A Little Hatred (The Age of Madness #1) - Joe Abercrombie Page 0,59

stuck her fists in Leo’s face and pushed a finger up for each point. ‘I’ve been starved, slapped, pissed on, shot at, chased by dogs, threatened with being fucked by a pig, slept under a hanged man, near fell down a gorge, killed a boy and shat myself, so, you know,’ and she shrugged, head falling to one side and her shoulders right up around her ears, ‘I’m hoping next week’ll be easier going, let’s say that.’

‘Sounds … trying.’ He hardly knew what she was talking about, but he liked hearing her talk. ‘It’s good to see you again.’ He meant it. They’d been close once. As close as you could be, with someone as strange as she’d been.

‘You remember the first time we met?’ she asked.

Leo winced. ‘Hard to forget.’

‘You mocked my twitching and my foolish hair and my unusual way.’

‘Eager to prove myself in front of the boys.’

She nodded towards Glaward, who was sitting on the hillside rubbing at his twisted ankle. ‘Some things never change.’

‘If it helps, I’m not proud of it.’

‘It helped when I knocked you down and sat on you.’

Leo’s turn to scratch at the back of his head. ‘Your defeats teach you more than your victories, I hear. And you were half a head taller than me.’ He drew himself up, looking down at her from as far above now as she’d looked down on him then. ‘Doubt you’d try it now.’

‘Oh, I don’t know.’ She reached out and wiped the blood from his top lip with her thumb. Maybe her eye twitched. Or maybe she winked right at him. ‘I might be persuaded.’

‘Better’n being fucked by a pig, I reckon,’ said Isern-i-Phail, grunting softly as she lifted her bandaged leg from the fence and turned hobbling away. ‘I need to steer this leaky skiff back to her father before she drifts off course again. I gave my word!’

‘I am in much demand.’ Rikke backed away, gave a bow that left one hand brushing the turf, then slipped up onto the rail of the fence. ‘See you later, little Leo.’ And she swung her boots over it and swaggered off, leaving Leo staring after her.

‘My, my, my.’ Antaup had appeared, as he often did when women were around, sucking air through pursed lips as he watched Rikke go. ‘Who’s the beauty with the ring through her nose?’

‘Three mys?’ murmured Jurand, drily. ‘Virtually a proposal of marriage.’

‘That,’ said Leo, ‘was Rikke.’

‘The Dogman’s missing daughter?’

‘We used to be close when I was in Uffrith. She’s … grown.’

‘In all the right places,’ said Antaup. ‘Those eyes, though.’

‘Don’t they say she can see the future?’ asked Jurand, looking less than convinced.

Barniva’s whisper was full of laughter in Leo’s ear. ‘I’ve a suspicion she sees your cock in it.’

Jurand turned away, shaking his head. ‘For pity’s sake …’ He was a great friend, and damned clever, but he could be a hell of a prude.

‘Careful.’ Leo threw his arm around Barniva’s neck and pulled him into a headlock. ‘I might have to make you eat the hillside next.’

‘Well, if you’d rather wrestle …’ Antaup licked his finger and thumb and gave that loose curl at the front of his hair a little tweak. ‘It’d be a shame to leave such a promising field unploughed …’

It was then Leo made up his mind that he was interested. Antaup knew all about women. If he was impressed, everyone would be.

‘Keep your plough to yourself.’ He caught Antaup with his free arm and dragged him into the good-natured tussle, giving Rikke’s backside the same sort of hungry grin his friends were giving it. ‘And stay off my land.’

Questions

She thought Tallow was in the room on her left. She’d recognised his voice burbling through the wall, and even if she couldn’t hear the words, she could hear the fear. Grise was on her right. Vick had heard her screaming insults. Then just screaming. No questions yet, though. Softening her up. Vick wondered how soft she was, now.

Strange how quick you lose track of time when you can’t see the sky. Just the windowless white room, too brightly lit, and the table with two chairs and three bloodstains, and the door. Was it hours since they were caught, or days? She might’ve dozed a while. Jerked awake with the sweat cold on her bare skin to hear someone begging in the corridor outside. But the door had stayed closed. They’d stripped her, and chained her to the chair, and left her there, gradually