Allen Steele - Near-Space 05 by A King of Infinite Space

Author:A King of Infinite Space [Space, A King of Infinite]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2012-01-30T15:51:56+00:00

Ever so slowly, a crafty smile steals across his face. He crosses his legs and laces his delicate fingers together, then he nods like a chessmaster whose protege has just attempted a checkmate. The king is in his castle, and an unwary pawn has stumbled into a cleverly laid trap.

“I knew there’s a reason why I like you, Alec” he says. “You’re quite imaginative.”

Another pause. “In fact, I think I’ll let you live.”

“Thank you.” I don’t know what else to say. My heart’s thudding against my chest.

“But…” Another calculated sigh, longer and more expansive than before. “But you presume too many things, not the least of which are the limits of my patience. You need to be taught a lesson in etiquette.”

Then he casts his eyes around the cabana and the poolside, studying his guests in turn, before his gaze settles behind me. He raises his hand and points behind my left shoulder.

“Die, please.”

There’s a strangled gasp, and I turn around just in time to see John drop his platter.

It crashes to the cement floor as his eyes widen in horror. He grasps the sides of his head as his face twists in agony. His mouth opens, but nothing comes out except for the choked echo of a scream.

My own platter falls from my hands as I rush to him. I manage to catch John in my arms before he hits the ground. Suddenly, he seems to weigh as little as if we were in the hub.

His fingers clutch at the sleeves of my robe— the robe he gave me the day we first met in the White Room, when he told me we were friends and that I shouldn’t urinate on the floor any more—and there’s a thin red line coming from his nose.

He stares in my eyes as his legs thrash spasmodically, then we collapse together on the cement. His eyes grow wide, looking at me, past me, at something I never saw a hundred and four years ago …

And then he dies.

That’s it. That’s all. He just dies.

Alien birds twitter in strange trees. Cool water rushes from somewhere nearby. Someone shifts their feet; someone else coughs. And then Mister Chicago, as casually as if someone has just spilled a salt shaker, says:

‘This has been an interesting conversation, Alec. Do drop by again sometime”

He rises from the bench and walks away. His entourage follows in his wake, trailing him as he saunters toward the break in the hedges where the path to the castle begins. The red-haired woman bends to pick up a grape from John’s spilled tray; she catches my eye, gives me a sly wink, then gently pushes the grape between the lips of her cruel mouth.

I’m the property of a madman. For this creature, life itself is nothing more than a plaything. Life can be bought and sold, molded and manipulated, used and ultimately discarded. For the time being, I’m his favorite toy, but all children eventually get tired of their toys and throw them away.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.