Ogreness, Black Lake-book5

Chapter 26
~

Zug replied almost immediately to my text near midnight, so I called him back. Asked him why he wasn’t asleep.

“No sleep for me during these riots. Enjoy the peace ya’re experiencing in the valley while ya can. These idjits will eventually try to export their stupidity.”

I couldn’t help but smile. The Range doesn’t live under their constitution. No right to assemble unless ya have yar clan leader’s permission, and no idjit outside the clan would stand ten minutes wavin’ a sign before he was tossed in a paddy wagon. Well, prolly a cold cellar, until he promised to leave the Range without another word.

“They will come. Don’t be naïve,” Zug said.

I considered askin’ him who was naïve. I made a mental note to have a conversation with Doke about protests here. Maybe I’d drop him an email. I’m still not his favorite ogre, though he turned reasonably agreeable the past afternoon.

“Ya didn’t agree to sit on the committee,” I said. “But ya haven’t resigned from yar job.”

“That a question?” Zug asked.

“Thank ya for givin’ it some earnest consideration.”

“Maybe I’ve just been too busy to quit,” he said.

A tiny amount of relief crossed my shoulders. A bull can make himself un-busy really fast, by resignin’.

“Is it true?” he asked. “Ya gonna propose to the board that OI—”

Did he find it difficult to say?

“Restructurin’ isn’t a bad thing,” I said.

“Yar plan will actually expand ogre involvement throughout,” Zug said after an uncomfortable bit of silence. “Ya don’t think they’ll figure that out?”

“The footprint of Ogre Industries will cease to exist,” I said. “That’s the important thing.”

He asked why that was important, which surprised me. I assumed the council’s staff member who officially flew up North to recruit him would have stressed that.

“The goal is to stop thrustin’ our prevalent success in their faces.”

“How’s that?” he asked.

“Uh.” Wasn’t that obvious? “This effort too subtle for ya?”

My phone vibrated with his chuckle. “I’m seeing so much hostility—” His voice denied any humor. “The most benign is insulting to these malcontents.”

“Ah. Good word. We should use that often to describe them.”

“Fire with fire?” Zug asked.

“We’ll use fire, ice, stones, clubs, legal action, whatever it takes to make our people safe.”

“I finally sense a little emotion in yar voice,” he said.

What? That struck me odd. As it mingled in and around my brain cells, various events in my past re-played. A professor surprised I didn’t act the overly-emotional ogre. A boss, when I was an intern still in college, who expected me to blow up when my project was cancelled. The date who continued to give me side-glances after I got that speedin’ ticket—I didn’t spew one expletive. Go figger.

Really should have that DNA test done. No. I couldn’t have any daemon blood in me either. I’m too small.

“Hope that didn’t insult ya,” Zug mumbled.

“Enraged me,” I said.

My phone vibrated. After a moment he continued. “Clearly I haven’t done a great job here, so why do ya want me on that committee so badly?”

“Maybe ya would’ve done better, given the right support.”

A soft growl flowed over the phone. “Who says that—”

“I say. And if ya don’t get what ya need, I’m only a phone call away.”

“Hmm.”

I waited.

“Ya come up here for a visit and the first board meeting, and I’ll say yes.”

My stomach twisted a little. I hate goin’ up North.

~ Nuel ~

I half expected Darshee and Wizper were dragging me to Lew’s. It was a lot quieter here tonight. The hens ordered a pitcher of beer, which wasn’t gonna have any flavor whatsoever, after sipping that shine for the last hour. After that paint stripper, my taste buds were pretty much on vacation for the duration.

What might Ike be doing? The impression left this evening was that he and his papa had accomplished some things while they were off alone scheming. But the younger bull barely spoke the entire evening. Not that he’s much of a conversationalist on a good day.

If I didn’t know him to be as shallow as a spring puddle, I would have thought maybe he was moved by, whatever he and his papa discussed.

The elder was subdued too. The flirting, and constant underhanded compliments to Darshee and Wizper were even missing.

In all, it was rather depressing.

~