The Radiant War

dezvous with the Brigadier a

miles away. This would make the third rendezvous he'd missed. The Brigadier would be worrying, but the more important concern was that he hadn't yet been able to report what he'd learned about Benjamin, one of the top leaders, perhaps the top leader,

igadier would just assume he was deeply embroiled in the mission he'd given him, which he w

being chosen above him by John Martin. By giving him this job, and probably others like it afterwards, Jamie Fry was sending him far away for days at a time, and he suspected that the three men who were supposedly under his command had been told to keep a close eye on him. He'd certainly seen one or another

't join in with. It was a deliberate act of disrespect, no doubt inspired by the fact that he, an outsider, had been put in charge over them, instead of one of them

piece of bread to mop up the last of the bean juic

'em!" pointed out Sykes. "You could've had a w

own grub. If they can afford to pay that kin

ing around to see if any of the inn's other pat

h eyes that burned with hostility. "Watch how y

quite happily not speak to you

mes," growled Po

is helpfully. "My mum and dad had a sheepdog cal

is! Nobody cares abou

ttract attention." Malone saw one of the serving girls looking in their direction nervously. Not clo

ome sausages would have

erything that's left over when they've used everything that can be used, with breadcr

n't beat sausage to set you up for the day ahead. Set y

then!" said Sykes. "We go

before sunset. So long as we set off before nine or so we should be okay. I'd prefer to set off a

Sykes to Porto. "Go get

ll pay for

ou idiot! You're eating

ay! I gave up a good job for this lark, I got no money coming in an

everyone they met, wanted any confrontation between them and the authorities to end in violence. He wondered how Porto and the others would have reacted if they'd known that Benjamin was, in fact, a millionaire, and could

lapped down on the table. "Here," he said. "Buy sausages and bea

nd anger. "What do you think I am

k in astonishment.

! Always have, always will!" He pushed the coin angrily back tow

now you

jamin, so he owes us a fair wage, but I d

e else buy the drinks!" said Lewis wit

inks! That's how it is! You b

our turn! Who was it bought the drin

in late, there was only time for a couple of ales before we had to turn in. To

flash around, Malone?" asked Syke

at Malone suspiciously. "How co

dier had given him, but he could hardly tell them that. "Had a bit of

Bessie at the Works," said Sy

he movement. Place called Daisyfield, just ro

alone was relieved to see. Even Porto seemed mollified. Sharing a gambling win with friends didn't count as charity, it seem

hen he and Lewis took their places on the drivers' seat, Malone taking the reins and the other man cradling a large shotgun in his arms. Porto and Sykes climbed into the saddles of the two horses that would ri

en it. "Here's to a quiet day," said Lewis, his eyes scanning the lands on either side of the road. He had particula

ed on the way, we just show them the turnips we're carrying in the back. They'll just

d. "Seriously, though, we do have one thing they could nick if they stop us on the way. All that gold you'r

. We're just a bunch of farmers off to sell our turnips

How's he to know you won't just ride off with it? Five hun

do if I did? Would

e'd all ride off with

one day. Take a risk like that for just five hundred crowns? If it was five thousand I m

e man to be hiding. Further down the road, yes, but not here. Lewis remained alert, though, as did Malone. Would a single man be desperate enough to attack four men? Until just recently he woul

r completely safe, of course, but someone getting killed on this road made the news all the way from Puddleton to Shrewsby! Nowadays, we can

ren't chasing the criminals anymore," he said. "These days, they spend all their time looking for us!" He eyed the other man carefully from the edge of his vision to see what effect his word

their palaces are like fortresses! I know, I saw one once! They ain't scared of muggers, bandits, cutpurses, pickpockets. What they're scared of is us! And they control t

A lot more! "They're scared of us and so they're out to get us, and we're scared o

y're due, they'll do them just the same as us! Same with my brother, the people who live next door to us, anyone! If people knew they had nothing to fear

ng them, which makes the common people even angrier. Makes more of us want to join the movement, to fight back! And the toffs know it! If the toffs really want to wipe us out, why are th

good! They've got money, big houses, servan

nals, not decent people, like they used to. I mean, none of us wants to kill people, We're being driven to it by the guards. If the toffs got the guards under control, we could all just get back to our ordin

't! We're tougher than they think we are! They think that if they keep knocking us down, sooner or later we'll stay down, learn to toe the line, but we won't! T

pes for Lewis. He'd struck Malone as being a little more level headed, a little more amenable to reason. Maybe he'd been involved with the popular uprising for so long that the message had sunk in and properly taken root. Any further attempt would

companions were stupid. They were obstinate, rude, bad tempered and belligerent, but they were of around average intelligence. Easily bright enough to see what was going on, he would have thought. And yet they could see no further than that the author

ire, when his own country had much more immediate problems, but this was the job the Brigadier had given him, and he could see the wisdom of it. If the Empire fell into chaos and anarchy, the entire human world would be dramatically weakened, maybe fatally so. The power and re

hey were getting close for an hour or so beforehand as the traffic on the road increased and they passed wagons much like their own escorted by their own riders. Empty wagons heading in the same direction as them and wagons groaning under the weight of heavy cargoes, sitting lo

knew. Thinking out loud. He did that sometimes when he was nervous, and he was growing more nervous by the second. They were here to carry out a highly illegal transaction, buying guns that were to be used in an insurge

ey knew that they only had to follow the road to find the one they wanted. Unit number 224 turned out to be on the very edge of the complex, with a bar

dozen grimy skylights. Malone jumped down onto the ground, while Lewis remained in the drivers seat, covering him with the shotgun. Porto a

assume?" said Malone. He also assumed that Crow was an alias. His

t him. "Where's John

nt. I'm here in his place. D

ouse. Porto and Sykes drew their weapons and stood with their backs to the wagon. "My arrangeme

ho we are?" Malone produced the bag of gold co

quad of guards waiting out

Porto, pointing his weapon at Cr

ressure on the trigger than was safe. This could go bad very quickly. "It's okay, Port," he said. "It's natural for him to be suspicious.

he first person who asks for them? I have no idea who

ns inside. "How many people go around with five hundred crowns in gold? We came at

to talk." The three approaching men were drawing

"If you knew him, you'd know it! Maybe you're

're bosses, They're just out to make money! People are suffering

ed Malone. "If you have, let's just do the dea

nt, their brains struggling to process what had just happened. Then the other approaching men dropped to a crouch and fired their weapons. Malone dropped the bag of money, several coins falling out and rolling away across the dusty floor, and drew his gun. He and Sykes fired back, neither of them bothering to aim for

Malone reached for the reins as Lewis fired off the second cartridge, the shot going wide, and then he dropped the shotgun and reached for the pistol at his belt. "Get

me back to him and he took his time to aim before squeezing the trigger. A man fell, then another. The remai

rror to see if anyone came to investigate the sound. Someone must have heard it! If there were more of Crow's men waiting outside, they'd come running in, guns blazing

s nobody left alive who'd been close enough to get a good look at his face. Nobody who could identify him. Good. He looked at the bag of coins, thinking that he might still be able to salvage his position with the popular uprising if

rse towards the barbed wire fence and spurred it into a gallop again. A half raised goat jumped out of the way with a bleat of terror, and the horse jumped the fence before galloping away across the field of wheat. Malon