The Story of Samo-Chapter One, Part Eight
After about ten minutes of driving, Samo turned down a street to find a large crowd blocking the way. The crowd, which was more like a small mob, was shouting at a very-harried shopkeeper, who was looking out from behind barred windows. Samo frowned and slowly moved their wagon closer to the crowd. A few people shouted as they moved out of his way, but Samo was forced to grind the wagon to a halt when the crowd began refusing to move.
Kia said, “Maybe we should back up and go another way.”
“Back up?” Samo looked at him. He said, “That’s a great idea! I need to remember to add something to do that.”
Kia smacked his forehead and groaned. He looked over to the shopkeeper, who was staring out from behind a display of apparently very expensive books. “We’re going to be here all day.”
“No we’re not,” Samo said. He jumped down out of the wagon and started pushing his way through the crowd. A few people shouted at him, both as they were being shoved and from a distance.
One man, standing a head above everyone else, shouted, “Hey, Samo! Aren’t you afraid the cops are going to find you?” He gave a loud, harsh laugh and said, “They’re kind of hard on murderers!”
Samo chuckled and shouted back at the man, “Lora, aren’t you afraid the chief surgeon is going to find you? He’s kind of hard on truants!”
The man gave a hard grimace and started moving through the crowd. Samo ignored him and moved to the store window. He knocked on the glass, causing the shopkeeper to look at him with a start. The man look out at him from under bushes of eyebrow with wide, fearful eyes. His mustache, even bushier, made Samo think of some kind of fluffy beaver.
He said, “Hey, Tansu. What’s up? Can I come in?”
“Make them go away, please. I can’t open the door. They’ll kill me.” The man’s voice quavered as he spoke, his thick accent making him even harder to understand.
Samo leaned against the wall. He said, “Tansu, Tansu. What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything-”
“Liar!” Lora, pounded his fist on the heavy glass behind the bars and shouted, “You know what you did!”
Samo stepped back. Both Kia and Kiarahad stepped down from the wagon and waded through the crowd. Samo said, “Okay, why don’t you tell me why I’m not able to go in a buy something.”
Lora loomed over him and said, “I don’t have to explain myself to you, murderer.”
Samo grimaced. Kia shouted and reached for him as Samo lunged at Lora. His hand brushed against Samo’s shoulder, not even slowing him as the he jumped up and grabbed Lora by the collar. Coming down, Samo turned Lora so that his back slammed against the iron bars on the window. He said, “I am not a murderer! Don’t you ever call me that again!” He shook him by the collar. Kia pushed a few people back, mostly to stop Samo from getting crushed by the crowd. Lora looked to the crowd for help, but they all simply watched, their curiosity detracting from their previous rage.
Samo said, “Now, you will tell me what you think Mr. Tansu did.”
Lora said, “I don’t have to tell you-”
“Tell me! You grave-robbing, backwater thug, tell me!” Samo shook him, sending the man, who was twice his weight, against the wall again.
“Those books he’s selling. He has books written by the Inventors Order.”
“What?” Samo released him, dropping Lora to the ground. “You mean the texts written by Sarenti Dacule?”
Standing, Lora brushed himself off. He said, “Yeah, you know, the one that nearly destroyed the world!”
“Sweet!” Samo banged on the door and said, “Tansu, let me in. I’ll take them off your hands.” As the shopkeeper shuffled to the door and unlocked it, Lora loomed over Samo and set his hand on the door post. He said, “Wait, you’re a member of the Inventors?”
“Of course I am. You didn’t know that?” Samo stepped into the door and pulled Kiara with him. He said, “Also, I recall reading that it was Creas that nearly destroyed the world in the Inventor’s War. You know, sorcery tends to do that.” Dragging Kiara into the shop, he closed the door behind him.
She said, “Um, Kia’s still outside.”
Samo said, “He is? Oh. He’ll be fine. Angry mobs haven’t killed anyone in years.”
Tales of the Inventor's War 