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Mouse studied Ben and me. “They are polite company, aren’t they? And they’ve got a nice carriage and horse, too. By the way, what’s your names?”
Ben twisted around in his seat atop Ferox and nodded at me. “The lovely woman beside you is Miss Millie Lucas, and I’m Ben Castle.”
Chase’s eyes widened. “Ben Castle? Not Count Benjamin Castle?”
Ben chuckled. “The same. Have you heard of me?”
Chase nodded. “We heard a ways back that you used to be quite the thunder driver.”
I whipped my face around in his direction. “Really?”
Ben chuckled. “That was a long while ago.”
Mouse took up one of my hands and, with his eyes twinkling, he pressed a light kiss on the back. “It’s an honor to meet Count Castle, but it’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lucas.”
“Millie,” I told him.
He grinned. “I’m Paul, but those two-” He jerked his head in Chase’s direction, “-call me Mouse. I don’t know why.”
“Because you’re as short as one,” Chase retorted before his horse gave a little snort and flung its head. The man’s face went a little pale and he clung to the saddle horn. “Damn you and your stupid driftwood.”
“That’s what makes it even luckier,” Mouse insisted. “It’s a drifter just like us. You should be worshiping it as an idol.”
Chase looked like he was about to show Mouse some tough adoration when Grant returned. He tossed a brown, thin object some five inches long at Mouse. “Now shut up and let’s get going.”
Mouse caught the item and I had a good look at his lucky driftwood. It was a rough piece of timber with no discernible special features except that the surface had been smoothed by Mouse’s constant rubbing. He gave the wood a quick rub on one side before he tucked it into a pocket on the exterior of his vest. A supremely satisfied look featured on his face as we rolled along.
CHAPTERTHREE
We droveto the outskirts of the large metropolis known as Validen, but our path steered us onto a byroad about a mile from the city proper. The bumpy road led to a primitive cul-de-sac with great oak structures aged by time and weather. Many were two stories high and featured unique amenities such as outdoor balconies and exterior stairs up to the second floor.
One of the largest of the buildings was an inn of some archaic date with a livery standing only thirty feet away. The second floor protruded out from the first some two feet and provided a slight cover over the front door. The paned windows looked in on wooden floors and oak-plank walls stained black with chimney and pipe smoke.
We rode up to this singular establishment and the two riders dismounted. Ben hopped down and with Grant’s help, they pulled Mouse out of the carriage. I followed after him and found myself sinking a few inches into the muck that covered the yard.
Grant helped Mouse into the inn while Ben offered me his arm for support. I was glad to have it as we slipped and slid over to the wide plank sidewalk that wrapped around the whole of the establishment. We slipped inside after our new companions and found the entrance room large, but comfortable. A warm fire burned in the huge hearth to our left, and tables and chairs dotted the room. A desk stood to our right and behind that was a wall that separated the hall from the partitioned lower floor of the building. A narrow doorway just past the desk allowed entrance to those rooms situated behind the wall, and a wide staircase in the center of the rear wall ran up to the second floor.
A man at the desk smiled at our arrival, but on seeing the state of Mouse he shot around the counter and over to us. “My goodness! What’s happened?”
“A little accident is all,” Grant assured him as he hefted Mouse toward the doorway. “We’ll be needing some brandy.”
The proprietor bobbed his head. “Of course! The man must be in shock!”
Grant scoffed. “It’s not for him, it’s for me.”
Their host blinked at him but still nodded before he hurried off to obey. Ben and I hesitated in the entrance hall, but Grant turned to us with a smile. “Thanks for the help, but we can take it from here.”
Mouse grinned at me. “Thanks for the company. It’s the best I’ve had in a long time.”
“I’d like to speak with you later about your machine. I’m interested in the future of your ‘thunderless’ thunder,” Ben told them, and much was their surprise.
“You would?” Mouse squeaked.
Ben smiled and handed Grant a card, the face of which he studied. “Send a crow my way when you’re rested. I’ll keep myself available.”
Grant nodded as he pocketed the card. “Of course. We’d be delighted to talk with you as soon as we can.”
Mouse grinned at Ben. “I’ll be rested and ready to go by tomorrow.”
