sprang at him, crying, 'Matt! Matt! Matt! ' She hit him in the chest and he fell backwards, Mono in his arms, clutching at him, begging him to be real, to be alive, to be Matt .
He tried to hush her, and suddenly she was quiet, not calling his name, just kissing him and holding him to the ground. 'Mono,' he said. 'I didn't know what would happen at Salomo's. I don't know how... but I feel responsible. I wrecked it, Mono, I spoilt it for you...' He carried on, not knowing what he was saying but saying it nonetheless. He didn't know what else to do.
Eventually Mono recovered. She leaned away from his face, sitting astride him, still pinning him to the ground. 'Matt,' she said. 'You talk shit. You're alive . I didn't see what was happening—all I could do was duck out. They said there was a guy after you with a knife. Slide said you'd never have got out. Matt, I thought you were dead .'
'But... the gig.'
'It was no good, Matt. The music wasn't right.' He could see in her eyes that she was lying, maybe lying to herself rather than to him. 'The music was shit. Who cares if Salomo doesn't want us back. If I want to play again I'll play Greene Gardens like everybody else.'
'Of course you have to play. Mono. What about the Semi-A?'
'It got broke.' Mono slumped against Mathias and began to cry again. 'We were good, weren't we, Matt? They liked us... before...'
'Yeah.' He stroked her hair and waited for her to stop.
'What are you going to do, Matt? You're not safe in Orlyons.' Mathias thought of Sukui's offer. Maybe Mono could come along—Sukui was one of her regulars, maybe she could whore her way to Alabama City and, once there, they could start again. Or maybe they could move around Clermont, find a fishing village somewhere and hope they wouldn't be found.
It was a decision Mathias didn't want to take.
'Come on,' he said. 'I'm going to lie low for a while, think things through.' He stood and pulled Mono to her feet. If he lay low for long enough Sukui would have left and there would be no decision to make. He was honest enough to recognise that maybe that was what he was doing.
~
Mathias sat in the mouth of his cave, listening to the gentle susurrus of the sea. Earlier, he had left Greene Gardens with Mono, his head tied in a tight bandanna, Sikhist style. He had walked boldly through the streets, insisting that Mono walk ahead, clear of any trouble that might arise. No one had challenged them. If the search persisted then they were probably seeking him out in any of the bolt-holes a fugitive could find throughout Orlyons; they wouldn't expect him to be striding openly through the town, out past the merchants' houses that had been built into the gorge-sides when the first trade boom had struck the port.
The northern cliffs were riddled with caves, some no more than hollows in the rock, others deep and unexplored. Mathias's cave was a deep one, although he had penetrated no more than the first fifty metres or so, back to where the light was mid-grey and his eyes were unable to focus.
He sat in the lotus position, letting the world pass him by and, at the same time, trying to grow closer to his surroundings, trying to feel like a part of Expatria, not just someone dumped there by alien ancestors.
It didn't work. He knew that he didn't fit.
Mono had returned to him with food and an opal pendant which she placed around his neck and told him to keep. 'Whatever happens,' she had said, 'this is for you. My eleven-greats grandmother bought it in Jakarta, before she joined the Ark Ship. So the story goes.'
Mono had stayed for a short time and then left to see what was happening in Orlyons. 'Come back soon,' Mathias had said; then, as her figure diminished in size and finally lost itself on the rocky beach, he had repeated it softly: 'Come back soon, Mono.'
So Mathias Hanrahan sat, listening to the waves and trying, again, to stop the thoughts that were running through his mind. Things were clearer now, but it was still
He tried to hush her, and suddenly she was quiet, not calling his name, just kissing him and holding him to the ground. 'Mono,' he said. 'I didn't know what would happen at Salomo's. I don't know how... but I feel responsible. I wrecked it, Mono, I spoilt it for you...' He carried on, not knowing what he was saying but saying it nonetheless. He didn't know what else to do.
Eventually Mono recovered. She leaned away from his face, sitting astride him, still pinning him to the ground. 'Matt,' she said. 'You talk shit. You're alive . I didn't see what was happening—all I could do was duck out. They said there was a guy after you with a knife. Slide said you'd never have got out. Matt, I thought you were dead .'
'But... the gig.'
'It was no good, Matt. The music wasn't right.' He could see in her eyes that she was lying, maybe lying to herself rather than to him. 'The music was shit. Who cares if Salomo doesn't want us back. If I want to play again I'll play Greene Gardens like everybody else.'
'Of course you have to play. Mono. What about the Semi-A?'
'It got broke.' Mono slumped against Mathias and began to cry again. 'We were good, weren't we, Matt? They liked us... before...'
'Yeah.' He stroked her hair and waited for her to stop.
'What are you going to do, Matt? You're not safe in Orlyons.' Mathias thought of Sukui's offer. Maybe Mono could come along—Sukui was one of her regulars, maybe she could whore her way to Alabama City and, once there, they could start again. Or maybe they could move around Clermont, find a fishing village somewhere and hope they wouldn't be found.
It was a decision Mathias didn't want to take.
'Come on,' he said. 'I'm going to lie low for a while, think things through.' He stood and pulled Mono to her feet. If he lay low for long enough Sukui would have left and there would be no decision to make. He was honest enough to recognise that maybe that was what he was doing.
~
Mathias sat in the mouth of his cave, listening to the gentle susurrus of the sea. Earlier, he had left Greene Gardens with Mono, his head tied in a tight bandanna, Sikhist style. He had walked boldly through the streets, insisting that Mono walk ahead, clear of any trouble that might arise. No one had challenged them. If the search persisted then they were probably seeking him out in any of the bolt-holes a fugitive could find throughout Orlyons; they wouldn't expect him to be striding openly through the town, out past the merchants' houses that had been built into the gorge-sides when the first trade boom had struck the port.
The northern cliffs were riddled with caves, some no more than hollows in the rock, others deep and unexplored. Mathias's cave was a deep one, although he had penetrated no more than the first fifty metres or so, back to where the light was mid-grey and his eyes were unable to focus.
He sat in the lotus position, letting the world pass him by and, at the same time, trying to grow closer to his surroundings, trying to feel like a part of Expatria, not just someone dumped there by alien ancestors.
It didn't work. He knew that he didn't fit.
Mono had returned to him with food and an opal pendant which she placed around his neck and told him to keep. 'Whatever happens,' she had said, 'this is for you. My eleven-greats grandmother bought it in Jakarta, before she joined the Ark Ship. So the story goes.'
Mono had stayed for a short time and then left to see what was happening in Orlyons. 'Come back soon,' Mathias had said; then, as her figure diminished in size and finally lost itself on the rocky beach, he had repeated it softly: 'Come back soon, Mono.'
So Mathias Hanrahan sat, listening to the waves and trying, again, to stop the thoughts that were running through his mind. Things were clearer now, but it was still
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