Black Bottle by Anthony Huso

Author:Anthony Huso
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: A Tom Doherty Associates Book

20Holomorphy measures its cost in cuts. According to holomorphic charts, the human body contains seven cuts.

CHAPTER

27

The fall from Sandren had lasted over a minute. Then the four witches had leveled off and landed in the blue-green coils of a vast wind-shaken grassland north and east of Seatk’r, a mile beyond the point where the ghetto’s fingers of glittering trash flowed like artificial effluence down the foothills’ morning-shadowed ravines.

This was the story Caliph heard. He remembered none of it. The Odalisque and the Bulotecus had both descended for the pick-up. Caliph had been unresponsive. As the flagship of the Iscan Crown, the Bulotecus maintained a tiny room packed with medical necessities. Caliph had been put on a stretcher and hauled on board. Taelin too, had been ferried over from the Odalisque for treatment. Even Miriam had been stitched up.

Crews were shuffled. Dr. Baufent had come over to the Bulotecus. She attended to Caliph personally. She had administered first aid, but Caliph had come out of his daze under his own power. Even when Caliph pressed her, Baufent denied having given him any kind of tincture.

“No, I did not,” she had said. “What do you mean a tincture?” Caliph’s insistent questions had put her on the defensive. “I don’t even know what a tincture would be. I can assure you I have no idea what you are talking about.”

He had asked about Sena.

“No. Miss Iilool was certainly never here. I think she would have been arrested the moment she set one foot on this ship.

“No she didn’t give me any tincture for you to drink. King Howl, look at me.” She had shined a chemiostatic light into his eyes.

“You’re delirious. You’ve been hallucinating.”

* * *

ISHAM Wade and Mr. Veech looked at the four witches with deep skepticism while Anselm and Baufent held their opinions like clipboards, close to their chests.

Caliph’s head was still foggy but he clung to the moment as best he could, trying to pay sedulous attention. His head was still swimming with echoes of dreams, visions … hallucinations? He didn’t know what to call them.

All the ranking members of the crew had been gathered on the Bulotecus’ rear deck. When they weren’t staring at the witches, they were staring at him.

They think I’m losing it.

Among the noteworthies were the physicians, the airship captain, Sig and the Iycestokians—Whom Caliph had not been able to justify keeping locked up. Lady Rae was asleep in one of the staterooms.

The Bulotecus had moored in Seatk’r.

That much Caliph knew for sure.

“I really must demand a private audience,” Mr. Wade hissed in Caliph’s ear. Meanwhile the witches were explaining Alani’s death.

“—so he died from wounds … sustained from the creature that was attacking King Howl,” Miriam summed up.

The story attained a certain level of credence based mostly on the fact that Caliph was still alive. Caliph had little choice other than to believe the account. He could remember nothing about the actual event.

Since the government of Seatk’r was being uncooperative, the Odalisque climbed back to Sandren.

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