The Book of Koli (Rampart Trilogy #1) - M. R. Carey Page 0,103

I seen his other hand right beside my face, with a band across it shining bright silver, and I knowed for sure.

37

“You give me a run for it, Koli,” Mardew said. “But I got you now. You stay down there, until I tell you to move, or it’ll go bad for you.”

He lifted himself up off of my back. He was still breathing hard, like he run a long way to catch me, though he must of been hid a fair while when I was in the house. Maybe it was not from running then, but from the fearfulness of the place. If it was that, I could understand it.

I understood something else too. It was Mardew who had been behind me on the road for most of the day, and then got ahead of me and had to turn around. He had come a long way to find me, and risked the forest by choice where I only done it out of having no other choice to make. Did he hate me so much then? I guess I did lay hands on him that time when he was fixing to shoot at Ursala. And I got him a beating when I lied to Catrin. It didn’t seem like so much, but for them as has vengeful natures a very little will do. I knowed in any case this wasn’t like to come out well for me, there being just the two of us here and nobody looking over his shoulder.

I was not much afraid though. I think it was on account of where we was, with the deadness of Ludden all around and all over us like a blanket. It seemed like me dying, or him dying, was a thing that couldn’t matter.

I sit up, slow as cold honey, and turned myself around to face him. He was standing over me with his cutter hand crossed over the other hand, taking tight aim.

“Whatever you do to me, Mardew,” I says, “you got to tell Rampart Fire and them all about this. They got to know that Ludden has been whelmed so they can decide what to do about it.”

He shaked his head like he had pure pity for me. “They already know, you damn fool,” he come back at me. “There’s not much that Ramparts don’t see. But there’s lots we don’t tell. Especially when it’s things that can’t be helped but would just only spread bad feeling.”

“Bad feeling?” I couldn’t make no sense out of that at all. This seemed like it was something that had got to be reported and talked about, and some decision made on what to do about it. “So what happened?” I asked him. “Where did everyone go?”

Mardew rolled his eyes and give a shrug. “How should I know? It happened years back. Maybe they had a bad Summer, or got too many drones coming down on them. Maybe they went to Half-Ax and got refuge there. It isn’t nothing that concerns you, Koli. It’s for Ramparts to worry about.”

I give it up then. An empty barrel makes a fine drum, but it ain’t never going to give out more than the one same sound. “All right then,” I says. “You got me, Mardew, just like you said. Now what do you mean to do with me? For I ain’t got nothing worth stealing.”

“Yeah, you do,” he says. “And you better give it when I ask for it or there’ll be more pieces of you than you can count. You ever seen meat when it’s been through a mincer, Koli?”

“Of course I seen it. Why? You got some there?”

“No, I don’t. But the cutter’s got a setting where it will do that to you. And I’m not even a bit shy about using it.”

“All right,” I said again. “Now what?”

He give a kind of a grin, or leastways bared his teeth. “Now you’re going to tell me how to work the music player,” he says.

I just stared at him, waiting for them words to make sense. I had all but forgot that there was one more quarrel between us that was maybe bigger than all the others. He wanted the DreamSleeve. Though he weared one of the most powerful pieces of tech in all Mythen Rood on his right hand, he was still greedy for more, and it sit badly with him that I got what he couldn’t have.

I laughed then. I couldn’t help it. It was not because it struck me funny