And All the Stars Shall Fall by Hugh MacDonald

Author:Hugh MacDonald [MacDonald, Hugh]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
ISBN: 9781927502983
Publisher: Acorn Press
Published: 2017-10-10T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17:

In the Car Behind

Adam was gently rubbing Lucky’s ears. The old dog had slept for the first part of the dark journey in spite of the slight, irregular bumps when the wheels met seams in the rails beneath them, but now he was awake and restless. He whined from time to time as the walls of the tunnel slid eerily past. Adam wondered how much better the dog could see than the rest of them. Adam focused on the car ahead of them, since it received most of the benefit of their service car’s tiny headlights. Still, he glanced around enough to see that they had passed at least three service buildings.

As he stared at the rear of the car ahead he noticed that his mother and the girl, Tish, were busy talking to one another and Tish had glanced back more than once toward his car. One of those times she actually seemed to smile at him. He was happy that she may not be as afraid of him and Mabon and even Doctor Ueland as she used to be.

“The girl smiled at us,” he said to Mabon, who sat behind Ueland, who was handling the speed control and had one foot always on the brakes. Ueland’s eyes seldom left the track or the car ahead. He maintained a small distance between them.

“I noticed,” said Ueland. “I expect she was smiling at you, however. She has never shown much interest in me. Why would she? To her I’m an old work beast. Tish and her mother have always maintained a respectable distance between themselves and me.”

“But you and Blanchfleur are friends,” Adam said. “I don’t get that.”

“What don’t you get?” asked Ueland, concentrating on his driving.

“How you could trick her about the old ones and about us and still be friends with her? She had the power to punish you, or even kill you, and she didn’t ever.”

“We aren’t exactly friends,” the doctor said. “We worked together for many years building the Manuhome. She trained me and proposed all the major plans. She set up the business and managed the trade and distribution of product and goods manufactured. I figured out how to implement and develop what we manufactured and grew. We made a pretty good team. I guess you’d say we have mutual respect, so perhaps that’s why we care what happens to each other.”

Adam said nothing, satisfied for the moment, though he suspected Ueland wasn’t telling him the whole story.

“Do you think Blanchfleur cares about anybody but herself?” asked Mabon from his seat behind them. He had been following the conversation with considerable interest.

“Yes, a bit too much sometimes. She was the one in charge of everything and everyone. When you’re in charge in this world, you do what you have to do, or else. I’m sure that shooting arrows at Rangers and setting them on fire wasn’t something you’d always dreamed of doing. When we get backed into a corner by violence we fight back, or we die and let our friends and loved ones die,” said Ueland.

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