Neal Barrett Jr. - The Prophecy Machine

“I can tell that much on my own. It isn't what I asked.”

“Be damned with you, craftsman,” Sabatino shouted, “give me a bloody hand here!”

“Sorry,” Finn said, “be right along.”

He turned then, to the Foxer on Sabatino's right. He had caught Sabatino's glance, and was coming straight at Finn. Finn parried, and quickly backed him against the far wall. His hood had come loose in the fight, and Finn could see his prominent nose and pointy ears, his startling, lemon-colored eyes. He was not an animal now, but his ancestral traits were quite clear.

This second opponent was better than the first. He liked to go after Finn's face, cut and whip about the eyes. It was irritating, like batting at silver flies. The fellow didn't like body work, and didn't watch his own too well. Finn gave him a swipe about the groin, and scared the intruder to death. He brought down his sword to guard his parts, and Finn drew a thin red line across his chest. The Newlie howled in pain, dropped his blade and ran.

“Didn't mean to get you up, Finn,” Sabatino said, backing the lone Foxer down the hall. “Know you and the lady need your sleep and all.”

Finn let the words go by. Sabatino couldn't say ‘hello’ without impertinent intent.

Sabatino's foe tired quickly. His weapon was drooping, his lemon eyes were full of doubt and fear.

Sabatino laughed, cut the fellow twice on his prominent nose, and notched his ear. Like his comrade, this one had clearly had enough. With a snarl and a bark, he backed away and stumbled down the stairs.

“A Newlie will fight till he gets a little cut,” Sabatino said. “Then the sorry louts will turn tail.” He squinted at the point of his blade, then spoke without looking at Finn.

“Your face is clear as glass, craftsman. You'd best stay away from games of chance.”

Finn looked puzzled. “I'm afraid you have the best of me. I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Newlies, friend. Present company in your room there excepted, of course. I've found them to be cowards, every one. Back down from a human every time. Worst of the lot are the Foxer trash. Them and the Bowser lot. Got a bunch of 'em here. Ought to run 'em all off.”

“You seem to have a problem, sir. I've noticed that before.”

He knew he ought to stop right there, but the words came all the same. “Especially, I recall, if they're young and unarmed.”

“That little pup on the ship?” Sabatino showed no offense at all, beyond a nasty smile. “You do have the stomach to bring it up. Hurrah for you. Don't waste your time goading me tonight, Finn. I'll run a blade through your low-born heart at first light.”

Sabatino glanced at his father, who'd gone to sleep on the floor.

“Now isn't that a lovely sight? Damn me if I believe I was sired by an ugly brute like that. Squeen William! Get your disgusting hide over here and get my loving daddy into bed. If you can't lift him, drag him in a corner somewhere. All right, craftsman, what are you staring at?”

“An empty spot where a very old lunatic was lying just now.”

“Really?” Sabatino's smile faded. “I urge you to return to your room, and your very charming friend. You and I have a quarrel to settle soon. I feel I'm safe in saying this is your very last chance to get a good night's sleep …”

Finn was ready to drop. The insanities of the day in this land clearly didn't lessen with the night. His body ached for sleep, but sleep wouldn't come. Letitia, as easily as ever, dropped off as soon as the furor was over in the hall. He wondered if he resented her for that. Decided he shouldn't, and admitted that he did.

The storm had moved away, and morning was very near. The false light of dawn did little to enhance the dreary appearance of the room. Everything in this grim pile of crooked walls and floors, angles, tangles and impossible doors, stairs that went this way and that, looked better in the night.

“You're fortunate you don't need sleep,” he said. “You might at least thank me for that.”

Julia Jessica Slagg was still indistinct across the room, but her red eyes pierced the dim light.

“Thank you for that. Anything else?”

“Courtesy wouldn't hurt. You're a little short of that.”

“I'm short of a lot of things, Finn. See, I didn't make a lizard, you did. What you put in comes out. I'm whatever you tinkered together, I thought you knew that.”

“Don't start on me, it's been a hard day.”

“And in case you're asking, which you will, I didn't come to your aid, but you seemed to have the problem well in hand.”

“I didn't ask, all right?”

Through the fly-specked window, the first sign of day appeared above low clouds to the east. The sun, when it arrived, looked as reluctant to get on with matters as Finn. A pale and runny yellow flecked with rusty spots of red, it looked like a very sad egg left in the skillet overnight.

Still, Finn thought, he shouldn't complain, for the day brought release from Sabatino and his father, from the Hatters and the Hooters, from Squeen and the Foxers, and old men foaming at the mouth. Soon, he and Letitia and Julia would all be back on the Madeline Rose , and on their way again.

Finn turned over, bleary-eyed and hungry, watching his love stir under the ragged sheet. He wished it was a week or two from now. That he and Letitia were somewhere else, in some other bed, engaged in quite another pastime …

Awake, but in a stupor common to the weary and the dead, he sat up with a start at the gentle rapping on his door. Setting his feet on the floor, he padded across the room to open the portal, and found Squeen William standing there.

“All right, what is it, what's the problem now?”

“Massster Sssabatino sssay you bees comin' down now. He bees waitin' outssside.”

“Outside.” Finn blinked. “What's he doing out there?”

“Ssssay you comin' outssside.”

“You said that. Please don't say it again. Tell him I'll bees-tell him I'm coming outside, on my way out. Tell him I'll wave goodbye.”

“Masster, he sssays-”

Finn slammed the door. Letitia groaned but didn't wake up.

“Get her up, make her dress,” Finn said. “Tell her I'll be right back, we're getting out of here.”

Julia flicked her tail. “I don't much like to do that.”

“Do what?”

“Get Letitia up. She tends to call me names.”

“Well, I'm terribly sorry. Try to live with that.”

“Easy for you to say-” Julia began, then Finn was out the door.

The house was still musty, and still leaned to the south and to the west. The downstairs still reeked of fish from the bleary night before. The heat outside was awesome. It nearly brought Finn to his knees. He thought about the ship, and recalled how stifling it could get down below.

There ought to be a way to get air down there, he thought, to give people half a chance to breathe. He'd worked out a method of heating up a room, giving a boost to a fireplace or a stove. The Lizard Blower worked extremely well. But those enormous bellow jaws snapping open, snapping shut, frightened little children and it didn't sell at all. If you could reverse that process, suck cool air to a cabin, instead of blowing hot air out. Of course, such a lizard would be rather long …

“Having a little nap, are we? Lots of holes about, I'd take care if I were you.”

Finn snapped back into place, wondering exactly where he'd been. Sabatino was leaning against his house. Or, possibly, the house was leaning on him.

“I didn't sleep well,” Finn said, making no effort to hide his ire. “Frankly, sir, your house is the worst place I've ever spent the night.”

“I regret the disturbance. Don't know how those cunning little bastards got in. I've set traps everywhere.”