Edgewise

17

The clientele of the Edgewise hadn't known Calponia long, but when the Captain bellowed 'Duck', hands seized her from both sides and shoved her behind the relative protection of a table. She couldn't help the grin, with Cesario on one side and Ravelock on her other. A blade thudded in the space she'd occupied a moment before, vibrating over her head in a vivid reminder of their current danger.

Calponia peered up through the gap in the tables, eyes wide as nearly two dozen cloaked figures spilled through the gaping rectangle hole in the wall, fog curling off black cloth. Their faces remained hidden, the hoods pulled so far forward only the tips of their chins could be seen. The knives they carried, however, were quite visible, flashing through fog and dust. Another blade winged through the air with deadly accuracy, nearly hitting Cesario when Eugene rolled in front of them to smack it away.

"Get behind the bar!" The vampire scuttled forward, handkerchief flapping over his mouth as he gained momentum, shoving into the first group through the door.

"Come on, we need better cover," said Cesario, her tone grim. Calponia caught the tremor in her voice, glancing up to find the woman even paler, her eyes glassy as she looked at the figures pouring into the Edgewise.

"They're the ones that chased you," she said, hesitating before hooking her arm around Cesario's slim shoulders. She believed the Edgewise wouldn't let her curse hurt anyone, though the massive hole in the wall meant it might be distracted. Weighing it against the danger of staying in throwing range, she took the risk, keeping them low as they half walked, half crawled to the bar. Ravelock followed behind them, pulling an elaborate pistol from folds of his long coat. She thought it an old fashioned flintlock until honest to goodness beams of blinding blue light emitted from the barrel.

"Is that a freaking laser gun?" Calponia stumbled, barely catching herself and Cesario's weight on the corner of a table to her ribs. She winced, rubbing the spot with her free hand. "What kind of pirate are you?"

"Uh, well armed," said Ravelock firing the gun directly into one of the cloaked figure's hoods.

"No killing!" Calponia yelped, earning the look from the Captain that comment deserved.

"I think the rules are on hiatus for the moment, dove," said Ravelock, using his sleeve to catch a blade in a maneuver Calponia wouldn't be able to pull off even if she rolled a natural twenty. "Tuck yourselves behind the bar, ladies, and improvise some defenses."

Calponia had an idea, but she knew Mack wouldn't like it. Cesario suddenly pulled her down to the floor, narrowly avoiding another whizzing blade as the woman dragged her behind the bar.

"Thanks," Calponia breathed. The transvestite waved her off, closing her eyes for a moment. The ambrosia might have sealed her wounds and set her on the healing path, but Calponia suspected the internal damage was still excruciating for her friend.

She reached up, feeling along the foul smelling counter top until she found the ruined towel. "Remember how we handled that bounty hunter who came after the Munch?"