We Leave Together, стр. 13

Jona and Rachel, wide-eyed, held their breath in her bed on the other side of the room.

Rachel pushed herself away from Jona. She grabbed her Senta leathers from off the floor. She stepped lightly across the room. Her talons clacked on the old wood without socks or boots to still them. Djoss didn’t seem to notice the sound.

Rachel grabbed the edge of Jona’s clothes and nudged them out from beneath Djoss, one item at a time.

Djoss didn’t even groan.

Jona took his clothes from Rachel. He pointed at Djoss, and gestured with his hands like smoking a pipe.

Rachel touched Jona’s cheek. She nodded, knowingly. She pushed Jona towards the door.

Jona pulled his clothes around his body, haphazardly. He picked his boots up from the floor. He tiptoed into the hall. He waved good-bye to Rachel from the stair. She waved, and closed the door.

In the hall, he sat down on the stairs, and pulled his boots over his feet.

He sat there, in the black hallway.

Outside, the sun rose. The city groaned awake in a hum of boots and birds and carriages and wandering shopgirls. In the apartments, doors opened and splashes of light filled the dark hall. The people said hello to each other, but they ignored Jona. They crawled past him, saying nothing to him in his uniform sitting on the stair.

Good men and women were on their way to work.

***

Jaime didn’t show up for morning muster. Calipari shrugged. “He’s been running late now and then since his wife,” said Geek, “He’ll show.”

Calipari stood up. He put down his quill. “Hey, Geek,” he said, “Take the desk today and keep an eye on the scriveners and anything that turns up.”

Geek coughed. “Sir?” he said. He looked at the desk like it was an ugly woman with a fire in her eyes.

Sergeant Calipari snapped his finger at Private Kessleri. “Private, you’re coming with me. Grab a bat and a good pike. We’re going somewhere deep, you and me. How long you been a private, Kessleri?”

“Two years, Sergeant.” Kessleri stood up, and handed his quill to another scrivener. Kessleri smiled, but his hands trembled.

Calipari nodded. “Long enough to see this, then.”

Geek looked Kessleri up and down. “What’s going on Sergeant?” said Geek.

Calipari rested his knuckles on the desk. He looked down at the papers in front of him. “I hope nothing,” he said. “Stinks in here,” he said, “Too many of you. Walkabout, boys. Geek, if Jaime shows up, make him work with the scriveners until I get back.”

Jona and Corporal Kelper stepped into the street, and immediately turned a corner to an alley. Kelper pulled a coin out. He flipped it in the air, and caught it. He slammed the coin on the back of his hand, keeping it covered. “Call,” said Kelper.

“Castle side,” said Jona.

Kelper revealed the coin face side up. The king scowled at Jona for choosing wrong side of the coin.

Kelper patted Jona’s cheek. He placed the coin in Jona’s breast pocket. “The face is mine, then. Good boy,” said Kelper, “Have a good walkabout.” Kelper peeled off his uniform jacket, and handed it to Jona. He only had his white undershirt on now, like a sweat-stained white flag.

“You’ll stand out more like that,” said Jona.

Kelper shrugged. “Nic will see me no matter what. This way he can pretend like I ain’t what I am, if he wants.” Kelper peeked his head around the corner. He saw Calipari and Kessleri far down the street.

“Nic’s acting like bloody Elishta’s going on. You think Jaime’s into something deep?” said Jona.

Kelper snorted. “I don’t think nothing ’til I see it with these eyes, Jona. Best not to speak bad of a fellow we don’t know where he is. He’s still our boy. Mayhap we find him in the street dead drunk.” Kelper looked into the sunrise. “Mayhap dead.”

Jona said nothing else. He didn’t walkabout right then. He watched Kelper’s dirty white undershirt slipping in and out of the crowd. After the white shirt was gone a long time, Jona leaned against a wall and thought about finding a powerful drink, strong enough to blind him and turn his stomach and make him hungover before he even wakes up. A good hangover is like being swallowed up in darkness, and there’s no room for thinking inside of it.

***

Djoss woke up in the room, next to Rachel. She had been sitting next to the bed, waiting for Djoss to wake up. Rachel touched his arm. “Rent’s due tomorrow,” she said, “but you don’t have any money, do you?”

Djoss shook his head.

“I don’t want to leave Dogsland over you,” said Rachel, “I like it here. I have a friend, here. I’ve never had one before now.”

Djoss nodded. “We should’ve left after Sparrow’s kids cut down to your scales. I like it here, too.”

“Stay here a few days,” said Rachel, “Don’t go out. I’ll bring you food. I’ll make rent.”

“How much money do you have?”

“I’m not telling you that, Djoss.” Rachel ran a hand through Djoss’ hair. She touched his face. She touched his lips. “You need a bath. You want it hot?”

“No,” said Djoss, “I’ll take one later. Did you already get the water?”

“I did,” she said. She pointed at the bathtub on the other side of the room. She shrugged.

Rachel saw a snowfall hidden in the room. Unsaid words coagulated into ice and descended to the ground like cold, white ash.

Rachel closed her eyes. “I don’t know what to do with you,” she said, sadly. “I don’t know what to do, Djoss.”

Djoss rolled towards the wall. He shoved his face into his pillow.

“Tell me what to do,” she said.

Djoss moved his head out of the pillow. He stared at the wall. He spoke to the wall. “You could go see Dog. He’s still got some things going, and if you tell him I sent you, he might have something. He might know someone.”

“Where’s Turco?”

“Turco’s dead, Rachel,” said Djoss, “He’s been dead weeks now. A king’s