The Texts Of Festival by Farren Mick

Author:Farren, Mick [Farren, Mick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ink Monkey Books Limited
Published: 2013-04-04T04:00:00+00:00

12.

As the sun dispersed the early morning mists around Afghan Promise the town started swarming with activity. Smoke of cooking fires rose into the clear air and the smell of food and wood smoke drifted through the streets. Gangs of prisoners dismantled buildings, constructed barricades and dug trenches under the watchful eye of armed guards.

Oltha moved through the camp, supervising the work and exchanging greetings with his men. He looked pleased as he paused to accept a jug of beer from one of the women. The work had started well; if it continued at the same rate the whole town would be ringed by a system of trenches and barricades by sunset. The highway would be blocked at each end of the town by a wall of rubble that left only two narrow entrances, just wide enough for a wagon to pass.

He returned the jug and continued his inspection, munching on an oatcake. He stopped to watch a gang of sweating prisoners breaking up one of the bars on the strip. More prisoners were loading debris onto an open wagon and Oltha walked over to the two guards sitting on the driver’s bench.

‘Greetings this new day.’

‘Greetings chief.’

‘No trouble from prisoners?’

‘No trouble. They work, we watch. They know if they run we kill.’

Oltha nodded.

‘Seen you Iggy this day?’

‘No chief, we not seen him.’

Oltha walked on. Iggy would appear eventually.

Nath waited outside the Shirrif’s House, hoping that Iggy would soon emerge. In a little while the door was pushed open and Iggy came out onto the porch, scratching his head and blinking at the light. Winston followed him out and Nath watched as they talked for a while; then Winston hurried off down the street, and Iggy yawned and sat down on the steps.

Nath walked over to Iggy, trying to make the meeting look like a matter of chance. He knew Oltha was suspicious of tribesmen who spent too much time around Iggy and his men.

As he approached, Iggy looked up.

‘Hi, kid.’

‘Greetings Iggy.’

‘You look kinda nervous, whassamatta boy?’

‘I wondered … you have crystal?’

Iggy chuckled.

‘Gettin’ t’ like crystal, are you?’

‘I feel bad, lately. Crystal make me feel good.’

‘Sure kid, make you feel alri’, an’ now you want some more, huh?’

‘Yeah.’

‘An’ what if I don’t have any?’

Nath said nothing but his eyes shifted dangerously. Iggy laughed.

‘Okay, okay. You’ll get your crystal, only remember one thing, ri’?’

‘What?’

‘You get this stuff off of me. Your fine ol’ chief don’ give you tasty treats like this. You jus’ remember that fac’, you hear?’

‘I remember.’

‘Okay.’

Iggy stood up and disappeared into the house. After a few moments he returned with a small box which he handed to Nath.

‘There y’ go, kid, an’ don’ forget what I said. Okay?’

After Iggy had left the building Elly-May stared out of the window for a while. Then Anna found a jug of wine and they shared it.

Eventually the discussion could not be put off any longer. It was Anna who voiced it.

‘So whadda we do now?’

Elly-May shook her head.

‘Dunno, we got outta the lineup but I ain’t got a clue what happens now.

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