Dogchild

by Kevin Brooks

  The war is just the war, she said to me. Asking when it started is like asking when the sky began.

  But something must have started it, I said. There must have been a reason —

  Does the sky have a reason?

  I carried on asking my questions, trying to get some more realistic answers, but the longer I went on, the more vague and contradictory the Olders became. A thousand years ago became 50 years ago. The Long Walk was 200 miles, then 20 thousand miles. The Dau came from the other side of the world---they came from the sea, the moon, the stars. They used to be the same as us---theyve never been the same as us. Theyre not human, theyre alien, theyre Evils---monstrous beasts in human form---

  Stories.

  Myths.

  Madness.

  The truth, it seems, is all gone. Destroyed, rotted, turned to dust. Lost for ever.

  The past, our history, is dead.

  And as I sit here now, in the dead silence of the night, I wonder if it matters. Whatever the truth is about how we came to be here – and how things used to be – nothing can change it. Reasons dont change reality. We are here. This is what we have. This is our world. And perhaps Crukes right to think that all that matters is now.

  And maybe tomorrow.

  Tomorrow---

  Ime seeing Chola Se tomorrow. Shese coming here, tomorrow night. Shese coming to my house---

  Ile have to clean the place up a bit.

  Maybe make us something to eat.

  Maybe---

  Tomorrow.

  I was woken the next morning by the sound of the town bell ringing. It wasnt the rapid clanging of the alarm bell, it was the slower and steadier ringing of the assembly call, but assemblies are usually called at midday, not first thing in the morning, so there was clearly something out of the ordinary going on.

  Assemblies are held in the Quarterhouse Square, and as I left my house and joined everyone else heading along the streets towards the center of town, I saw Starry hobbling along ahead of me. I caught up with him and asked if he knew what was happening.

  He shook his head. No one seems to know anything.

  The Square was already quite busy when we got there, and as we made our way through the milling crowds, I could feel the tension and uncertainty in the air – muttering voices, worried looks, uneasiness and confusion. The bell had stopped ringing now, and everyone was looking towards the Quarterhouse, waiting for Gun Sur to come out and speak.

  The Quarterhouse is Gun Surs headquarters. Its a 4-story whitestone building, with a belltower on top and a broad flight of steps leading up to the entrance, and its guarded 24 hours a day. All the windows have iron bars and metal shutters, and the heavy wooden doors are secured with locks and bolts. As Starry and I stopped near the front of the crowd, I could see that the main door was already open, and the 2 armed guards either side of it seemed even more vigilant than usual. A table and chair had been set up at the foot of the stone steps, and as I glanced at Starry I saw him peering thoughtfully at the table, trying to work out what it was for. I was about to ask him if he had any ideas when the murmuring crowd suddenly hushed, and as I looked up at the Quarterhouse I saw Gun Sur coming out through the open door. He was flanked by 2 Fighters, and behind him I could see 3 Councillors and Captain Kite. As Gun Sur moved to the top of the steps, one of the Councillors – a bearded Older called Ghauri – edged past him, went down the steps, and sat at the table.

  Gun Sur just stood there for a few moments looking out over the assembled crowd. He was dressed as he always was – black robe, black skullcap, black boots. He carried a silver-handled sword in a scabbard on the right side of his belt, a 9mm Glock automatic in a holster on the left, and a long dagger in his right boot.

  When he began to speak, his voice was strong and loud enough to carry across the Square, but at the same time it had a quiet calmness to it that somehow gave it an added sense of authority.

  At some point during the night, he announced, our defenses were breached and our town came under attack.

  Gasps of surprise came from the crowd, followed by a rising murmur of worried voices. Gun Sur held up his hand and the voices went quiet.

  As yet, he continued, we dont know exactly when the raid took place or how the attackers got in, and we cant say for sure who they were. Weare working on the assumption they were Dau, but we cant rule out the possibility that the Wild Ones have returned.

  Gun Sur paused for a moment, lowering his head in thought, then looked up again and carried on.

  The only thing we know for certain is that during the attack 2 of our people were killed and 3 more are missing, presumably taken by the raiders. The 2 fatalities are Aliaj and Berch, and 2 of those missing are the twin babies that Aliaj was raising following the death of her sister. The third missing victim is Chola Se.

  At the sound of her name, everything inside me suddenly went numb, and for a few moments I couldnt seem to make sense of anything. Chola Se couldnt be missing---Ide seen her only yesterday ---wede talked to each other---she was coming round to my house that night---

  She couldnt be missing.

  Not now---

  It wasnt right. It couldnt be---

  But I knew that it was. I might not want to believe it, but the gnawing ache in my belly and the coldness in my heart knew the truth.

  Gun Sur was still talking. His voice had become meaningless to me in the last few seconds – just a hollow drone somewhere in the distance – but now that my initial numbness was fading, and my senses were beginning to come back to me, I knew that I had to listen to him. So I refocused my mind and concentrated on what he was saying.

  ---and if anyone saw or heard anything at all last night, no matter how insignificant you think it might be, its essential that you report it to Ghauri.

  Gun Sur glanced down at the table where the old man was sitting, then looked back at the crowd again.

  Ghauri, or another Councillor, will be available throughout the day – and all day tomorrow if necessary – so even if you dont remember anything right now, but something comes to you later, you can still report it immediately. Meanwhile I want everyone to start looking for answers. We have to find out how and where our defenses were breached, and its vital that we find out as soon as possible to protect ourselves from another attack. So I want people checking every inch of the wall. I want people scouring the beach and the cliffs. And I want anyone with tracking skills to make yourselves known to one of the Fighter Captains so we can start making a search of the area around the homes of the victims.

  Gun Sur waited a few moments, gazing sternly around the Square, making sure he had everyones attention. And then, with a cold determination to his voice, he said, All right, lets get to work.

  Everyone started bustling around – some heading over to Ghauri, others seeking out one of the Fighter Captains to offer their services as trackers, while the rest began organizing themselves into search parties. As Starry went off to join one of the search parties, I made my way over to the foot of the steps where a group of volunteer trackers were gathering around Captain Luca. Most of them were reasonably skilled trackers in human terms, but none of them could track like a dog. I was raised to hunt. I can read the stories of tracks and signs that humans cant even see. And I needed to know the story of what had happened to Chola Se. Ide never needed to know anything so much in my life.

  But just as I was approaching Luca and the trackers, and before I had a chance to say anything, I heard someone calling my name. The voice came from the top of the steps, and when I looked up I saw Gun Sur staring down at me.

  Come, Jeet, he said, beckoning me towards him. We need to talk.

  I hesitated for a moment, torn between my instinctive reaction to obey Gun Sur and my overriding desire to get to Chola Ses house as soon as possible.

  Did you hear me? Gun Sur said, his voice edged with hardness.

  I knew I had no choice. If I disobeyed him and started heading off to Chola Ses house on my own, hede simply order his
Fighters to come after me and bring me back, and then Ide have to apologize and explain myself, which would only delay things even more.

  So I took a deep breath to calm myself, nodded dutifully at Gun Sur, and started climbing the steps towards him.

  Until a few days ago, Ide never even seen Gun Surs private office, let alone been in it, but now here I was again, back in the room where Ide been ordered to write this account, back in the Marshals presence again.

  His office is a large room on the first floor of the building. The door is always guarded by a heavily armed Fighter, and the windows are protected with bars and steel shutters on both sides. Apart from a massive oak table near the far wall, and other smaller tables and chairs dotted around the room, the room is mostly bare. No ornaments, no personal touches, nothing without purpose.

  Gun Sur was sitting at the oak table when I was shown into the room, and Deputy Pilgrim was leaning against the wall by one of the windows, casually resting his foot on a chair. He didnt say anything to me when I glanced at him, he just stared back at me without even the hint of a greeting, but that didnt surprise me. Pilgrims a very capable man – an exFighter Captain, revered for his courage and loyalty, and according to Starry a highly intelligent and innovative thinker – but theres a coldness to him that sets him apart from others.

  Hese quite a lot younger than Gun Sur – in his midtwenties, Ide guess – and he has a very distinctive appearance. Weather-worn skin, hard and leathery, deepset dark eyes, a beaklike nose, and a full black mustache. He wears a battered black hat with a wide brim, a leather singlet over his bare chest, and black trousers tucked into kneehigh heeled boots. Hese fairly short, and most people assume that he wears the heeled boots to make him look taller, but Starrys convinced that the real reason he wears them is that hese obsessed with an ancient race of gunfighting warriors called Cowboys.

  An old friend of mine knows a woman who stayed with Pilgrim one night, Starry had told me once. And she said his walls are covered in faded scraps of pictures of Cowboys torn from the remains of old books, and he even has an almost complete storybook about them which hese read so many times he knows it by heart. Thats why he wears those clothes – the heeled boots, the hat and the vest – and that gunbelt too. He thinks they make him look like a Cowboy.

  Pilgrim carries matching Colt 45s in lowslung holsters tied at the leg. He also carries a silver-gripped hunting dagger in a boot sheath, and he never goes anywhere without his prized MP40 submachine gun, which that morning was leaning against the wall beside him.

  Sit down, Jeet, Gun Sur said as I entered the room.

  I went over to the table and sat down opposite him.

  Ime sorry I didnt come to you immediately just now, I said. I didnt mean any disrespect. I was just —

  No matter, he said. Youre here now.

  He looked down at the table for a second, then raised his eyes again.

  Hows the account proceeding? he asked.

  Fine.

  No problems?

  No.

  Good. I heard youve been speaking to some of the Olders.

  I nodded. I was trying to find out about our past.

  Did they tell you what you wanted to know?

  Well---they did their best.

  He almost smiled, just a brief twitch of his mouth. Come and see me sometime when things have settled down a bit, he said. I know a little of our past.

  That would be good, thank you.

  He turned and gazed out of the window. The shutters were open, and I could hear the hustle and bustle from the Square below as the townspeople headed off to begin searching the town. The sound of their footsteps and voices fading into the distance was a stark reminder that while they were out there trying to find out what had happened, I was stuck in here, sitting at a table, doing nothing.

  How well do you know Chola Se? Gun Sur said, turning back to me.

  The question took me by surprise, and I couldnt help showing it.

  What do you mean? I said, staring at him.

  Its a simple enough question. How well do you know her?

  I shook my head. I hardly know her at all.

  You were seen talking to her yesterday.

  I was beginning to feel uneasy now. Gun Sur had already told me that he knew Ide been speaking to the Olders, and now he was telling me that he knew Ide been talking to Chola Se. What else did he know about me? I wondered. And why was he asking me about Chola Se anyway? Was it something to do with her disappearance, or was he just trying to find out if I was guilty of ignoring everything Ide been told during my rehumanization about mixing with other dogchilds? Whatever his reason for asking, I decided that the best course of action was to simply tell the truth.

  Ive never spoken to Chola Se before yesterday, I told him. I was on my way to see the Olders and I bumped into her as I turned a corner. I dropped my writing book, and when I picked it up she asked me what it was.

  Did you tell her?

  No.

  What happened then?

  Nothing. I apologized for bumping into her, and asked her if she was all right. She said she was fine. And that was it. She carried on to wherever she was going, and I headed off to see the Olders.

  As Gun Sur sat there, thoughtfully nodding his head again, I wondered why I wasnt being as honest with him as Ide meant to be. I hadnt intended to hide the fact that Ide arranged to meet Chola Se, and although I knew that Gun Sur wouldnt approve of it, I doubted if hede actually punish me. Mixing with other dogchilds might be socially unacceptable, but it isnt against the law. The worst Ide get for admitting to it was a stern rebuke and a reminder of what was expected of me as a human.

  So why was I hiding it from Gun Sur?

  I honestly didnt know.

  Have you any idea why Chola Se might have been taken? he asked me.

  I shrugged. Shese a young female. The Dau need young females as much as we do.

  Any other possible reason?

  Not that I can think of.

  Do you have any thoughts about the attack?

  What do you mean?

  Does anything strike you as unusual about it?

  I was about to say no when something suddenly dawned on me.

  The towndogs, I said.

  What about them?

  Why didnt they make any noise?

  I couldnt believe I hadnt thought of it before. Although Gun Sur hadnt actually said that the dogs hadnt raised the alarm, it was obvious from the fact that no one knew anything about the raid that they hadnt. And I knew they hadnt anyway, because I would have heard them. Even if Ide been sound asleep, and even if only 1 or 2 of them had barked from the far side of town, and for only a very short time---I would have heard them.

  Why do you think the dogs didnt bark? Gun Sur asked me.

  I gave this some thought before answering – not just to make sure that Ide considered everything, but also to make sure that I was comfortable sharing it all with Gun Sur.

  There are only 3 possible reasons why the dogs didnt bark, I told him eventually. Firstly, there wasnt an attack at all, and Aliaj and Berch were either killed by one of us or they killed themselves.

  Their throats were cut, Gun Sur said.

  Okay, so they didnt kill themselves.

  But if they were killed by one of our people, Gun Sur said thoughtfully, or more than one---whats happened to Chola Se and the babies?

  I dont know.

  Theres an obvious possibility though, isnt there?

  I knew what he meant, I just didnt want to say it. But I knew that if I didnt, he would. And I didnt want to hear it from him.

  Chola Se could have taken the babies, I said, emphasizing the word could. She could have killed Aliaj and Berch, taken the babies, and somehow left town---but she didnt. I know she didnt.

  How do you know?

  I just do.

  How can you be so sure? You said yourself that you hardly know her —

  Shese a dogchild, I said, looking him in the eye. We know each
other in ways you wouldnt understand.

  Really?

  He held my gaze, staring deep into my eyes, searching for the truth. And I just sat there in silence and let him see it.

  All right, he said after a while, lets leave that for now. You said there were 3 possible reasons the dogs didnt bark. Whats the second?

  They wouldnt have made any noise if they either knew the attackers, or if the attackers were with someone they knew.

  Which would mean we have a traitor in our midst.

  I nodded.

  And the third reason?

  The raiders had someone like me with them.

  A dogchild?

  Not necessarily.

  I dont understand.

  Someone with the ability to keep dogs quiet.

  Gun Sur leaned forward in his chair, his eyes fixed on mine. Are you telling me that you can do that? You can silence dogs?

  Yes.

  Can other dogchilds do it?

  I dont know. Ive never witnessed another one doing it, but that doesnt mean they cant. And the Dau might have those who can do it.

  But youve never actually met another dogchild, or anyone else, who can do what you can do?

  Not to my knowledge, no.

  How do you do it? he said.

  When I didnt answer immediately, he leaned across the table towards me, staring intensely into my eyes.

  Ime not just asking out of idle curiosity, Jeet, he said, speaking softly. And Ime not accusing you of anything either. I know you didnt have anything to do with the raid. You wouldnt have told me about this ability of yours if you did. But what youve just told me could be of great importance. It could help us find out what happened. And if Chola Se and the babies are still alive, it could help us to get them back. And it might even come to play a part in our very survival.

  He waited a few seconds to let that sink in, his eyes never leaving mine, then he leaned in a little closer and spoke again, this time almost whispering.

  I need to know what you can do, Jeet. I need to know if you can help us.

  Ive never spoken about this ability of mine before, not even to Starry, and as Gun Sur leaned back in his chair and I began trying to explain it, I wasnt at all sure that I was doing the right thing. I knew why I was doing it – because Gun Sur had told me it might help Chola Se – but I also knew that he could be lying. I didnt trust him for a moment, and I trusted Pilgrim even less, but if there was any chance at all that by opening myself up I might find out what happened to Chola Se---