Blood & Dust (27 page)

'I appreciate what you've done. I can't hear any of them.'

Iraq is…

He shut the door softly.

'If you avoid killing, the rooms will remain empty. The memories will be like visitors, rather
than tenants, and will leave in time.'

'Works for me.' Kevin pulled on his boots as Danica packed away her gear. 'So what-'

She held up a hand and stared off into space, a sign he had come to recognise that her mind was
otherwise engaged. The yapping of dogs, like Morse code, carried through the walls. Danica blinked,
smiled. 'You were asking?'

'Was that a message? Anything about Kala? My family?'

'Come. We have visitors.'

Danica sent him out the front while she went to the kitchen to put the kettle on. The cool night
slowly penetrated his skin as he basked in the crisp air, the stars beaming, pregnant moon
reassuringly bright and serene. A battered ute - bullbar, row of spotties across the top of the cab
- wormed its way down from the front gate as Kevin stepped onto the veranda. Byely and Cherny
trotted alongside the vehicle. He squinted in the headlight glare, eyes adjusting quickly, and then
again as the ute pulled up near the stairs and the lights were killed, leaving him in the dimness of
the moon and the hallway light beaming through the open door behind him.

Taipan and Acacia emerged from the garage. Taipan was stripped to the waist, Acacia shrugging a
jacket on over a singlet. They reeked of oil and grease, familiar smells from a lifetime ago. The
dogs sniffed around the ute.

Hippie emerged from the driver's side, hands busy patting the dogs. 'Wow, a reception committee.
But where's the grog, you dumb mutts, eh?'

The passenger door opened and Kala stepped out. She looked exhausted, hunched inside a heavy
ex-army coat. She wore a grey tracksuit under it. Her hair was a matted nest, her face streaked with
the muddy tracks of tears.

'Hey,' she said.

Kevin moved to hug her, stopped, aware of people watching; of Taipan looming between them like a
thundercloud.

'So you made it, eh?' the biker said.

'No thanks to you.'

'Couldn't stay,' Taipan said. 'The place was too hot. Plus that Mira had her hooks in the boy,
eh. Had to get him out of her reach; it was either Mother or the choppin' block.'

'Yeah, right, you were so concerned about Kevin's welfare, I'm sure.' She brushed his hand away.
'I need a shower and a pee. Thanks for the lift, Hippie.' She handed him back his jacket and stalked
off, brushing past Kevin with barely a look.

'How did you find her?' Kevin asked.

'She rang the hotline,' Hippie said. 'Mother set up a rendezvous in Longreach and sent me to pick
her up.'

Taipan rounded on Hippie: 'Didn't think to tell me, eh?'

'Mother said go. I went.'

'Did the girl say how she got away?'

'Kept her head down and hitched, I gather. Didn't say much, just that it had been pretty tight.'

'I gotta talk to that girl,' Taipan said, and stalked off.

'Tai,' Acacia called, but he didn't look back. 'You sure you weren't followed?' she asked Hippie
as he lit a cigarette.

'Nah, I would've noticed.'

A shout - a scream! - came from inside the house.

Byely, leg cocked on the front wheel, yapped like a car alarm.

Kevin raced into the living room.

Taipan held Kala from behind, his teeth in her neck. Furious and weeping, she kicked futilely at
his ankles, raked his forearms with her nails.

'Let her go, arsehole,' Kevin yelled, and charged. Taipan looked up in surprise. Kevin fired a
punch past Kala's face that connected squarely with Taipan's gory jaw. The biker staggered backward,
dragging Kala off balance. Kevin closed in but Acacia grabbed him from behind, pinning his arms to
his side. He swore at her to let him go.

Taipan threw Kala to the floor and advanced on Kevin.

A carafe of blood shattered against the wall, leaving a massive stain, slowly dripping as though
the wall itself were bleeding. Everyone stopped.

Danica stood in the doorway, her face dark with fury. 'What the hell is going on here?'

Outside, the dogs were going ballistic, claws scrabbling at the front door. Acacia released Kevin
and he knelt beside Kala, but she pulled away. He looked to the others for help, but no-one moved.
Cassie appeared behind Danica, then hurried away.

'There better be a damn good reason for this,' Danica said, crossing her arms. 'I was fond of
that jug.'

She waved a hand and the dogs fell silent, the air in the room turning thick and ominous in the
sudden quiet.

Taipan pointed at Kala where she slumped on the floor, one hand pressed to the gash in her neck.
'Tell 'em where ya earring is, Kay. The one ya white mum gave you.'

Kala covered her ear with one hand. Kevin hadn't noticed the little silver cross was missing. He
should've, though; Taipan had. But then, he hadn't known her mother had given it to her, either.
Despite what he'd seen in her blood, he realised he didn't know her very well at all. And clearly,
not as well as Taipan.

Cassie entered the room and handed Kevin a tea towel; he held it to Kala's wound. He felt her
blood on his skin; felt the smell invade his nose, his throat, his lungs. She wouldn't meet his eyes
but she pulled the towel in tight, trapping his hand under hers.

'No way did she sneak past VS and the cops,' Taipan declared, his voice vibrating with disgust.
'She had to cut herself a deal.'

'Bullshit.' Kevin held onto Kala, willing her to say something to prove Taipan wrong. 'Kala would
never sell us out. She's human - it would've been easy for her to get through, easier than for us.
She
wouldn't have had to kill anyone.'

Danica stepped in front of Kala and faced the crowd. 'Tai and Kevin can stay. Everyone else -
out.'

'Are they coming for us?' Acacia asked, reaching out to hold Cassie's hand.

'How would I know?' Kala said bitterly. 'I'm a sender, not a receiver.'

'I said out,' Danica ordered.

When the door had closed behind them, she asked tenderly, 'Kala?'

Kala stared at the floor, and when she spoke, her voice was a low monotone, rimmed with shame. 'I
was to contact Mira when I knew for a fact that you were here. But I wouldn't have. They couldn't
have programmed me that well, not with Tai's blood in me.'

'You got no idea what that bloodhag can do once she's got her fangs in you,' Taipan said.

'Tai, that's enough!' Danica glared at him. 'Should I send you out, too?'

He looked not so much chastened by Danica's outburst, as restrained. His muscles were tight as he
spoke, the words driving out like steam, 'They could be on their way now, ridin' a trace, just like
they did with the boy.'

'While she's awake? Here? It's most unlikely. But I should've gone with Hippie to collect her. I
should've checked her out there without endangering the camp.'

'No,' Taipan said. 'That woulda been too big a risk. Coulda bin Hunters or anythin' trackin' that
girl. No, she shoulda stayed the hell away.'

Kala rubbed at her arms, her throat. 'How can I stay away? After 40 years, how the fuck can I
stay away?'

'Leave her alone.' Kevin lifted Kala to her feet and wrapped her in his arms. 'You've hurt her
enough.'

'Gods, enough, the lot of you,' Danica said. 'The horse has bolted. But they can't have seen this
place, Tai. My wards are stronger than that.'

'Close enough is good enough.'

'Jesus,' Kevin said. 'Doesn't anyone even care what they did to her? You're talking as if Kala
doesn't even matter.'

'It's our lives, fella.' Taipan pointed at Kala. 'She knows it. We can't allow VS to get their
hands on Mother. She's the only thing holdin' us together.'

Danica laid a hand on his shoulder. 'None of us is more important than any other.' She took
Kala's face in her hands. Kevin squeezed Kala's arm so she knew she wasn't alone. That not everyone
was ready to feed her to the wolves.

'What happened?' Danica asked.

'Mira - she got me.' Kala collapsed like a balloon deflating, her admission the last puff of air.

'And how did you escape?'

Kala looked away, down at her feet, her answer a mere mumble. 'She let me go.'

'I need to see. May I?'

Kala pulled back, shaking.

'It's all right, Kala. I'm not going to hurt you. I just need to see what happened.'

'What are you gonna do?' Kevin asked.

'Nothing I haven't done with you,' Danica said.

'It's okay, Kevvie,' Kala told him, breaking away from his touch to face Danica square on. 'I
don't mind.'

'Let me see,' Danica said.

A bite. A blood rush.

Kevin sensed the connection form between the two women.

Danica emerged, blinking. She bit her own forearm and smeared blood on Kala's wounds. Then she
told her, 'Taste me. Take me into you.'

Kala licked Danica's forearm, then began to suckle.

Danica gave a single, sharp, 'ah'. Her eyes showed purple through slit lids. Then she murmured,
'There's something more - locked;
blood
locked.' Her gaze found Kevin, her brow furrowed, then
she slowly disengaged from Kala.

'Hold her,' she told him as Kala sagged into his arms.

'Did you see?' Danica asked Taipan. She looked at Kevin, then back to Taipan.

'Did you see what?' Kevin asked. 'What'd they do to her?'

Taipan ignored him, his focus on Danica. 'I saw her with Mira, nothin' more.'

'It
was
Mira,' Danica said. 'She forged a link; she's very good.' There was measure of
respect in her voice, of admiration. 'I've dampened it. I doubt it would've penetrated my wards; but
still, they've probably got some idea where we are. We move out tonight as planned.'

'Where we gonna go, eh?' Taipan stalked to a window and looked out, as though expecting - hoping
- that VS storm troopers would come crashing into the compound at any moment. 'All this runnin' and
hidin', I'm plenny sick of it. When we gonna hit back?'

'When we can win. For now, the road is our only sanctuary.'

'We should hunt Mira. We know she's in Rocky. We know she's only got a few men with her. We could
take her by surprise. That'd be a big loss for Maximilian von Shitter.'

'No.'

'Sooner or later, it has to come to this. My money's on sooner.'

'And I say later.'

'I want out,' Kevin said. 'Out for me and Kala. You lot can do what you want, but I want no part
of it.'

Taipan ignored him, his focus on Danica. 'Like I said, what's important is keepin' you out of
their claws. Nothin' else. And the best way of doin' that is smashin' 'em.' He drove his fist into
his palm. 'If this fella has any balls at all, he'll help. Otherwise, he can just piss off, and take
anyone who can't stomach a fight with him.'

Danica held out a hand, palm up, to hush Taipan as she asked Kevin, 'You don't want to avenge
your father?'

Kevin resisted her gentle goading. 'I got family who need me to look after them. I've seen what
the VS guys can do and I've seen what you can do, and I'm not gonna join some suicide mission and
leave my mum with another grave to cry over.'

'So what you gonna do, fella?' Taipan asked. 'Throw that girl there on the back of a bike and see
the world? How far will you get with that bloodhag on your tail?'

'A damn sight further than if I go with you, that's for sure. They've got a gunship, for Christ's
sake!'

'Don't worry 'bout that bird. I got a little surprise for it down there in the garage.'

'Sure you have. It worked great at The Farm.'

Taipan's eyes narrowed, and for a moment Kevin thought he was going to attack. The man trembled,
his hands fisted. 'Never figured you for a coward, fella.'

'Ain't nothin' cowardly about looking after your own.'

'Yeah? Just who do you think ya own is these days, eh? Take it from me - there ain't no goin'
back.'

'I'll take my chances.'

'Enough,' Danica said. 'Kevin, take Kala out, let her rest. I need to think about this. Tai,
let's find Acacia and work out our next move.'

The hallway was crowded: Acacia, Cassie, Hippie, a bunch of others, all clustered around the
door. They looked at Kevin and Kala with naked curiosity, perhaps pity.

'What're you two doin' here?' Taipan snapped, singling Mohawk and Lions out of the crush. 'Get
out to that fence.

You want that VS mob to catch us with our pants down?'

'We heard the dogs,' Mohawk said, but Lions hit him in the arm and they shouldered their way out.

'We're in it up to our necks,' Taipan told them. 'Can't afford to be slackin' off.'

Danica stepped out by his side, looking pensive.

'We need more troops,' he told her, then swept his gaze around the assembled Night Riders.
'Reinforcements. Full-blooded.'

'Don't look at me, man,' Hippie said, backing away till he hit the wall, a stubby of beer
clutched protectively against his stomach. 'I like my dreams just the way they are.'

Taipan snorted. 'Didn't think you'd have the spine for it, Hippie. Too fond of ya pizza.' He
mimed having a cigarette, then shoved Kevin and Kala. 'Make yourself useful and take these two to
the demountables. Separate, eh? And keep an eye on 'em.'

'You want me to-'

'Just do it! We're in deep shit here.'

Acacia pushed to the front to drape her arm around Cassie's shoulder. 'What's goin' on?'

'Come into the kitchen,' Danica said. 'The rest of you, keep packing.'

'C'mon, Hippie,' Kevin said. 'You want to show us where Kala can bunk down?'

'Yeah, sure man. Looks like you're outta the house, eh, Kay?' He glanced at Taipan.

'Looks like it,' she muttered.

He waved a half-empty stubby down the hall. 'This way.' He opened the front door and had to dodge
as the two dogs bolted inside. 'Everyone's in a rush tonight.' On the veranda, he rested the stubby
on the rail and pulled out a cigarette packet and thumbed his lighter. Cigarette in mouth, he
mumbled, 'So what's the story?'