The Heroes

reputation.’
    ‘Most of us are.’ Dow looked back at Finree, eyes narrowed, judging her response. ‘How ’bout your father? Taller’n me?’
    They knew who she was. Who her father was. She had no idea how, but they knew. That was either a good thing or a very bad one. She looked at the older man and he gave her the faintest, apologetic smile, then winced since he must have stretched his stitches doing it. She felt the man with the metal eye shift his weight behind her, a floorboard creaking. This did not seem like a group from which she could expect good things.
    ‘My father is about your height,’ she said, her voice whispery.
    Dow grinned, but there was no humour in it. ‘Well, that’s a damn good height to be.’
    ‘If you mean to gain some advantage over him through me, you will be disappointed.’
    ‘Will I?’
    ‘Nothing will sway him from his duty.’
    ‘Won’t be sorry to lose you, eh?’
    ‘He’ll be sorry. But he’ll only fight you harder.’
    ‘Oh, I’m getting a fine sense for the man! Loyal, and strong, and bulging with righteousness. Like iron on the outside, but …’ And he thumped at his chest with one fist and pushed out his bottom lip. ‘He feels it.
Feels
it all, right here. And weeps at the quiet times.’
    Finree looked right back. ‘You have him close enough.’
    Dow whipped out his grin like a killer might a knife. ‘Sounds like my fucking twin.’ The older man gave a snort of laughter. The woman smiled, showing a mouthful of impossibly perfect white teeth. The man with the metal eye made no sound. ‘Good thing you won’t be relying on your father’s tender mercies, then. I got no plans to bargain with you, or ransom you, or even send your head over the river in a box. Though we’ll see how the conversation goes, you might yet change my mind on that score.’
    There was a long pause, while Dow watched her and she watched him. Like the accused waiting for the judge to pass sentence.
    ‘I’ve a mind to let you go,’ he said. ‘I want you to take a message back to your father. Let him know I don’t see the purpose shedding any more blood over this worthless fucking valley. Let him know I’m willing to talk.’ Dow gave a loud sniff, worked his mouth as if it tasted bad. ‘Talk about …
peace.’
    Finree blinked. ‘Talk.’
    ‘That’s right.’
    ‘About peace.’
    ‘That’s right.’
    She felt dizzy. Drunk on the sudden prospect of living to see her husband and her father again. But she had to put that to one side, think past it. She took a long breath through her nose and steadied herself. ‘That will not be good enough.’
    She was pleased to see Black Dow look quite surprised. ‘Won’t it, now?’
    ‘No.’ It was difficult to appear authoritative while bruised, beaten, dirt-spattered and surrounded by the most daunting enemies, but Finree did her very best. She would not get through this with meekness. Black Dow wished to deal with someone powerful. That would make him feel powerful. The more powerful she made herself, the safer she was. So she raised her chin and looked him full in the eye. ‘You need to make a gesture of goodwill. Something to let my father know you are serious. That you are willing to negotiate. Proof you are a reasonable man.’
    Black Dow snorted. ‘You hear that, Craw? Goodwill. Me.’
    The older man shrugged. ‘Proof you’re reasonable.’
    ‘More proof than sending back his daughter without a hole in her head?’ grated Dow, looking her up and down. ‘Or her head in her hole, for that matter.’
    She floated over it. ‘After the battle yesterday, you must have prisoners.’ Unless they had all been murdered. Looking into Black Dow’s eyes, it did not seem unlikely.
    ‘’Course we’ve got prisoners.’ Dow cocked his head on one side, drifting closer. ‘You think I’m some kind of an animal?’
    Finree did, in fact. ‘I want them released.’
    ‘Do you, now? All of ’em?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘For nothing?’
    ‘A gesture of—’
    He jerked forwards, nose almost touching hers, thick veins bulging from the side of his thick neck. ‘You’re in no place to negotiate, you fucking little—’
    ‘You aren’t negotiating with me!’ Finree barked back at him, showingher teeth. ‘You’re negotiating with my father, and he is in every position! Otherwise you wouldn’t be
fucking
asking!’
    A ripple of twitches went through Dow’s cheek, and for an instant she was sure he was going to beat her to a pulp. Or