Rider at the Gate

It had become a quiet, all but breathless night—the wind, Da

“Fisher?” Jonas said coldly.

“I didn’t say anything. I didn’t thinkanything.” The boys were <scared, > thinking of <gunfire in the streets. Fire. Murder.> Carlo was holding on to Randy, wanting <him in the shadows, behind him, safe.>

“Hawley,” Luke said. “What did you do? What did you do, Hawley?”

“I didn’t do a damn thing. I was watching them <fix the truck,> when we stopped, that was all, the line was <leaking,> that was all.”

“Line was leaking,” Jonas said. “What line was leaking?”

Hawley didn’t say. But Da

“Hawley,” Jonas said, and Shadow was a flickering, smothering <presence,> loud, God, he was loud. “I want the truth, Hawley. Once this trip, I want the truth.”

“They thought we were thieves! Piss on ’em, I said, you want I should stop us here, and no, they said—”

<Money. Bills. Paper money in men’s hands.> “Hawley,” Jonas said.

“Hell, it’s himmaking it up! I didn’t take any damn money!”

“Hawley. Aby’s dead. Aby’s <dead,> you son of a bitch. What happened?”

Ice was on the verge of attack. Shadow was. Froth was on edge with pain. Da

“They gave him money,” Luke said, “they didn’t want to stall up there, they’d been spooks all during the trip. They didn’t want us to put a hold on that truck and leave it in the village, and they gave him money. Didn’t they, Hawley?”

“I said I thought they ought to tarp that truck and leave it there, but they didn’t like it, weknew what they had in that cab, they were being damn spooks about it. Aby was giving off like crazy she didn’t trust anybody, all trip long—it wasn’t my damn fault, Luke, the whole damn trip was screwed—I mean, Aby was boss, she was going to see that truck rolled right then, and they give me money, what was I going to do?”

“And they wanted to go on down. Right then.”

“I was going to tell Aby. But they put the chocks off and they rolled, Jonas, I was going to tell her about the brakes.”

“And not us. Why not tell us, Hawley?”

<Money.>

“You damned fool.”

“Well, they give it to me. I didn’t see any reason not to take it.”

“Yeah,” Jonas said. “Hawley, I want to talk to you. Outside.”

“I don’t want to talk.”

“Then maybe you better come across with all of it. Here.”

“None of their business.”

Meaning him and the boys, Da

“Pretty clear, isn’t it? Hawley. We’re not blaming you. You took the money. They gave it to you. So what did you do?”

Hawley took a while about it. “I was going to tell you. But I shouldn’t’ve took the money. Aby’d be mad. I was going to give it back next stop.”

Jonas was intensely frustrated. Angry. And trying to hold it. Da

Jonas said, finally, “Storm’s stopped. We’d better see if we can catch Stuart. Tell him what happened.”

“Man’s like to shoot us,” Hawley protested. “We got the rogue out there—we got—”

“One hell of a mess,” Jonas said. “One hell of a mess is what we’ve got. Dammit, Hawley.”

“I didn’t think it’d hurt. They said it’d hold. They was driving it, I mean they was willing to drive it…”

“Yeah. They were stupid, Hawley, does ‘stupid’ make sense to you?”

Da

“Froth’s got a burn. If we’re going out there, I want to grease it down good—it’s going to hurt like hell.”

“Yeah,” Jonas said. “Do that.”

“So what happened?” Carlo whispered, at Da

“I think the truckers bribed him, something about bad brakes.”

But that wasn’t the only question in his own mind. Bad brakes on a bad road. Truckers not wanting to stop, where they probably couldn’t turn around.

Why?

Luke had found the salve. Jonas was putting his pack together. So was Hawley.

“Are we going?” Randy asked.

Da

Chapter xxi

THE RISING SUN CAST THE ROAD IN SHADOW, A BLANKET OF SNOW earlier trafficked by the ordinary dawn scurriers-about. Since they’d left Tarmin gate in the dark and in all the haste they could manage with two of their party afoot, the horses had been on edge, putting out hostile impulses, Shadow earliest and most assertive to warn a spook out of his path.

But they were clear of the attraction Tarmin posed to vermin. Cloud lazed along, thinking <cattle, > and not unhappy to have a separate place at the rear, the boys walking along on either side as Da

Everything was business, up front. Jonas wasn’t pleased with Hawley, that was clear any time they came close; but Da

So they could know what made them. So they’d learn what they watched for, and what was dangerous and what wasn’t. Senior riders and a horse with a good nose had taught him. And he didn’t know but what at some moment the seniors were going to take off at the speed they could use if they had to.

Hawley rode point. It hadn’t been his habit earlier. Luke and Jonas rode to the center and back a little, but one in the track of the other, all in light snow that taxed the horses very little.

<Still water, > Da

So he began to talk idly to the boys about growing up in Shamesey town, about <his father and the shop,> about <working on the machines—>

<Mama and the furniture. Mama sanding and painting.>

But the boys were distracted, out of breath, thinking about what would happen if Jonas and the rest did decide to increase the pace as he began to feel they were doing.

“It’s all right,” Da

“What if we meet something?” Randy asked.

“Hey, I’m not leaving you. I’m not moving with them, all right?”

So they slogged along at the best pace they could with their breath frosting in the morning light, Randy walking beside Cloud’s shoulder, putting a hand on Cloud when the going got uneven. And the gap widened, as they followed the trail the three ahead broke through the snow.

Cloud wouldn’t carry the kid. He’d remotely suggested it and Cloud was indignant. Cloud wouldn’t carry Randy—Cloud wouldn’t carry baggage.

But Cloud didn’t mind being touched. He didn’t mind <Randy walking > by him. He liked the boy’s hands. Was easily seduced by brushing and combing.

Easier if Cloud would agree to <carry the kid,> Da