Passage - Lois McMaster Bujold [117]
“Ow, no, blight it!”
“Dag?” said Fawn uneasily from the place of safety she’d sought behind his shoulder. “Can you tell who’s telling the truth?”
Dag looked around, pursed his lips, and dipped his chin. He cleared his throat. “Boss Berry, may I touch your head?”
She hesitated a long moment, then looked up to seek Fawn’s eyes: Fawn nodded vigorously. Berry shrugged and stepped forward. Dag leaned back and collected Fawn in the circle of his arm, not for his own reassurance or hers, but for Berry’s, Fawn realized. Very carefully, Dag touched the back of his hook to Berry’s pale forehead. He had to have done something with his ghost hand, because Barr’s mouth dropped open and even Remo’s eyes widened.
“I thought he was just a patroller!” Barr whispered to his partner.
“You thought wrong,” Remo growled back.
“Well.” Dag sighed without pleasure. “There’s a new bit of ground reinforcement here. It’s trying to be shaped as a persuasion, but it isn’t very well made, so I’m not quite sure what it was intended to do if it had been finished.”
“Can you get it back out o’ there?” said Berry nervously.
“I can release any beguilement, and undo the shape so it’s no more directed than any healing reinforcement. Your own ground will convert it in a couple of days. There shouldn’t be any other effect than, well, you won’t be getting any headaches for a bit. Shall I do this now?” His voice, Fawn realized, had gone very gentle.
“Yes!” said Berry. “I don’t want no one puttin’ things in my head I can’t see.”
The little bit of absence in Dag’s eyes passed faster than a blink. “There,” he said, dropping his left arm. “All undone now.”
Berry rubbed her forehead. “I suppose I have to take your word for that.”
“I’m afraid so.”
“I didn’t—” began Barr.
“What?” said Dag.
Just that word, with a faint twist of astonishment, but the look that went with it was like nothing Fawn had ever encountered in Dag’s eyes before. She’d never seen his waking face so absolutely wiped clean of any humor whatsoever.
Barr flinched. “I wasn’t trying to seduce her,” he got out, in a much smaller voice.
“What were you trying, then?” said Dag, still in that dead-level tone.
Barr’s teeth clamped.
“I know where Berry keeps the rope, up in the stores,” said Whit grimly. “We could hang him. Plenty of trees back in those woods.”
“I wouldn’t stop you,” said Remo. Barr winced.
Berry pressed her temples uncertainly. “It seems I took no harm. Thanks to you boys,” she added a little gruffly, with a nod all around at her crew. The young men all stood a bit taller. “Hanging might be too much.”
“Too much, or too good?” said Whit.
Hod offered helpfully, “My sister made me drown some extra barn kittens once—tied ’em in a sack with some rocks, see. We got some feed bags up front, and there’s plenty of rocks on the bank. We could do that.”
Barr’s eyes shifted toward Hod in deep uncertainty.
“Dag?” said Whit, and “Dag?” echoed Remo and Hod.
“Wait, how’d I get elected judge, here?” said Dag. “It’s Berry’s boat. She’s boss; any decision’s hers.”
“You’re the expert in Lakewalkers,” Berry said. The only trusted one, she did not add aloud, but it sort of hung in the air implied, Fawn felt.
“I’m not Barr’s patrol leader. I’m not even a member of Pearl Riffle patrol. Dag No-camp, indeed. Closest thing Barr has to a senior officer here would be Remo.” Dag tilted his head invitingly at the dark-haired patroller.
What are you thinking, Dag? Fawn wondered. Besides ahead…
Barr said desperately, “Remo, Amma’s holding me responsible for you, and I can’t make you do anything! It’s not fair!”
“Now you know how I’ve always felt about you.” Remo took a breath, nostrils flaring. “It’s Berry’s boat. Whatever she decides, I’ll abide.”
“It wasn’t what you think…”
Berry stalked up to Barr, sweeping her blistering gaze from his boots up to his blond hair. “You are about the most worthless sack of skin I ever met. You ain’t payin’, you ain’t workin’, and you ain’t welcome on my boat. So git!”
“No!” cried Barr in ill-considered defiance. “Not without my partner!”
Dag