Cruel Zinc Melodies

70

Next thing I heard was ‘‘Mom? Are you all right? What happened?’’

And, right there, right in front of me, closer than the stormy-browed pyrotechnical redhead, were most of my least favorite teenagers. The backbone of the Faction, including Kevans and Kip Prose. I couldn’t tell immediately which of the others were connected with the visitors.

Excitement across the street told me that the escape of the Bellman rated beside the end of the world with Link Dierber, who showed no interest in the kids at all. Schnook Avery, on the other hand, wasn’t much invested. He was talking to the kid they called Slump.

Somebody mentioned Felhske in conjunction with a failure to locate the Bellman. But that sounded like something that had happened years ago.

Odd juxtapositions arise because people with special skills are so uncommon. I needed an under the table necromancer? How many were there likely to be? Why would he be in hiding? Given his calling, Belle’s reason would be a desire not to be found by someone off the Hill. So this would be a less fierce coincidence than it appeared at first glance.

I wondered what Belle had done to make Link Dierber go all bubbly when they ran into one another again.

What would Deal Relway think? Might be interesting to find that out, too.

Relway was likely to know the real story.

‘‘Young Mr. Prose. So not good to see you. Your timing is impeccably awful. See the freaks squabbling over there? You do? You know them? Kevans’ mom brought them. To see what the Faction accomplished here.’’

Kip Prose had been through a previous quarrel with smack-you-in-the-mouth reality, as a more central player. He had one set of toes stained by a dip into the real world. He knew he wasn’t invulnerable, immortal, or immune from the humors of beasts like Link Dierber, Schnook Avery, and whoever the rest of those people were.

Meanwhile, Kevans whined because somebody had gotten into their clubhouse and wrecked it. She had no idea of the real situation. None of the youngsters understood the impact they had had because of what they had been doing. They were playing around. The world saw the foundations of civilization shifting.

And everybody exaggerated.

‘‘Kip, go inside, cut through, go out one of the back doors, then haul ass to my house. Take your friends. Stay there till the grown-ups sort things out.’’

‘‘I can’t. . . . I have a date with Kyra to go three-wheeling.’’

‘‘Kip! Kid. You aren’t listening. Look over there. With Slump. Those two doing all the fussing. The stubby one is Link Dierber. Even you have to know that name. The long, tall mortician is Schnook Avery.’’ That pair were famous for their devotion to torture, to cruelty as personal amusement. They used their real names and didn’t care if everyone knew them. They considered themselves their own law.

Director Relway would have them on a special list.

‘‘The fat woman must be Shadowslinger. She kills people, eats them, and enslaves their spirits. The only one of this whole mob likely to give a rat’s ass about you is Kevans’ mom. And I wouldn’t bet a wooden Venageti denario on her.’’

‘‘Uh . . . you’re wrong, Mr. Garrett. I know all of them. I’ve been to all of their houses. They aren’t any different than my mom.’’

‘‘Just go, will you?’’

‘‘But—’’

‘‘Kip! Shadowslinger is checking us out. Getting interested.’’

And still he didn’t want to listen.

His friends were even less inclined. They hadn’t listened at all. They saw no need to be afraid.

Furious Tide of Light backed me up. ‘‘Kevans, Kip, do what the man says, please.’’ Over the youngsters, to me, she said, ‘‘It could be that I miscalculated when I brought the other parents. But I couldn’t know that we’d run into that man, could I? Kevans. Sweetheart. Seriously. Do go, just so I feel more comfortable.’’

And still the girl wanted to argue. Of course.

And yet, so many do survive to become disgruntled old farts like me.

I had, for sure, begun to understand Medford Shale, my crabby antique of an only living relative.

Scary.

Life was turning around on me, big time.

Shadowslinger started toward the World.

‘‘Get your ass movingnow !’’ I told Kip. Adding a hearty slap upside the head.

You do have to get their attention.

I asked the Windwalker, ‘‘Who comes with this one?’’

‘‘Hard to imagine her as a parent?’’

‘‘Yes.’’

‘‘She’s actually the grandmother. Of Strake Welco. The kids call him Smokeman. And she isn’t a tenth as bad as the stories claim. I’m pretty sure she’s never actually eaten anyone.’’

‘‘Smokeman? I haven’t run into that one.’’

From a little bit of over yonder a disgruntled Miss Tate watched me and my hazel-eyed friend. I felt her nurturing her need to have Malsquando do some explaining.

Furious Tide of Light said, ‘‘This is the last time I’m going to tell you, Kevans.’’ In the tone that tells a kid there ain’t gonna be no more slack cut. Doom is a-comin’ to town.

Kip and Kevans banged into each other getting through the doorway into the World. Two others—Teddy and Mutter—decided to keep up. They were embarrassed instead of afraid. I got no chance to work out which freakish adults were embarrassing them.

Shadowslinger kept gathering speed. I asked the Windwalker, ‘‘How did those people get down here? Two of them can hardly move.’’

‘‘Coaches. In her case, a purpose-built wagon with the body low-slung between the wheel sets.’’

‘‘Are you all right now?’’ I’d been amazed how light she was.

‘‘I’m recovered. I had a dizzy spell.’’ She didn’t want to rehash. She picked up the silver hat pin Tinnie had taken away from Heather. ‘‘This might be useful.’’ As an afterthought, she said, ‘‘Thank you for not leaving me.’’

‘‘You’re welcome.’’

The owner-operator of the hat pin was being harried into the coach that Alyx used, twenty yards east of where Dierber and Avery were burning out on blame-gaming the Bellman’s escape.

The workmen who had fled had collected in two locations, each about a hundred feet from the door. The inside guys were with Luther, to the west. The outside guys were to the east, out beyond the Weider coach. They missed no opportunity to get some joy out of that.

Tinnie, especially, suffered a plague of eye tracks, top to bottom, and lingering. She definitely didn’t want to leave while I was stuck back by the door, within snatching range of an intriguing, exotic woman. She stopped fifteen feet from Alyx’s coach and glared my way till Miss Weider herself dismounted, came, grabbed a handful of red curls, started marching.

Such caterwauling!

Shadowslinger had covered half the distance from there to here and was still gaining speed. She bulled through Saucerhead’s crew, indifferent to their presence. I had to admire her self-confidence.

The Windwalker kept making ‘‘Not to worry’’ noises.

Saucerhead appealed for guidance, by gesture. Though, plainly, he didn’t want to be noticed by the Hill bunch. He knew what they were but would act if he was told to. He had taken my money.

In a manner of speaking.

We hadn’t had an actual payday yet.

Tinnie vanished into the Weider coach.

A couple more Hill types got a notion to come chat with me and my new pal. Or maybe they just got caught in Shadowslinger’s wake and pulled along.

I signaled Tharpe to let it play.

I wondered what Director Relway would think when he heard.

As always, his Runners and red tops would be watching.

Most likely he’d have me dragged in for a few intimate moments.

Furious Tide of Light suggested, ‘‘Let’s go inside where it’s warm.’’

‘‘Yeah. And where we can enjoy the romantic music.’’

That got me a look. Not quite ‘‘What’s this I stepped in?’’ More like ‘‘What language is this cretin speaking?’’

‘‘I can’t help myself sometimes. Lead on.’’

Shadowslinger and the rest formed a scattered parade coming after.