The Dark Tower

“Do you want to try it again?” he asked.

“No,” Susa

“Perhaps not close enough to affect thewatch, but closer than I’ve ever been,” Roland said quietly. “Comparativelyspeaking, we’re now almost in its shadow. Believe me, Susa

“But—”

From over their heads came a cawing thatwas both harsh and oddly muffled: Croo, croo! instead of Caw, caw!Susa

She turned to Roland, looked at him withexcited eyes.

He nodded. “Devilgrass. Probably bringingit back to feather his mate’s nest. Certainly not for the babies to eat. Not thatstuff. But devilgrass always goes last when you’re walking into the NowhereLands, and always shows up first when you’re walking back out of them, as weare. As we finally are. Now listen to me, Susa

Susa

“I think it will soon look like we’recoming out of the Badlands, but you’d do well not to trust what you see—afew buildings and maybe a little paving on the roads doesn’t make for safety orcivilization. And before too long we’re going to come to his castle, Le CasseRoi Russe. The Crimson King is almost certainly gone from there, but he mayhave left a trap for us. I want you to look and listen. If there’s talking tobe done, I want you to let me do it.”

“What do you know that I don’t?” she asked.“What are you holding back?”

“Nothing,” he said (with what was, for him,a rare earnestness). “It’s only a feeling, Susa

Susa

Roland remembered one of Cort’s mostserious maxims—Never speak the worst aloud!—but kept his ownmouth shut, at least on that subject. He put his watch away carefully and thenrose, ready to move on.

But Susa

“Oh yes,” Roland said. “And I think he’sgot an empty belly.”

“Hungry, Mordred’s a-hungry,” she said, forshe had also heard these words in her dream.

Susa

Seven

The path they walked widened, and thatafternoon the first scabby plates of pavement began to show on its surface. Itwidened further still, and not long before dark they came to a place whereanother path (which had surely been a road in the long-ago) joined it. Herestood a rusty rod that had probably supported a street-sign, although there wasnothing atop it now. The next day they came to the first building on this sideof Fedic, a slumped wreck with an overturned sign on the remains of the porch.There was a flattened barn out back. With Roland’s help Susa

“I think the track we’ve been following wasonce a coach-road between Castle Discordia and the Le Casse Roi Russe,” hesaid. “It makes sense.”

They began to pass more buildings, moreintersecting roads. It was the outskirts of a town or village—perhapseven a city that had once spread around the Crimson King’s castle. But unlikeLud, there was very little of it left. Sprigs of devilgrass grew in listlessclumps around the remains of some of the buildings, but nothing else alive. Andthe cold clamped down harder than ever. On their fourth night after seeing therooks, they tried camping in the remains of a building that was still standing,but both of them heard whispering voices in the shadows. Roland identifiedthese—with a matter-of-factness Susa

“I don’t believe they could do harm to us,but they might hurt the little fellow,” Roland said, and stroked Oy, who hadcrept into his lap with a timidity very unlike his usual ma

Susa

“Why?” Susa

“Are you surprised, Susa

“No, but I want to know why. Is it too old?Petrified, or something?”

“It won’t burn because it hates us,” Rolandsaid, as if this should have been obvious to her. “This is his place,still his even though he’s moved on. Everything here hates us. But… listen,Susa

“Sure,” she said. “Anything’s got to bebetter than lying out on the tarvy and shivering like a kitten that just got aducking in a waterbarrel.”

So that was what they did—the rest ofthat first night, all the next, and the two after that. She kept thinking, I’mgo