Текст книги "The Ask and the Answer"
Автор книги: Patrick Ness
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Текущая страница: 19 (всего у книги 21 страниц)
The Mayor sees Todd staring at him, mouth agape. "Yes, dear boy, better at that, too."
"You as good as killed him," I say. "Whatever you did-"
"What I did was make him see his duty," the Mayor says. "No more, no less. Now, as fascinating as this discussion is, we're going to have to settle it later. I'm afraid I'm going to have to have Davy tie you both up."
"Pa?" Davy says again, startled.
The Mayor looks at him. "Then you'll ride to Captain Hammar, tell him to bring the army down the road with all speed and fury." The Mayor casts his eyes to the far hillside where the army waits. "It's time we brought this to an end."
"I can't tie him up, Pa, it's Todd."
The Mayor doesn't look at him. "I've had just about enough of this, David. When I give you a direct order-" Boom!
He stops and we all look up.
Because it's different this time, a different kind of sound. We hear a low whoosh and a rumble starts to fill the air, getting louder as the seconds pass.
Todd looks at me, confused.
I just shrug. "Nothing I ever heard before." The roar starts to get louder, filling the darkening sky.
"That don't sound like no bomb," Davy says.
The Mayor looks at me. "Viola, is there-"
He stops and then turns his head.
And we all realize-
It's not coming from the east.
"Over there," Davy points, raising his hand toward the falls, toward where the sky is bright pink with sunset.
The Mayor looks at me again. "That's too loud for a simple tracer." His face tightens. "Have they got missiles?" He takes a step so big he's almost on top of me. "Have they built missiles?"
"You back off!" Todd yells, trying to get between us again.
"I will know what this is, Viola!" the Mayor says. "You will tell me!"
"I don't know what it is!" I say.
Todd's shouting and threatening, "You lay a finger on her-"
"It's getting louder!" Davy shouts, putting his hands to his ears. We all turn and watch the western horizon, watch as a dot rises, getting lost in the last of the sun before reappearing, growing larger as it comes.
As it comes straight for the city.
"Viola!" the Mayor shouts, through clenched teeth, sending some Noise at me but I don't feel whatever it is that men feel.
"I DON'T KNOW!" I yell.
And then Davy, who hasn't stopped watching it, says, "It's a ship."
41 THE MOMENT OF DAVY PRENTISS
***
[TODD]
It's a ship.
It's a ruddy ship.
"Yer people," I say to Viola.
But she's shaking her head, tho not to say no, just staring at it as it rises over the falls.
"Too small for a settler ship," Davy says.
"And too early," the Mayor says, aiming his rifle at it as if he could shoot it from this distance. "They're not due for another two months at least."
But Viola still ain't looking like she can hear any of this, hope rising on her face so painful it hurts my heart just to see it. "A scout," she whispers, so quiet I'm the only one who hears it. "Another scout. Sent to look for me."
I turn back to the ship.
It clears the crest of the falls, soaring out over the river.
A scout ship, just like the one she crashed in back in thes wamp, killing her parents and stranding her here all those months and lifetimes ago. It still looks as big as a house, stubby wings looking too short to keep it in the air, flames coming outta the tail end as it flies flies flies down the river, using it as a road hundreds of feet below. We watch it come.
"David," the Mayor says, his eyes still on it. "Get my horse."
But Davy's got his face up to the sky, his Noise opening up in wonder and amazement.
And I know exactly how he feels.
Nothing flies on New World except the birds. We got machines that go down the roads, fissionbikes, a few fissioncars, but mainly we just got horses and oxes and carts and our feet.
We don't got wings.
The ship comes down the river, nearing the cathedral and flying almost right over us, not stopping, so close you can see lights on the underside and the sky above the exhaust shimmering with the heat. It flies right on past, down the river.
Down east toward the Answer.
"David!" the Mayor says sharply.
"Help me up," Viola whispers. "I have to get to them. I have to go."
And her eyes are wild and her breath is heavy and she's staring at me so hard it's like a solid thing I can feel.
"Oh, he'll help you up," the Mayor says, pointing the gun. "Because you're coming with me."
"What?" Viola says.
"They're your people, Viola," the Mayor says. "They're going to be wondering where you are. I can either bring you to them right away..." He looks at me. "Or I can sadly inform them that you died in the crash. Which would you prefer?"
"I'm not going with you," she says. "You're a liar and a murderer-"
He cuts her off. "David, you'll remain guard over Todd while I take Viola to her ship." He looks back at her. "I think you know firsthand my son's eagerness with a gun if you don't cooperate."
Viola looks furiously at Davy. I look at Davy, too, standing there, rifle in hand, looking back and forth twixt me and his pa.
His Noise roiling.
His Noise saying clearly there ain't no way he's ever gonna shoot me. "Pa?" he says.
"Enough of this, David," the Mayor frowns, trying to catch Davy's eye-And catching it.
"You will do what I say," he says to his son. "You will tie Todd up with the rope he so helpfully brought and you will stand guard over him and when I return with our newly arrived guests, everything will be peaceful and happy. The new world will begin."
"New world," Davy mumbles, his eyes glazing over, just like the ginger – haired soldier, askings and doubt being pushed outta his Noise.
As he bends to the will of another. I get an idea. Forgive me, Davy.
"You gonna let him talk to you like that, Davy?"
He blinks. "What?"
He looks away from his pa.
"You gonna let him point a gun at me and Viola?"
"Todd," the Mayor warns.
"All that Noise you say you hear," I say to the Mayor but I still look at Davy, still hold his eye. "All the way you say you know everything, but you don't know yer own son very well, now, do ya?"
"David," the Mayor says.
But I got Davy's eye now.
"You gonna let him get his way again?" I say to him. "You gonna let him boss you round with no reward?"
Davy watches me nervously, trying to blink away the mess his pa's put in his head.
"That ship changes everything, Davy," I say. "A whole new batch of people. A whole city's worth to try and make this place something better than the stinking toilet it is."
"David," the Mayor says. There's a flash of Noise and Davy flinches.
"Stop it, Pa," he says.
"Who do you want to get to that ship first, Davy?" I say. "Me and Viola to get some help? Or yer pa so he can rule them, too?"
"Be quiet?" says the Mayor. "Are you forgetting who has the gun?"
"Davy has one, too," I say.
***
There's a bit of a pause as we all see Davy remember he's holding a rifle.
There's another flash of Noise from the Mayor and another flinch from Davy. "Jesus, Pa, effing quit it already!"
But he looks at his pa to say it.
And his pa catches his eyes again.
"Tie Todd up and get my horse, David," the Mayor says, holding his stare.
"Pa?" Davy says, his voice gone quiet.
"My horse," says the Mayor. "He's out back."
"Get between them." Viola hisses at me. "Break the eye contact!"
I move but the Mayor turns the gun on her without taking his eyes off Davy. "One move, Todd." I stop.
"Bring me my horse, son," says the Mayor, "and we'll greet the new settlers side by side." He smiles at his son. "You'll be my prince."
"He said that before," I say to Davy. "But not to you."
"He's controlling you," Viola shouts. "He's using his Noise to–"
"Please tell Viola to be quiet," the Mayor says. "Be quiet, Viola," Davy says, his voice soft, his eyes not blinking.
"Davy!" I shout.
"He's just trying to control you, David," the Mayor says, his voice rising. "Like he's done from the start."
"What?" I say.
"From the start," Davy mumbles.
"Who do you think's held you back from promotion, son?" the Mayor's saying it and he's saying it right into the middle of Davy's brain. "Who do you think tells me all the things you do wrong?"
"Todd?" Davy says weakly.
"He's lying," I say. "Look at me!"
But Davy's overloading. He's just staring frozen at his pa, not moving at all.
The Mayor gives a heavy sigh. "I see I have to do this myself."
He comes forward, gesturing us back with his rifle. He grabs Viola and lifts her to her feet. She cries out from the pain in her ankles. I move automatically to help but he pushes her forward so she's right in front of him, his rifle at her back.
I open my mouth to shout, to threaten, to damn him-But it's Davy who speaks first. "It's landing," he says quietly.
We all turn eastward. The ship is taking a slow circle, flying around a hilltop east of town–
Maybe even the one where the tower once stood– It comes round again and hovers above the treetops-Before slowly starting to lower itself out of sight-I turn to Davy, too, see his eyes fogged and confused-But he ain't looking at his pa no more-He's looking at the ship-
And then he's turning his head and looking at me-
"Todd?" he says, like he's just waking up-And his rifle is just there, just hanging from his hand– And one more time-Forgive me.
I lunge forward and snatch it from him. He don't even put up any resistance, just lets it go, lets it go right into my fingers and I'm already raising it and cocking it and pointing it at the Mayor.
Who's already smiling, his gun still in Viola's back. "So it's a standoff, is it?" he says, grinning from ear to ear. "Let her go," I say.
"Please take your gun back from Todd, David," the Mayor says, but he has to keep looking at me, watching me with the gun.
"Don't you do no such thing, Davy."
"Stop it!" Davy says, his voice thick, his Noise rising. I sense him putting his hands to the sides of his head. "Can't you both just effing stop it?"
But the Mayor's still looking at me and I'm still looking at the Mayor.
The sound of the ship landing screams over the city, over the Noise of the army marching its way back down the hill, over the distant booms of the Answer making its way up the road, and over the terrified, hidden people of New Prentisstown all around us, not knowing that their whole future depends on this, right now, right this second, me and the Mayor with our rifles.
"Let her go," I say.
"I don't think so, Todd." I hear a rumble of Noise coming from him.
"My finger's on this trigger," I say. "You try to hit me with yer Noise and yer a dead man."
The Mayor smiles. "Fair enough," he says. "But what you need to ask yourself, my dear friend Todd, is if, when you decide to finally pull that trigger, can you pull it fast enough so that I don't also pull my own? Will killing me kill your beloved Viola, too?" He lowers his chin. "Could you live with that?"
"You'd be dead," I say.
"So would she."
"Do it, Todd," Viola says. "Don't let him win."
"That ain't happening neither," I say. "Are you going to let him point a gun at your own father, David?" the Mayor asks.
But he's still looking at me.
"Times are changing, Davy," I say, eyes still on the Mayor. "This is where we all decide how it's gonna be. Including you."
"Why's it have to be like this?" Davy asks. "We could all go together. We could all ride up on horseback and-"
"No, David," says the Mayor. "No, that won't do at all."
"Put the gun down," I say. "Put it down and end this."
The Mayor's eyes flash and I know what's coming–
"You stop that," I say, blinking furiously and looking over his shoulder.
"You cannot win this," the Mayor says and I hear his voice twice over, three times, a legion of him inside my head. "You cannot shoot me and guarantee her life, Todd. We all know you'd never risk that."
He takes a step forward, pushing Viola along. She calls out at the pain in her ankles.
But I find myself taking a step back.
"Don't look in his eyes," she says.
"I'm trying," I say, but even the sound of his voice is getting inside me.
"This isn't a loss, Todd," the Mayor is saying, so loud in my head it feels like my brain's vibrating. "I wish for your death no more than I wish for my own. Everything I said earlier was true. I want you by my side. I want you as part of the future we're going to create here with whoever steps out of that ship."
"Shut up," I say.
But he's still stepping forward.
I'm still stepping back.
Till I'm behind even Davy.
"I want no harm to come to Viola, either," the Mayor says. "All along I promised both of you a future. That promise still stands."
Even without looking right at him, his voice is buzzing in my head, weighing it down, making it seem like it's easier just to–
"Don't listen to him!" Viola shouts. "He's a liar."
"Todd," says the Mayor. "I think of you as my son. I really do."
And Davy turns to me, his Noise rising all hopeful, and he says, "C'mon, Todd, you hear that?" And his Noise is reaching for me, too, eagerness and worry coming forward like fingers and hands, asking me, begging me to put the gun down, put it down and make everything all right, make it so all this stops–
And he says, "We could be brothers–"
And I cast my eyes to Davy's–
And I see myself in them, see myself in his Noise, see the Mayor as my father and Davy as my brother and Viola as our sister-See the hopeful smile rising to Davy's lips–
And for the third time, I have to ask-
Forgive me.
I point the rifle at Davy.
"Let her go," I say to the Mayor, not quite able to look Davy in the face.
"Todd?" Davy asks, his forehead furrowing.
"Just do it!" I snap.
"Or you'll what, Todd?" the Mayor teases. "You'll shoot him?"
Davy's Noise is spilling over with more asking marks, with surprise and shock-
With a betrayal that's rising-
"Answer me, Todd," the Mayor says. "Or you'll what'?"
"Todd?" Davy says again, his voice lower this time. I look him briefly in the eyes and look away again.
"Or I'll shoot Davy," I say. "I'll shoot yer son."
Davy's Noise is pouring with disappointment, disappointment so thick it falls off him like mud. I don't even read no anger in his Noise, which makes it worse. He ain't even thinking of jumping me or punching me or wrestling the gun away.
The only thing in his Noise is me holding a gun on him.
His only friend holding a gun on him.
"I'm sorry," I whisper.
But he don't look like he hears.
"I gave you yer book," he says. "I gave you back yer book."
"You let Viola go!" I shout, looking away from Davy, anger at myself snapping my voice loud. "Or I swear to God-"
"Go ahead then," the Mayor says. "Shoot him."
Davy looks at the Mayor. "Pa?"
"Never much use as a son anyway," the Mayor says, still pushing Viola forward with the rifle. "Why do you think I sent him to the front line? I was at least hoping he'd die a Zero's death."
There's pain on Viola's face still but it ain't all her ankles.
"Never mastered his Noise," the Mayor continues, looking at Davy, whose Noise–
I can't say what his Noise is like.
"Never followed an order he couldn't get out of. Couldn't capture you. Couldn't take care of Viola. Only ever showed improvement because of your influence, Todd."
"Pa–" Davy starts. But his pa ignores him.
"You are the son I want, Todd. Always you. Never this waste of space."
And Davy's Noise-
Oh, Jesus, Davy's Noise-
"LET HER GO!" I shout so I don't have to hear it. "I'll shoot him, I'll do it!"
"You won't," says the Mayor, smiling again. "Everyone
knows you aren't a killer, Todd." He pushes Viola forward again-She calls out from the pain of it-Viola, I think– Viola-
I grit my teeth and raise the rifle– I cock it-
And I say what's true-
"I would kill to save her," I say.
The Mayor stops edging forward. He looks twixt me and Davy and back again.
"Pa?" says Davy. His face is twisted and crumpled.
The Mayor looks back at me, reading my Noise.
"You would, wouldn't you?" he says, almost under his breath. "You'd kill him. For her."
Davy looks back at me, his eyes wet but anger rising there, too. "Don't, Todd. Don't do it."
"Let her go," I say again. "Now." The Mayor's still looking twixt me and Davy, seeing that I'm serious, seeing that I'd really do it.
"Just put the gun down," I growl, not looking at Davy's eyes, not looking at his Noise. "This is over."
The Mayor takes in a long breath and lets it out.
"Very well, Todd," he says. "As you wish."
He steps away from Viola.
My shoulders relax.
And he fires his gun.
42 END GAME
***
(Viola)
"TODD! " I shout, the sound of the rifle shot blasting past my ear, erasing everything but him, the whole world reduced to not knowing if he's all right or not, if he's been hit, if-
But it's not him-
He's still holding up his gun-
Unfired-
Standing next to Davy-Who falls to his knees-Sending up two small clouds of dust as he hits the rubble-
"Pa?" he asks, his voice pleading, like a little kitten-And then he coughs, spilling blood down his lips– "Davy?" Todd says, his Noise rising like he's the one that's been shot-
And I see it-
A hole high in Davy's chest, in the fabric of his uniform, just below the base of his throat-A nd Todd runs to him, kneeling down beside him– "Davy!" he shouts-
But Davy's Noise is staring at his father-Asking marks sent everywhere-His expression shocked-His hand reaching up to the wound-He coughs again-And gags-
Todd's looking at the Mayor, too-
His Noise railing-
"What did you do?" he shouts-
[TODD]
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" I shout.
"I removed him from the equation," the Mayor says calmly.
"Pa?" Davy asks again, holding out a bloodied hand toward him-
But his pa is only looking at me.
"You were always the truer son, Todd," the Mayor says. "The one with the potential, the one with the power, the one I'd be proud to have serve by my side."
Pa? Davy's Noise says–
And he's hearing all of this–
"You effing monster," I say. "I'll kill you-"
"You'll join me," the Mayor says. "You know you will. It's only a matter of time. David was weak, an embarrassment–"
"SHUT UP!" I shout.
Todd? I hear-I look down-
Davy's looking up at me–
His Noise swirling-
Swirling with askings and confuzhun and fear-
And Todd?-
Todd?-
I'm sorry-
"Davy, don't-" I start to say-But his Noise is still swirling-And I see-I see-
I see the truth-Here at the last-He's showing me the truth-The thing he's been hiding from me-About Ben-All in a messy rush-Pictures of Ben racing up the road toward Davy-Pictures of Davy's horse rearing-Pictures of Davy firing his gun as he falls-Pictures of the bullet hitting Ben in the chest-Pictures of Ben staggering out into the bushes-Davy too scared to go after him-Davy too scared to tell me the truth after-After I became his only friend–
I didn't mean it , his Noise is saying-"Davy–" I say–
I'm sorry, he thinks – And that's the truth all over – He is sorry–
For everything-For Prentisstown-
For Viola-For Ben–
For every failure and every wrong-For letting his pa down-
And he's looking up at me-
And he's begging me – he's begging me -
Like I'm the only one who can forgive him-
Like it's only me who's got the power-
Todd?-
Please-
And all I can say is "Davy-"
And the fright and the terror in his Noise is too much
It's too much–
And then it stops.
Davy slumps, eyes still open, eyes still staring back at me, eyes still asking (I swear) for me to forgive him. And he lies there, still. Davy Prentiss is dead.
(Viola)
"You're insane," I say to the Mayor behind me.
"No," he says. "You've been right all along, both of you. Never love something so much it can be used to control you." The sun is down now but the sky is still pink, the Noise of the town still ROARs there's another Boom! in the distance as the Answer approaches, and the ship must have landed by now. Its doors must be opening. Someone, probably Simone Watkin or Bradley Tench, people I know, people who know me, must be looking out, wondering what sort of place they've landed in.
And Todd kneels over the body of Davy Prentiss. And then Todd looks up-
His Noise is boiling and burning and I can hear the grief in it and the shame and the rage– And he gets to his feet-And he raises his rifle–
I see myself in his Noise. I see the Mayor there, too, behind me, rifle pointed, eyes glinting with triumph.
And I know exactly what Todd is going to do.
"Do it," I say, my stomach dropping but it's right right right-
And Todd raises the rifle to his eye– "Do it!"
And the Mayor shoves me hard, sending lightnings of pain up my legs, and I can't help it and I scream out and fall forward, forward toward Todd, forward toward the ground-
And the Mayor does it again-
Uses me to control Todd-
Because Todd can't help it either-
He jumps to catch me-
To catch me when I'm falling-
And the Mayor attacks.
[TODD]
My brain explodes, burning and raging with everything he fires at it and it ain't nothing like a slap at all, it's like fiery metal poked right into the center of who I am, and as I jump forward to catch Viola, it hits me so hard my head snaps back and here it comes again, the Mayor's voice but somehow my voice, too, somehow hers as well and all of 'em saying yer nothing yer nothing yer nothing yer nothing–
Our bodies are still moving together and I feel us tumble into one another, feel the top of her skull crack into my mouth, and yer nothing yer nothing yer nothing she falls into my chest and my fumbling arms and we twist down onto the rubble together, a siren ripping off the roof of my head yer nothing yer nothing yer nothing and I feel the rifle fall and bounce away and I feel the weight of her against me and I hear her as if from the other side of the moons and she's calling my name and yer nothing she's saying "Todd" yer nothing yer nothing she's saying "Todd!" and it's as if I'm watching her from under water and I see her try to rise up on her hands to protect me but the Mayor's above her and swinging his rifle by the barrel and smacking her across the back of her head and she's falling to one side–
And my brain is boiling-
My brain is boiling–
My brain is boiling-
yer nothing yer nothing yer nothing yer nothing yer nothing–
And I see her eyes as they're closing – And I feel her against me-
And I think Viola-
I think VIOLA!
I think VIOLA!!!!
And the Mayor steps away from me like he's been stung.
"Whoo," he says, shaking his head as I blink away the buzz still rocketing from my brain, as my eyes refocus and my thoughts are mine again. "Told you you had some power in you, boy."
And his eyes are wide and bright and eager.
And he hits me again with his Noise.
I fling my hands up to my ears (not holding the gun, not holding the gun) as if that'll stop it but it ain't thru yer ears that you hear Noise and he's in there, inside my head, inside my self, invading it like I don't have any self at all yer nothing yer nothing yer nothing my own Noise swept up and hit against me, like I'm punching myself with my own fists yer nothing yer nothing yer nothing–
Viola, I think but I'm disappearing, I'm falling deeper into it, I'm weaker and my brain is rattling–
Viola–
(Viola)
Viola, I hear, as if from the bottom of a canyon. My head is aching and bleeding from the Mayor's blow and my face is in the dust and my eyes are half open but they aren't seeing anything-
Viola, I hear again.
I open my eyes wide. Todd's scooting back into the rocks, his hands over his ears, eyes squeezed shut-
And the Mayor is standing over him and I can hear the same shouting as before, the same kind of clanging, laser – bright Noise firing right at him and-
Viola, I hear in among all the clatter-
And I open my mouth-
And I shout-
[TODD]
"TODD!" I hear screamed from somewhere out there-
And it's her-
It's her-It's her-
And she's alive–
And her voice is coming for me-
Viola-
VIOLA-
I hear a grunt and the Noise in my head stops again and I open my eyes and the Mayor is staggering back, one hand up to his ear, the same reflex that everyone does-
That everyone does when they hear an attack of Noise.
VIOLA,I think a gain, right at him, but he ducks his head and raises the rifle at me. I think it again-
VIOLA
And again-
VIOLA
And he steps back and stumbles over Davy's body, falling backward along it and down into the rubble-I push myself up-And I run to her–
(Viola)
He runs to me, his hands open and reaching for me, taking my shoulders and rolling me up to a sitting position and saying, "
Are you hurt, are you hurt, are you hurt-"
And I'm saying, "He's still got the gun-"
And Todd turns-
[TODD]
And I turn and the Mayor's getting to his feet and he's looking at me and here comes his Noise again and I roll outta the way and I hear it following me as I scramble over rocks, scramble back to where I dropped my rifle and-And there's a gunshot-
And dust flies up in the air in front of my hands-
Hands that were reaching for the rifle-And I stop-
And I look up–
And he's staring right back at me–
And I hear her call my name again–
And I know she's understanding-
Understanding that I need to hear her say my name-
And that way I can use hers as a weapon-
"Don't try it, Todd," the Mayor says, looking down the barrel at me – And I hear his voice in my head-Not an attack-
The slinky snaky, twisty verzhun of his voice-
The one that's him taking hold of my choices-
The one that's him turning them into his-
"You won't fight anymore," he says-
He takes a step closer-
"You won't fight anymore and that'll be the end of it-"
I turn away from him-But I have to turn back-
Have to look into his eyes-
"Listen to me, Todd-"
And his voice is hissing twixt my ears-
And it would be so easy just to-
Just to-
Just to fall back-
Fall back and do what he says-
"No!" I shout-
But my teeth are locked together-
And he's still in there-
Still trying to get me to-
And I will-
I will-
YER nothing-
I'm nothing-
"That's right, Todd," the Mayor says, stepping forward, rifle bearing down on me.
"You are nothing."
I'm nothing-
"But," he says-
And his voice is a whisper scratching across the deepest part of me-
"But," he says-
"I will make you something."
And I look right up into his eyes-
Eyes that are an abyss I feel myself falling into-
Up and into the blackness-
And outta the corner of my eye-
(Viola)
I throw the stone as hard as I can, praying as it leaves my hand that my aim's as good as Lee said-
Praying, Please, God-If you're there-
Please-And wham!
It hits the Mayor right in the temple-
[TODD]
There's a terrible ripping feeling, like a strip is being torn right outta my Noise–
And the abyss is gone-
It's turned away-
And the Mayor lurches to the side, holding his temple, blood already dripping from it–
"TODD!" Viola shouts-
And I look at her-
Look at her arm outstretched where she threw the rock–
And I see her-
My Viola.
And I get to my feet.
(Viola)
He gets to his feet. He stands up tall-
And I shout his name again-
TODD!"
Because it does something-
It does something to him-
It does something for him-
The Mayor's wrong-
He's wrong forever and ever-
It's not that you should never love something so much it can control you.
It's that you need to love something that much so you can never be controlled.
It's not a weakness-
It's your best strength-
"TODD!" I shout again-
And he looks at me-And I hear my name in his Noise-
And I know it-
I know it in my heart-
Right now-
Todd Hewitt-
There's nothing we can't do together-
And we're gonna win-
[TODD]
The Mayor is looking up now, half crouched, blood seeping from twixt his fingers held against the side of his head-He turns to look at me, a scowl on his face-And here comes his Noise– And– VIOLA
I beat it back-
He flinches away–
But he tries again-
VIOLA
"You can't beat us," I say-
"I can," he says, clenching his teeth. "I will."
VIOLA
He flinches again–
He tries to raise the rifle–
I hit him extra hard-
VIOLA
He drops the rifle and staggers back– I can hear his Noise buzzing at me, trying to twist its way in–
But his head is hurting-From my own attacks– From one well – thrown rock–
"What exactly do you think this proves?" he spits. "You've got power, but you don't know what to do with it."
VIOLA
"Looks like I'm doing fine," I say.
And he smiles, teeth still clenched. "Are you?"
And I notice my hands are shaking-I notice my Noise is flying, sizzling like a bright thing-I can't feel my feet below me-
"It takes practice," the Mayor says. "Or you'll blow your mind apart." He stands up a little straighter, trying to lock my eyes again. "I could show you."
And right on cue, Viola yells "TODD!"
And I hit him with everything I got–
Every bit of her behind me–
Every piece of anger and frustrayshun and nothingness–
Every moment I didn't see her–
Every moment I worried–
Everything–
Every little tiny thing I know about her–
I send it right into the center of him–
VIOLA
And he falls-
Back and back and back-
His eyes rolling up–
His head twisting round–
His legs buckling–
Falling falling falling-
Right to the ground–
And lying there still.
(Viola)
"Todd?" I say. He's shaking all over, almost to the point of not being able to stand, and I can hear an unhealthy – sounding whine cutting through his Noise. He wobbles a little as he takes a step.
"Todd?" I try to get to my feet but my ankles-
"Jeez," he says, crumpling down beside me. "That takes it outta you."
He's breathing heavy, his eyes unfocused.
"Are you all right?" I ask, putting a hand on his arm.
He nods. "I think so."
We look back at the Mayor.
"You did it," I say.
"We did it," he says and his Noise is getting a little clearer and he sits up a little straighten
His hands are still shaking, though. "Poor bloody Davy," he says.
I grip his arm. "The ship," I say quietly. "Mistress Coyle's going to get there first."
"Not if I can help it," he says. He stands up and he swoons for a second but I hear him call Acorn with his Noise.
Boy colt, I hear clearly and Davy's horse tugs free of where he's tied and walks up over the rubble, boy colt, boy colt, boy colt,
Todd , I hear from farther out and there's more clopping of hooves as Angharrad follows Acorn in and stands beside him. "Forward," she nickers. "Forward," Acorn nickers.
"Absolutely forward," Todd says to them.
He puts an arm under my shoulders to lift me up. Acorn sees in his Noise and kneels down so it's easier for me to get up top. When I'm in the saddle, Todd slaps his flank gently and up he stands. Angharrad comes close to Todd and starts to kneel, too, but, "No, girl," he says, petting her nose.
