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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:

In Ysbel’s head, Zaquil murmured, ‘I can write a memo that will give you immunity from further interference.’

It startled her; she had forgotten that the helper would be listening in. She said, ‘I thought you can’t tell people what to do.’

‘Not directly. But I can make use of the system which constrains their actions.’

‘Write a memo setting out my authority and my immunity from interference and send it to the ambassador’s office. And let my colleague here have a copy too,’ Ysbel said, smiling at the station chief, who was listening to her side of the conversation.

‘Remember what I told you about the fish? You’re going to find out that it isn’t just the embassy you have to deal with,’ the station chief said.

Ysbel ignored her, and climbed into the runabout beside Goodwill and told Zaquil to get going.

‘And where would you like me to take you?’ Zaquil said, his voice filling the runabout’s dim bubble as it began to roll away from the hopper.

‘Anywhere else, to begin with,’ Ysbel said. She turned to Goodwill and told him that it was good to meet him again, apologised for the mess he’d been caught up in. ‘Some people thought this was too important to be left to me. They know better now.’

‘I will be working with you, and only you,’ Goodwill said.

‘Of course. I can even make my friend go away, if you like.’

‘He can stay,’ Goodwill said. ‘I may have some use for him.’

The bailiff was perched neatly on the bench seat beside Ysbel and seemed be taking everything in his stride. The runabout was passing another hopper. A carriage drawn by two sleek black maras was waiting beside it and a portly native was climbing its steps, followed closely by a servant holding a pyramidal paper umbrella to shelter his master from the rain.

‘We gave that hopper to the Committee of the Five Hundred,’ Zaquil said. ‘I believe the person embarking is one of the committee’s delegates. Have you decided where you want to go?’

‘There is a friend of mine,’ Goodwill said. ‘A friend of my uncle, in fact, but he has been very helpful to me.’

‘If you give me his address I can take you there at once,’ Zaquil said.

‘You need to take us to the ferry terminus,’ Goodwill said. ‘My uncle’s friend lives on the other side of the river, in Highwater Reach.’

‘Oh, there’s no need to wait for a ferry,’ Zaquil said cheerfully. ‘This runabout can run about on water as well as land.’

8.