Book 2 Chapter 7: Trouble Brun

Book 2 Chapter 7: Trouble Brun

After we finished eating, the Khan stood.Brun is the one you should speak with regarding the oil. He gestured to a nearby guard. Take him to Brun. Let her know she is to answer any questions he has.

The guard nodded.

I stood to leave and the guard placed a hand on my shoulder. The Khan has not yet excused you.

I stood slowly and deliberately, the guard's hand trembling with effort as he put more and more weight on me in order to keep me down. He looked at the Khan who smirked and gave him a nod. He released his grip and stepped aside to allow me to stand.

I nodded to the Khan. Thanks for breakfast. I turned to the guard. Lead the way.

He nodded, likely eager to leave after having that blow to his pride in front of the Khan, and started to lead me away. We passed out of the palatial tent and began heading south. The city had only just been waking up when Id first arrived, but was fully alive as I walked through it. The roar of engines was constant, as was the yelling over that noise. When we were near the southern tip of the city, I saw a particularly large garage with a half dozen vehicles inside it, all in various states of being put together or cannibalized to be recycled. Standing on a platform above it all, leaning on a railing, was the tall, broad shouldered woman I saw last time Id come to visit Fette. The one whod been helping the Khan repair an engine.

She saw us as we approached, and climbed down to meet us.

The guard nodded at her, then leaned in to yell loud enough for her to hear, but quiet enough that I couldnt make it out. Mustve been a skill you develop when you're surrounded by engine noise all the time.

She nodded at him and gestured for him to leave, then for me to follow her, which I did. As we walked out she pulled a cigarette from the pocket of her grease-stained mechanics suit and lit it, taking a deep inhale as we walked until wed reached relative quiet. It made me flinch, expecting her to catch fire, but somehow she managed it with not trouble.

My husband says Im at your disposal. What do you need?

I want to see if theres any fuel or vehicles that are unaccounted for.

Alright. She started walking further south, until the oil pipeline that fed the city came into view.

No questions? I asked. Id expected her to demand an explanation of some kind.New novel chapters are published on

She shook her head. The Khan wills it. I serve the Khan.

I nodded. She was either very loyal, or pretending to be. I had made her a suspect in my mind the moment the Khan had mentioned shed be the one to know the status of the gas supply in the town. Were you born in the Khanate? I asked.

She blew some smoke. Edge of the territory. Brought here once I got the mechanic status.

Taken from friends and family? I asked.

She snorted. And thank Christ for that. I was too good for that dirt farmer shithole.

Well that sounded convincing enough to cover that angle. We made it to the pipes, Brun carefully extinguished her cigarette before getting any closer to them. They were a mess of metal that looked completely incomprehensible to me. There were already a number of gear pierced men and women working on loosening and tightening different areas, and in one case adding a new pipe. I watched as Brun checked each valve. Knocking one with her fist, checking a gauge on another, barking questions to a few of the mechanics, then she came back to me.

Nothing is well, missing, exactly but She shook her head. Well, the flow is higher than it should be, but we havent expanded the fleet recently so it shouldnt have changed.

How much extra would that account for? In terms of vehicles? I asked.

A lot. Enough for maybe ten truck and bike squads.

So, it could easily cover five armored buses?

I saw a realization dawn on her face. Yes. Shit. She moved to the nearest mechanic and grabbed him by the collar. Who increased the flow? She asked.

Wha-?

Any theories yet?

Yes.

Whose your suspect?

Just Shifter so far, I lied.

Well, its not like he couldve moved all that gasoline himself.

True, but Im taking this one suspect at a time. I paused for a moment. We know the gasoline was taken from here, but what about the buses themselves? Any way they could go missing without you noticing?

She shook her head. Maybe a piece here and there could go missing, but five buses? Not possible.

I nodded. That meant the buses were from outside the Horde, but there would still have needed to be Horde involvement with them getting through. The Horde specifically prohibited anyone from having an engine in their territory without their blessing. The idea of five armored buses passing without anyone taking notice possible, but not likely.

How many wives does the Khan have? I asked, deciding that if Brun was going to force me to talk I may as well get some questions answered.

Ten. Im his eleventh.

So eleven? I asked, confused.

No. Hes had fourteen, Im his eleventh. He has ten right now, and some concubines.

What happened to the other four?

The older wives dont talk about it much, but I know one was rad poisoning, another was killed by raiders, one left, and one was killed by him. Not sure why.

One left? I asked.

She nodded. She went back to her tribe. She was Kaijin and asked to be allowed to return to her people. The Khan allowed it, as long as she brought her tribe into compliance with the Horde. Ive met her. Scares the shit out of me.

I had more questions, but before I could answer I noticed someone approaching the house. He was short, and looked almost like a walking black smudge; he was covered in oil from the day's work. That him? I asked.

She nodded. Yep. Shifter.

I nodded. You can go now, Ive got this under control.

But-

Before she could argue, I hopped off the roof, leaving her there. It was a jump I could make without hurting myself, but would lead to a broken ankle for anyone else. She tossed up her hands and shook her head. I walked through alleys and back ways to get to Shifters house. I didnt want to draw too much attention until I had more information. Luckily, the sun was setting, and the streets clear.

I reached the front door and made two firm knocks, pulling my shotgun off my hip and standing slightly out of the door frame.

Shifter opened the door, and I shoved my shotgun in his face with one hand, grabbed him by the collar with the other and threw him inside, quickly closing the door behind me.

He started to yell, and I put the shotgun to his forehead.

Ill need you to talk, but lets keep the volume down. Think you can manage that?