to do.”
“Fair enough.” Ryan leaned back against the slats of wood and caught J.B.’s eye. The Armorer, his face clean now and a neat bandage covering his head wound, regarded him from across the flatbed. Ryan nodded slightly toward the major, his question clear: What do you think?
J.B. rubbed his right jacket sleeve with his index finger, where a patch would be sewn on a uniform: Sec man, what do you expect?
Ryan touched the corner of his right eye: Stay alert.
J.B.’s brows narrowed, and he gave a brief A-OK sign as he passed his hand across his chest.
With that, Ryan watched the blocks pass by. Everyone was looking outside the truck now, staring in wonder at the relatively untouched buildings around them.
“Hey, look at that!” Krysty pointed, but
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