Station, стр. 62
Hadder took two more steps and fell face first atthe feet of the tusked man, who remained unmoved during the wholeordeal. As unconsciousness fell over Hadder, he heard anotherwhistle, sounding as if from a far-off land, and the ringing ofmetal on metal fell quiet.
Icy cold wetness ripped Hadder from his deepslumber, transplanting him from a nightmare of blood-stainedconcrete, crumpled metal, and torn flesh into another only slightlyless uncomfortable. As his eyes fought their way open, Hadderbecame aware of the pain in his hands, a thousand needles piercinghis soft flesh. He raised his head and looked over, blinking awaythe water that had been unceremoniously thrown in his face, to findthat his wrists had been tightly bound to a wooden board that ranacross his shoulders. After feeling another board that ranvertically from the floor, Hadder quickly realized that he had beenstrapped to a crudely made cross. Out of mere reaction, Haddertested the bindings, only to discover that they had been tied by askilled hand.
Deep laughter, heavy and evil, tore Hadder from hisphysical predicament and demanded attention. Hadder raised his eyesand fought back a wave of terror that momentarily threatened toovertake him. Panic avoided, Hadder took note of the monster thatsat before him. The beast that could only be The Krown.
While not as girthy as Ego Rounds, The Krown was agiant nonetheless, one that didn't hide his muscle under layers offat. Looking as if he was chiseled from white marble, the hulkingman sat on a throne of bones that was bound together with a clearepoxy, allowing one to view the remains that made up the macabrechair in all their glory.
The Krown wore black leather pants, black combatboots, and, like Ego Rounds, went without a shirt. Red, pink, andwhite scars crisscrossed the man's enormous white chest, a timelineof battles and wars. Putting aside Ego's unimaginable mass, TheKrown was the largest man Hadder had ever seen, only marginallysmaller than a Caesar. His jade eyes flared from a wave of deepanger, highlighting snakelike pupils, apt given that Hadder feltlike a mouse cornered by a viper.
As Hadder continued his silent assessment, he soonunderstood how the behemoth came by his unusual name. Six longmetal spikes stuck out from the man's skull, one positioneddirectly in the middle of his forehead, surrounding his shaved headlike a small army of pikemen. Between each long spike, which Hadderhad no doubt was used during fights, was a smaller one, probablymore for decoration than its utility. Despite the frightfulappearance, a small part of Hadder admired the man.
How do you ensure that your crown cannot be worn byanother? Weld it to your fucking head.
Removing his stare from The Krown, who was stilllooking at him as if he were a steak, Hadder swept his gaze fromside to side, making a note of what he could. They were in anenormous tent, heavy carpets were strewn about for comfort andlounging. To his left, Hadder saw Cal and Otho, standing atattention. Although they were not bound in any way, at least adozen risers surrounded them, aiming cocked crossbows at theirfaces. Behind him, Hadder could hear wild laughter, the occasionalargument, and a few choice insults thrown his way. This, coupledwith the thick smoke that permeated the tent and stank of meat,told Hadder that he was in a kind of meeting or dining hall, notdissimilar to the one he visited in the south.
Four women, naked except for the leather hot pantsand knee-high boots they wore, knelt to either side of The Krown'sthrone, pawing at him occasionally. Farther to the right of TheKrown, the tusked man waited patiently, his eyes fixed solely onHadder, offering a challenge.
The Krown shifted on his throne, leaned forwardthreateningly, and removed the hands of one of his concubines fromhis veiny shoulder. "The Caesars have informed me of why you havecome, Marlin Hadder." His voice was deep and melodic, almostoperatic in quality. Tremendous power resonated in that voice."Tell me why I should do as you ask, and not burn you alive to feedmy army." A cheer went up from behind Hadder, something soft andwet struck him from the side.
Hadder did his best to sound confident, a boythrowing stones into a tornado. "One of your men broke the cardinalrule of Station. Not only did he illegally cross the Skirt, but hemurdered an innocent woman while there, someone who was beloved bythe community."
"I don't see what any of this has to do with me,Setter."
"Some say that you ordered the attack, that you aretesting the Skirt. If this is true, Albany Rott may have somethingto say about your rule here." A murmuring trickled through thehidden crowd. "But allow me my vengeance, and everyone will chalkit up to a lone wolf, acting only in selfish bloodlust."
"And you think I fear Albany Rott?"
There was a danger in the question. Hadder knew heneeded to tread lightly before the unstable man-beast. "No, Idon't. But I think you're not ready yet for an all-out war withhim. You're still consolidating power in the Rising. Until that'sdone, you can't win a war against the combined forces of Rott'sCaesars and Rounds' forces. You'd be stuck in a vice, squashed fromboth sides."
The Krown wanted to throttle the small man beforehim, wanted to tear him limb from limb, tossing the pieces to hisdogs of war. But he couldn't deny the truth of what Marlin Hadderwas saying. The war with Rott would come soon enough, but not now.All the pieces were yet to be put in place. "And who is it that youthink wronged you, plain man? I would make sure that he is even oneof mine before I entertain your proposal."
"The fiend's name is Skeelis." An eruption occurredbehind Hadder, too many different sounds to pick out one generalreaction.
The Krown smiled wickedly. "Ahh, yes,