Chapter 13
Night Attack
Turino Province, Adriano Region, Ilyria
As Toma lay there staring at the canopy over his bed, he thought about how he should be enjoying this time at the Ribisi estate warm, comfortable and well-fed, but he couldn't help feeling restless. After all, even under the umbrella of Crescenza's hospitality, this was still enemy territory. It was still dangerous. Also, there was a war going on and while Dru's plan may not work, it was better than doing nothing. How much longer was she planning on staying here?
There was a faint knock at the door and Dru's voice, asking, "Toma, are you awake?"
Toma didn't know what she wanted, but he got up and headed to the door. When he opened the door, he found Dru standing there with Shaya. Those two were practically joined at the hip.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Toma," Dru said. "Did I wake you?"
"No, I hadn't fallen asleep yet," Toma replied. "What's up?"
"Um, Toma..."
"Yeah?"
"When you get out of bed, you're supposed to put on your dressing gown."
"What?"
Dru tugged at the collar of the robe she was wearing over her bedclothes. Toma looked over his shoulder to see his dressing gown draped over the chair near his bed. So that was what that was for.
Glancing at Shaya, he noted, "Well, it doesn't look like she's wearing a nightshirt under that dressing gown, so between the two of us, we've got the complete set."
Dru blushed a little.
"Yes, Shaya doesn't care much for bedclothes. She says it's too warm."
"Should I ask?"
"Well, Shaya's taken it upon herself to act as our sword of separation. Because we are passing ourselves off as man and wife, Lady Aloisa put Aurelius and I in the same bedchamber. When I tried to explain the situation to Shaya, she didn't think us being technically married was good enough, so she is defending my honor."
Toma was imagining their sleeping arrangements. He almost felt sorry for Goldie.
"If it was Duran or Schwartz, he might actually be happy about it," Toma said.
Shaya asked Dru something and after she replied, the She-Bear chuckled and mussed Toma's hair. Even with her just playing around, it almost felt like she was going to twist his head right off.
"We're getting off topic," Dru said.
"Were we ever on topic?" Toma asked.
"I hadn't gotten that far, I suppose. How are you enjoying your stay here?"
"Oh, ah, it's alright, I guess. It's just..."
"You're ready to move on."
"Yeah."
Dru gave a relieved sigh.
"Oh, good. I'm grateful to Lady Aloisa for her hospitality, of course, but staying here gets us no closer to our objective."
"You think your plan will really work?" Toma asked. "I mean, can you actually get Ostivar into the war?"
"I am a Princess of Redgrave and Aurelius is a Prince of the Aurean Empire. It's just..."
"It's just what?"
"We have no way to prove our identities. The closest thing I had was the necklace I traded to Mr. Duran and that was taken from him when he was arrested. Aurelius has lost his signet as well. I doubt our word alone will be enough."
"Then what're we gonna do?"
"We have to try all the same. If we fail, we can try to cross into Lustig and continue into Aurea. If we can formalize the alliance with my country, we can still accomplish my mission."
"Why not go straight to Lustig then?"
"Getting the Ostivaris involved would be a great boon for us."
"Wouldn't that be easier once we've gone to Aurea and you've gotten all the proof the Ostivaris would need?"
Dru shook her head.
"Zadok could have half of Greland occupied by then. Even if our chances of success are low, we need to try to forge an alliance with Ostivar sooner rather than later."
Toma shrugged.
"Alright, so what do you want us to do?"
"I can't be sure the others will be as eager to be back on the road. I wanted to know that I had your support."
"Of course," Toma said. "Always."
'Always'? Did he really just say that?
"Oh, thank you, Toma. I knew I could count on you."
Dru hugged him. Toma's body stiffened. What was he supposed to do? Shaya seemed to give an approving nod. Whose side was she on anyway? He had to come up with a way out of the situation before it got any more awkward.
"Uh, Dru... Try not to set me on fire."
This made Dru remember the candle she was holding.
"Oh! I wasn't even thinking. I'm sorry, Toma. Did I burn you?"
"No. I, ah, I just wanted you to be careful."
Shaya muttered something, getting a response from Dru. Shaya then replied more plainly and judging from Dru's flustered reaction, she said something to embarrass her again. Shaya laughed at her discomfiture.
"I swear, she can be as bad as my sister," Dru complained.
"Your sister?"
"Oh, don't get me wrong, Toma. Lulu was never cruel, but she did enjoy teasing me. I never thought I would miss it so much, but I guess I just miss her."
"You said she was a hostage in Zadok, right?"
"Yes, along with my brother."
"What's going to happen to them?"
Dru's expression darkened as she thought of it.
"If Zadok learns of our alliance with the Aureans, they'll be killed, but my father is prepared to risk their lives, indeed the dynasty, to deliver our nation from Zadok."
"You don't sound like much of a true believer," Toma noted.
"Of course I want Redgrave to be free of Zadok," she said self-consciously, "but I could lose my entire family, everything... But... I have my duty."
"Yeah, well, I've already lost everything, so I don't know what the hell I'm doing."
"Toma..."
If something was about to happen between them, it was interrupted by the sound of a gunshot.
"What was that?" Dru asked.
"I got a bad feeling about this," Toma replied. "Go wake up Goldie. Get dressed. I think we're gonna hafta get outta here quick."
Shaya said something Toma was guessing was agreement.
"I'll check on Miss Wood," Dru said. "You check on Mr. Schwartz and Mr. Duran. We meet back here."
"Okay."
While they were given nicer clothes to wear as guests of the estate, the clothes they were wearing when they first arrived were in their rooms waiting for them after having been thoroughly laundered. Toma could put on the rest as he went, but he was at least going to put on his trousers first. Crescenza trusted them enough not to take their weapons. Indeed, one of the servants had gone so far as to oil and sharpen Toma's bayonet for him.
Their rooms were all close together, so making the rounds wasn't difficult. Duran was right next door, so he was first.
Toma knocked on the door, saying, "Duran, you awake?"
He could hear the sound of footsteps as Duran came to the door. When he opened it, he was adjusting one of the contraptions he wore on his wrists.
"Yeah, kid, I heard. Seems like you got the same idea. Where's the lil' lady?"
"She's getting Goldie and Molly."
"She-Bear with her?"
"When is she not?"
"Good. You check on the big guy yet?"
"He's next."
"Get to it then. I'll be right out."
"Okay."
Schwartz's room was on the other side of the hall. Toma knocked on the door.
"Schwartz? Schwartz? You up?"
Nothing. He tried knocking again, this time a little louder.
"Schwartz?"
Still nothing. It wasn't locked, so Toma cracked the door open.
"Schwartz?"
Schwartz was snoring loudly. It was a wonder Toma hadn't heard it through the door, but maybe he just hadn't been paying attention. When he went into the room, Toma was dismayed to find Schwartz sprawled out naked on his bed. From the trail of clothes scattered on the floor, it seemed that he was in the process of changing into his nightshirt when he passed out drunk on the bed. It wasn't exactly warm in his room, so how exactly could he stand it? Just how much had he had to drink?
Toma raised his voice. "Schwartz! Hey, Schwartz! Get up!"
All Schwartz did was mumble and roll onto his side. Toma didn't really want to do it, but he went over to the bedside to shake Schwartz by the shoulder.
"Schwartz! Come on, Schwartz!"
Schwartz's elbow shot back, nearly hitting Toma in the gut. Annoyed, Toma punched Schwartz in the meaty part around the shoulder blade.
"Get up, Schwartz!"
Schwartz rolled over again and if Toma hadn't moved out of the way, he would've gotten pinned under him as he fell out of bed. Smacking onto the cold floor seemed to be what it took to wake him up.
"Ugh... Gorram..." he moaned.
He looked up to see Toma and said, "Kid? What're doin', 'ere?" He looked down at himself. "An' why'm I starkers?"
"Get some clothes on and meet me in the hall," Toma told him. "Something's up."
"Bad?"
"It could be. Now come on."
"Alright, alright, I'm comin'. Where's Wood?"
"Dru's getting her."
Although there was a risk of Schwartz just passing out again, Toma didn't feel the need to supervise while he got dressed. He went back into the hall, where Duran and Molly were waiting.
"Schwartz?" Molly asked.
"He's comin'," Toma replied.
"Shouldn't be takin' 'im so long."
She promptly marched to the door to Schwartz's room.
"You don't wanna—"
Toma wasn't able to finish his warning before she opened the door.
"Schwar—"
She hastily slammed the door shut. Red-faced, she stalked over to where Toma was standing and punched him in the arm.
"Ow! What the hell!? I tried to warn you, dammit!"
"Alright, kids, knock it off," Duran said. "Things're serious."
"It's not my fault she—"
"Kid."
Duran had never been this severe, not even when they were breaking out of the prison. It shut Toma right up.
It wasn't long before Schwartz came staggering out of his room, dressed but with his clothes in disarray.
"You gonna make it there, big guy?" Duran asked.
Holding his head, Schwartz replied, "Yeah. Gimme a minnit an' I'll be right as rain."
Duran looked around warily and said, "We may not get a minute."
Dru, Goldie and Shaya emerged from their room next. Unlike the rest of them, who had the clothes they were wearing cleaned, there wasn't much point in trying to salvage Shaya's prison rags, so she was given new clothes. Actually, they were secondhand but still far better than what she had. For reasons known only to her—and perhaps Dru if she asked—, the ensemble consisted of a voluminous peasant dress over trousers girded with a wide leather belt. The rest of them had been given coats to ward off the autumn chill, but she apparently didn't need one. Someone who could supposedly shrug off musketballs could probably handle a little nip in the air.
About as soon as they were gathered together, they were approached by one of the servants.
"Good, you all are ready," he said. "That makes things easier."
"What's going on?" Dru asked.
"Alesso's men and Zadok's Dragon Riders. Milady was betrayed by Donna Carla and Don Carlo, a pox on them both!"
"Why would her own family turn on her?" Dru asked. "Isn't Alesso their enemy too?"
"I don't know and I don't care," the servant replied bitterly. "Milady gave me orders to see you all got out."
"What's going to happen to Lady Aloisa?"
"They'll probably hang her, like as not, but the boys and I plan on making a go at rescuing her."
"How many are there?"
"About fifty of Alesso's men and six Dragon Riders."
"You'll never make it," Dru said. "It's suicide."
"Maybe so," the servant replied, "be if we can't rescue her, a musketball from one of us'll be more welcome than a noose in the town square."
Duran took one look at Dru and muttered, "Aw, dammit."
"Isn't there anything we can do?" Dru asked him. "We owe it to her."
"We wouldn't owe her anythin' if she hadn't held us up," Duran said.
Dru didn't have to say anything. It really was something that even a guy like Duran couldn't just refuse her outright even when she was asking something ridiculous. He stroked his chin, considering the possibilities, then asked the servant, "How many guns do you have an' how many people do you have ta shoot 'em?"
"We've got twenty rifles, eighteen pistols and eight men."
Duran looked to Shaya and asked her, "It true musketballs can't get through your hide?"
Dru translated his question and then her answer.
"She says yes, but why do you ask?"
Duran clapped his hands.
"Alright. We're takin' a big damn risk, but we'll give it a shot." He told the servant, "You take twelve rifles and a pistol each. You split inta two teams a' four. You attack from the north, stay under cover, draw their attention. While they're distracted, She-Bear, you're gonna run in there an' get the bandita. You're gonna be carryin' four a' the pistols. She'll know what ta do with 'em. Big guy, Ranger girl, you'll be on the south side, coverin' the She-Bear's escape. Kid, you're with me. We'll be backin' 'em up. Lil' lady, Blondie, you'll be outta the damn way."
"I can't stand by doing nothing," Dru said. "I can at least help reload."
Duran sighed.
"I thought you'd say somethin' like that. Alright, fine. You'll stick with me an' the kid. We all clear?"
"I'll tell the others," the servant said.
"Get those guns an' all the shot an' powder you can carry. An' remember, once those damn Dragons get in the air, you don't try an' fight. You run."
"You sure about this plan?" the servant asked.
"Hell no," Duran replied, "but if you've got somethin' better, I'm all ears."
"You seem like you know what you're doing."
"I wouldn't go that far. Now get movin' before they do."
"Right."
They were led through hidden passages out of the estate. Alesso's men were deployed around the grounds to cover the doors of the manor house, leaving only about twenty of them with the Dragon Riders and presumably Crescenza. There was a bluff on the north side, which must have been why Duran chose it for the servants' diversion. Schwartz and Molly set themselves up at the windbreak near the road, while the rest of them were in this depression that did a decent job of hiding their position. It wouldn't do them much good when those Dragons took to the air, though.
Toma looked at his rifle Actually, he didn't think it was a rifle at all, not technically, an old smoothbore flintlock. Not much chance of hitting much of anything unless it was standing right there in front of him.
"Lil' lady, make sure the She-Bear knows what she's s'pposed ta do," Duran told Dru. "When I give the signal, she's gonna run in there, grab the bandita an' make for that hill by the well. She can get inta the tunnels there an' that's where we'll meet up with her."
Dru translated the instructions but seemed to spend a lot of time asking Shaya things, probably if she was really up to it and was telling the truth about muskets not having much effect on her. It seemed like Shaya was insisting rather stridently that it was fine. She even patted Dru's head like you'd do to reassure a child.
"I know how she feels 'bout Zadok," Duran said, "but even if muskets can't hurt her, I'm pretty sure Dragons can. Tell her not ta waste time fightin'. Just grab the bandita an' run."
Dru relayed the instructions and Shaya seemed far more composed than usual. When they first met, just the mention of Zadok would have growling like an angry dog. Maybe it was just one of the effects of her captivity.
It all began very quickly. It seemed like the two teams of servants fired off all their guns at once. Toma was pretty sure Duran saw that they had extras so they would have loaded weapons in reserve if they were pressed by the enemy, but this way it made it look like there were more of them. The formation shifted to meet the attack, revealing a figure that appeared to be Crescenza. All except one of the Dragon Riders took to the air. They probably couldn't hope for a better chance than this.
"Go now!" Duran shouted.
Shaya probably could've figured it out, but Dru repeated what he said in Adomite. She stood up and ran at the enemy formation.
"Alright, kid," Duran said, "save your shot for when she's makin' for the hill. Wait for 'em ta get in range. We don't wanna draw too much heat on us, right?"
"Okay," Toma replied.
There wasn't much he could do but lie there prone with his musket at the ready, watching the scene unfold. The diversion played out exactly the way Duran intended. Almost all of the Alesso men were drawn to the incoming fire from the bluff and then the second group opened up on them. The one Zadok Dragon Rider who stayed behind on the ground was dismounted and standing near Crescenza. With only a handful of men staying behind to guard the prisoner, they were easy prey for Shaya.
Of course no one would expect a lone woman to come charging at a group of armed men with a Dragon closeby. If Shaya wasn't immune to musketballs like she said, she certainly didn't act like it. She pounded the closest man into the ground, taking his rifle and swinging it like a club to scatter anyone who tried to move in on her. She quickly moved to shield Crescenza with her own body as several of them opened fire on her.
Perhaps if left to her own devices, she would have proceeded to to tear the Alesso men limb from limb, but she didn't forget what she was supposed to do in the heat of the moment. She snapped the ropes binding Crescenza as if they were string, picked her up and ran off. Crescenza wasted no time putting those pistols Shaya was carrying to good use covering their retreat. She hit two of the Alesso men and the Dragon Rider, only the Dragon Rider didn't go down. Little surprise that their armor could stand up to a bullet, even if the hit did stagger him.
The Dragon Rider shot at Shaya with his repeating pistol and when that didn't stop her, he started waving for the Alesso men to go after her before going for his mount.
"Get ready, kid," Duran said to Toma. "Remember, let 'em get close before you open up."
"Got it."
Shaya remembered her instructions and went straight for the hill that Duran told her to go to. About eight men were fairly close in pursuit. A couple of them fired their rifles while running to no effect but to leave them with unloaded weapons. There was a shot and one of them went down. Probably Molly at that distance. A few of them fired in the direction of the shot, but they didn't seem to know what they were shooting at. The delay gave Shaya time to get to the hill and out of sight.
Duran patted Toma on the shoulder and said, "Let's go, kid."
"We're not gonna shoot at 'em?" Toma asked.
"You really wanna draw their attention ta us? There's no need. She-Bear an' the bandita are out. Let's be gettin' out too. C'mon, lil' lady."
He was right. There was no reason to draw attention to themselves, especially with Dru there with them. Toma shouldered his musket and they made their way to the nearest entrance to the tunnels, where Goldie was waiting for them. It wasn't long before they met up with Shaya and Crescenza. They could hear the two of them arguing before they reached them.
"Hold still, you big dumb ape," Crescenza grumbled, adding some curses in Adomite for good measure.
"What's going on here?" Dru asked, saying something in Adomite that was probably something to the same effect.
"Whose damn idea was this!?" Crescenza asked angrily.
"That'd be me, beautiful," Duran said, "an' you're welcome."
"You could've gotten a lot of people killed."
"Your people were gonna try an' save your ass anyway. All I did was give 'em a plan better'n jus' chargin' in all at once."
"So you just send her charging in all on her own against ten armed men and a Dragon Rider, is that it?"
"Bullets don't hurt the She-Bear."
"The hell they don't!"
Crescenza pulled on Shaya to turn her around, but she may as well have been trying to move an oak tree. Dru went around her and gasped at what she saw saying something in Adomite. Shaya muttered something back in reply, probably saying it wasn't so bad, but her stone-faced facade was showing some cracks in it.
Duran went around behind her too, and seeing whatever damage Shaya had taken, said angrily, "What the hell!? You said musketballs couldn't hurt you!"
Shaya grumbled something, which Dru then translated as, "They don't, not normally, she says, but the pistol the Dragon Rider had..."
"Can you walk?" Duran asked her.
"We got to get those bullets out," Crescenza said.
"Mr. Duran, you can't expect her to keep moving like this," Dru added.
"It ain't gonna take 'em long ta find these tunnels an' we need ta put more distance 'tween us an' them 'fore we start playin' sawbones with the She-Bear. Can she still walk? Ask her."
Before Dru could ask, Shaya put her hand on Duran's shoulder and started walking. Dru followed after her protesting to no effect.
Crescenza glared at Duran and told him, "If she dies, the blood's on your head."
"Yeah, won't be the firs' time," Duran muttered.
When Shaya started walking, only then did Toma see the three bullet wounds in her back. They didn't seem to be bleeding much, but that didn't necessarily mean anything.
It wasn't long before Molly and Schwartz met up with them and a little after that, the first of Crescenza's men caught up with them as well. Although Duran hadn't specified, he was going in the opposite direction in the tunnels than the way they escaped. Either Crescenza's men were able to figure this out or their paths just happened to cross.
"Milady, are you hurt?" one of the men asked.
Much to everyone's surprise, Crescenza slapped him.
"What the hell were you thinking!?" she demanded. "You know the rules! If a man gets caught, you cut him loose!"
"Beggin' your pardon, milady, but you ain't no man."
Crescenza embraced him just as forcefully as she slapped him. She then asked in a low voice, "How many did we lose?"
"One of them devil Dragons torched the spot Marco, Claudio, Octavio and Giulio were at. I don't think any of them made it out in time."
"Dammit..."
Crescenza hung her head and hit the wall of the tunnel, but she didn't dwell on it long. She looked back up and asked the man, "The rest of you boys alright?"
"Yes, milady. We did like Master Duran said and high-tailed it once them Dragons started comin' 'round."
Crescenza glanced at Duran.
"All I did was give 'em a plan," Duran said.
"Nero's bringin' your kit, milady," the man said.
Almost as if on cue, the fourth member of their group came carrying a bundle.
"Milady," Nero said. "Good to have you back."
The bundle contained Crescenza's bandit outfit and a number of weapons. Without the slightest hesitation of self-consciousness, Crescenza stripped off her nightshirt and started changing clothes. Toma at least had the decency to turn away. He wasn't sure if anyone else bothered.
"Lady Aloisa, really," Dru protested.
"We don't have time for a maid's silly modesty," Crescenza said. "And it's not 'Lady Aloisa' anymore. Just Crescenza. Boys, turn around. You look ridiculous."
It turned out that Toma and Goldie were the only ones looking away, but by the time they turned back around, Crescenza already had on her shirt and trousers and was tightening her belt. After putting on her stockings and boots, she rolled up her sleeves and said, "Now let's get those bullets out of the She-Bear." She pointed to her nightshirt and told one of her men, "Aurelio, start cutting that up for bandages."
"But, milady, that nightshirt..."
"We don't have time for sentiment, Aurelio," she said. "Do it. And what're you supposed to call me when we're on the job?"
"Yes, boss."
"Tiberio, heat up a knife for me. Massimo, you got your grappa on you?"
Massimo, who wasn't with the others when they first encountered Crescenza's bandits, held up a rather large tin flask and said, "Right here, boss."
Crescenza took the flask and took a swig from it, then offered it to Shaya, saying, "You'll want some of this."
Shaya took a long draught from the flask, then gave it back to Crescenza. Crescenza handed the flask to Toma, saying, "Hold on to this for me." She then said to Shaya, "Now let's get you out of that dress. You won't be doing your wounds any favors if you try taking it off yourself, so just stand still and we'll cut it off you. Aurelio, I'll take left and you take right."
Dru was explaining things to Shaya, who didn't seem to approve.
"She says she doesn't want you to tear up the dress," Dru said.
"We don't have time for this," Crescenza said. "We'll get her something else to wear later. Now hold still, dammit."
Shaya grudgingly obliged while Crescenza and Aurelio quickly and cleanly sliced the dress open from the cuffs of her sleeves down to the hem, leaving it to hang off Shaya only by the collar.
"Now lay down on your stomach," Crescenza said.
Shaya did so and Crescenza knelt down beside her, she pulled back the back of the dress, struggling a bit where the blood had soaked in and made it stick to the skin. She picked up Shaya's belt and offered it up to Dru, saying, "Have her bite down on this. I know she's tough, but I don't want her breaking her damn teeth when I start working on her." While Dru was doing that, Crescenza then held out her hand toward Toma and said, "Flask."
Toma handed her the flask. Crescenza took another drink from it, then doused the wounds. She held out her hand again and said, "Knife."
Tiberio handed her the knife, whose edges glowed a faint red after being heated by the candle.
"Get ready for it," Crescenza said. "They're not in deep, but this is bound to hurt."
She dug into the first wound and pried out the bullet. She held it up and examined it for a moment, saying, "Have you ever seen anything like that?"
Though the soft lead was deformed somewhat from impact, it was clearly not a ball but shaped more like a cone.
"I've done my share a' gun-runnin'," Duran said. "I've heard 'bout this new bullet. S'pposed ta be faster, more accurate, penetrate more. Guess it's enough ta punch through even the She-Bear's hide."
"Even so, they didn't go in that deep," Crescenza said. "Even a normal musketball can punch through steel plate."
"Then I guess what they say 'bout her is true," Duran said.
"Doesn't mean you were right to send her out there like that," Crescenza retorted.
"Hey, she volunteered."
The man who was told to cut up Crescenza's nightshirt—Aurelio—presented her with a pile of cloth strips, saying, "Here you are, milady."
"What'd I tell you? Enough of that 'milady' nonsense. If you're gonna call me anything, call me 'boss'."
"Yes, boss."
"Alright, have her sit up," Crescenza told Dru.
Dru relayed the instructions and Shaya sat up while Crescenza took the makeshift bandages and started wrapping up Shaya's wounds.
"This'll be clean enough, I suppose," she said. "We can get you some proper doctoring next town or so."
Shaya said something, prompting Dru to object.
"What'd she say?" Crescenza asked.
"She said you just had to lick it and it would get better," Dru replied. "She really is like a wild animal sometimes."
Crescenza grinned and said, "That's not usually my sort of thing, but I'm willing to be open-minded. Tell her that."
Dru blushed.
"I can't tell her that!"
"Ladies," Duran interrupted, "fun as this is, don't we need to be goin'?"
"Where to, boss?" Nero asked.
"I'm going with them," Crescenza said, nodding to Toma and the others. "Wherever they're going, they could use a native Ilyrian while they're here. You boys are gonna lay low for now. Don't think about trying to hit Alesso's boys... or those backstabbers until I get back."
"How'll we know when you're back, boss?" Massimo asked.
Crescenza grinned.
"I got a feeling I'll be bringing all Hell with me."
"Boss, our place is with you," Nero said.
"Your place is where I tell you to go if you're still my boys," she said sharply. "Well?"
"You're the boss," Tiberio said, albeit somewhat grudgingly. He turned to his fellows and said, "Well, ain't she?"
The others gave scattered mutterings of assent, prompting him to repeat louder, "Well, ain't she!?"
This time they replied as one with more spirit.
"Yeah!"
"Yeah, that's real touchin' an' all, but you think you can keep the cheerin' down leas' till we get clear a' the folks chasin' us?" Duran said.
"You're a real moment-killer, you know that?" Crescenza replied drily. "But you're right. Let's try not to draw any attention to ourselves we don't want, right, boys?"
"Are you sure about coming with us?" Dru asked. "You don't even know where we're going."
"There's nothing for me here now," Crescenza said, "not until I can take it back, and I've got the feeling wherever you're headed, it's gonna help me do that. So, whether you like it or not, looks like you're stuck with me, kitten."