Death Cultivator 2 by eden Hudson (books to read in your 20s .TXT) 📗

have been allies for a long time. Someone as high up on the ladder as Biggerstaff might have some insight into where the Heavenly Contrails’ Van Diemann base is.”

“You’re a genius,” I told Rali, heading for the door.

He frowned. “I’m not acting like one.”

“What you’re doing is enabling this lunatic’s insanity,” Warcry snapped. “When he gets chopped in half, that’s on you, big man.”

I stopped in the doorway. “Leave him alone. This is the right thing to do, and he knows it, too.”

Warcry threw up his hands. “This’s long-con suicide, grav. If you do manage to find her and get her out, she’ll just cut your throat when she’s free.”

Rali sighed. “I know this doesn’t make any sense, but it didn’t make any sense for him to save you from the OSS, either. It’s like...like a matter of honor. I’ve got to help Hake see this through. Or at least make sure he doesn’t die.”

He followed me out into the hall, and we headed for the elevators.

“Ah, me bleedin’...” Warcry stomped down the hall after us. “You clowns are gonna get all of us killed for this dumb bint. Then what?”

“Nobody’s inviting you.” I hit the call button.

The elevator dinged as the panels slid open on our floor. Rali and I got on, and I pushed the button for the fountain court.

Warcry’s face twisted into a scowl.

The panels started to slide shut.

Flames burned down Warcry’s head and shoulders, and he let out a string of curses before slipping through the closing doors. He dropped back against the glass wall next to me, glaring up at the red floor number as it started changing, his arms clamped across his chest.

“You bleeders’d die without me.”

The Newest Eight-Legged Dragon

WE DIDN’T HAVE TO LOOK long for Biggerstaff. Obviously he was a big fan of the ambush-style catfish attack, because he stepped out in front of me as I came around a blind corner toward the Den of the Waking Locust.

“Mr. Hake,” he said, nodding like he’d been waiting for me. “What’s this I hear about you looking for the Heavenly Contrails’ Bogland location?”

“So it is in Bogland,” I said.

Warcry caught sight of Biggerstaff from his search position and whistled at Rali. They made a beeline for us.

“And what exactly is the reason you want to visit our longstanding allies?” Biggerstaff asked.

“If you were listening in, then you heard the whole story,” Rali said, joining us. Warcry fell in on his other side. “You don’t need us repeating it.”

“Humor me,” the catfish said.

“They have someone we know locked up and fighting for them,” I said. “We’re going in to get them out.”

Biggerstaff hooked his suit jacket back and stuck his hands in his pants pockets. “The Heavenly Contrails have been the Eight-Legged Dragons’ ally for centuries. If I gave away one of their locations with the foreknowledge that the provisionary Dragons I’d given it to would be attacking it, I’d be betraying agreements laid out and maintained by those many ranks my superior, perhaps even causing a gang war. The backlash on a move like that—”

“Just get to the point and tell us what you want,” Warcry snarled.

“A signature from Mr. Iye Skal on an Eight-Legged Dragons affiliation agreement,” the recruiter said.

“What’re you offering him?” Warcry demanded.

“I attempted to offer him the day suns, as the saying goes, but he never seemed to be available while that was on the table.” Biggerstaff’s whiskers twitched, and he smiled a little. “His signature is the going price for information today. Take it or leave it.”

“That’s total b.s.!” I snapped. “You’re just doing this so you can force him into it for nothing.”

But Rali squeezed in between me and Biggerstaff.

“Let me get this straight,” he said. “I’ll get zero negotiating room, no chance to make demands, all of the requirements, and be chained to the Dragons forever?”

Biggerstaff had the decency to look at least a little uncomfortable.

Rali doubled over laughing like he’d been holding it in, waiting for a punch line to land.

“What’s so funny, big man?” Warcry growled.

Rali wiped his eyes and stood up straight.

“Nothing. A whole contract full of it!” Grinning, he stuck out his hand to Biggerstaff. “You’ve got a deal, esteemed recruiter. I’ll sign. I don’t have a HUD, though.”

I don’t know if my jaw or Warcry’s hit the floor harder.

Warcry punched Rali in the shoulder. “You lost your head, netskin?”

“You can use my HUD,” Biggerstaff said, shaking Rali’s hand and bowing over it. Rali returned the gesture, his shoulders still jiggling with silent laughter.

The redhead and I watched in shock as the recruiter pulled up a contract and had Rali sign it. When the paperwork was done, Biggerstaff sent a location marker to my and Warcry’s HUDs.

“There’s your target, gentlemen,” he said. “Just so you’re aware, for the next forty-eight hours, anything you do falls entirely under your culpability. You’re not acting on behalf of the Eight-Legged Dragons—officially, you’re acting against our will—and if you’re caught, your probationary membership will be cut off and the three of you will be sacrificed to appease the Heavenly Contrails for the greater good of our organization.”

Warcry scowled. “So don’t get caught.”

“We’re not planning on it,” I said.

“That’s good, because I hold you personally responsible for maintaining the secrecy, Death cultivator,” Biggerstaff said. “Be back in time for your fights on the third day. Miss any more than that, and you’ll begin racking up absentee losses, which wouldn’t be a good start for our newest probationary member. Welcome aboard the Eight-Legged Dragons, Mr. Iye Skal.”

Rali grinned.

“It’s a pleasure to be here, Mr. Biggerstaff,” he said to the catfish, and you could tell he was holding back another laughing fit.

Once we’d made it back on the elevator going up, he finally let it out, laughing so hard he had to put his hands on his knees to support himself.

Warcry rounded on Rali. “Ya gave yer rights to the Dragons for nothing!”

“I know, right?” Rali crowed between laughs. “It went exactly like Hake said. He told Biggerstaff