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Cardfall Casino


“He’s here,” Elza said, when Majel arrived at the sheltered corner of the bar that had become their place to meet, at mid-night.

“I saw him in the main room, playing at the wheel.”

Majel sighed. He had begun to wonder, when several nights had passed and no particular Luzant identified that perhaps Elza was toying with him—or that the Luzant, realizing his danger, had simply found another place to gamble.

“Have you told Seylin?” he asked now.

“Yes; she sent Veerin, and I pointed the Luzant out to him. He will watch and if necessary follow, until Seylin arrives.” She glanced over her shoulder toward the main floor.

“I should go back,” she said.

“Let us both go back,” Majel said, offering his arm. “I have an interest in meeting this Luzant.”

Elza smiled, sharp and feral. She took his arm, and they went out onto the floor, together.

* * *

Veerin had been floor security at the Cardfall for years. He was solid, calm, careful; and he blended seamlessly into the regular main room crowd. As he and Elza approached the wheel, Majel saw Veerin moving off at an angle, face intent, as if he were following a possible chizler.

“Your Luzant is on the move,” he murmured to Elza, altering course to follow Veerin.

Elza tugged his arm, pulling him back toward the wheel.

“No, he’s still there,” she said. “Standing on the red side, wearing a puce half-jacket, and his hair braided close.”

Majel looked and found him. A portly man, crowding the betting board, dark blond hair in tight, skull-hugging braids.

“You are certain that this is the man?” he said to Elza, glancing over her shoulder to find Veerin moving toward the card room.

“Yes!” Elza said sharply. “I don’t know why—now he’s moving! We can’t lose him—”

She dropped his arm and went forward, on an intercept course with the man in the puce half-jacket. Majel glanced around, and spied Seylin in her uniform, walking with purpose across the floor. He raised his hand, caught her answering wave, and turned to follow Elza.

“You.” The man in puce had stopped, and turned to face Elza, quite as if they were alone, and not at the side of a room busy with play. “Clever, are you, Deaf?”

“Not particularly,” Elza said, stopping outside the range of the man’s long reach.

“That’s too bad. You’re going to need to be clever to explain why you were shooting into the players.”

A hand moved beneath the jacket. Majel caught the gleam of a weapon, and leapt, meaning to wrest the thing away, even as Elza shouted.

“Everybody down!”

Majel had the man’s wrist. He twisted, saw the gun spin away—and stumbled as the Luzant shoved him back. There was a roaring in his ears, and an impact against the side of his head that sent him crashing into the wall.

He felt his knees start to give; straightened them in an act of sheer will as Seylin arrived, her face grim. The Luzant tried to turn, but his own feet tripped him, and he went down to the floor, hard.

Seylin grabbed his arms, jerked them back and twisted the wire around them.

“I’ve done nothing wrong!” the man on the floor said, his voice peculiarly calm, and for a heartbeat, Majel believed him—and then disbelieved, as Seylin knelt and slapped hush-tape over his mouth.

Majel felt an arm come around his waist, and carefully turned his head to look at Elza.

“Are you all right, sir?” she asked. “That was past foolish! Did he hurt you?”

His felt as if someone had brought a hammer against his skull; the headache was making him queasy.

“I’m . . . not . . . quite certain,” he told Elza, who tightened her grip ’round his waist, and thrust her shoulder under his arm, taking some of the support his knees were unwilling to provide.

On the floor, those patrons who had heeded Elza’s shout were rising, some moving toward the door, others watching Seylin finish trussing her prisoner, yet others going back to their play.

In the midst, Veerin arrived, looking chastened.

“Chief atBuro! I—he was heading for the card room. I had him in sight. How—”

“A suggestion slipped in when you were distracted,” Seylin said grimly. “Get your shields rehabbed, but first Call Beni and Ikat here. Also, Principal ziaGorn will have the medic.”

Majel took a breath, but did not argue the point. His head felt as if it would break in two; and he feared his stomach was about to betray him.

Seylin turned her head to meet his eyes, and snapped.

“Principal ziaGorn will have the Healer at once.”


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