The League of Doorways (A Book of Vampires, Werewolves & Black Magic) (The Doorways Trilogy - Book Two) by Tim O'Rourke Page A
Authors: Tim O'Rourke
Ads: Link
moved, not even an inch, since Zach had woken to find him standing just outside their sleeping place. His long arms hung by his sides, his head turned towards the last rays of sun. It was as if he were a statue.
“Are you okay?” someone suddenly asked, their breath warm against his face. Zach snapped his head round to find that Neanna was now sitting beside him.
“Sure,” Zach lied and smiled at her.
“You look worried, Zachary Black,” Neanna said, placing several thin strips of the rat meat in the palm of his hand. She folded his fingers over it, and then looking into his eyes, she added, “Eat, you’ll need your strength.”
He enjoyed the way her fingers gently brushed over his, and he placed his free hand over hers. With the faintest of smiles, she slowly pulled her hand away.
“Thanks for the food,” Zach smiled, feeling embarrassed that he had tried to hold her hand. Looking away and back at Faraday, he slowly started to eat the meat Neanna had handed to him.
“You don’t trust him, do you?” Neanna whispered, and her breath against his ear made gooseflesh scamper down his back.
“Do you?” he asked, turning to face her. Neanna’s bright blue eyes peered back at him out of the gloom, and he felt his heart quicken.
“I’m not sure yet,” she said, her voice low and soft.
“I guess we can always turn him off,” Zach half-smiled at her.
“I guess,” she said back. “There is something I don’t like , though.”
“I know what you mean,” Zach said thoughtfully and looked back at Faraday standing alone outside their camp.
Just after sunset, Zachary and his friends left the overhang and followed Faraday in the direction of the outer-rim and the Clockwork City that lay before it. They walked in silence, their feet sending up tiny puffs of dust as they passed over the arid desert floor. The moon hung high above them like a giant blue sphere. The sky was black, star-shot, and vast. It seemed to touch the ground in every direction that Zach looked. They hadn’t been walking for long when Faraday led them towards a small outcrop of rock that jutted up out of the cracked ground.
“Get down,” he said, crouching.
They knelt beside him and peered over the rocks.
“What’s that?” William asked, pointing to something a short distance away.
Zach followed William’s stare and his heart leapt. He knew what it was. It looked like a car. But what was a car doing in the middle of the desert – what was it doing in Endra? He wondered. Moonlight glinted off its dark black body. Then before Zach had a chance to tell his friend what it was, Neanna also pointed over the rocks and said, “And what’s that?”
All of them turned their heads to see what looked like a person limping across the desert floor towards the car. The figure was thin, no more than a pile of bones held together by a covering of skin. There was a squeaking noise, and screwing up his eyes and peering through the darkness, Zach could see that the figure was pulling some kind of shopping cart. It was made of wood, and it was the wheels which squeaked on a pair of dusty axels.
“Who is that?” Zach asked Faraday in a low whisper.
“One of the hermits who live out in these parts,” Faraday said in that synthesised voice of his. “I thought they would all be dead by now. They came after the city fell. They are small in number and live on what they can scavenge from the land and what remains in the city.”
From their hiding place, they watched the figure approach the abandoned car. As it drew near, they could see that it was a man. He was naked, except for a piece of filthy cloth that he wore like a short skirt. He was so thin and gaunt, the moonlight reflected back off his cheekbones and ribcage. His eyes were no more than two sunken sockets in the centre of his face. The hermit pulled his cart alongside the car and stopped. He scratched his bald head with a set of painfully thin fingers, then opened the passenger
“Are you okay?” someone suddenly asked, their breath warm against his face. Zach snapped his head round to find that Neanna was now sitting beside him.
“Sure,” Zach lied and smiled at her.
“You look worried, Zachary Black,” Neanna said, placing several thin strips of the rat meat in the palm of his hand. She folded his fingers over it, and then looking into his eyes, she added, “Eat, you’ll need your strength.”
He enjoyed the way her fingers gently brushed over his, and he placed his free hand over hers. With the faintest of smiles, she slowly pulled her hand away.
“Thanks for the food,” Zach smiled, feeling embarrassed that he had tried to hold her hand. Looking away and back at Faraday, he slowly started to eat the meat Neanna had handed to him.
“You don’t trust him, do you?” Neanna whispered, and her breath against his ear made gooseflesh scamper down his back.
“Do you?” he asked, turning to face her. Neanna’s bright blue eyes peered back at him out of the gloom, and he felt his heart quicken.
“I’m not sure yet,” she said, her voice low and soft.
“I guess we can always turn him off,” Zach half-smiled at her.
“I guess,” she said back. “There is something I don’t like , though.”
“I know what you mean,” Zach said thoughtfully and looked back at Faraday standing alone outside their camp.
Just after sunset, Zachary and his friends left the overhang and followed Faraday in the direction of the outer-rim and the Clockwork City that lay before it. They walked in silence, their feet sending up tiny puffs of dust as they passed over the arid desert floor. The moon hung high above them like a giant blue sphere. The sky was black, star-shot, and vast. It seemed to touch the ground in every direction that Zach looked. They hadn’t been walking for long when Faraday led them towards a small outcrop of rock that jutted up out of the cracked ground.
“Get down,” he said, crouching.
They knelt beside him and peered over the rocks.
“What’s that?” William asked, pointing to something a short distance away.
Zach followed William’s stare and his heart leapt. He knew what it was. It looked like a car. But what was a car doing in the middle of the desert – what was it doing in Endra? He wondered. Moonlight glinted off its dark black body. Then before Zach had a chance to tell his friend what it was, Neanna also pointed over the rocks and said, “And what’s that?”
All of them turned their heads to see what looked like a person limping across the desert floor towards the car. The figure was thin, no more than a pile of bones held together by a covering of skin. There was a squeaking noise, and screwing up his eyes and peering through the darkness, Zach could see that the figure was pulling some kind of shopping cart. It was made of wood, and it was the wheels which squeaked on a pair of dusty axels.
“Who is that?” Zach asked Faraday in a low whisper.
“One of the hermits who live out in these parts,” Faraday said in that synthesised voice of his. “I thought they would all be dead by now. They came after the city fell. They are small in number and live on what they can scavenge from the land and what remains in the city.”
From their hiding place, they watched the figure approach the abandoned car. As it drew near, they could see that it was a man. He was naked, except for a piece of filthy cloth that he wore like a short skirt. He was so thin and gaunt, the moonlight reflected back off his cheekbones and ribcage. His eyes were no more than two sunken sockets in the centre of his face. The hermit pulled his cart alongside the car and stopped. He scratched his bald head with a set of painfully thin fingers, then opened the passenger
Similar Books
