Runner (33 page)

Thus having been forced to travel during the day, both the humans and the animals were teetering on edge of exhaustion. Having consumed their reservoirs of water and fat, the angens had taken on the appearance of walking skeletons and were too tired to even complain. The humans were in somewhat better condition, thanks to the fact that they could ride, but water was in short supply, and the runner knew that it wouldn't be long before he and his companions began to suffer from dehydration. That was what made the town of Higo so important. Although Hoggles had only passed through it once, and was therefore unsure exactly how many days would pass before it appeared, the heavy insisted they would come across it before long. Once they did, the travelers would have the opportunity to rest for a couple of days, feed and water the angens, and purchase some much-needed supplies.

And Rebo believed him. The problem was that he had seen, or thought that he had seen the community a dozen times by then, only to have seen buildings morph into chalky cliffs, its streets dissolve into rock-strewn steambeds, and its crenellated ramparts turn to dusty stone.

So, having been fooled many times, the runner didn't take the clusters of what looked like trees very seriously until the distance closed, the greenery remained right where it was, and a faded sign appeared. It read,
WELCOME TO HIGO
. A message that would have been a good deal more convincing if it hadn't been for the bullet holes that marred it.

Still, such was the group's eagerness to enter a town,
any
town, that the humans perked up as the L-phants waved their trunks in the air, picked up the scent of water, and
hurried to trumpet the news. Their calls were answered by angens located somewhere on the other side of Higo, thereby alerting residents to the fact that strangers were about.

A pack of half-starved dogs lay in the shade provided by a pod-heavy snap-snap tree, tongues lolling from their grinning mouths, as the newcomers plodded past. Had it been in the early morning, or in the late evening, the animals would have given chase but this was the middle of the day, a time when nothing moved unless it absolutely had to.

That imperative applied to humans as well, because as the travelers entered the town, it soon became apparent that the citizens of Higo were lying low, waiting for the worst of the heat to pass before emerging from their various lairs.

That didn't mean that the travelers went unobserved however. Norr could feel the sudden spikes of energy as the locals took notice of the newly arrived foursome quickly followed by feelings of curiosity, avarice, and greed.

The structures that lined both sides of the dusty main street were made of adobe and equipped with deep porches. Some were simply places to get in out of the sun, but most had a commercial function as well, as was made clear by the signs that hung above them. Rebo counted four saloons, two eateries, one hotel, and one store, all of which signaled that while the drinks would be cheap, the rooms and the supplies wouldn't be. And, in addition to the problems associated with buying supplies in a town with only one store, the runner knew it would be a challenge to keep what they already had. Because as the L-phants continued down Higo's main street, the runner saw curtains move in upstairs windows, and knew that dozens of hungry eyes were taking inventory of the group's scanty belongings.

Just as the angens neared the southern end of town, and
Rebo was about to stop and ask someone for directions, he saw what he'd been looking for. A thick grove of trees, surrounded by high stone walls, and the unmistakable odor of L-phant dung.

There was water within, or so the runner assumed from the eagerness with which his mount approached the massive wooden gate and trumpeted loudly. A boy in a long, ragged shirt and sandals watched the angens with big eyes as they entered the enclosure before turning to push the door closed. There was the squeal of unoiled metal followed by a loud
clang
as the gate hit its stops.

Hoggles, who had last seen the enclosure during his flight north from Cresus many years before, was of the opinion that it hadn't changed much. It was a little more dilapidated, if such a thing was possible, but essentially the same. Other angens were present, about two dozen of them, although the park was large enough to accommodate ten times that number. There was a cacophony of trumpeting, grunting, and farting as the animals greeted each other, and a pair of wizened men exited one of the huts and made their way forward. They were twins, but since both were named Abo, there was no need to figure out which was which, a convention Rebo approved of.

The decision of where to stay was made easy by the fact that the town had a single hotel. Having no reason to trust the Abo brothers, the runner insisted on having all of their belongings transported to the local hostelry, where they could be locked up, and would have taken the L-phants along, too, had that been possible.

Having been assured that the angens would be watered and fed, and accompanied by a dozen heavily burdened youngsters, the group trudged into town. The hotel had
been named the Warfarer's Rest by the man who built it, and since none of the subsequent owners had seen any reason to incur the expense of a new sign, the name was still in force.

Though dry as a bone at present, a veritable river of water flowed down the main street during the worst days of the rainy season, which explained why all of the buildings had been raised off the ground, and stairs led up to elevated walkway that connected the storefronts. The hotel's lobby was spacious, if somewhat sparsely furnished, and open to the street. A ceiling fan turned slow circles as a girl on what had been a bicycle pedaled to make it move. Insects circled a scattering of tables, landed, and took off again. The proprietress sat behind a barricade-like counter and waited for the newcomers to approach. Her face was as expressionless as the lime green wall behind her.

Hoggles, who had been forced to sleep out on the edge of town during his previous visit, opened negotiations. Not because he truly believed that he would get the price down, but to establish that he and his friends were experienced travelers, and therefore not to be cheated any more than the regulars were.

After some hard bargaining the corpulent hotel owner dropped the outrageous price by a largely symbolic copper per room, handed the heavy two iron keys, and pointed toward a flight of stairs. “Your suites are upstairs and toward the back. It's cooler there.”

Hoggles led the rest of the party upstairs and had to duck under a series of supportive crossbeams, before arriving in front of Room 203. The key turned smoothly, the door swung open, and if it was cooler inside, the heavy was unable detect it. The furnishings consisted of two
mismatched beds, a rickety-looking chair, and a sooty oil lantern that sat on a beat-up table. “Well, here it is,” the variant said sarcastically. “Home sweet home.”

All of the gear that had been brought over from the caravan park had to be stowed and the next few minutes were spent stacking it along the walls of both 203 and 204. Unfortunately, much of it, especially the L-phant trappings, smelled like the animals themselves. That, combined with the warm air, made for a thick, rather unpleasant atmosphere. Norr opened the window in the room she was slated to share with Lee but discovered that it didn't make any difference.

Once everything had been put away, and the youngsters had been paid off, it was time to take much-needed baths and share an enormous meal in the restaurant next door. The eatery was a natural gathering place, especially around lunchtime, which meant that the place was already more than half-full when the foursome arrived. Rebo took immediate note of the fact that just about all of the other customers were armed. Some, one group in particular, seemed to be especially interested in Hoggles. That wasn't unusual, however, since the heavy stood out like a sore thumb.

Still, there was something about the way the men stared at Hoggles and continued to whisper among themselves that bothered the runner. So much so that he brought the matter to the heavy's attention. “The three men in the corner seem to be especially interested in you . . . Have you seen them before?”

Hoggles, who was not only well aware of the threesome but worried about them shook his head. “Nope . . . People stare at me all the time. You know that.”

Rebo nodded but remained unconvinced. Though unwilling to discuss it, the variant was on the run from
something. Why else would live like a hermit on board a spaceship? And now, as they made their way toward the city where Hoggles had been born, there was something increasingly furtive about his behavior. Or was the runner imagining things? Rebo wasn't sure, but made a note to keep an eye on the heavy, as well as those who seemed to be interested in him.

The food was surprisingly good, and having checked to ensure that the L-phants were receiving the best of care, the travelers retired to the hotel for much-deserved naps. The rooms were hot, and Rebo thought it would be impossible to sleep, until Norr entered the room, ripped the sheets off his bed, and dunked them in a bucket of water. Then, once they had been wrung out and replaced on his bed the runner discovered that it was miraculously if only temporarily cool.

The same brand of magic was soon applied to the heavy's bed as well, and there was something about the brisk efficiency with which the sensitive saw to the needs of her strange brood that not only warmed Rebo's heart but made him want to kiss her. But others were present so that was impossible. Still, there was an opportunity to touch her arm and look into her eyes. “Thank you, Lanni . . . For everything.”

Norr felt the pressure of the runner's fingers and saw what was in his eyes. More than that she could “see” Rebo's emotions in the rich panoply of color that rippled around him. She smiled. “You're very welcome.”

Lee, who had witnessed the moment, made a face. In spite of the occasions on which he seemed to be something more, the youngster was still a ten-year-old boy. That meant he not only found expressions of adult affection to be somewhat embarrassing, but sometimes felt jealous as well. Especially where Norr was concerned. He tugged at the sensitive's sleeve. “Come on, Lanni . . . Let's do
our
sheets.”

Happily wrapped in the cool embrace of his sheets Rebo soon fell asleep, and such was his need for rest that the runner continued to snooze long after the fabric around him was dry and the sun had sunk into the west. And, had it not been for Norr's insistent touch, the runner might have remained in bed even longer. “Jak . . . Wake up! Where's Bo?”

The runner opened his eyes, blinked until the sensitive swam into focus, and yawned. “Bo? I don't know . . . Isn't he here?”

“No,”
Norr answered definitively, as she pointed to the now-empty bed. “He isn't. I think he's in trouble.”

Rebo swung his feet over onto the floor and fumbled for his boots. His mouth was dry and home to a foul taste. “Trouble? What makes you think so?”

Though confident of her psychic abilities, they weren't perfect, and Norr had a tendency to play them down. She shrugged apologetically. “I don't have anything solid—just a feeling.”

The runner nodded. He had come to believe in the sensitive's occasional premonitions and other “feelings.” He continued to tie his boots. “Where's Lee?”

“Still asleep.”

“Good. Lock him in. We'll go out and take a look around.”

Norr left and returned five minutes later. She had changed into street clothes, armed herself with her staff, and left a note for Lee. Given the heavy's well-documented appetite, Rebo and Norr figured it would make sense to visit both of Higo's restaurants, followed by the bars, since the variant could be thirsty.

Visits to the eateries came up empty. Not only was Hoggles nowhere to be seen, none of the locals who worked in
the restaurants would admit to having seen the heavy, although Rebo wasn't sure how far he could trust them.

The saloons came next, and while one bartender admitted to having seen a heavy enter, then leave, there was no way to know if the variant was Bo. Still, the odds were stacked against the likelihood of two heavies visiting Higo at the same time, which meant that Hoggles could be nearby. The next bar styled itself as the Higo Oasis, and judging from the number of customers inside, was one of the town's more popular establishments. In spite of the relatively early hour, it was already half-full. A quick scan of the long, narrow room confirmed that most of the establishment's clientele consisted of drifters on their way from somewhere to nowhere, unemployed nomads waiting for the next caravan to pass through, and others who, if not actual bandits, lived along society's margins.

Heads turned as the twosome entered the room, eyes stared, and the heretofore incessant buzz of conversation came to a halt. The blare of a hand-cranked phonograph continued for another revolution, came to a stop as the operator took the opportunity to give himself a break, and silence took over.

Norr sensed what felt like a wall of hostility. She wanted to say as much to Rebo, but quickly realized that the runner already knew and was about to handle the situation
his
way. First, rather than attempt to reduce the tension as the sensitive might have, the runner seemed intent on running it up. His eyes swept the room, and he smiled broadly. “So,” Rebo said calmly, “look at what we have here. Somebody was thoughtful enough to pile all of the town's manure in one place.”