CHAPTER 13

  Ran pressed his back against the faded brownstone. Fifteen blocks was enough. Plus his lungs were dying. He’d already passed two el-stations.

  "’Gots to go’”?

  He dug around in his pockets, pushing the coins he’d use for lunch aside, fishing for his pass, when, as when a child picks up a handful of lake sand and tosses it into the lake, they shimmer and sink, did Ran marvel as the coins sprayed through the air and he was pulled by many rough hands deeper into the alley.

  Before Ran could grunt, a cold pressure shot through his face. Someone had punched him. His bag was torn from his shoulder. Punch punch punch. The inside of his cheek cut against his teeth. Punch punch punch punch punch punch punch punch.

  "I told you, pillarshaker. I. Told. You. I. Told. You. I! Told! You!” Every sentence punctuated by a kick. To his face, gut, gut again. In the brief interludes, through rainbow dots Ran saw Am standing over him, hateful eyes hidden in the shadows of a jacket hood. Ran felt liquid roll down his face, tasted metal, and wheezed with each breath. The sudden violence, the anger, even before the pain came Ran was shocked by it. So casual. Was this the world?

  Am flipped him, brought a knee down onto his chest. Now pain, so much Ran nearly passed out. Am bent over and spit in Ran’s face. "That’s what you are, orphan.”

  "Hey man,” a voice, Ran couldn’t say whose. "You might really mess him up. C’mon dude, stop. Someone’s gonna see. You got him. Stop!”

  "Shut up,” Am’s rage was not even a bit sated. If anything, he sounded angrier.

  Ran really became scared.

  "Just books,” said a third, gleeful voice. "And a biblio. Looks like the Text! Got some weird marks on it though. What’s up Ranny? That fake, hot mom of yours got you all rokkish? Heir-licker, now?”

  Ran felt one of his hands being pried open as Am isolated a finger and bent it just enough to let Ran know what was coming. "No rokk in this alley, pussy. You’re alone.”

  Ran could only cough as he tried to summon his strength, how many stories of warriors and kings who roused sudden power to ride to victory? He felt only Am’s weight. Rokk, the thought came as a prayer, a plea, alone? Really? A gentle breeze. Then Ran thought of Tek.

  "Amalric,” Ran whispered.

  Am stopped, "What?”

  "Amalric.” Ran laughed. "It’s stu-p-p-i-d-d. S-stupid name.”

  Two or three other laughs joined Ran's.

  "Shut up!” Am screamed.

  "Sorry Amalric.” Laughter.

  "So sensitive, Amalric.” Lots of laughs.

  "Seriously, Am. Stop now or I’m leaving.”

  "Better listen Amalric, he sounds serious.” So much laughter.

  "Rant!” Am screamed into Ran’s face. "My dad named me after Amalric Rant! He did it because he wanted a son who kicks ass, and I do! Amalric kicked scarf ass. Killed thousands of them! Ate their kids, shaked their wives! Stop laughing!” The finger began to bend.

  No pain came, but then, suddenly, nothing came. Am’s weight was gone. Am was gone. A bunch of cursing, the sound of fleeing feet.

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  "He’s got a sword!”

  "Shake this!”

  Ran pushed up to his elbows, and everything burned. A giant with biceps larger than his torso pinned Am’s against the wall by his neck. His former attacker’s feet dangled pathetically.

  Muscles across a massive neck and shoulders contracted as the man reached across his body and, slowly, pulled a long, mean, curved sword from a black scabbard until only the shining tip remained hidden. The razor edge was a breath from Am’s neck.

  Am gurgled through a blue face.

  "Death,” the man's flat voice was a bottomless pit, and so low Ran felt it in his teeth, "is not a toy for little boys.” He turned the shimmering blade, so the reflected sunlight bounced across Am’s eyes.

  Bronzed skin, almost golden, his clothes were all loose, as Ran had only ever seen in books about the most north of southset continent. Poofy black pants held up by a thick leather belt that crossed his waist one way and then cut across the man’s body to the opposing shoulder the other. He carried a large, worn, bag and bedroll hung off a shoulder. Weirdest of all, wrapped around his neck so that it was almost impossible to see his square jaw dotted with a short, so fine it looked drawn on, beard, was a large, winding obsidian scarf.

  Ran tried to speak. He could not.

  "Amalric,” the stranger whispered, his eyes darted back and forth as if swimming in memories. "Fitting for a coward.”

  Summoning strength he never knew, Ran pushed past the pain, cried, "Stop!”

  The man's eyes drifted to Ran. Silver! Silver shining in the deep recess of his skull like two dabs of liquid mercury.

  "What?” the man asked.

  "No.”

  "No?”

  "Don’t hurt him. You’re a real Rockman, right? I’ve not read a lot about you guys, never met one, but you’re supposed to be all honorable, yeah? Doesn’t seem too honorable. Killing a kid.”

  The Rockman let off Am’s throat enough that his enemy could take a desperate gasp, but not enough that he could scream. "So generous? He would have beaten you to death. No, do not speak, little Amalric, do not deny. I have seen murder in a coward’s eye many, many times.”

  Am’s red, pimpled cheeks were glossed with tears.

  Ran thought for a moment. A devout Rockman, for he wore the alien scarf, cleaned meticulously as none of his other clothing was. But Ran had never read the Speech, but only quotes dusted here and there across other works.

  "Heir!”

  The Rockman raised an eyebrow.

  "Heir! The Rockmen honor Saga. The greatest Reed. And if that’s true then you know what he said about forgiveness.” Slowly, as Ran learned to speak around the pain, he said, "I have to hear about it every shaking Dayone. I forgive Am, ok? Ah!” His chest burned again. "Please let him go.”

  The Rockman stared, shrugged, smiled. Am fell to his butt with a cry. "You are the luckiest fool on One and Only’s Nameless World, tiny Amalric. Timeless Speech says One is merciful, 'just beyond man’s knowing.’ You belong to the cave, the Unseeing, the Copulator-deceiver.” The Rockman slammed the sword back into the scabbard (Am squealed) and pointed a somehow muscled between Am’s eyes. Personally, I just don’t like your piss-ugly little green-eyed face.”

  Am was green eyed? Ran had never noticed.

  The Rockman continued. "I see it again I rip teeth from ass. One at a time. Test me.”

  After a long moment where Am didn’t move, the Rockman barked, "Away, fool!” Am was around the corner in a blink.

  Ran lay back with his eyes closed, tried to imagine the pain washing away. A cool water flowed beneath his skin, coating his insides with soothing ice. "What?” Ran opened his eyes and was surprised to see the Rockman kneeling at his side, his hand on Ran’s chest. His throat tickled.

  "Uh. . .”

  "Silent lad,” the man pushed gently, his left hand resting on the sword hilt. He pulled what looked to be a skin of water from his sack. "Miracle water from my home. Drink only a little.”

  Ran frowned.

  "A skeptic! Wonderful! Where I’m from water can be so rare that happening upon it is a miracle. That is why we Rockmen await an unceasing Spring. This water is all the more significant because the One makes it so. It is from revered Mirror. Who denies his will?"

  "Is that from the Cave Tales? I’ve read a few.” Ran took a drink, but didn’t feel any magic.

  "Have you? No broken ribs, no internal bleeding, unless I’ve totally lost my touch.”

  The cool feeling returned to Ran’s chest and this time it spread all the way up to his face.

  "Just so you know, my newest friend, Rockmen do not regard Heir, great in One and Only’s eyes, to be the greatest Reed. That is the Confirmer.”

  "Wow. Is that really from the water?” Ran said as pain lifted from him.

  "Indeed lad,” Nail took a drink. "Magic water from Cave Tales.” His eyes were tired, but clean and free. Familiar. He held out a hand, smiled, "I am Nail.”

  "Ran,” Ran shook Nail’s hand. Nod. Ran thought as Nail pulled him up. Their eyes are the same. "Anything else I should know about Rockmen?”

  "Well,” Nail scratched his beard, "We certainly don’t refer to Heir as 'Saga.’ The 'saga' is the Speech. We'll talk as we walk. I spent some time saving you, so I’d prefer to make sure no one else falls upon you until you’re safely where you need to be.”