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Back The Drowned Cities Save as PDF
Chapters (53)
  1. Welcome
  2. Dedication
  3. PART ONE
  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. PART TWO
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  52. Contents
  53. Copyright

Behind him, a couple of his troops stood waiting. War maggots. Didn’t even have hair on their upper lips. Mean-ass licebiters with guns, probably high on red rippers, probably crazy. One had a shotgun, the other a hunting rifle, not just machetes or acid, which meant they were probably bloodthirsty, especially if they were standing bodyguard on the grown-up. Boys with guns scared her. Guns gave them swagger, and swagger made them vicious.

Somewhere inside the town, someone was sobbing, begging and in pain. She couldn’t tell if it was a boy or a girl. It didn’t even sound like person, hardly. Mahlia realized she was shaking. She knew that sound. She’d made exactly that sound once, when they got hold of her hand.

“I ain’t going down there. We got to find a different way.”

Tool’s huge head turned to regard her. “There is no other way, and you are the one who must go.” He nodded toward the town. “Augments like me are blood enemies to soldiers like that. They will shoot me on sight. I am their greatest nightmare. They fight my kind in the North, where the war lines bottle them up. If they see me here, they will assume I am a scout or an attacker, and they will shoot.”

“What if you were just passing through?”

“Half-men do not simply ‘pass through.’ I learned that to my cost the last time I tried,” Tool said. “Those soldiers believe that we always have masters, and we always work to our master’s purpose. My kind would have no business here, other than war with them.”

He nodded at the town. “You must go down to the waterfront, and you must find us a smuggler.”

“What do I do if someone comes at me?”

“We need a skiff and we need a person who knows how to move into the Drowned Cities. Without an alliance, we have nothing.”

“We don’t got anything to pay them.”

“Bring them to me.” Tool bared his teeth. “I will arrange the payment.”

Mahlia shook her head. “I don’t think this is going to work.”

“Be strong, wargirl. It will only get worse.”

Mahlia stared out at the town, hating what she had to do. “In the morning,” she decided. “I’ll go when they’re all hungover and sleepy and stupid. Not while they’re all sliding and crazy and looking for someone to hurt.”

Tool smiled. “A decision worthy of Sun Tzu.”

30

THE PROBLEM DIDN’T develop right away.

Mouse’s squad was deep inside UPF territory, so they should have been safe. The only things to keep an eye on were chain gangs and farmers. Mouse and all the other soldiers were standing around joking and watching as big old barges eased through K Canal, and they had no idea what was coming.