White Devil Mountain Read Free Page B

remarkable—his whole body was like a spring. And then the man let out another cry of surprise. By the time he’d resumed his stance, D was standing right in front of him. Dark eyes of impossible depth reflected the giant’s ruddy face. Their depth probably frightened the man.
    Usually, the giant would get in a few shots in rapid succession while drawing his opponent in for a hook and then a body blow—but he forgot all about his winning combination and just took a swing. Still, the man couldn’t find a hole in his opponent’s defenses, which would’ve been easy if he’d been up against an ordinary human.
    A hard slap reverberated. The man’s fist had stopped in midair. D’s left hand was wrapped around it.
    Cries of surprise rang out in the room. They only whipped the giant into a frenzy. Letting out an unintelligible cry, he struck to the left. Before his blow could connect, the giant was sailing through the air. Easily flying over the heads of the oohing patrons, he landed at the other end of the room, right in front of a door that led to the back. The saloon quaked.
    “Not bad at all,” Lilia said, her eyes agleam. “Slammed him headfirst, eh? He won’t be—” Her amused tone broke off there. “Apparently he will be okay after that.”
    Rubbing a neck as thick as a log, the giant used his other hand to lift his upper body from the floor. The way D had thrown him, it wouldn’t have been surprising if his neck had been broken. He was like toughness in a pair of pants. Giving just one shake of his head, the giant used his hand to easily lift himself from the floor. And the bumpkin wasn’t even shaking when he resumed his stance.
    “Caught me off-guard. Shouldn’t underestimate you just ’cause you’re a pretty boy. Okay, time for the real deal.” His drunkenness must’ve left him completely, because his face had a look of what some might term integrity as it twitched with murderous intent.
    “Oh, he means business,” Lilia said, a daring smile skimming across her lips. She was starting to enjoy this.
    The floor creaked. The giant had gone into motion. His unbelievably light footwork put looks of amazement into the eyes of the villagers that testified they’d never seen it before. He’d never had a need to show anyone until now.
    “Have at you!”
    Leaving only his words behind him, the giant glided to the right.
    Lilia’s eyes bulged in their sockets. The deadly battle resumed. And this time, it was for real. It wouldn’t stop until blood had been spilled.
    Just then, from the door to the back room a voice called out, “That’ll be all for now, Baska. We’ve got an urgent patient!”
    It was a cultured female voice. Everyone turned to look, and the giant—Baska—grimaced with regret.
    Standing in the doorway was a middle-aged woman in a long white coat. The face framed by her graying hair was surprisingly youthful and brimming with rationality. A decade earlier, she wouldn’t have been able to go anywhere without turning the head of every man.
    “Mr. Shova’s boy has a stomachache. The symptoms sound like appendicitis. Go get the wagon ready.”
    She sounded like a boss giving orders to an employee.
    Baska turned and said, “Hey, Doc, hate to tell you this, but I ain’t your freaking slave. No need to be talking to me like that in front of all these folks.”
    “And you can make all the bones you like about that after you’ve paid me back that five thousand dalas. Just how is it that a man whose gambling drove off his wife and kids, a man who had mobsters going after him for the money he borrowed, is living safe and sound now?”
    That one icy blow showed just how sharp she was.
    Quaking from head to toe, Baska fell silent. He was like an active volcano given human form. His anger bubbled like lava.
    “Sooner or later, he’s going to explode,” Lilia said, shrugging her shoulders.
    “Hurry up!” the woman he’d called “Doc” ordered, walking out into the room. The villagers