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THIRTEEN
Once Jake was back on his pallet and pulling the covers to his chin, Oy jumped up on Be
Jake lay looking at the sleeping boy, troubled. He liked Be
And until tonight, Jake had liked Be
He tried to imagine how Be
You think hurt's all it'll be? Simple hurt? You better think again. There aren't many props under Be
Not my fault that his father's a spy and a traitor.
But it wasn't Be
Suppose Roland kills him? How will Be
Once, in another life, Roland had promised to take care of Jake Chambers and then let him drop into the darkness. Jake had thought there could be no worse betrayal than that. Now he wasn't so sure. No, not so sure at all. These unhappy thoughts kept him awake for a long time. Finally, half an hour or so before the first hint of dawn touched the horizon, he fell into a thin and troubled sleep.
Chapter IV:
The Pied Piper
ONE
"We are ka-tet," said the gunslinger. "We are one from many." He saw Callahan's doubtful look-it was impossible to miss- and nodded. "Yes, Pere, you're one of us. I don't know for how long, but I know it's so. And so do my friends."
Jake nodded. So did Eddie and Susa
Roland said, "In four days comes the meeting, this time I think of the entire town, not just the men."
"Damn well told it ought to be the whole town," Susa
"Won't be in the Gathering Hall, if it's everyone," Callahan said. "There won't be room enough. We'll light the torches and have it right out here."
"And if it rains?" Eddie asked.
"If it rains, people will get wet," Callahan said, and shrugged.
"Four days to the meeting and nine to the Wolves," Roland said. "This will very likely be our last chance to palaver as we are now-sitting down, with our heads clear-until this is over. We won't be here long, so let's make it count." He held out his hands. Jake took one, Susa
"See you very well," Jake said.
"Very well, Roland," said Eddie.
"Clear as day, sug," Susa
Oy, who was sniffing in the grass nearby, said nothing, but he did look around and tip a wink.
"Pere?" Roland asked.
"I see and hear you very well," Callahan agreed with a small smile, "and I'm glad to be included. So far, at least."
TWO
Roland, Eddie, and Susa
Eddie looked up at the heavy sky, considering this with a faint smile. Then he looked back at Callahan. "Roland tells me that for a guy who doesn't want to be called Father, you have taken some very Fatherly stands just lately."
"If you're speaking about the idea of terminating your wife's pregnancy-"
Eddie raised a hand. "Let's say I'm not speaking of any one thing in particular. It's just that we've got a job to do here, and we need you to help us do it. The last thing we need is to get sidetracked by a lot of your old Catholic blather. So let's just say yes, I was bluffing, and move on. Will that serve? Father?"
Eddie's smile had grown strained and exasperated. There were bright smudges of color on his cheekbones. Callahan considered the look of him with great care, and then nodded. "Yes," he said. "You were bluffing. By all means let's leave it at that and move on."
"Good," Eddie said. He looked at Roland.
"The first question is for Susa
"Just fine," she replied.
"Say true?"
She nodded. "Say true, say thankya."
"No headaches here?" Roland rubbed above his left temple.
"No. And the jittery feelings I used to get just after sunset, just before dawn-have quit. And look at me!" She ran a hand down the swell of her breasts, to her waist, to her right hip. "I've lost some of the fullness. Roland… I've read that sometimes animals in the wild-carnivores like wildcats, herbivores like deer and rabbits-reabsorb their babies if the conditions to have them are adverse. You don't suppose…" She trailed off, looking at him hopefully.
Roland wished he could have supported this charming idea, but he couldn't. And withholding the truth within the ka-tet was no longer an option. He shook his head. Susa
"She's been sleeping quietly, so far as I can tell," Eddie said. "No sign of Mia."