Fall; or, Dodge in Hell - Neal Stephenson Page 0,300

magistrates from El, only strengthens my resolve to be rid of this place.”

Captain nodded. “We will see to it that you are left alone for a little while. After three days we will make no further efforts to protect Camp from the vengefulness of the dispossessed souls of Eltown; and then you may find that they too know about rocks.”

Walksfar sheathed the sword, plunging the clearing back into the normal light of day, which seemed now like twilight.

Captain issued commands to his Autochthons, who went out the gate and rode through those parts of Camp that lay outside the makeshift wall, seeing to it that the souls of Eltown left off sacking the cabins and withdrew to the river.

Captain backed his mount toward the gate, gazing down at Eve, who stood weeping freely between Cairn and Walksfar. It was apparent in Captain’s face and in his aura that he was deep in thought. He shook his head. “This state of affairs,” he said, “could hardly be more different from how El imagined it when I met with him in the Palace only a few short weeks ago and he sent me forth with my company to bring the affairs of Camp and of Eltown under control.” He turned his head to one side and lifted his gaze to the hill-giant in the distance. “And I refer only to the terrible events just witnessed here. That creature is a surprise of a whole different order.”

Eve had collected herself to a point where she could listen shrewdly. “Of Camp,” she repeated. “What said El of Camp, and how it was to be brought under control?”

“That several souls dwelled in it, most of whom were willful and strange, but only two who were of any great concern to him.”

“Adam and I,” said Eve.

“Yes.”

“Because of our ability to spawn more of our kind.”

“Indeed.”

“And what shall you say to El, when you make your report?” Eve asked.

“That Adam is no more,” said Captain.

“And that is all you will say?”

“Yes,” said Captain, “but soon enough he will know the truth.” He glanced down toward Eve’s belly.

“Then I thank you for sparing me, and for holding my secret in confidence,” said Eve.

Captain considered it, and shrugged. “It seems right,” he said. “It is not precisely what El wanted; but enthroned as he is in his Palace, viewing the Land from a high seat, he does not see its complexity. This Land was made wrong. All of his efforts to make it right only spread the wrongness about in new ways. It is left to souls like me to decide what to do about it; and though I cannot see all the answers, I can guess that adding more wrongness will not help matters.” And with that Captain made his mount turn around and rode out through the gate.

Assisted by Thunk and his band, the people of Camp bent their backs taking what useful things as could be removed from the cabins and preparing them to be carried on a long journey. Two days were spent in the preparations, which only seemed to grow more complex and fall farther behind the more effort was put into them; but on the third day they all formed up, staggering under back-loads, and looked to Walksfar for some indication as to which way to start walking. “There are many places we could go,” he said, “but I believe our simplest course for now might be to walk in the footsteps of that thing.” And he pointed north toward the hill-giant, who in the last day had made a long stride westward out of the river, and seemed to have an intention of climbing up out of the valley to see what lay beyond the mountains.

Down to the river they all went, and found it much wider than it had been yesterday, and brackish with salt from the distant sea.

47

Much of the time, watching Bitworld through the LVU was literally like watching grass grow. Eventually its souls might get around to inventing paint, and then spectators in Meatspace might also have the pleasure of watching it dry. And yet millions watched it anyway because there was just enough crazy to make it interesting.

Sort of like baseball. Corvallis Kawasaki had never been a fan of that sport despite—or perhaps because of—a youthful stint in Little League and efforts on the Japanese side of his family to interest him in it. On the South Asian side they had all been cricket maniacs, and so