Queen of the Struggle by Nik Korpon

Author:Nik Korpon [Korpon, Nik]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 9780857666574
Publisher: Watkins Media
Published: 2018-03-01T00:00:00+00:00

16.

EMERÍANN

I stretch out my legs beneath the table in the kitchen, not necessarily because I slept wrong and they’re cramping but because I can. After more than two weeks stuck in shoeboxes disguised as living quarters, I’ve earned enough trust to be allowed to roam the house, though I’m still under lock and key at night. At first I was insulted, thinking I was being treated like a dog that was only partially housebroken. Then I decided I would enjoy it for what it is and look around.

I wash my dishes in the sink then pour myself another cup of coffee, wrapping my hands around the mug and letting the steam drift over my face.

There’s not much to the house that I hadn’t seen in my few trips in and out, but everything has taken on a different quality now, being able to wander of my own free will. The wallpaper seems more vivid, the chairs softer, the color of the wood deeper than it had been, despite the scuff marks I left while digging my boots into the floor, trying to stop them from restraining me. Henraek would say my head is about to float off my neck, but he takes everything too seriously to allow himself any flights of fancy.

Since that first night, Brighid has come into my room a few times more. Always with food, always something that reminds me of home, like she somehow found my mother’s recipe book, learning how to make delicious food from scraps. As the week’s progressed, she’s worked her way from the dresser, to the bed, until we were both sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed with our legs flung out. It was how I always imagined women – girls – acted, but I never had many girl friends when I was growing up. Possibly because none of them were particularly keen to clomp around the bogs and shoot things. Or because most of them were cunts.

These conversations have not only humanized her more, but also reinforced that she genuinely wants to improve Eitan. Do I agree with everything she says? Absolutely not, beginning with murdering Speider. But, in some perverse way, I understand. I shot the young woman in the water distribution plant because she was in my way. Would she have shot me? By the way her hand shook I’d say no, probably not. Brighid is confronting what Henraek and I would’ve had to deal with, were he still here: what do we do once the Tathadann is gone?

Though we had discussed it a couple times, neither of us had a good answer.

I take a big swing of coffee, forgetting it’s hot, and burn the everloving shit out of my mouth. I hurry to the bathroom and turn on the faucet. It sputters, only a small stream of water coming out. I take a sip and hold it in my mouth. It’s more than I’d get at the apartment but still doesn’t help.

The front door closes. A woman’s and a man’s voice come down the hallway.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.