BooksBarbecue
Back Rapture
Chapters (55)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. 1.
  5. 2.
  6. 3.
  7. 4.
  8. 5.
  9. 6.
  10. 7.
  11. 8.
  12. 9.
  13. 10.
  14. 11.
  15. 12.
  16. 13.
  17. 14.
  18. 15.
  19. 16.
  20. 17.
  21. 18.
  22. 19.
  23. 20.
  24. 21.
  25. 22.
  26. 23.
  27. 24.
  28. 25.
  29. 26.
  30. 27.
  31. 28.
  32. 29.
  33. 30.
  34. 31.
  35. 32.
  36. 33.
  37. 34.
  38. 35.
  39. 36.
  40. 37.
  41. 38.
  42. 39.
  43. 40.
  44. 41.
  45. 42.
  46. 43.
  47. 44.
  48. 45.
  49. 46.
  50. 47.
  51. 48.
  52. 49.
  53. 50.
  54. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  55. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“You must have seen a good number of dead men.”

“As have you.”

“And a good many women who put them there.”

“Wars don’t keep on unless everybody’s behind them. Men just as much as women. Turn a dead eye to it, profit from it, roll over and accept it… if you’re not actively resisting it, you support it.”

“I’m not going to debate politics with you. Not now. Not out here.”

“I’ll accept that,” Nyx said. “If you answer a question for me.”

“What?”

“At the settlement, when that woman came in, you thought she was somebody else. Who did you think she was?”

Ahmed shrugged. “I was disoriented. I don’t know. You know how it is, after you come back. Every night’s a fucking war.”

The sound started out low, isolated. It came from just north of them, from the open desert.

Nyx thought at first that it might be some stray cicadas, maybe a small mutant swarm. But the sound, like all the others, simply flared and faded, like some gasping giant gone back to slumber.

“You have second watch,” Nyx said. “You should get some sleep.”

Ahmed stood. Gazed back into camp. “I’m worried about the girl.”

“Which one?”

“The Ras Tiegan. She blistered badly. And her arm isn’t pretty. I’m concerned about infection”

“Well, not everybody stays pretty forever. She’ll be fine. Gives her character.”

“She’s Ras Tiegan, not Nasheenian.”

“I like our way better.”

“Do you?” He sounded genuinely surprised.

The sound came again, the sighing chitter of some unknown mass. Nyx waved him off. “Go on.”

Ahmed gazed toward the sound, pensive. “I know you’re used to leading folks off to their deaths. So I’d like some of that false reassurance now. The kind I’m sure you’re good at.”

“It’ll be fine,” Nyx said. “It’ll all be fine.”

“That’s all you’ve got?”

“Sure you don’t have any sen? Some whiskey?”

He shook his head.

“Then that’s all I’ve got,” she said, and resumed her watch.

28.

“Sure is a wall,” Eshe said.

“Sure is,” Nyx said.

They had followed the red line of the Wall east for half a day along a track at the base of it. The Wall itself was so massive that, this close, it seemed to touch the sky.

Nyx told Eshe to take point. He was in the best shape. Kage had recovered more quickly than any of them expected, but Nyx put her at the back, with Isabet, whose blistered face and hands were still so painful that she wept at night.