Coyote Destiny by Allen Steele

Author:Allen Steele [Steele, Allen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Fantasy
ISBN: 9780441018215
Goodreads: 7236306
Publisher: Ace Hardcover
Published: 2010-03-02T00:00:00+00:00

I sent Jake to find a proctor, making sure that he’d tell him to bring a doctor as well. Chris was beyond medical assistance, but I knew that someone would have to officially pronounce both him and Gary dead. Jake appeared reluctant—all he wanted to do was put as much distance between him and the stockyard as he could and never come back again—yet one look at my face, and he knew that he’d better do as he was told.

Once he was gone, I found an old blanket lying across one of the stalls and used it to cover Chris. Gary didn’t get the same courtesy. I removed the scissors from my friend’s chest, careful to wear my gloves as I did so, but otherwise left the scene undisturbed. The proctors would want to know everything that happened, and although I’d have Jake to back up my version of the events, I didn’t want there to be any lingering doubts whether I’d killed either of the two men.

Nonetheless, I found myself standing above Kyle Olson for a few minutes. There were two fléchette pistols within easy reach; either of them could put an end to his existence before he even woke up, and I doubted that anyone besides his family would mourn his death. But I didn’t have it in me to commit murder, so I found a roll of twine and used it to bind his hands and feet. He remained unconscious throughout, unaware of my deliberations.

I sat on the floor beside Chris for a while. He’d come with me to this place to find the man who’d killed his best friend, only to meet his own fate. A lousy way to die, stabbed to death by a punk in a foul-smelling sheep shed. He’d been a good man, one of the last of the original colonists. He deserved better than this.

It was hard to look at him, so I pushed myself to my feet and, for lack of anything else to do, walked over to the pens to see how the sheep were doing. Remarkably, they’d remained quiet during the entire thing. Most of them were asleep, and the few who’d witnessed the killing of two men had done so in silence, passive observers who cared little about what humans did to one another in their little world. I envied them.

With no one except the animals to keep me company, I walked over to the door and leaned against the frame. The stars were out, with Bear high in the night sky. As I waited for someone to show up, though, I found myself looking to the east. Toward Navajo, where David Laird had gone.

I remembered Chief Levin’s last words; I knew what he’d meant. And I also knew that I had one more death to avenge.

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