A Dark and Hungry God Arises by Stephen R. Donaldson Read Free Book Online Page B

prosthesis replacing his right forearm. Instead of a left foot, he had a metal tripod anchored to his calf. If he really were a nerve juice addict, with most of his muscles gone flaccid and stupid, he probably needed that support to help him stand the kick of his gun. And the gun had to be part of his arm or else he wouldn't be able to aim it.
    Slowly he brought the muzzle back to Davies' face and repeated, 'Out. '
    'Don't fucking rush me, ' Davies growled like his father.
    But he didn't hesitate to climb out of the ejection pod.
    The cold gripped him immediately. Hours of sweat turned to ice on his skin. He was already shivering as he looked around to see if the guard was alone; to see if he had anything to gain by kicking the guard in the stomach and ripping his gun off.
    The guard wasn't alone. A man and a woman stood fifteen or twenty meters away, watching him. They were bundled in coldsuits that muffled their shapes; but their hands and boots looked normal, and their faces were human.
    The man's head was so long and thin that it seemed like a caricature of itself. Because he was unusually tall, he gave the impression that inside his coldsuit his whole body was thin. A nearly lipless mouth smiled over crooked teeth. Beneath a thatch of dirty hair, his eyes glittered as if he'd artificially reinforced his concentration with enkephalins.
    That glitter and his smile made him look like a madman.
    The woman appeared stable by comparison. Despite its lines, her face was still handsome; gray highlights did nothing to cheapen the richness of her hair. Davies would have said she was a beautifully mature woman whose best years weren't far behind her. Only a slight stiffness in the way she carried herself suggested that she may have been older than she looked.

    The man's smile widened as he studied Davies. For a moment no one said anything. Then he breathed in a gust of vapor, 'Now here's a surprise. ' His voice was wrong for his body: it should have belonged to a kid with rosy cheeks and excessive enthusiasm. 'Another surprise. '
    What do you mean?' the woman asked in a vibrant contralto.
    What?' The man glanced at her with what may have been amusement. 'Don't you recognize him?'
    'No. ' The woman frowned. Well, yes. But that's impossible. He's far too young. '
    'Interesting, isn't it?' The man returned his bright gaze to Davies.
    Involuntarily Davies wrapped his arms around his chest, trying to contain some of the warmth which steamed from his bones. If he could climb back into the ejection pod and close the hatch, its systems would protect him from freezing. But the guard would stop him if he tried that. Unable to control his shivers — and unable to keep his mouth shut - he remarked raggedly, 'I guess you know my father. ' Then, because he was desperate, he added, 'So I guess you know he won't take it kindly if you let me freeze to death. '
    The guard kept his gun aimed at Davies' head and reacted to nothing. Apparently his addiction inured him to cold - or to the awareness of cold.
    'Let me explain something, ' the man said, incongruously youthful and eager. 'You're worthless to me. Other people think you're valuable, and I'm going to know why before I make up my mind about you, but to me you're just a waste of atmosphere. Threats won't help you. And your father as sure as shit won't help you. ' The man chuckled. 'If he even knows you're alive. So don't give me a hard time. Answer my questions like a good boy and take your chances.
    'How did you do that?'
    Davies understood all of this and none of it. Angus Thermopyle was in Com-Mine Security lockup. He knew nothing about his son - and probably wouldn't care if he did. And Davies himself meant nothing to Thanatos Minor. His value was to the Amnion and Morn, with Succorso caught between them, fighting to make them both serve his own purposes.
    His teeth chattered as he asked, 'Do what?'
    The man seemed to enjoy the sound of Davies' teeth.
    'Change course in that pod, ' he said