Pattern by K. J. Parker

Author:K. J. Parker [KJ Parker]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 2013-05-07T04:00:00+00:00

It started to rain as soon as they reached the foot of the mountain, and it didn’t stop until they arrived back at Haldersness. By that stage they were all so wet that they couldn’t think about anything else, not even how tired and hungry they were. But that was something that could be set right very easily, with a change of clothes, a bowl of porridge (and the inevitable leeks) and a brisk, tall fire, which quickly annealed the memory of the wretchedness of the last few days.

‘So,’ Colsceg demanded, as Poldarn soaked up the warmth, ‘what did you find out up there?’

‘Not a lot,’ Poldarn answered. ‘There’s a big hole in the mountain where all the stuff got blown out, you can see right into it. There’s a huge pool of molten rock, but it’s a hell of a long way down.’

‘Molten rock,’ Colsceg repeated, as if Poldarn had just said something that didn’t make sense, like burning snow or wet fire. ‘Bloody hell, that sounds a bit grim. So what do you reckon we ought to do about it?’

Poldarn shrugged. ‘Not a lot we can do – it’s all too big. But I don’t think there’s anything to worry about, it’s not like it’s going anywhere. Now the mountain’s got a way of letting off steam, it shouldn’t bother us any more.’

Colsceg frowned. ‘That’s good,’ he said. ‘So, apart from that, did you see anything interesting?’

‘No,’ Poldarn replied. ‘That’s about it, really.’

‘Long way to go just to see that.’

‘Yes.’

Colsceg nodded. ‘Well, I guess it’s better knowing than guessing, at that.’

‘True,’ Poldarn said. ‘Anything been happening here while we’ve been gone?’

‘Not really. No more showers of ash falling out of the sky; a little bit of dust, is all, and not nearly as much of that as when you went away. At this rate, we’ll be back to normal in a day or so.’

‘Good,’ Poldarn yawned, pulling his blanket tighter around his shoulders. ‘The sooner that happens, the better for all of us. After all, we’ve got work to do.’

‘We have that,’ Colsceg agreed, as he rose to his feet. ‘Looks like you’d better get some rest. If the rain holds off, we can finish digging up the turnip clump in the morning.’

‘Great,’ Poldarn said. ‘I’ll look forward to that.’

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