Fleeting.
Not the pain in my side, stitches hurt, especially when they’re done without anesthesia. It was a glimpse of something, movement near the back of the tent. “Shh!” I exclaim. Clutching my side, I swing my legs over the edge of the picnic table and glance at the corner of the tent where I see a serpentine tail disappear under the fabric wall.
“I saw it too,” Jason says.
I look to Martha, who’s face remains passive. “Have you seen where we are? I’m surprised I don’t treat more snakebites.”
“Jason, get Benny and go look,” I say, not ready to dismiss the reptile so quickly.
I use the time to test myself, each step hurts my side, but limping only makes it worse. I have just sat down when they come back in.
“Nothing.”
I glance at Martha, who shrugs. “Told you.”
“What do I owe you?” I ask her, trying to figure what I had that I could trade for stitches.
“Tell Ol’ Jenny that her sister says hello next time you see her.”
I squint at her, and she smiles, and that is when I see it. The way her eyes crinkled, the crease in her brow. “Yes ma’am. Thank you.” I turn to leave, motioning for Jason and Benny to follow.
“And-“
I turn back around, almost knocking the old woman over. Her breath is hot and smelled heavily of garlic and onions.
She stands on tip toe, bringing her eyes almost level with my nose. “I know what you’re up to.” Her voice comes as a biting whisper and I try unsuccessfully not to flinch.
“What’s that?” I ask hoarsely.
She cuts her eyes at me. “Don’t you dare. You keep her safe, and you see this through to the end. I know you, Charlie, and despite everything you think, you are not a coward. And-”
Our backs to the door, I do not see the man as he steps in to the tent, but I am fully aware of his presence. I turn and behold a giant, the top of my head barely coming to his the top of his black robed shoulder. I look up and take a step back, the huge equine skull mask he wears causing a chill to run down my spine.
“What is it?” Martha asks, unperturbed.
I can not see the man’s eyes through the skull’s hollow eye sockets, but I get the feeling he is glaring at us.
“Bah! Out with it,” Martha spits.
The voice that emanates from beneath the mask is far quieter than I expected, but still with a gruff edge, like a fine grit sandpaper. “I just came from the shore.”
Martha groans, “Ok, so do you have more bodies?”
“No ma’am, it was two princes, and they disappeared before I got to them.”
Mary, Jason, Benny, and myself all exchanged glances, it had to be the Russian and who? Was it Cyrus? All three of us manage to keep our mouths shut.
“Are you sure they did not disappear together?”
“Positive. One left, and about a minute later, before I could reach him, the other was gone too.”
“Were they hurt?”
“There was a lot of blood. I don’t know if it was from one or the other, or both…”
“Thank you Karon. You may, all of you that is, may go.”
“But-“ I managed but Martha cut me off.
“Go!”
Reluctantly my quartet exits the tent and are immediately assaulted by the noise of the bazaar.
“What now?” Mary asks as she glances around.
“We came from that way,” Benny doffs his hat off, using it to indicate the street off to his left before scratching his head, “and Lampman was not there, so he must be…” He replaces the hat upon his head and shrugs.
“What say we begin to ask after him?” Mary asks and before I can stop her she has approached a rather colorfully garbed women selling roasted rats, still on the stick.
“And what can I do for you missy?” Asks the merchant, whose filthy yellow turban slides further down her back with each syllable. She adjusts it as Mary answers.
“We’re looking for-“ She shoots a quick look my way but ignores the frantic shaking of my head, “the Lampman. Can you point me in his direction?”
The vendor's teeth show as yellow as the cloth around her head as she grins madly. “The Lampman? And what business does one such as yourself have with him.”
“Old friend,” I butt in, dragging Mary away by her arm.
“Hey!” She protests, but I do not let go until I see that, with a chuckle, the woman selling the rats has moved on.
“What was that for?” Mary raises her voice at me.
“If you’re not careful, you’ll let Lampman know we’re looking for him!”
“And that would be a bad thing? At least that way he’d be looking for us too.”
“Or he could go into hiding. We don’t know if he’s heard about Cyrus, or if he even cares.”
“Oh… I didn’t think about that.”
“Fine, whatever, we just need to be more careful.”
“Ok,” Jason interjects himself into the conversation, “What’s the plan then?”
“I think it may be decided for us.” I watch the yellow-turbaned woman as she stops periodically, sometimes exchanging cooked rats for bright baubles, and other times casting furtive glances our way as she spoke with our customers. Sometimes they looked too, other times, they went about their ways.
“I see,” my brother says, following my stare.
“Well, regardless, I’m starved, I would’ve eaten one of those rats if she’d offered,” Benny says, and I nod. They had smelled rather appetizing.
“Ok, food first, and then we continue looking.” I manage to trade three nearly complete cigarettes for four skewers of meat and vegetables. I decline asking what the meat is, and they are not forthcoming about it either. It is a bit chewy, but otherwise not bad. Refreshed we are looking for a place to discard the skewers when the crowd parts around a woman who could have been the rat sellers twin except for the large mole upon her right cheek and the turban, tied tighter, properly, in bright green fabric. The smell of alcohol wafts from her as she approaches and I am about to send her on her way when she latches onto my arm.
“I hear that you seek the Lampman. Lampman has gone beyond the waterfall, and if you are to find him, so must you.”
It takes but a split second for her to relay her message, a split second in which I swore the rest of the crowd grew silent and still, but as soon as she has said her piece, she is gone. Frantically I search for the green turban in the surrounding throng of people but am unable to find her. I turn back to the others, “please tell me you heard that.”
