Yer sure about this?
Block turned from his rummagin and gave her a hard look. Dont ask me again Orphan. If yer goin out there to see about the Old Mans business Im gunna come with ya. Aint nowun handier with a blade round here save maybe you an I dont reckon you can suss this wun on yer own. Aint nuthin personal, this is gunna be my System and I gotta look after my peoples. Set the course Orphan and Ill be there and ready.
Yeah he were solid Block were. Hadda plan, an that was more than most.
Alright then. We’re headin West, to Maralinga. Gunna be Ghost country all the way, plenny of em out there these days, seemin like moren ever. We gunna be on the sand awhile, ya sure yer game?
Fucken cheek of ya Orphan. Told ya, just get us on the right line and Ill see ya there.
He smirked at her as he stuffed sum hard tack into his ruck and went back to his packing. She’d seen him dip into the locked chest an run his fingers through the ransom of brass and wax in there but he’d dropped the lid back down emptyhanded an she’d been glad. She looked down for the hundredth time at the map that was layin out over the desk. It were a pretty thing an each time she looked at it she still got that flyin over evrythin feeling. Werent no way she knew though but through dust.
44
Before
The System were changin, Block could feel it all around him. Them council fellas was takin over and them weak admen was scrapin an bendin to get summa the gold and food an protection they was promisin. Aint nowun but Karra ever seen them Ghosts what kilt the old healerman but the thought of em was bad enough and all over the System fellas goin missin and the cry of Ghost ringin out, an peeps bled out in their beds an it seemed like evry other day a scav werent comin back. Out there on the sand you could nearenough navigate by the bones of them what hadnt made it. There were no denyin the Ghosts was real and gettin more bold. Just sum happy luck that it all fit real nice with the bald bastards plans. Moren more of em was movin into the cinder digs an towers that sat astride the concrete cross in the middle of the System. The girl what had worked for the Old Man was missin too. Sum of his lads had seen her headin inta the tyre towers and rubbish heaps weeks before and nowun seen her since.
Block were scoutin, he’d enough young fellas an lasses standin with him now that it were time they had a place to gather an lay their heads an if anywun was askin they was just bandin together strong to stand against the Ghosts an fucken slavers. Block were layin plans he dint hope to never see the end of. Placin yungens here an there, workin em into the trades. Coupla cando men an he were sorry for em but it were gunna pay wun day. It were a hard game but there it were. Couldnt tell evrywun evrythin, hadta keep the long game movin on. Whatd them books say? Chess an checkers an all them good things. Yeah he got a soft heart for sum things gone he reckoned. Bigger worries on his mind now though. Needed digs for his lads. The rubbish heaps was too dangerous he reckoned, too many blind corners and places where a fella could get all filled in. Besides, them what lived there werent gunna take too kindly to him declarin himself lorda the dump. Nah, the Stacks was gunna be on his side when they saw he meant em no harm. He’d heard the rumours about them what lived there an he werent bothered so long as they wanted to live along with him an his. What he wanted was a place that were right out in the open, close to the Centre as he could find, sumwhere where what he was doin could carry on in plain sight. An what exactly was he doin? He’d puzzled on that wun for a long time but he figgered the answer he gave himself years ago was probly still right. He was gunna sit atop this pile and all his fellas with him and that were that. Make his own safe, close the blocks, and then send peeps out lookin for others. He’d read enough leaves an broken books to be near certain there was others out there, not just the nomads an scavs that roamed the flats an beyond. Was strange there werent never no messengers but itd been a long time from what he could figger. Maybe there was another System just past where the furthest Boundary rider stopped. It kept him up nights dreamin of that. If that werent true, what else was there? He moved though the late arvo crowds like handfulla sand just slippin and weavin through em, movin with the sweet science he’d been lernin from the papers, slip, jab, weave. Yeah them papers, and evry now and then a book, was what set him apart an he knew it. All these fools an followers dint realise ya dint need to make evry mistake yerself. Plenny fellas made em before ya an the good wuns writ it all down just to save ya the trouble. The sun was droppin an he realised he was in the shadows of the Stacks, he’d come out wanderin all the way on the West edge, hardly realisin where he was. Bludy daydreamin again. He hooked towards the centre an stopped up short, spyin a girl child an then coppin a better look. It were the Orphan, he were sure. Her hair was cut jagged and shorter but she were still the same knockkneed skinny kid he’d seen dragged in that day and sold to the Old Man. She was lopin with sum kinda bag slung over her shoulders, movin fast towards a narrow entrance to the heaps. There were sum kinda commotion and he saw her duck down real quick and reappear on the wrong side of a table, fingers flyin, snatchin up sumthin an then vanishin again. He was gunna have to be quick if he wanted to catch her but lucky quick were a speciality. He struck out, duckin and divin between fellas and just as she were slippin between two shacks he put his hand out an latched onto her shoulder. Stead a turnin she shrugged down and a real strong hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him off balance so he fell in the dust facedown. He’d got his arms out but he lay there a sec, more surprised than winded and he felt her step over him and the same hand thatd dropped him pulled his head up. Block werent waitin too much longer to see where this was goin and he bucked upwards, buttin his head up between her legs and then rollin fast to his feet, half out with the hook as he come to his feet. He came up facin her, a drawn bayonet half as tall as her wavin in his face, the point strayin from face to balls.
Ill fucken gut ya stay away. Open you up, back it up, back up.
She was hissin an spittin like a snake. He dint let his grip on the hook go loose but he let his face relax like he was soothin wun of the camels the scavs used, dropped his voice real low like he were talkin to a wild thing. Just wanna know if ya want sumthin to eat? Place to stay? Nuthin else.
He saw her size him up fore she spoke, blade steady.
I can sort meself.
Yeah I can see that. How long since the bald bastard put ya out?
Nunofyours.
Fair enough. But you aint used to this place. You come from the Glows straight to the oldfella and I can see ya dont know much about survivin in the System. You got lucky with them things ya nicked, I saw ya pinchin food and yer lucky there was a ruckus goin on or sum of them cando men woulda had yer hand or yer tongue.
She sniffed an spat, sizin him up.
That ruckus werent no accident.
He looked at her sharp, seein her fresh.
Not bad then, if yer bein true.
What was yer name again, Block werent it?
Yeah thats what they call me. Reckon you could use a little work with yer sticker though.
He gestured at the end of the bayonet that had started to drop. It came up again when he pointed at it and he made his voice calm an slow. I aint here ta hurt ya. I aint even here ta hustle ya Orphan. Like I told ya last time Im puttin together a crew for whatever storms comin and I reckon youd fit right in with us.
She kept the blade up an stared at him a real long time till he werent sure she’d heard him speak or what.
Dont go in much for fellas, or crews. Just wanna live on. Got sumthin to do, unnerstand.
Block thought about that. What about we do a trade then? Yer carryin that big knife round with ya and the best thing thats gunna happen from what I seen is that ya dont get stuck with yer own shiv. Mebbe I can teach ya ta move with it and how to make sure the pointy end is always pointin at the fella ya dont like and so it never ends up facin the wrong way. I can teach ya a few tricks on howta live out here an get by in the System. Special since things are changin on account a your old mate.
I wanna ship. I wanna scav.
His eyes widened an he dint speak for a bit.
Yer serious intya? Yer dead serious?
As the lash.
He whistled low. Why? Why you wanna go out there?
Nunofyours. Dontcha want them things Ill find though?
I might. But where you reckon Im gunna get a ship?
She shrugged. Take wun. Make wun. No nevermind. But Ill trade ya them things I bring back for yer help.
Not sure I trust ya. How do I know yer any kind of scav? Might take a ship an be gone.
I dint come askin you for nuthin.
Ya dint didja. Alright. Gunna need time to see about a ship. Dunno how long but I reckon I might be able to get wun together. Meantime why dont you get to scavvin if thats what yer keen on. I want them old things an if ya want me help yer gunna bring em to me. You dont gotta be part of my crew neither but ya come runnin when I call a favour. Whaddaya say Orphan? We got a deal then? Ship for trade. Nuthin to lose I reckon.
That bald bastard aint my mate.
Yeah I know, I figgered that wun all on me lonesum when he chucked ya out. So whaddaya reckon?
I reckon Ill come find ya.
She dropped the blade finally and slipped it back inta the scabbard what was nearly draggin on the ground. It looked funny till ya saw the look in her eye when she handled it.
See ya round Block.
She threw it over her shoulder and headed on down the alley till she slipped tween a gap in the wall to the side and were gone in the long shadows. Block stood watchin the spot where she disappeared and then shrugged to hisself. Strange kid he reckoned, sumthin not all there about that wun but same could be said of near evrywun he come across. Kept runnin across his path. Hadta remember though, were only the Block what he could rely on, only the Block gunna keep him alive.
45
Dark
Reckoner.
Blud.
You speak it, but it aint done.
It will be.
Reckon. Scorch them from the sand. Gather a clutch of yer brothers an be gone about our reckonin.
I will.
The olders favoured ya. Yer brothers favoured ya. Let it be done or spill yer own blud an let a reckoner come again.
I will.
You know the truth of it. Theys tainted the soak. Theys opened the hollow and pit. They carryin it with them now. Time growin short till old time come again.
46
Out on the sand there werent no excuses. Werent no hidin nuthin from each other, they shat and pissed an ate and slept next to each other. Cept she still aint mentioned the Reckoner to him and she dint know why. Well that was sorta a lie, she’d told him once but she dint want to tell him cos the Reckoner werent nuthin but the Ghost of all Ghosts and a scare tale what Karra used to tell her late at night in the shed to terrify her. Werent a kid that come up in the System in the last ten years that dint know tales of the Reckoner and there werent a wun of em that kept believin once they got growed. An Block, Block were more growed than most, special when it came to night terrors. Right now there werent no tellin anywho, they was in their ships, maybe thirty spans apart, enough to stay safe, ridin the same wind West. The sund come up quick behind em now but when theyd snuck outta Blocks place and left Cutter an Gus lookin after the rest of em itd been a dark moonless night in the System. Jus perfect for what they was doin in fact. Wet work Block called it but she dint know how he come about that kinda name, were nuthin but dry as far as she could tell. She’d led him out by the Silent Gates, them old tunnels in the rubbish heaps by the Stacks that sumwund dug way back when, an most of em had collapsed. Were only her an a few of the old wuns from the Stacks what remembered em these days and Karras blokesd never sussed em out. Coupla Blocks lads had dragged the ships out through the East gate fore settin short sail an meetin em up. Best they could do considerin, werent a perfect plan but best they could hope for was Karra wouldnt figger she’d gone for at least a coupla hours, maybe more and if dust was smilin on em he’d never even realise that Blockd gone at all. It were good to be back out on the plains though strange to be travellin the opposite direction to where she most often scavved and into the badlands where nowun ever headed. She guessed she knew why now, maybe sumthin to them old superstitions. It were hard to fathom that the old fellad never found the place but lookin around at the wide open space jus dotted here and there with tree and spinifex she figgered there were room enough to hide near anythin out here. That were probly why they come all the way out here to begin with, figgered theyd stash their secrets and their poison way out yonder where nowund ever think to look. Seemed like itd worked pretty good too. She had to keep remindin herself that there werent no System out here when them oldtime fellas had come out here to spread their shit on the wind. Back then this were jus a hole in the map, like them other maps in the System she’d known. Block was tackin left to avoid a gully up ahead an she dragged the sail over, pullin the wheels on their smooth bearings across the givin sand and into a new line, sittin near in the tracks of the Taipan. Block looked over his shoulder and threw her back a wave an she grinned. Near enough to as happy as she’d ever been she reckoned. Were real strange. Out here chasin down sumthin the old bloked been lookin for her whole life an now she were the wun what was gunna find it. She wondered if it were gunna look like sumthin bad, like if she could tell just by smellin it, like would it have a bad taste or a bad colour goin with it? Was the water gunna have a bad sound what sat in the breeze, waitin to poison evrythin? She dint know but there were sumthin about the clear air and seein Block leadin em out that made her glad for a minute. She skipped the Wide Open Road a few spans over again and pulled forwards, the patched fabric of the sail snappin as it took the pressure. Real good wind too she reckoned, got lucky there, dust was with em for now but dint she know how quick that could change. She caught a gust and it sent the Wide Open Road ahead of the Taipan an she glanced over at Block an saw him grinnin as he stared ahead, keepin his eye on safe passage like a good sailor. Like he never forgot a lesson given or taught. The sun were full up now an soon enough theyd stow em in the heat of the day an set up canopy for an hour or so, take a break in the heat, maybe hunt if there was anythin out here that dint need too much chasin. They was headin into badlands but how far did the poison spread? Was the animals out here full of it? Maybe theyd just stick to the tack, bully and water theyd brought from home. She dint know. Were a new world out here now. She kept her nose aimed West, the dust trail from the two ships stretchin back before it vanished in the breeze.
47
Before
She were a natural he reckoned. Had sum kinda extra sense what made her quick an strong an real hard to surprise. She were far an away the quickest lerner he’d ever seen. He was comin to lean on her more than he reckoned was good but part of him dint care too much. The System had changed alright but not quite in the way he’d figgered when the council started lookin after the protection as they called it. Things was tighter in sum ways but a whole heap looser in others, an things what mighta cost ya yer hand or yer tongue back in the day was gettin settled moren more often with gold. Block weren real sure how he felt about that. He dint miss usin the blade on the regular but the ciphers wasnt happnin quite as often an that meant sum real fat, slow fellas was risin to the top of the pile. Yeah it helped a whole lot to be lean an quick but these days it werent the only way to the top an he dint know right how to behave sumtimes when he come up against sum of these council fellas with deep pockets. Bein loyal, that were sumthin Block unnerstood. Bein sharp and bein hungry an fightin for yerself. He knew all about that. An so did the Orphan. But evry moon now fellas paid their tithes to the new council to keep em safe from the Ghost attacks inside the walls what still happened nowanthen. Paid fellas to man the walls an gate. It were the new way an spite there bein more food goin round an more hunters
an more scavs he dint know that he liked it. Funny how all roads led to the baldman too.
The Orphan had started headin out the Glow ways as well an he werent right sure how to take that. Month before she come back banged up an bleedin out the chest, sumthin collapsed on her when she was down deep an she’d been crushed under it a while. She come back with a handfulla small brass an paper though, turned it over to him, made her sum an then settled for another month while she healed up in the Stacks. Checked in on her skiff he was buildin. Liked to look at it. Told him to keep his eyes open for bearings an spars an fabric that werent rotted an he had to check his smile at her cheek. Plenny of peeps come tradin favours with the Block an he done as she asked an spent what she left with him on wrought iron an greased axles. She was callin it the Wide Open Road she reckoned, after sumthin she dug up in a spiral. Liked the way it sounded she said. He shook his head thinkin of her. Werent exactly chuffed with himself how often he caught himself doin same. Was what it was though. Mighta known her since she were a littlun but couldnt never keep nowun alive forever, dint need old readins to teach himself that.
Year of the Orphan Page 12