Down east towards the Answer.
“David!” the Mayor says sharply.
“Help me up,” Viola whispers. “I have to get to them. I have to go.”
And her eyes are wild and her breath is heavy and she’s staring at me so hard it’s like a solid thing I can feel.
“Oh, he’ll help you up,” the Mayor says, pointing the gun. “Because you’re coming with me.”
“What?” Viola says.
“They’re your people, Viola,” the Mayor says. “They’re going to be wondering where you are. I can either bring you to them right away.” He looks at me. “Or I can sadly inform them that you died in the crash. Which would you prefer?”
“I’m not going with you,” she says. “You’re a liar and a murderer–”
He cuts her off. “David, you’ll remain guard over Todd while I take Viola to her ship.” He looks back at her. “I think you know first-hand my son’s eagerness with a gun if you don’t cooperate.”
Viola looks furiously at Davy. I look at Davy, too, standing there, rifle in hand, looking back and forth twixt me and his pa.
His Noise roiling.
His Noise saying clearly there ain’t no way he’s ever gonna shoot me.
“Pa?” he says.
“Enough of this, David,” the Mayor frowns, trying to catch Davy’s eye–
And catching it.
“You will do what I say,” he says to his son. “You will tie Todd up with the rope he so helpfully brought and you will stand guard over him and when I return with our newly arrived guests, everything will be peaceful and happy. The new world will begin.”
“New world,” Davy mumbles, his eyes glazing over, just like the ginger-haired soldier, askings and doubt being pushed outta his Noise.
As he bends to the will of another.
I get an idea.
Forgive me, Davy.
“You gonna let him talk to you like that, Davy?”
He blinks. “What?”
He looks away from his pa.
“You gonna let him point a gun at me and Viola?”
“Todd,” the Mayor warns.
“All that Noise you say you hear,” I say to the Mayor but I still look at Davy, still hold his eye. “All the way you say you know everything, but you don’t know yer own son very well, now, do ya?”
“David,” the Mayor says.
But I got Davy’s eye now.
“You gonna let him get his way again?” I say to him. “You gonna let him boss you round with no reward?”
Davy watches me nervously, trying to blink away the mess his pa’s put in his head.
“That ship changes everything, Davy,” I say. “A whole new batch of people. A whole city’s worth to try and make this place something better than the stinking boghole it is.”
“David,” the Mayor says. There’s a flash of Noise and Davy flinches.
“Stop it, Pa,” he says.
“Who do you want to get to that ship first, Davy?” I say. “Me and Viola to get some help? Or yer pa so he can rule them, too?”
“Be quiet!” says the Mayor. “Are you forgetting who has the gun?”
“Davy has one, too,” I say.
There’s a bit of a pause as we all see Davy remember he’s holding a rifle.
There’s another flash of Noise from the Mayor and another flinch from Davy. “Jesus, Pa, effing quit it already!”
But he looks at his pa to say it.
And his pa catches his eyes again.
“Tie Todd up and get my horse, David,” the Mayor says, holding his stare.
“Pa?” Davy says, his voice gone quiet.
“My horse,” says the Mayor. “He’s out back.”
“Get between them,” Viola hisses at me. “Break the eye contact!”
I move but the Mayor turns the gun on her without taking his eyes off Davy. “One move, Todd.”
I stop.
“Bring me my horse, son,” says the Mayor, “and we’ll greet the new settlers side by side.” He smiles at his son. “You’ll be my prince.”
“He said that before,” I say to Davy. “But not to you.”
“He’s controlling you,” Viola shouts. “He’s using his Noise to–”
“Please tell Viola to be quiet,” the Mayor says.
“Be quiet, Viola,” Davy says, his voice soft, his eyes not blinking.
“Davy!” I shout.
“He’s just trying to control you, David,” the Mayor says, his voice rising. “Like he’s done from the start.”
“What?” I say.
“From the start,” Davy mumbles.
“Who do you think’s held you back from promotion, son?” the Mayor’s saying it and he’s saying it right into the middle of Davy’s brain. “Who do you think tells me all the things you do wrong?”
“Todd?” Davy says weakly.
“He’s lying,” I say. “Look at me!”
But Davy’s overloading. He’s just staring frozen at his pa, not moving at all.
The Mayor gives a heavy sigh. “I see I have to do this myself.”
He comes forward, gesturing us back with his rifle. He grabs Viola and lifts her to her feet. She cries out from the pain in her ankles. I move automatically to help but he pushes her forward so she’s right in front of him, his rifle at her back.
I open my mouth to shout, to threaten, to damn him–
But it’s Davy who speaks first.
“It’s landing,” he says quietly.
We all turn eastward. The ship is taking a slow circle, flying around a hilltop east of town–
Maybe even the one where the tower once stood–
It comes round again and hovers above the treetops–
Before slowly starting to lower itself out of sight–
I turn to Davy, too, see his eyes fogged and confused–
But he ain’t looking at his pa no more–
He’s looking at the ship–
And then he’s turning his head and looking at me–
“Todd?” he says, like he’s just waking up–
And his rifle is just there, just hanging from his hand–
And one more time–
Forgive me.
I lunge forward and snatch it from him. He don’t even put up any resistance, just lets it go, lets it go right into my fingers and I’m already raising it and cocking it and pointing it at the Mayor.