"He's already got a girl, Tikka," Zak said. "You'll have to excuse my sister, Dave, she's man-crazy."
"Any girl who doesn't want a husband by twenty and babies after is man-crazy, in my brother's opinion," Tikka said. "Zak, you know you're the only one for me."
"'Only one' when I'm around, that is. And that's just 'cause I keep saying no to a train."
She tried to stomp him with her heavy riding boot but Zak danced out of the way. "You're a fresh piece of wormtrail, Zachary Stark."
"What in the hell are you wearing, David Black?" Alessa Duvalier asked from the darkness. She wore her long coat, black side turned out, and carried her walking stick.
"And that's the girl, Tikka," Zak said, grabbing for her long hair. She dodged out of the way and got behind Valentine.
"Apparently I'm Bulletproof now," Valentine said, striking a Napoleonic pose. "What do you think?" Tikka played with his hair.
"I'm tempted to get your pistol and test you. Starving, is there any food left?"
Valentine smelled blood on her. "Sure. I'll show you. Excuse us."
"Let's hurry. Starved."
Valentine led her up to the food tables, and she cut open a loaf and filled it with barbecue. They went back to their camp in the empty field. Ahn-Kha and Bee were wrapped up in a fireside game that involved piling buttons on a rounded rock.
"Price is walking his mule," Ahn-Kha said. "Did they offer us transport, my David?"
"Oh, he's got a ride. Count on him," Duvalier said.
"What have you been up to?" Valentine asked.
"I didn't miss your performance this morning. I just watched it from the Wildcat side. I was checking out these camps. There's some bad blood between these, um, tribes."
"You've made it worse?" Valentine asked.
"Of course. We might want to shift a little more to the west. When it got dark I offed a couple of the Wildcats and left a note warning them not to use Grogs in any future contests. They were already stirred up because someone got shot when they captured those Bulletproofs. When they see what I did to the bodies it ought to put them over the edge. A lot of their riders were upset that they let it go with just a contest. This should put them right over the edge."
Ahn-Kha sent a cascade of buttons down the side of the rock and bowed to Bee. He got up and went over to the wrapping for his oversized gun.
Valentine rose and looked across to the ridge with the Wildcat campfires. Had some of them gone out? He should have counted. Captain Le Havre would have taken a piece out of his ass for that kind of sloppiness. He picked up his U-gun.
"Wait here," Valentine said. "If shooting starts, let's meet at the creek we crossed just before we turned in here."
"Val, what are you doing?" Duvalier said.
"I'm going to warn them."
"Why? The Bulletproof will probably win; there're more of them. It'll get a good war started between these assholes."
"There are kids all over the place."
"Nits make lice, Val," Duvalier said.
"Is that who you really are?" Valentine asked.
"Whose side are you on, Ghost?" she called after him. "I know the answer: your ego's."
Valentine hurried up to the barn, the new leather pants creaking as he trotted. His ankle hurt, but seconds might count.
"Yes, you look fine in your leathers, Bulletproof," a woman called from the door of the barn. The party was still in full cry, and Zak and Tikka were stomping the concrete with bootheel and toe in syncopation, another quarrel forgotten. Valentine ignored his greeter and went straight for the Dispatcher.
The crowd parted, alarmed at the U-gun. Valentine carefully carried it pointed down, his hand well away from the trigger area. Zak stepped in at his rifle arm. "Dave, there's no need-"