Ironjacks
Though she didn't exactly know why, Sera made sure the door was closed good and tight, keeping herself, Jeb and their visitor outside on the porch rather than inviting anyone inside.
“G'morning Sera” Rody nodded respectfully to her, though he slurred her name to sound more like 'Sherra' on account of the short tusks jutting from his under-slung jaw.
The use of her name instead of her title piqued her sense of cruel humor, so even though she knew it usually infuriated Rody, she squatted down to meet him eye to eye. Rody was only about half as tall as she was.
The action only made him chuckle though, deep in a chest sunken by his hunched posture. Rody always said he was half troll and had the bulky shoulders and green skin to back up the claim, though his hide was scaly like a lizard and his lower half shrunk down to more Scathi-like proportions, giving him the overall shape of a turnip. Nobody knew what his other half was.
“Fair enough Sheriff, fair enough.” he growled affably. “Just thought I'd come by and let you know the dig of those Poncy brothers...”
“Poucini,” Sera corrected.
Rody continued as if she hadn't said anything. “... has been wiped out. What wasn't taken was burned. Nothin' left.” He met Sera's eye and hitched up his pants while he let that sink in. “Probably one of those big raid gangs been tearin' up parts north of here. I followed the trail leavin' the camp... “
“Unwise of you,” Sera interjected again, though she full well knew of Rody's reputation of being nearly indestructible.
“Stop interrupting me, I'm storytellin'!” Rody waved his disproportionately large hands in agitation. Jeb chuckled and shook his head at Sera as if she should have known better.
“Like I was saying, I followed their tracks. Won't lie, was hopin' they'd have dropped some of their loot or left something behind. No luck. What I did find was worth the trip though.”
The little man paused for dramatic effect, Sera knew better than to rise to the bait.
“Right in the middle of nothin' but sand was a giant black bowl, all round and smooth like the sun come down and touched the desert. Dunno what those bandits did but it can't be natural. Dunno what happened to them either, wasn't anything in that bowl but a bunch of new sand being blown into it. Probably not going to be able to find the thing again, all covered up by sand now. But I swear it's true!”
“I believe you Rody.” Sera stood, using the excuse of brushing sand off the knees of her pants to cover up her scowl of suspicion. Hopefully Rody would believe it was directed at him. “Thanks for the report. Jeb, I think that's worth a pint at the tavern, but come right back here after you tell Mellani his drink's on me. I'm going over to talk to Ellie.”
Jeb nodded, gesturing for the beaming Rody to follow him a few rows down to Mellani's place.
* * *
Though she shouldn't have been surprised to see it, Sera couldn't help but be curious about the thin wisp of smoke rising up from behind the Doctor's house. She padded around the back to find a kettle, merrily burning what could only be the shredded remains of their odd prisoner's bandages. For some reason the scent made the little hairs on the back of Sera's neck stand up.
Shaking her head and smoothing her hackles with a gloved palm, she lifted her hand and knocked on the Doctor's back door.
Instead of a greeting, Sera heard scuffling, muffled speech and large thump behind the door before Ellie's voice sharply demanded “who's there?”
“It's me, Doc, it's Sera.” Her brow furrowed with worry.
The door opened just a crack and Ellie's wrinkled eye confirmed the identity of their visitor, then swept back and open. The Doctor hadn't bothered to invite her in, but the open door seemed invitation enough.
As Sera cautiously crept past the threshold, she could just see the Doc shutting something into a small case nestled on a stool behind the door. Other boxes and cases lay open along the table and chairs of the kitchen in different states of being filled.
“You ah... expecting trouble Doc?” Sera querulously asked.
Instead of answering her question, Ellie raised her voice and called, “you can come out now Naina, it's just the Sherrif.”
“You are expecting trouble.” It wasn't a question this time and Sera's voice had gone cold.
“You should have used the front door,” the older woman complained, moving over to one of the chests and continuing to stuff things into it. Naina crept around the corner, her arms full as well, and smiled shyly at Sera.
“What's going on Doc, where are you going?” Sera's voice altered between fear at this turn of events and anger that she should be afraid of something. It was hard to imagine anything so dire that the Doctor, whom to Sera's way of thinking had to be the most capable person ever to live, would turn tail and run.
Ellie paused for a moment, then sighed, her shoulders drooping as she tucked the last garment away in a box. She took one step over to her granddaughter and mumbled something into her ear, soothingly stroking the youngster's hair as she did, before turning and facing the angry Sheriff.
“I'm taking Naina away for a while.” She fixed Sera with a steely gaze, every bit as rigid as the woman whose aggression she faced.
Sera relented. With anyone else it may have been a battle of wills, but she wouldn't match up with Ellie. She dropped her fists from her hips and reached out for the old woman. “Why? What's going on Doc? Talk to me.”
Satisfied that this wouldn't be a confrontation, Ellie reached out and squeezed Sera's fingers, briefly allowing her own features to soften into an affectionate grin. “Oh Sera, of everyone in this town you're the one I worry about the least... and the most.”
Reaching behind her, the older woman pulled over a chair and seated herself, gesturing for Sera to do the same.
“Does this have something to do with that Hanim? Is he that dangerous?” Sera started in the only logical place.
Ellie screwed up her face in that hard-thinking way that meant both yes and no. “It's because of him being here, but not because of him. He could be the most dangerous thing to walk our world, or nothing more than an oddity. It doesn't matter what he is other than he's Hanim and he's here in this town. That fact alone is dangerous enough that I can't risk Naina's safety staying here.”
Sera snorted, noting the old woman said nothing of her own safety.
Ellie looked up at Sera and smiled again with deep affection. “Of course you wouldn't understand right away Sera. You don't think like that. That's why I worry about you. You probably hadn't even thought beyond turning in that man because it's what's supposed to be done, not because of what you could gain from it.”
Like a flash of lightning it struck Sera then. Hanim were so rare that anyone could make a fortune selling one. “People are going to rip this town apart looking for that man, aren't they?” Sera's eyes widened in horror at the thought of what might be brought down on their little town, suddenly the target of every bandit group within riding distance.
“We'd be fools to think that someone from one of the traveling groups isn't already spreading the word.” Ellie shook her head as if weary beyond her capability to move any more energetically.
“What do... how should I... “ Sera stood up so suddenly her chair clattered behind her, looking around the Doctor's small house as if threats already stalked them from behind the rustic wooden cabinets. Her fists clenched at her sides as she struggled to regain rationality.
Ellie looked up and grinned bitterly at her friend. “Even if I gave you good advice, I'm betting you wouldn't take it.”
“Let's hear it anyway.” Sera's voice was stony.
“Turn him loose and don't watch which way he leaves town. Or leave him in that cell and walk out of town yourself for a while.”
“You're right, I'm not taking it.” Sera couldn't help but chuckle at herself, the tension leaking out of her. “That bastard. I told him I was a dedicated Sheriff. I'm not going to let the only thing I said to him be a lie.”
It was Ellie's turn to look up at her friend, uncomfortably fearful now. “Sera, be careful with that man. If he really is the last of his people, there's got to be a reason he's still out here.”
Instead of answering, Sera let her hand rest on the Doctor's shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. “Take care of yourself Doc. I hope you get to come back soon.”
Ellie reached up and touched Sera's fingertips. “I hope you do too.”
“G'morning Sera” Rody nodded respectfully to her, though he slurred her name to sound more like 'Sherra' on account of the short tusks jutting from his under-slung jaw.
The use of her name instead of her title piqued her sense of cruel humor, so even though she knew it usually infuriated Rody, she squatted down to meet him eye to eye. Rody was only about half as tall as she was.
The action only made him chuckle though, deep in a chest sunken by his hunched posture. Rody always said he was half troll and had the bulky shoulders and green skin to back up the claim, though his hide was scaly like a lizard and his lower half shrunk down to more Scathi-like proportions, giving him the overall shape of a turnip. Nobody knew what his other half was.
“Fair enough Sheriff, fair enough.” he growled affably. “Just thought I'd come by and let you know the dig of those Poncy brothers...”
“Poucini,” Sera corrected.
Rody continued as if she hadn't said anything. “... has been wiped out. What wasn't taken was burned. Nothin' left.” He met Sera's eye and hitched up his pants while he let that sink in. “Probably one of those big raid gangs been tearin' up parts north of here. I followed the trail leavin' the camp... “
“Unwise of you,” Sera interjected again, though she full well knew of Rody's reputation of being nearly indestructible.
“Stop interrupting me, I'm storytellin'!” Rody waved his disproportionately large hands in agitation. Jeb chuckled and shook his head at Sera as if she should have known better.
“Like I was saying, I followed their tracks. Won't lie, was hopin' they'd have dropped some of their loot or left something behind. No luck. What I did find was worth the trip though.”
The little man paused for dramatic effect, Sera knew better than to rise to the bait.
“Right in the middle of nothin' but sand was a giant black bowl, all round and smooth like the sun come down and touched the desert. Dunno what those bandits did but it can't be natural. Dunno what happened to them either, wasn't anything in that bowl but a bunch of new sand being blown into it. Probably not going to be able to find the thing again, all covered up by sand now. But I swear it's true!”
“I believe you Rody.” Sera stood, using the excuse of brushing sand off the knees of her pants to cover up her scowl of suspicion. Hopefully Rody would believe it was directed at him. “Thanks for the report. Jeb, I think that's worth a pint at the tavern, but come right back here after you tell Mellani his drink's on me. I'm going over to talk to Ellie.”
Jeb nodded, gesturing for the beaming Rody to follow him a few rows down to Mellani's place.
* * *
Though she shouldn't have been surprised to see it, Sera couldn't help but be curious about the thin wisp of smoke rising up from behind the Doctor's house. She padded around the back to find a kettle, merrily burning what could only be the shredded remains of their odd prisoner's bandages. For some reason the scent made the little hairs on the back of Sera's neck stand up.
Shaking her head and smoothing her hackles with a gloved palm, she lifted her hand and knocked on the Doctor's back door.
Instead of a greeting, Sera heard scuffling, muffled speech and large thump behind the door before Ellie's voice sharply demanded “who's there?”
“It's me, Doc, it's Sera.” Her brow furrowed with worry.
The door opened just a crack and Ellie's wrinkled eye confirmed the identity of their visitor, then swept back and open. The Doctor hadn't bothered to invite her in, but the open door seemed invitation enough.
As Sera cautiously crept past the threshold, she could just see the Doc shutting something into a small case nestled on a stool behind the door. Other boxes and cases lay open along the table and chairs of the kitchen in different states of being filled.
“You ah... expecting trouble Doc?” Sera querulously asked.
Instead of answering her question, Ellie raised her voice and called, “you can come out now Naina, it's just the Sherrif.”
“You are expecting trouble.” It wasn't a question this time and Sera's voice had gone cold.
“You should have used the front door,” the older woman complained, moving over to one of the chests and continuing to stuff things into it. Naina crept around the corner, her arms full as well, and smiled shyly at Sera.
“What's going on Doc, where are you going?” Sera's voice altered between fear at this turn of events and anger that she should be afraid of something. It was hard to imagine anything so dire that the Doctor, whom to Sera's way of thinking had to be the most capable person ever to live, would turn tail and run.
Ellie paused for a moment, then sighed, her shoulders drooping as she tucked the last garment away in a box. She took one step over to her granddaughter and mumbled something into her ear, soothingly stroking the youngster's hair as she did, before turning and facing the angry Sheriff.
“I'm taking Naina away for a while.” She fixed Sera with a steely gaze, every bit as rigid as the woman whose aggression she faced.
Sera relented. With anyone else it may have been a battle of wills, but she wouldn't match up with Ellie. She dropped her fists from her hips and reached out for the old woman. “Why? What's going on Doc? Talk to me.”
Satisfied that this wouldn't be a confrontation, Ellie reached out and squeezed Sera's fingers, briefly allowing her own features to soften into an affectionate grin. “Oh Sera, of everyone in this town you're the one I worry about the least... and the most.”
Reaching behind her, the older woman pulled over a chair and seated herself, gesturing for Sera to do the same.
“Does this have something to do with that Hanim? Is he that dangerous?” Sera started in the only logical place.
Ellie screwed up her face in that hard-thinking way that meant both yes and no. “It's because of him being here, but not because of him. He could be the most dangerous thing to walk our world, or nothing more than an oddity. It doesn't matter what he is other than he's Hanim and he's here in this town. That fact alone is dangerous enough that I can't risk Naina's safety staying here.”
Sera snorted, noting the old woman said nothing of her own safety.
Ellie looked up at Sera and smiled again with deep affection. “Of course you wouldn't understand right away Sera. You don't think like that. That's why I worry about you. You probably hadn't even thought beyond turning in that man because it's what's supposed to be done, not because of what you could gain from it.”
Like a flash of lightning it struck Sera then. Hanim were so rare that anyone could make a fortune selling one. “People are going to rip this town apart looking for that man, aren't they?” Sera's eyes widened in horror at the thought of what might be brought down on their little town, suddenly the target of every bandit group within riding distance.
“We'd be fools to think that someone from one of the traveling groups isn't already spreading the word.” Ellie shook her head as if weary beyond her capability to move any more energetically.
“What do... how should I... “ Sera stood up so suddenly her chair clattered behind her, looking around the Doctor's small house as if threats already stalked them from behind the rustic wooden cabinets. Her fists clenched at her sides as she struggled to regain rationality.
Ellie looked up and grinned bitterly at her friend. “Even if I gave you good advice, I'm betting you wouldn't take it.”
“Let's hear it anyway.” Sera's voice was stony.
“Turn him loose and don't watch which way he leaves town. Or leave him in that cell and walk out of town yourself for a while.”
“You're right, I'm not taking it.” Sera couldn't help but chuckle at herself, the tension leaking out of her. “That bastard. I told him I was a dedicated Sheriff. I'm not going to let the only thing I said to him be a lie.”
It was Ellie's turn to look up at her friend, uncomfortably fearful now. “Sera, be careful with that man. If he really is the last of his people, there's got to be a reason he's still out here.”
Instead of answering, Sera let her hand rest on the Doctor's shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. “Take care of yourself Doc. I hope you get to come back soon.”
Ellie reached up and touched Sera's fingertips. “I hope you do too.”