Echo of Worlds by M. R. Carey

Author:M. R. Carey [, M. R. CAREY]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-06-26T00:00:00+00:00

26

Paz

Father Enofe drew back the hatchet and took aim. But then he stopped and froze in place, almost as if by magic.

But it wasn’t magic, it was Beanie. She had rested the barrel of her rifle on the man’s shoulder, its business end pressing against the side of his neck. There was a scowl of concentration and deep solemnity on her face. “The Iya told you to stop, Father,” she said. “So you better stop. I’ll shoot you if you don’t.”

The man’s gaze slid sideways towards the rifle. He bared his teeth in a sneer. “With your air gun, that only kills rats and rabbits? I don’t fear it.”

“Are you sure? It’s going to hit you where you breathe, so perhaps you should.”

“Put it down now, child. If you harm me there’ll be no place for you here.”

Paz. Dulcie’s silent voice sounded from inside her array again. Help is coming.

Great! When? Most of Paz’s attention was on what was happening right in front of her. She could see two men detaching themselves from the front of the crowd and starting to edge towards Beanie from behind. But if she shouted a warning Beanie would turn – and then the other selves standing closest would have a chance to disarm her or worse.

Time. It all came down to that. The two men had almost reached Beanie now, and she hadn’t seen them. Paz threw back her head and let loose a wild, ululating cry. It had the desired effect of making everyone stop what they were doing and look at her.

Almost in the same instant Father Enofe gave a grunt of surprise and flinched back, inadvertently causing Beanie’s rifle to slide from his shoulder. He clapped his free hand to his cheek with a muttered oath, then lowered it again to stare at it – with one eye, because the other was screwed shut. There was a smear of bright scarlet across the heel of his hand. From the closed eye a bright red tear ran down his cheek. He gave a soft grunt of surprise.

“Blood,” he muttered. “I’m bleeding!”

There was a faint hiss of sound, followed by a spak! of sudden impact. One of the selves in the front of the crowd yelled, clutching his shoulder. Rivulets of red ran between his fingers. Another keening whistle ended in a second insinuating thud. A woman brought both hands up to her throat with a shriek of shock and horror to stop a welling crimson tide.

The knot of people who had been holding on to Paz broke and scattered. Several of them ran into Sola and Father Enofe as they fled, sending them sprawling. Paz could have taken the opportunity to run too but her legs didn’t seem able to move, and in any case the milling throng of people still surrounded her.

Then they were surrounded in their turn as a horde of selves in bright red armour – Cielo troopers, towering seven and eight feet tall – broke out of the trees on all sides and formed a cordon around the clearing.

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