run out of fuel,’ squeaked Lilith. Only a momentago she had been walking with Garland and Boomer, but she must have raced over to the van, getting there first, and asking Yves the same question. ‘The factory that works on the oil has broken down. They say we might have to stay here all winter. I don’t mind. They’ve got hundreds of shops.’
‘Yes … well,’ said Maddie, ‘that just won’t do. Somehow we’ve got to keep going. We’ve got to leave tomorrow … or the next day at the latest.’
The Aide jumped down and stood beside her, ignoring Lilith and Garland.
‘I’m not sure that that will be possible,’ he said, smiling. ‘There’s a long wait for an exit visa these days. You don’t want to try fighting your way out do you?’
Maddie turned, narrowing her eyes, and he looked away from her rather quickly.
‘Why not stay on here for a little?’ he suggested. ‘We would have a use for you for a while. Bread and circuses, you know.’
‘Are you telling us we’re prisoners?’ cried Maddie.
‘Prisoners? Of course not,’ said the Aide. ‘You’re our
guests
. And we need – we do need –’ he looked around, making his voice suddenly pathetic ‘– guests like you. We work so hard and we long for a little colour in our struggling lives.’
‘One performance!’ said Maddie. ‘Two at the most! We must press on. That’s what we do.’
‘There are no “musts” since the Remaking,’ the Aide said, sounding rather cold once more. ‘There are only possibilities and impossibilities. And it may just be impossible for you to leave for a while. But aren’t you happy to be needed?’
‘We’re not happy to be trapped,’ put in Yves.
For the time being the show had to go on. The big tent was rising higher, the band stopped playing. Boomer came wandering towards them, his drum in front of him. Sometimes, when he wore his drum, that drum seemed more powerful thanBoomer himself, and he looked rather like a little motor attached to it. Lilith, meanwhile, entranced by the town square and the glimpses of shops and stalls, edged away staring outward while the rest of the Fantasia stared in. Boomer, shrugging off his drum, watched her.
‘I’m going to look around,’ he said. ‘I’ll be back in a bit.’ But Garland was not listening to Boomer. Without his drum he was nothing but a boy – and a boy who was nearly a year younger than she was.
*
‘Kill them!’ said Maska in his grating voice. It seemed to be something he said very easily.
‘No,’ said Ozul. ‘Not now.’ He nodded towards the distant gate. ‘There are guards there … quite a lot of them. They would be too much for me – possibly even for you. No! You’d find those rods they are carrying very
unsettling
, wouldn’t you? We have to take things carefully here.’
The men in front of them moved on, and suddenly Ozul and Maska were confronted by two officials.
‘You have been here before?’ asked one of them … the one sitting at the little box desk, with papers fanned out in front of him.
‘No,’ said Ozul quickly. He must be the one to speak here. He was the one who could make his voice quiet and humble, which was something Maska just could not do. ‘We are strangers. But we had heard that your town is a place where travellers can rest.’
‘Do you want to trade?’ asked the standing man. ‘And if you want to trade, what have you brought with you that is worth trading?’
‘We don’t want anyone coming into our town and spying out our systems,’ said the sitting man, looking them up and down with puzzlement and suspicion. ‘We have to protect our citizens you understand. That is our duty.’
‘It’s what we’re paid for,’ added the man who stood beside him.
‘Letting us in could be to the benefit of your town in – in various ways,’ said Ozul. ‘You mentioned being paid …’
He drew a large green bag from his belt and shook it a little. It jingled, and the expressions of the two
‘Yes … well,’ said Maddie, ‘that just won’t do. Somehow we’ve got to keep going. We’ve got to leave tomorrow … or the next day at the latest.’
The Aide jumped down and stood beside her, ignoring Lilith and Garland.
‘I’m not sure that that will be possible,’ he said, smiling. ‘There’s a long wait for an exit visa these days. You don’t want to try fighting your way out do you?’
Maddie turned, narrowing her eyes, and he looked away from her rather quickly.
‘Why not stay on here for a little?’ he suggested. ‘We would have a use for you for a while. Bread and circuses, you know.’
‘Are you telling us we’re prisoners?’ cried Maddie.
‘Prisoners? Of course not,’ said the Aide. ‘You’re our
guests
. And we need – we do need –’ he looked around, making his voice suddenly pathetic ‘– guests like you. We work so hard and we long for a little colour in our struggling lives.’
‘One performance!’ said Maddie. ‘Two at the most! We must press on. That’s what we do.’
‘There are no “musts” since the Remaking,’ the Aide said, sounding rather cold once more. ‘There are only possibilities and impossibilities. And it may just be impossible for you to leave for a while. But aren’t you happy to be needed?’
‘We’re not happy to be trapped,’ put in Yves.
For the time being the show had to go on. The big tent was rising higher, the band stopped playing. Boomer came wandering towards them, his drum in front of him. Sometimes, when he wore his drum, that drum seemed more powerful thanBoomer himself, and he looked rather like a little motor attached to it. Lilith, meanwhile, entranced by the town square and the glimpses of shops and stalls, edged away staring outward while the rest of the Fantasia stared in. Boomer, shrugging off his drum, watched her.
‘I’m going to look around,’ he said. ‘I’ll be back in a bit.’ But Garland was not listening to Boomer. Without his drum he was nothing but a boy – and a boy who was nearly a year younger than she was.
*
‘Kill them!’ said Maska in his grating voice. It seemed to be something he said very easily.
‘No,’ said Ozul. ‘Not now.’ He nodded towards the distant gate. ‘There are guards there … quite a lot of them. They would be too much for me – possibly even for you. No! You’d find those rods they are carrying very
unsettling
, wouldn’t you? We have to take things carefully here.’
The men in front of them moved on, and suddenly Ozul and Maska were confronted by two officials.
‘You have been here before?’ asked one of them … the one sitting at the little box desk, with papers fanned out in front of him.
‘No,’ said Ozul quickly. He must be the one to speak here. He was the one who could make his voice quiet and humble, which was something Maska just could not do. ‘We are strangers. But we had heard that your town is a place where travellers can rest.’
‘Do you want to trade?’ asked the standing man. ‘And if you want to trade, what have you brought with you that is worth trading?’
‘We don’t want anyone coming into our town and spying out our systems,’ said the sitting man, looking them up and down with puzzlement and suspicion. ‘We have to protect our citizens you understand. That is our duty.’
‘It’s what we’re paid for,’ added the man who stood beside him.
‘Letting us in could be to the benefit of your town in – in various ways,’ said Ozul. ‘You mentioned being paid …’
He drew a large green bag from his belt and shook it a little. It jingled, and the expressions of the two
Similar Books
