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Back Beyond the Burn Line Save as PDF
Chapters (66)
  1. Copyright
  2. Contents
  3. Epigraph
  4. Part One
  5. 1.
  6. 2.
  7. 3.
  8. 4.
  9. 5.
  10. 6.
  11. 7.
  12. 8.
  13. 9.
  14. 10.
  15. 11.
  16. 12.
  17. 13.
  18. 14.
  19. 15.
  20. 16.
  21. 17.
  22. 18.
  23. 19.
  24. 20.
  25. 21.
  26. 22.
  27. 23.
  28. 24.
  29. 25.
  30. 26.
  31. 27.
  32. 28.
  33. 29.
  34. 30.
  35. 31.
  36. 32.
  37. Part Two
  38. 1.
  39. 2.
  40. 3.
  41. 4.
  42. 5.
  43. 6.
  44. 7.
  45. 8.
  46. 9.
  47. 10.
  48. 11.
  49. 12.
  50. 13.
  51. 14.
  52. 15.
  53. 16.
  54. 17.
  55. 18.
  56. 19.
  57. 20.
  58. 21.
  59. 22.
  60. 23.
  61. 24.
  62. 25.
  63. 26.
  64. 27.
  65. 28.
  66. By Paul McAuley:

Foeless posed beside Gentle for a moment, holding something above his head. A percussion pistol. Gentle lunged and wrenched, trying to loosen the chains that bound him to the post, shaking his head violently as Foeless stepped back. Took aim. Pilgrim screamed NO, but like the sound of the pistol shot it was lost in the roar of the crowd.

31.

‘I caught an image,’ Fragrant said. She had a strange fierce look. Fear and shock and a kind of gleeful excitement. ‘I can’t be sure until I’ve developed the plate, but I think I have it. The very moment. Clear enough to condemn Landwalker when he is brought to justice.’

‘If he is ever brought to justice, which seems unlikely,’ Poppy said. ‘Most of the witnesses are his loyal followers.’

‘Many of them weren’t happy about what they saw,’ Fragrant said.

They were crouched amongst rocks on the slope above the salt pan, catching their breath after escaping in the confusion after Foeless Landwalker had shot Gentle. Murdered him. Foeless’s followers were returning to their camp. The searchlights were still lit, crossing above the deflating envelope of the balloon, and small figures were moving beyond it, snuffing the little fires that illuminated the outline of the flowersipper.

‘Intrepid knew,’ Pilgrim said.

‘That he would kill Gentle?’ Fragrant said.

‘That the visitors would not appear. He told me that Foeless’s time was up. That he had outlived his usefulness.’

The two women thought about that for a few moments. Poppy said, ‘Do you mean that Intrepid might be in contact with the visitors?’

‘Or perhaps the lights have nothing to do with the visitors. Perhaps they are some kind of trickery,’ Pilgrim said.

‘Who could do such a thing?’ Fragrant said.

‘My guess would be the Sweetwater Collective. It would be a way to keep Foeless’s followers happy. Keep them together, in case they really could call down the visitors.’ Pilgrim looked all around, at the lights of the tents at the top of the slope, the lights and campfires amongst the tents and scrape burrows at the bottom. He said, ‘We have to find Intrepid.’

‘I was watching him while everyone else was watching Foeless,’ Poppy said. ‘He left when the balloon started to come down.’

‘If he works for the Sweetwater Collective, he most likely has gone back to Ogres Grave,’ Fragrant said. ‘We need to ask them some hard questions.’

‘There’s a place closer than that,’ Pilgrim said.