with the transparent blue calamite strong enough to survive a nuclear explosion. It was filled with a purple mist that disseminated from the worm hole mechanism allowing us to go anywhere in Cos as if it were a footstep away.
Passage took less than an instant. No sooner had the purple mist covered the van than I could see the window security station the other side. The scenery looked much the same, though the hood was sitting straight again and my view was largely obstructed. At a guess it seemed like we were still in The Kaerosh. There was no queue at the exit side, so we picked up speed quickly, and my heart began to race, wondering how and why I was still alive.
"Lisidia Vins wants you dead," said a hood.
"That isn't news."
"Because they found Vos Peti," said another.
"What's that got to do with me? I'm not even a policeman anymore."
The hood looked at one of the others. "He's been dead for over a cycle."
I shrugged. "I've been drunk for over a cycle."
"You lost your job three weeks ago."
The implication was like lightning down the spine. "He couldn't have killed Kenrey then. Vins is worried people might use my report against him, so I have to die."
The hood nodded. "He's under house arrest, but we know he sent people to kill you. We found one of them on the way up to get you. If we were a few minutes later, you wouldn't be sitting here right now."
That was more confusing. "What do you mean he's under house arrest?"
"Clazran's orders. Vins is wanted for murder."
I had no idea what was going on, but the alcohol made me bold. "So you're here to protect me from Vins?"
He nodded.
I sputtered nervous laughter. "I have as much reason to trust you as the houthar queen to trust her mad brother."
"We don't care if you trust us as long as you don't do something stupid like run away." He lent towards me so that his hood almost touched my nose. "But if we wanted you dead, you wouldn't still be sitting here."
I said nothing. My abduction was sobering me faster than I liked. If I was about to die, then it seemed preferable to do it drunk.
"President Clazran wants to see you," said a hood.
"Frak off!" I almost smiled. "I'm not near drunk enough to believe that."
The nearest one sounded angry. "You're not nearly informed enough to disbelieve anything we say."
"What does he want to see me for?"
"You'll be given new clothes and some time to sober up," said another.
"And shower," added another, as if this had paramount importance.
There was no further elaboration. When the van finally stopped again I was relieved to see that we were not in a swamp but a village. Like most populated zones in The Kaerosh, it was adjacent to a swamp, and the cold, wet air cut to the bone. Despite this, the quaint line of houses had a feeling of tranquility, bunched together like a line of candy houses in a diorama. The road and all the buildings were elevated above the ground to survive the expansion of the swamp during the wet season. The nicer houses even had flotation devices above their supports for the more severe cycles.
The hoods walked me up the pathway of wooden slats to the front door of one of the houses without flotation devices and gestured me inside.
Tree houses were better furnished, and I was just about drunk enough to care. The living room contained a chair and a table, the kitchen a single microwave, and the bedroom was exactly as the name described. I turned on the light, pleasantly surprised to find it working, and sat in the provided chair. A quick lie on the bed, and I would have done everything there was to do.
One of the hoods with a bald chin and gentle face walked into the room and laid a pile of clothes on the table. "There should be something here that fits. All the adult stuff is the smallest size it came in. There's also some children's stuff if that doesn't work."
Despite the fact that none of the adult stuff would fit, the sight of the clothes was still a relief. It was evidence that I was not going to
Passage took less than an instant. No sooner had the purple mist covered the van than I could see the window security station the other side. The scenery looked much the same, though the hood was sitting straight again and my view was largely obstructed. At a guess it seemed like we were still in The Kaerosh. There was no queue at the exit side, so we picked up speed quickly, and my heart began to race, wondering how and why I was still alive.
"Lisidia Vins wants you dead," said a hood.
"That isn't news."
"Because they found Vos Peti," said another.
"What's that got to do with me? I'm not even a policeman anymore."
The hood looked at one of the others. "He's been dead for over a cycle."
I shrugged. "I've been drunk for over a cycle."
"You lost your job three weeks ago."
The implication was like lightning down the spine. "He couldn't have killed Kenrey then. Vins is worried people might use my report against him, so I have to die."
The hood nodded. "He's under house arrest, but we know he sent people to kill you. We found one of them on the way up to get you. If we were a few minutes later, you wouldn't be sitting here right now."
That was more confusing. "What do you mean he's under house arrest?"
"Clazran's orders. Vins is wanted for murder."
I had no idea what was going on, but the alcohol made me bold. "So you're here to protect me from Vins?"
He nodded.
I sputtered nervous laughter. "I have as much reason to trust you as the houthar queen to trust her mad brother."
"We don't care if you trust us as long as you don't do something stupid like run away." He lent towards me so that his hood almost touched my nose. "But if we wanted you dead, you wouldn't still be sitting here."
I said nothing. My abduction was sobering me faster than I liked. If I was about to die, then it seemed preferable to do it drunk.
"President Clazran wants to see you," said a hood.
"Frak off!" I almost smiled. "I'm not near drunk enough to believe that."
The nearest one sounded angry. "You're not nearly informed enough to disbelieve anything we say."
"What does he want to see me for?"
"You'll be given new clothes and some time to sober up," said another.
"And shower," added another, as if this had paramount importance.
There was no further elaboration. When the van finally stopped again I was relieved to see that we were not in a swamp but a village. Like most populated zones in The Kaerosh, it was adjacent to a swamp, and the cold, wet air cut to the bone. Despite this, the quaint line of houses had a feeling of tranquility, bunched together like a line of candy houses in a diorama. The road and all the buildings were elevated above the ground to survive the expansion of the swamp during the wet season. The nicer houses even had flotation devices above their supports for the more severe cycles.
The hoods walked me up the pathway of wooden slats to the front door of one of the houses without flotation devices and gestured me inside.
Tree houses were better furnished, and I was just about drunk enough to care. The living room contained a chair and a table, the kitchen a single microwave, and the bedroom was exactly as the name described. I turned on the light, pleasantly surprised to find it working, and sat in the provided chair. A quick lie on the bed, and I would have done everything there was to do.
One of the hoods with a bald chin and gentle face walked into the room and laid a pile of clothes on the table. "There should be something here that fits. All the adult stuff is the smallest size it came in. There's also some children's stuff if that doesn't work."
Despite the fact that none of the adult stuff would fit, the sight of the clothes was still a relief. It was evidence that I was not going to
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