Tepic’s second meeting with the Man in Blue was a little scarier. He was just rounding the column by his camp when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up and his tail began to bristle. This was a sure sign something was wrong, even though he could not put a finger on what it was. Instead of continuing his direct approach, he took several sideways steps, opening the panorama before him.
There, bold as brass, was the Man in Blue, placing something on to of one of his chairs – well, upturned bucket anyhow!
“You!” yelled the boy, unslinging the gun strapped to his back, “Stay back!”
“I’m only here to deliver a few letter,” the man said, calmly, “you’ll find them on your box.”
“You blew up Moss Book!”
“No, I tried to strangle her.”
“Should shoot yer dead fer that!” the boy cried, incensed by the strange indifference in the man’s tone as he made his declaration.
Instead of cowering away from the threat, the man just stood there, and called out “By all means.”
“Oh….” the lad said, somewhat nonplussed, “yer know i can hit what i want from this distance?”
The only reply was for the man to move closer, as if he was going to charge into the gun’s barrel. Swiftly the boy beat a retreat, this was not going how it should. As he headed back into the City, the man in hot pursuit, he called back at him, “Means yer don’t care…. so i knows me gun can’t hurt yer…. so what is yer!?”
Thankfully, once in the City streets, it was easy to lose his pursuer, and having checked the coast was clear from on top of the ramparts, Tepic carefully retrieved the letters from the camp. While there, he could scent several familiar things, but non of the strong scent the man had been wearing previously. This time there was light machine oil, metal, and a strange, slightly sour odour that he couldn’t place. It reminded him of someone, a friend of his, if only he could remember who!
There were four letters, one to Miss Bookworm, one to the Emperor, one to the Thieves Kitchen and one for the urchins. The first two he could deliver, the third, well, there was nothing left after the explosion, so best he give that one to Miss Book as well. The third, well, he was an urchin, so he opened it and read the following:
To the unwashed, dirty, (but hopefully literate) children of this city,
There is a supply facility which has been brought to my attention recently and sadly for my plans to work it is going to have to go, along with the supplies in it. I usually like to give people several months warning, but my expert advisor noted you would have just moved all the supplies in that time.
P.J.
Well, that was a bit late, seemed the Man in Blue was going to deliver them after the events. Still, better to know than not. With that, the lad hastened off to do his deliveries.
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