Soothsayer Read online

  “Oh, I knew you'd draw the ace, ma'am,” said King Tout. “It never crossed my mind that you might not. No, I was looking to see what happened before you drew it.”

  “Nothing happened.”

  “Not quite nothing,” he corrected her. “The little girl happened.” He paused. “At first I thought she must be a telepath, but then I got to thinking, and I realized that a telepath couldn't know where the ace was, or read my hand when I myself hadn't looked at it and didn't know what was in it. And then I remembered hearing stories about a little girl that everyone seems to want.” He stared at the Mouse. “She's the Bailey girl, isn't she?”

  “Don't be ridiculous,” said the Mouse. “She's my daughter.”

  “Duke?” said King Tout, and four thin blades slid out of the fingers of the Golden Duke's prosthetic right hand.

  “Now, ma'am, I'm going to ask you one more time, and if you lie to me, my friend is going to gut you like a fish. Do you understand?”

  “You go to hell,” said the Mouse.

  “I'm sure that's where we're all going, ma'am,” said King Tout. “Now, is she the Bailey girl or not?”

  “Don't!” yelled a small voice on the other side of the door.

  King Tout and the Golden Duke froze for a moment. Then the gambler motioned the Golden Duke to pull the Mouse into a corner, took a small laser pistol out of his pocket, and ordered the door to open.

  “Don't hurt her!” said Penelope. “She's my best friend.”

  “Do come in, young lady,” said King Tout, stepping aside and allowing the girl to run to the Mouse's side.

  “You shouldn't have done that,” said the Mouse. “He was bluffing.”

  Penelope shook her head. “In every future I could see, you didn't tell him and the Golden Duke killed you.”

  “So that's how it works!” said King Tout with a smile. “Just as easy as that? You see a million futures and choose the one you like best?”

  “It's not that easy,” answered Penelope.

  “If it worked like that, you'd never have surprised me here,” said the Mouse.

  “Ah, but she was in her room, far away from you, ma'am, or I've no doubt you'd be back at the tavern, begging the Iceman for help.”

  “He's watching you right this minute,” said the Mouse.

  “Oh, I very much doubt it,” said King Tout. “My friend September managed to find all of his holo feedlines—it's one of her talents: she's attracted to power, any kind of power ... electrical, conductive, nuclear—and my friend the Duke cut the lines.”

  “Then he'll know that something's going on here that you don't want him to see.”

  “Just how clumsy do you think I am, ma'am?” asked King Tout. “Right now his security people are watching holos of an empty room, which my friend September rigged before the Duke went to work.”

  “He'll find out.”

  “Oh, I'm sure he will,” agreed King Tout, “but not before we're all long gone.”

  “I wouldn't be too sure of that if I were you,” said a youthful voice from the still-open doorway, and they all turned to see the Forever Kid standing there, his fingertips poised lightly on the holster of his sonic pistol.

  “I know who you are,” said King Tout.

  “I know who you are, too,” said the Forever Kid.

  “This doesn't concern you. Just be on your way and no one will get hurt.”

  “Just follow your two friends out into the hall, or a lot of people are going to get hurt,” responded the Kid, his eyes alive with excitement for the first time since the Mouse had known him.

  “We're not looking for a fight,” said King Tout.

  “Sometimes you can't always have what you want,” replied the Kid.

  “Let me take him,” said the Golden Duke, his face absolutely expressionless as he stared at his antagonist.

  “You can try,” said the Kid, his hand tensing.

  “No!” screamed Penelope suddenly.

  All the participants froze for an instant.

  “What is it?” asked the Mouse.

  “I don't want you to die!” sobbed Penelope.

  “I'm not going to die.”

  “If the Forever Kid draws his gun, no matter what happens, you'll die and I can't change it!” wept the girl.

  “Well?” said King Tout, still looking at the Kid.

  “Kid, you'd better leave,” said the Mouse at last.

  “But I can take these three,” he protested.

  “Nobody said you couldn't,” answered the Mouse, trying to steady her voice. “But even if you do, I'm going to catch a laser beam or a sonic blast.” She stared at him. “Please, Kid?”

  The Kid stared at the Golden Duke for another moment, then slowly backed out of the room and rode the corridor to the end of the hall, where he disappeared around a corner.

  “Very wise of you, ma'am,” said King Tout.

  “I'm not ready to die yet,” said the Mouse.

  “Nobody's ever really ready to die,” he agreed.

  “Then release us and the Iceman won't kill you,” said the Mouse. “He's not like the Forever Kid. I can't call him off.”

  “Why don't you let me worry about the Iceman?” said King Tout. “He hasn't left the planet in five years. He's not about to start now.” He paused. “However, you and the girl are.”

  “You'll never live to collect the reward for her,” said the Mouse.

  “I know this may come as a shock to you,” said King Tout, “but I have absolutely no interest in any reward.”

  “Sure you don't.”

  “Really. The reward is a single finite amount, whereas the possibilities involved in using this little girl are infinite. Do you know how much I can win at some of the Democracy's larger casinos with her help?”

  “I'll never help you,” said Penelope.

  “Of course you will, my dear,” said King Tout pleasantly.

  “You can't make me, no matter what you do to me!”

  “You're a rare treasure, my dear,” said King Tout. “I would never dream of hurting you.” He suddenly put an arm around the Mouse. “But I have absolutely no objection to hurting her.”

  “No!” said Penelope. “She's my only friend! Leave her alone and I'll go with you.”

  “Oh, I couldn't to that, my dear. Now that I understand what you are, I would never dream of taking you without some means of controlling you. Sooner or later you'd find some way to escape or perhaps even kill me. But if you know that I'll have the Duke kill your friend the first time you disobey me, then I think we can have a long and happy relationship.” He smiled. “You're very young, my child. When you're older, I'm sure you'll be able to appreciate my point of view.”

  “Let's go,” said the Golden Duke, holding his claws to the Mouse's throat and preparing to step out into the hall.

  “Not just yet,” said King Tout.

  “What now?” demanded the Golden Duke.

  “Blindfold and gag the little girl.”

  “Why? She's no problem.”

  King Tout sighed. “I'm glad at least one of us is using his head in this endeavor.” He signaled September Morn to begin binding Penelope's eyes. “You may have forgotten it already, but there happens to be a very disgruntled killer out there in the corridors waiting for us. As long as the Mouse thinks she will be killed, she won't order him to attack. Now, what do you suppose will happen if the little girl can see a future in which only we three will be killed?”

  A light of dawning comprehension spread across the Golden Duke's features.

  “Right,” continued King Tout. “So if she can't tell them, they won't take the chance.” He checked Penelope's blindfold. “Good. Now the gag.”

  The alien placed a crumpled handkerchief into the girl's mouth, then bound it shut.

  “All right,” said King Tout, surveying his captives. “I do believe we're ready to go.” He turned to the Mouse. “Ma'am, if you'd be so kind, tell your friend not to molest us.”

  “Kid!” yelle
d the Mouse. “If you're still out there, let us pass.” She paused. “Remember, you're still working for me. That's an order.”

  There was no answer.

  “Kid,” said the Mouse. “I mean it!”

  Then the little party entered the corridor, the Golden Duke's blades resting gently on the Mouse's throat. She half-expected to run into the Forever Kid at every turn of the corridor, or perhaps in the lobby, or even at the hangar, but within ten minutes they were aboard the gambler's ship, and in another five Last Chance was so far behind them that it didn't even register on the viewscreen.

  14.

  The End of the Line Tavern was closed for the night when the Forever Kid arrived. He pounded on the door, and a moment later the interior of the building was bathed in light and the Iceman spoke the seven-digit code that unlocked the ornate door.

  “I've been looking for you,” said the Forever Kid ominously.

  “You found me.”

  “Why can't I get clearance to take off from Last Chance?” demanded the Kid, walking into the tavern.

  “I wanted to talk to you first,” said the Iceman. “Care for a drink?”

  “I'm in a hurry.”

  “They'll keep,” said the Iceman. “If King Tout had wanted his money back, he'd have sent the Golden Duke after you. He wanted the little girl.” He paused. “She and the Mouse are safe for the time being.”

  “You know they're gone?”

  The Iceman almost smiled. “Not much happens on my world that I don't know about.”

  “Why didn't you stop them?” asked the Kid. “I seem to remember that they were under your protection.”

  “And I seemed to remember that you were being paid to protect them,” responded the Iceman. “It looks like neither of us did a very good job.” He walked across the empty room to the bar, where he pulled out an oddly-shaped bottle and two glasses. “You sure I can't offer you a drink?”

  The Kid shook his head. “Just give me clearance to leave: I'm still working for them.”

  This time the Iceman actually smiled. “You couldn't care less about them,” he said bluntly. The Kid made no answer, and he continued: “You just want to take on the Golden Duke.”

  The Kid considered the Iceman's statement for a moment, then shrugged. “What difference does it make?” he replied, not bothering to deny it. “The result will be the same. I'll kill him and free them.”

  “I have no objection to that,” said the Iceman, filling his glass with a blue liquid.

  “Then why haven't I been cleared to leave?”

  “Because I thought you might like to come with me.”

  “You thought wrong.”

  The Iceman downed his drink. “My ship's faster and more comfortable than yours.”

  “I work alone.”

  “I know where King Tout will be going.”

  The Kid was unimpressed. “I'll find him. A man like that doesn't stay hidden for long.”

  “You're only on salary for a day or two more,” continued the Iceman. He paused. “Come to work for me and I'll double whatever the Mouse was paying you.”

  The Forever Kid returned his stare and paused before speaking. “What's your interest in this?” he finally asked. “You don't exactly strike me as the philanthropic type.”

  “I own this world,” answered the Iceman. “I rule it as surely as any king ever ruled his domain back on Earth. I passed the word that they were to be left alone, and King Tout disobeyed me.” He poured another drink and downed it in a single swallow. “If I let him get away with it, I won't even rule this barroom next year.”

  “And that's it?” asked the Kid.

  “Most of it,” replied the Iceman. “You look amused.”

  “That's because you don't care any more about them than I do,” said the Kid. “You're going to protect your reputation, and I'm going because I want to take on the Golden Duke.” He paused. “I find that amusing.”

  “Ah, well, heroes are hard to come by these days,” said the Iceman with fine irony. “Out here you take what you can get. And what they've got is us.”

  “How many of your men are you taking along?”

  “None.”

  The Forever Kid arched an eyebrow, but said nothing.

  “I'll hire anyone I need once we get to where we're going,” added the Iceman.

  “They say you used to be quite a killer yourself,” said the Kid.

  “They say a lot of things,” replied the Iceman. “Not all of them are true.”

  “Not all of them are lies, either.”

  The Iceman stared out the door into the night for a moment.

  “It was true once,” he said at last. “Then I found that it was easier to hire people who were more eager than I was.”

  “Eager to kill?”

  The Iceman shook his head. “Eager to die.” He placed the bottle back behind the bar. “Ready to go?”

  “What about my ship?” asked the Kid.

  “Leave it here. If you come back in one piece, I'll wave the storage charges. If you don't, you won't need it anyway.”

  “And the Mouse's money?” continued the Kid, patting the wad of bills beneath his shirt.

  “Take it along. She won't be coming back here, whatever happens to you or the girl.”

  It took the Kid less than five minutes to gather his belongings and stuff them into a single small bag that he slung over his shoulder, and five minutes after that he and the Iceman were aboard the latter's ship, breaking out of orbit and heading toward the more populated worlds of the Inner Frontier, on the outskirts of mankind's sprawling Democracy.

  They slept as the ship's computer kept them on course, then awoke some time later and ate breakfast in total silence. As the Iceman poured himself a cup of coffee, he looked at the youthful figure sitting across the galley from him.

  “You're not the most talkative man I've ever met,” he said dryly.

  “You live for a couple of centuries and you'll find out that you've said just about everything you want to say,” answered the Kid.

  “I suppose so,” said the Iceman, nodding thoughtfully.

  “I do have a question or two for you,” said the Forever Kid. “But they can wait.”

  “Ask away.”

  “Might be better not to. We're going to be stuck on this ship for a few days. No sense getting mad at each other.”

  “I don't get mad anymore,” said the Iceman.

  “You ain't chasing King Tout just for the fun of it,” observed the Kid.

  “I'm chasing him to teach him an object lesson: that no one can disobey me on Last Chance. But I'm not angry. This is simply business.”

  “And of course you wouldn't mind too much if he kills the little girl, would you?”

  “What makes you think so?”

  “I got eyes and ears. I use ‘em.”

  The Iceman paused. “He won't kill her,” he said at last, ignoring the Forever Kid's question.

  “When he wins enough, or someone figures out what he's doing, he might.”

  “Not a chance.”

  “You think not?” said the Kid. “He and the Golden Duke never struck me as compassionate.”

  “It's got nothing to do with compassion,” answered the Iceman.

  “Then why do you think he won't kill her?”

  The Iceman paused. “Because she won't let him,” he said at last.

  The Kid paused thoughtfully. “She's really got you worried, doesn't she?”

  “No,” replied the Iceman. “Just concerned.”

  “Well, don't get too concerned,” said the Kid. “I'm still being paid to defend her.”

  “I'm paying you now,” said the Iceman. “You'll do what I tell you to.”

  “Not for two more days,” said the Kid. “And I wouldn't give too many orders if I were you. I don't kill children.”

  “Hired killers kill whoever they're paid to kill,” said the Iceman. “However,” he added, “no one is going to kill this child—not King Tout, not
the Golden Duke, not you, not anyone.” He paused again. “Penelope Bailey doesn't need your help. I'm paying you to help me free the Mouse, and to make sure everyone understands what happens when someone disobeys my orders on my world.”

  “Mind if I ask another question?” said the Kid after a momentary silence.

  “Go ahead.”

  “Why are you so hot to rescue the Mouse? According to her, the last time she needed help you left her to rot in a jail on Msalli IV.”

  “The situation's different this time. When I sent her to Msalli IV, we were both working for the government on a secret mission. She could have turned the assignment down. She knew the odds, and she knew that if she was caught, the political and military situation there meant there could be no rescue attempt.” He paused. “Once they caught her, that was that. I was under orders not to mount a rescue mission.”

  “I got the impression you two were pretty close back then.”

  “We were.”

  “But not close enough to disobey orders, I guess?”

  “We were nearing a political solution to our problems. If I'd have tried to break her out, I'd have lost a lot of good men and women, and probably precipitated a war.”

  “You got your war anyway,” said the Forever Kid. “I showed up just a little too late to hire out as a mercenary.”

  “Yeah, we got our war anyway,” acknowledged the Iceman with a sigh. “But at least I wasn't the cause of it.”

  The Kid refilled his coffee cup and stirred it idly. “Why did she agree to take the assignment, if the odds were stacked against her?” he asked.

  “For the same reason she's King Tout's prisoner right now.”

  The Kid frowned. “I don't think I follow you.”

  “The Mouse was the best thief I ever knew,” said the Iceman. “There was no building she couldn't scale, no room she couldn't break into, no situation she couldn't bluff her way out of. Cool head, quick mind, nerves of steel. That's why I recruited her.” He paused. “But she had a flaw. She still has it, for that matter.”

  The Kid seemed to consider this, then finally shrugged. “What is it?”

  “To borrow a line from Shakespeare, she loves not wisely but too well. She didn't go to Msalli IV because she thought she could do the job; she went because she loved me, and I asked her to. And now she's decided to be a mother to the Bailey girl, and she's in the throes of another kind of love, and she's in trouble again.” He shook his head sadly. “She lets her emotions cloud her judgment. It's going to get her killed one of these days.”