15
You done fucked up fella. You know the rules, you cant step inta the circle without spitten yerself and ya sure as shit cant save this wun if she fucks up.
Block idly wound the twine that led into his pocket around his finger and looked up at the lads in the circle. I dint know there was no rules in this place and I got this funny idea that if there was, Id be the wun maken em.
He looked over at the girl. Did she know what he was doin out here? What he was riskin bein out here himself? This was the kinda shit he left behind a long time ago and yet here he was, out here with the cutters in a circle full of cando men just waitin to solve all his problems for him. He hadta let her spit if she wanted to bargain and whatever the boys decided was the wager, well that was it. After that, he’d just see how things panned out. It werent the worst spot he’d found himself in but countin six boys around him and probably three serious if it came to it, it could end up pretty bad. Enough to spoil his good mood. Reputation was only gunna carry him so far. People passed in both directions round the hook but nowun was lookin too close at the little crowd. These things happened but nowun wanted to get too involved with the borrowers unless they really had to. The lads had shifted a bit at his last words but they was thinkin he was on the geeup. That it were all part of the hype, all part of the circle. Best to let em keep thinkin that he sposed. No harm yet. He hadnt seen the girl singsong in a while though and that was a worry. Rust came slow on the metal but quick on the tongue out here. It were all up in the air. It mighta been a while but it all felt real familiar to the Block, like comin along a track he’d walked a whole lotta times before. He settled in, restin back and waitin for the circle to start.
She looked at Block, leanin like he were ready to go to sleep. It were only her knowin him well enough that she saw how tight the string were wound on his finger. His eyes was nearly closed but she knew he werent missin a trick. The cando men, cando boys more like, he’d gathered was circled up, teeth bared like dogs. They was sniffin for a fight, lookin for her to drop a gaze, but she’d been in the circle plenny and before sum of thesed ever heard of it by the looks of their whole hands an clear faces.
Girl, girl, girl, you gunna get kilt in the circle.
The spiteful chant was startin but she cut into em quick not lettin em get their blud up.
By you fucken yungens? By you pups that aint dogs an never will be? Got sorrow for you fucken pups, got sighs an sand an morrows I aint never thought to see the sunup.
She spat on the ground at their feet. Saw a ghost of a smile on Blocks face. His eyes still mostly closed. The lads in front of her grinned even harder. Their first stepped right into her grill, his breath stank of smoke and empty stomach an she knew where he were from. Could see the colours in him, see the fears that choked him up when he werent frontin hard an even as he wrapped his mouth around a verse she could feel she had words he dint an that he knew it too. She spat fierce at him, cuttin him.
You see this, pup? Ash on my teeth, thats hunger. Nuthin in my belly, you nuthin but yungens, gunna feed on yer tongues, and dust take ya under. Heart? Wheres ya heart? I’ll take yer heart. Eat yer heart. Come from out the deep dark. Weak pups aint never seen what I seen, piss on yerselves, ya ever been where I been. Come with, come out the Glows with me, fucken cowards you aint never seen the walls from the sand, aint seen heart, aint got heart, aint seen dark.
She spat on the ground again, an the eyes opposite was scatterin, she were talkin about the sand, places theyd never been. They could come hard about the System but there werent nuthin theyd seen in here thatd come close to all her years out there sleepin in hulks, walkin through dead towns an dodgin Ghosts an beasts from the Glows an out the West. Come to that she were out of the narrows, from the Stacks, the back alleys an tyres an these candos come up in the Centre of the System such as it were. She let herself smile an she werent lookin at Block no more, dint care if he were there or not. This were her circle an she were singin it, spittin it fierce. The smiles on the lads faces was long gone and she were all teeth like wun of them dustborn dogs that loped the Boundaries.
She hadnt lost it, an she were smart he’d give her that anyday. Werent many who could stare down six lads and speak on em in the circle until they called it. She’d gone words for words with em till it were done an they’d kept their blades in their pockets an their tongues in their mouths. She were cocky but she werent stupid. Now they found themselves owin her stead of the other way round. Funny how things could flip like that in the circle. He walked out of the hook an up the cut, trailin her, chit in her hand an a promise of a ride from the lads. They was true, he’d say that for them. A wager was a wager an if they dint stick to that theyd have him to worry about first an the rest of the cornerboys an scavs not long after. Dint never pay to welch in the System. He watched the Orphans back and then she turned an threw him half a smile over her shoulder, her boots kickin up red dust in the arvo sun.
16
Before
It were like it werent even a touch dark no more. Whatever was goin on with her eyes had sorted itself good an she could see clear as day, maybe better. She could pick out detail in the thing, saw the yellowed tuskbone arced up from its jaw, the bristles an dark bludmatted fur as it huffed the night air again. She could smell it again, the rankness. Had the stink of blind corpses on it, blud an bone of the fresh dead. That werent a bad thing she figgered. Things what had full bellies was always less likely to tangle. Its grim little eyes dint seem to see much but it had her scent an it came closer, tastin the air with its snout, an she slowly unfolded herself from the ground, keepin the knife held in front. The beast were taller than her at the shoulder now it were close, an she couldnt right pick out what it were, even up close. She reckoned she knew whatd made the dings in the System wall though. She felt sumthin behind her an felt warm breath on her hand, a warm wet nose. She stayed dead still an the thing in front of her stepped to her on cleft hoof, part razorback maybe, she werent even sure. The wun behind her swung into view, even bigger than the first, an she were eye to eye with em both, the smell of death an murder waftin off em like sumthin burning. Teeth of stained ivory an blud. They was outta the West, she were certain. These were them things they talked about in the circles, the reason nowun never went that direction, the reason the sun went down that way. Evry day these things an others like em swallowed up the light only to cough it back up the next mornin. They huffed their snouts over her an sum feelin came back into her arms, the blade still held out stiff. The smaller of em got more curious an she felt the nip of teeth on her hand. She jerked it back sharp.
No!
They both started an she saw the big wun lower its head, droppin them tusks right down to where her guts was gunna come spillin from. She forced herself to take a slow breath and said it clear again.
No. Yer not takin no bites outta me. Im from here an yer not killin me tonight. Yer gunna back up an keep goin where yer goin.
They seemed to listen, small ears flickin and the big wun raised its head back up a little, weighin her up in its ancient black eyes. She looked back at it, not lettin go, her hand fixin to squeeze her pissy little blade in half. Werent gunna be any good if they came at her, small mercy it were gunna be over quick. They seemed to take sum quiet communion, sumthin passed between em an they snuffed at her again, markin her in their strange animal minds an then they both picked up hoof an circled her slow. She turned gentle with them, followin them as they walked round her twice, nose to tail, watchin her close. She stayed stuck to ground an then they took off slow, castin glances back at her as they headed westward, down track an gully, between the bluegrey scrub an towards the hills that was standin out to her even in the black of the night. She watched em until they was just specks an let her breath out in a great shout. Her eyes filled with water an she dint know why. Her heart had seemed stopped an now it were smashin at her ribs. She looked to the System an saw the fires of the Watch. Never seemed further away but she were glad they
were there. She let her legs fold under her an sat crosslegged in the cold sand.
When the sun rose proper she could still see sum of their tracks in the dust but then the wind came up an they were gone. She mighta imagined it but for the nip on her hand an the feelin like her heart was still gunna curl up an pack it in. The wall stayed on her left an she walked the circuit, dust coloured as the light went stark an the breath got took from her lungs in the heat of the day. A North wind blew, an then changed to gusts outta the West an she could smell the carrion of the beasts comin over long miles an still strikin her in the gut. She was gunna live through the day an the night, she knew it now, was gunna sit again in the Old Mans house an sweep the floors and count the stones an boil up the billy. She had eyes that could see in the deep night an had the pig mark on her. Werent nowun gunna believe her. Dint matter. She was out here breathin an they was in there chokin. She thought of Karra. That bald bastard werent gunna be too happy to see her. She still couldnt figger why the old fella had let her come out an walk the loop but sumthin was comin clear in her, sum kinda idea takin shape like a stranger walkin clean out of a dust storm. Outline shaping out the wall of red dust an fierce wind. So high it touched the top of the sky an came crashin back down on them like she dint know what. She was lernin, that was what she was doing. She was findin out the method an the murder of the sand. Orphan or not, she was takin her own shape. Left foot, right foot, she trekked the circuit, swung the cradle an walked the loop. She were outside the wall an all her own. She took in a breath that scorched her inside. Left foot, right foot.
17
Before
Look around Orphan. You know about Spirals dontcha, them big holes out there? An the country where they are, them round here call the Glows. Real flat country. No proper hills but theres sumthin else missin out here too. Ya know what it is? Me forgettin you lived out here a while dintcha? Birds is missin an the scrub, dunno if you can tell but it aint quite right. I been places where the stands of trees are so thick ya cant see the sky. Up North its a whole different country. Its been scorched an ya may as well cut yer own throat as drink the water but theres trees up there thatve figgered a way to thrive an theys growin. Monsters up that way too, dragons an such, but where was we? Birds. Yeah I know ya see em time to time but for a place with so much water there oughta be more around the System. I reckon its cos they can feel sumthin bad happened out here. The birds is a sign Orphan an if ya stop seein em altogether youll know yer gettin close. Close to what? Dont rush me yungen, all in good time.
18
Down the Glowholes it was real dark. Like not even a smile gunna show in them holes unless you had a little sumthin special like she did. Her legs ached. Them boys had been cool for the game right up until she’d told em the truth about how far out she were goin. Noway nohow an not even fear of the Block was gettin em further than seven sails into the sand. To the dusk thats how far theyd took her on their beatup lump of a skiff. Never tried nuthin funny on in the dark though, kept a tidy camp an hands to themselves. Wished her well an gave her sum extra water for the walk. Nah she’d worry about that when she got back. Theyd all been keepin their plans close an she couldnt blame em too much for bein afraid. It were bad country. No country for halfway crooks. Most scavs stopped long before here an even though she knew places where there were water it came hot from below an strange things grew an ate from the springs. Things that dint look like they come from anyplace she’d seen in the wild. The Ghosts drew pictures on the spiral walls of beasts that dint look like nuthin she’d hunted or ate. She knew they was sum of the great monsters that come from the deep, or used to, leastaways she hoped.
Quiet down in the dark though. Took moren a lamp for most fellas to get around and the funny thing was it started out real cold once you got outta the sun but it got warmer and warmer the deeper ya went. Plenny of guesses about that wun. Sum of the old wuns what had their funny ideas said you was gettin close to old Nick the badman. That he was down deep there roastin all the badfellas on the end of a stick. She dint believe nunna that shit. Them old fellas had sum real strange ideas talkin about a god with three heads and couldnt never be kilt or sum shit like that. Sounded real strange. She dint know why she started thinkin of that. Maybe just goin back into the dark made her leery but at the same time there was a tiny speck inside her that felt like it was comin home. Down deep in the dark she could close her eyes and see with her breath and her ears and it was better, quieter sumtimes, than bein up on top with all the babble round the System, all the noise. Down here nuthin but holes headin in all directions and the stuff what was left behind when it all went to shit. She closed her eyes and sat down in the cool dirt. There was prolly too much light here for it to work proper but she was gunna sit and breathe it all in until her eyes got used to it and she could see with evry little bit of herself. She sat and breathed and she felt the cool come on her and when she opened her eyes again she dint know how much time had gone by but her eyes could see far and clear in all directions and her ears picked up the clicks and whistles of the Ghosts, doin whatever it was they done down here all day and night. She felt the old anger come up inside her when she thought of Jon and her mum but today she dint have time to sit with that. It was like Block was sittin here with her even though he was all the way back in the System holdin shit down.
You get in and you get the Wide Open Road and you get out. You unnerstand? That aint no question, you bring that ship back. Unnerstand? You grab that ship and you take her out in the sun and you open up them sails and you dont stop for nuthin. No iron, no gold, no tools, no nuthin. Bring it home, Orphan. Unnerstand.
He spat into the dust. Now the others was gone he was the only wun what ever called her that. She dint mind. It were true werent it? Never hurt to know what you was. She’d had a funny feelin she wouldnt see none of the Reckoner on her trip out through the flatlands this time. Straight out, straight back, wide open road. Well, half of that was true right now. She only need follow her ears and eyes and all the rest and she’d dig out the ship and be back on the wind before they knew she was there. She walked on down the tunnel, followin the twists and turns and leanin back against the gentle slope. It was round here sumwhere. She could hear them funny sounds sum of the Ghosts made but they was far off. She knew plenny of folk back at the System whod be shittin themselves just bein anywhere near the Glows but it dint sit real heavy with her for sum reason. Even if they coped with the Glows and the dark and the cool and all the other strange things there werent nowun too happy to know about the Ghosts. Half of the bluds back there thought the Ghosts was made up or they was happy to pretend. Yeah true enough there werent many whod be alright to know they spoke sum kinda funny language that travelled in the dark real good. Moved like spiders in the murk, screeched an whistled an called, wrapped in odd bits of scrap and leather that looked like they was clothed but wasnt. They was wild but she knew they werent beasts. They was people she guessed. Or had been. Sum moren others. She couldnt explain that she dint get the terrors. Not that she werent afraid of em but she just dint mind the idea that they was out there too. Evrythin had to be sumwhere and they was here. And she was here. And sumwhere down this fucken hole was her ship. She backtracked a little, stayin close to the walls. Her eyes had gone fulldark now and it was like she was in a bright lit room. Hadta keep that wun close back at the System, dint want nowun knowin she had the brighteyes like sum outthedark thing. She veered into a side tunnel, tastin the air and gettin nuthin but cool metal. It smelled of neglect down here, long years of things quietly turnin to nuthin. She took her charcoal from her ruck an blacked her teeth again, feelin the ash in her mouth, tastin the fire. She felt it turn to paste an spat the rest gentle into her hand before wipin it on her face. Evrythin slow, evrythin quiet. She knew. There was doors built into the walls evry forty paces on the step, sum of em busted open but she’d been through most of em when she was down here last and it were only the wuns down deeper she hadnt had time to get to. She’d been down
here scavvin an doin the Old Mans business. Searchin for them secrets. Ways to make things right. She’d got more of the healer in him than he ever knew. Funny how she still thoughta the old bloke like that. Like an old man. Missed him she sposed. How long had it been? Them times outside the walls, all that talkin he’d done over brew after brew musta sunk in real deep and how long was it he been kilt? Too long she reckoned. An last time she’d been down here she’d gone too deep and too close and them Ghosts had known she was down here. She’d led em a mad chase all the way up top and out into the light where they dint like goin too much. Why had she taken the fucken ship down there? She knew it were because there was other scavs. Karras lads was often out the same tracks, pickin over the same piles. She’d had more than wun tussle with his boys over a brightnshiny. Sum she won sum she lost. But most of em was afraid, she knew. They was out here on Karras sayso and if they could get outta goin deep they always did. She dint know none who went as deep as her so they wasnt gunna get anywhere near the ship. Only problem was that neither was she if she dint keep her head on a swivel. Stay frosty. Like them fucken cando men was always sayin.
Year of the Orphan Page 6