Downfall of the Gods by K. J. Parker

Author:K. J. Parker
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Fantasy
ISBN: 9781596067554
Publisher: Subterranean
Published: 2016-03-29T13:00:00+00:00

“YOU KNEW,” HE said.

“Rubbish.”

It had taken me a while to get all the water out of his lungs. When he spoke, his voice was low, quiet and rasping. “You knew something like that was going to happen. That’s why you flew.”

“I didn’t know,” I yelled. “It was just a precaution.” He blinked his bloodshot eyes. “Ah.”

“My uncle the Sea King and I don’t get on,” I said.

“If he’d seen me on a boat with you, he might have— well, played rough games. So, for your sake, to make sure you wouldn’t be interfered with, I decided to make my own way.”

“I sank.”

“Coincidence.”

“A storm came up out of a clear blue sky.”

“It happens,” I said. “It’s something to do with cold

fronts from the mountains colliding with water vapour rising from the seasonally warm Gulf Stream. Read a book about it, it’s all in Saloninus’ Geography.”

“You made me sail in a boat,” he said, “knowing your uncle would sink me on sight.”

“I keep telling you, I didn’t know. There was a risk, but definitely not a certainty.”

He sighed. “It’s true,” he said, “what people say. Your whole life does flash in front of your eyes. I never believed it, but it’s true.”

“Oh come on,” I said. “You were never in any real danger. You knew I’d save you.”

“I was breathing in water.” He stopped. I recognised the abrupt silence. It means it’s no good arguing with her, she doesn’t listen. I found that insulting. “So,” he said. “What’s the quarrel about?”

“What quarrel?”

“You and your uncle the Sea King. What did you do to him?”

“Nothing.”

“Oh really. He sinks your favourites’ ships on sight because of nothing.”

“He’s an idiot,” I snapped. “And ridiculously oversensitive. And he bears grudges over the least little thing.” “Such as?”

“None of your business. Family stuff. Private.”

He shrugged. “Suit yourself. It’s not like I’m interested or anything.”

“He’s impossible.” It just came flooding out. Well, who have I got to talk to about anything, in the normal run of things? “He’s got absolutely no sense of proportion.”

“That,” Lord Archias said gravely, “I can believe.”

“It was years ago,” I said, “and it all came to nothing anyway, and we weren’t going to do anything nasty to him, and Zenonis would’ve made a much better Sea King. And it’s a complete lie saying I was the ringleader, I barely knew a thing about it, most of the time I wasn’t even there. It’s so unfair.”

He was gazing at me. “You conspired to overthrow the Sea King,” he said. “And you can’t understand why he’s upset.”

“Oh be quiet,” I said. “You don’t know anything about anything.”

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