Read Nine Gates for Free Online Page B

the single word. “They were disposable.”
    Albert paused a moment to let that sink in, then asked, “Who was in command of this expedition? Is he still alive?”
    “The commander was killed by Righteous Drum’s spell.”
    There was something odd in Twentyseven-Ten’s tone of voice when he said that
, Brenda thought.
He’s both frightened and somehow relieved. Is it because he’s glad the boss won’t be around to yell at him? Is it because the boss went down so hard, so fast?
    Brenda didn’t ask. She didn’t think she was the only one to have noticed Twentyseven-Ten’s reaction, and Albert’s next question showed she was right.
    “Tell me about your commander. What was his name? How did he come to be in charge of such an important expedition? Righteous Drum said he did not recognize him.”
    “I did not,” Righteous Drum agreed, “and the more I think about that, the more peculiar it seems. I thought I knew my enemies—I thought I knew my peers. But this man was a stranger. I am sure of it.”
    “He…” Twentyseven-Ten faltered. “He told us to call him Captain. He gave us no personal name. He was a stranger to me as well, to me and to all but two of our company.”
    “Are either of these alive?”
    “No. The Tiger lady killed one. The Tiger lord killed the other.” Twentyseven-Ten hurried on, volunteering information for the first time. “My master—he who will be the new Horse—knew this man, and so assigned thirteen warriors to accompany Captain. We were to follow Captain’s orders, and if, by chance, anything happened to him, to continue the mission on our own.”
    “How,” Albert said, “did you intend to return to the Lands once you had your captives?”
    “We were each given an amulet,” Twentyseven-Ten said, “keyed to us personally. It does not create a bridge, but rather enables recall for ourselves and any we touch.”
    Riprap cut in. “When Flying Claw and I stripped the captives down, Flying Claw found the amulets. We took them off before we gave them back their underclothes. The same amulets were on the bodies.”
    Riprap reached into his pocket and took out a small sandwich bag with a zip closure. It held four small items. Leaning for a closer look, Brenda saw the amulets were jade carvings of birds, their wings outstretched in flight.
    Albert Yu turned to Twentyseven-Ten. “Are these what you are referring to?”
    Twentyseven-Ten nodded, his expression showing a moment of longing. “Those are the amulets.”
    “Then is the bridge anchored in Waking Lizard no longer active?” Albert asked.
    “It is not,” Twentyseven-Ten said, “or so we were told. I have not tested that for myself.”
    Trying to keep us from trusting Waking Lizard
, Brenda thought.
Well, why should he help us more than he must?
    “And the amulets will only work for you?” Albert asked.
    “One to each one of us,” Twentyseven-Ten said. “You can read the inscriptions yourself.”
    That’s right
, Brenda thought, swallowing a grin.
Keep yourself alive at all costs. Don’t you think we’ll figure out the weakness of using those amulets? Even as eager as Righteous Drum is to get back to his family, he’s got to have seen it.
    “So you were sent here to retrieve the ‘renegades,’ as you term them,” Albert Yu said. “And what were your orders regarding the rest of us?”
    “Sir?” For the first time Twentyseven-Ten looked flustered.
    “Come now,” Albert said, his voice hardening. “You told us your task was to retrieve the Earthly Branches. Myself and my associates are the current affiliates of those Branches. What were your intentions toward us?”
    Twentyseven-Ten tightened his lips into a thin line, and refused to say anything.
    Pearl laughed, a hard, throaty growl more like a tiger’s cough. “It’s obvious, isn’t it? If three from the Lands—three whose only crime was supporting the wrong candidate for the throne—were considered disposable, what do you think our value would