[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
carried over the railing. There was a deep swelling under the fiery hair, just above the
right ear, and several purple-crimson bruises all along her legs and arms and around her
ribs. It had taken Mildred some time to make certain there were no fractures. Now she
rested on the bed, looking pale and washed-out.
Doc paced up and down the room, the ferrule of his swordstick rapping on the boards and
then making a more muffled sound on the carpet. He was biting his lip, fingers constantly
stroking the silvery stubble on his chin.
"Upon my soul! But this is a damnably strange experience. These two villains are
seemingly set on a course of action destined to allow them some vengeance for some old
and ill-imagined slight. But they are prepared to wait for it."
Ryan laughed mockingly. "Believe me, Doc, there's nothing ill imagined about their
vengeance. Days we rode with Trader, me and J.B. stepped on some toes. And some
faces. Left some smoldering villes. Some weeping widows and plenty of red-eyed
orphans. More than a handful of widowers, as well."
"Magus and Wolfram got more claims against us than most," the Armorer said.
"Wolfram's business of trading in stickies was ruined by us. He got some wounds in that
action. And the Magus& Well, he'll never again be the man he was."
"Finding them both here." Ryan shook his head. "Damn, but my clothes are still wet."
"You fieldstrip and clean and oil the SIG-Sauer?" J.B. asked.
Ryan nodded. "Sure. Thing is, the bastards got a plan. No doubt. Can't be a coincidence
they're here. I wonder if they might've been watching us from back in Twin Forks. The
steel-eyed fuck-head had me right in the palm of his hand." He gestured, squeezing his
fingers together. "Like that. But he just said that it would come later. Confident. Real
confident."
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Axler, James - Deathlands 33 - Eclipse at Noon
He stood and stretched, feeling the stiffness in his arms and wrists from the battle to save
Krysty's life, wincing at the strain of the deep black bruise where the unnatural grip of the
Magus had plucked him from a watery tomb.
"I've changed my mind," Krysty said quietly.
"About staying aboard?"
She took a long, slow breath, managing a pale smile at Ryan. "It's a woman's prerogative,
isn't it, lover? If it had just been an ordinary sort of ambush& " She let the words trail off
into the stillness, a stillness that was only broken by the regular pounding of the stern-
wheel a few yards away from them.
"I don't know." Ryan sat by her and squeezed her hand. "There's things a man shouldn't
run away from."
"Very runic and old West," Mildred said, half teasing, half serious. "Very John Wayne. A
man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. Even if he ends up in Boot Hill."
They all froze, every head turning upward when they felt rather than heard the sensation
of someone moving above them. Ponderous, slow feet, very heavy.
"Wolfram," Jak said. "Shitter's letting us know he's there."
The crackling intercom was suddenly switched on, and they all listened to the distorted
voice of Captain Huston.
"Storm did some damage to the superstructure of the Eagle, but we've got that in hand.
Soon have the old lady looking as fresh and good as new. Worst was the calliope got
mostly blown away. We carry some spare pipes so, the Good Lord willing, we'll be
tuning up some music for you in a day or so. Main thing is that we've lost some time."
Ryan checked his wrist chron, surprised to find that the battering didn't seem to have
damaged it at all. "Running well late," he said.
The voice went on. "Pride ourselves on this run that we keep time. Means that we won't
hit Crosstown on schedule unless we take in a tuck here and there. Easiest is to pick up at
St. Louis. Sorry to disappoint those passengers looking forward to a whoop and a holler
in the ville, but we'll be stopping only for about three hours to stock up on water and
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Axler, James - Deathlands 33 - Eclipse at Noon
provisions and carry out some of the main repairs. Then we'll move on. Problem is that a
storm like that one will have changed the course of the Sippi. New sandbanks and bars
and shallows. Have to go slower the rest of the way."
"I was looking forward to some time on shore," Mildred said. "Visited old St. Louis in
the days when I was doing competitive pistol shooting."
Ryan smiled. "Find it changed. Got badly nuked. Old city more or less vanished, and the
site of the settlement shifted by miles. Just a black, rad-hot hole in the ground where it
was. The big river moved, as well. New St. Louis is a neat little ville. Not unlike Twin
Forks."
"Really!" She shook her head. "Still, seems a shame that we won't have much time there."
The intercom coughed and barked again. "We're real sorry about this. Every passenger
can enjoy a complimentary drink of either wine or beer with their meal this evening. The
storm means that we'll hit Cairo much later than we wanted. Probably during the dark
hours. We suggest that passengers stay aboard. Some mean folks move during the
blackness in Cairo. Place where the vicious animals come out at night. Then, soon as we
get past St. Louis, everything's back to normal. Any questions, all of you feel free to
approach any of my officers. And if they can't help you, then I'll be glad to do my best for
you."
AT THE EVENING MEAL Ryan noticed that there were again two seats empty at
Captain Huston's table, Wolfram and the Magus choosing to stay hidden in their own set
of rooms.
The maître d' offered Ryan and Krysty the seats, but they chose to stay with the others
and dine at a smaller table set off on the port side of the saloon, not far from the main-
entrance doors. The food was less exotic, with a smaller range of dishes, and less well [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl exclamation.htw.pl
carried over the railing. There was a deep swelling under the fiery hair, just above the
right ear, and several purple-crimson bruises all along her legs and arms and around her
ribs. It had taken Mildred some time to make certain there were no fractures. Now she
rested on the bed, looking pale and washed-out.
Doc paced up and down the room, the ferrule of his swordstick rapping on the boards and
then making a more muffled sound on the carpet. He was biting his lip, fingers constantly
stroking the silvery stubble on his chin.
"Upon my soul! But this is a damnably strange experience. These two villains are
seemingly set on a course of action destined to allow them some vengeance for some old
and ill-imagined slight. But they are prepared to wait for it."
Ryan laughed mockingly. "Believe me, Doc, there's nothing ill imagined about their
vengeance. Days we rode with Trader, me and J.B. stepped on some toes. And some
faces. Left some smoldering villes. Some weeping widows and plenty of red-eyed
orphans. More than a handful of widowers, as well."
"Magus and Wolfram got more claims against us than most," the Armorer said.
"Wolfram's business of trading in stickies was ruined by us. He got some wounds in that
action. And the Magus& Well, he'll never again be the man he was."
"Finding them both here." Ryan shook his head. "Damn, but my clothes are still wet."
"You fieldstrip and clean and oil the SIG-Sauer?" J.B. asked.
Ryan nodded. "Sure. Thing is, the bastards got a plan. No doubt. Can't be a coincidence
they're here. I wonder if they might've been watching us from back in Twin Forks. The
steel-eyed fuck-head had me right in the palm of his hand." He gestured, squeezing his
fingers together. "Like that. But he just said that it would come later. Confident. Real
confident."
file:///C|/2590%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%2...hlands%2033%20-%20Eclipse%20at%20Noon.html (131 of 253) [12/29/2004 12:08:11 AM]
Axler, James - Deathlands 33 - Eclipse at Noon
He stood and stretched, feeling the stiffness in his arms and wrists from the battle to save
Krysty's life, wincing at the strain of the deep black bruise where the unnatural grip of the
Magus had plucked him from a watery tomb.
"I've changed my mind," Krysty said quietly.
"About staying aboard?"
She took a long, slow breath, managing a pale smile at Ryan. "It's a woman's prerogative,
isn't it, lover? If it had just been an ordinary sort of ambush& " She let the words trail off
into the stillness, a stillness that was only broken by the regular pounding of the stern-
wheel a few yards away from them.
"I don't know." Ryan sat by her and squeezed her hand. "There's things a man shouldn't
run away from."
"Very runic and old West," Mildred said, half teasing, half serious. "Very John Wayne. A
man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. Even if he ends up in Boot Hill."
They all froze, every head turning upward when they felt rather than heard the sensation
of someone moving above them. Ponderous, slow feet, very heavy.
"Wolfram," Jak said. "Shitter's letting us know he's there."
The crackling intercom was suddenly switched on, and they all listened to the distorted
voice of Captain Huston.
"Storm did some damage to the superstructure of the Eagle, but we've got that in hand.
Soon have the old lady looking as fresh and good as new. Worst was the calliope got
mostly blown away. We carry some spare pipes so, the Good Lord willing, we'll be
tuning up some music for you in a day or so. Main thing is that we've lost some time."
Ryan checked his wrist chron, surprised to find that the battering didn't seem to have
damaged it at all. "Running well late," he said.
The voice went on. "Pride ourselves on this run that we keep time. Means that we won't
hit Crosstown on schedule unless we take in a tuck here and there. Easiest is to pick up at
St. Louis. Sorry to disappoint those passengers looking forward to a whoop and a holler
in the ville, but we'll be stopping only for about three hours to stock up on water and
file:///C|/2590%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%2...hlands%2033%20-%20Eclipse%20at%20Noon.html (132 of 253) [12/29/2004 12:08:11 AM]
Axler, James - Deathlands 33 - Eclipse at Noon
provisions and carry out some of the main repairs. Then we'll move on. Problem is that a
storm like that one will have changed the course of the Sippi. New sandbanks and bars
and shallows. Have to go slower the rest of the way."
"I was looking forward to some time on shore," Mildred said. "Visited old St. Louis in
the days when I was doing competitive pistol shooting."
Ryan smiled. "Find it changed. Got badly nuked. Old city more or less vanished, and the
site of the settlement shifted by miles. Just a black, rad-hot hole in the ground where it
was. The big river moved, as well. New St. Louis is a neat little ville. Not unlike Twin
Forks."
"Really!" She shook her head. "Still, seems a shame that we won't have much time there."
The intercom coughed and barked again. "We're real sorry about this. Every passenger
can enjoy a complimentary drink of either wine or beer with their meal this evening. The
storm means that we'll hit Cairo much later than we wanted. Probably during the dark
hours. We suggest that passengers stay aboard. Some mean folks move during the
blackness in Cairo. Place where the vicious animals come out at night. Then, soon as we
get past St. Louis, everything's back to normal. Any questions, all of you feel free to
approach any of my officers. And if they can't help you, then I'll be glad to do my best for
you."
AT THE EVENING MEAL Ryan noticed that there were again two seats empty at
Captain Huston's table, Wolfram and the Magus choosing to stay hidden in their own set
of rooms.
The maître d' offered Ryan and Krysty the seats, but they chose to stay with the others
and dine at a smaller table set off on the port side of the saloon, not far from the main-
entrance doors. The food was less exotic, with a smaller range of dishes, and less well [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]