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doors and giving you fast horses to ride away. No, the boy will live with us for a time."
He moved his hand from Dean's mouth, allowing him to speak. "I'll be all right, Dad. Be a hot pipe with
them. Don't worry about me."
"Sure."
Thomas yawned, his mouth opening so wide they could all hear the sinews cracking in his jaws. "Well,
this has all gone as we hoped it would. As we knew it would, outlanders. Remember that we have no wish
to harm any of you. That would be against our own best ends, wouldn't it?"
Melmoth was already leaving the room, heading for the stairs that would eventually take them up to their
attic rooms. "Tomorrow we will have worked out a detailed plan for when we will need each of you."
Mary followed him. "Once we have gone, Norman, you may raise the lights so that our guests can see
properly to enjoy their meals. I look forward to starting the osmotic process with you all. Especially with
you, again, Ryan. The idea of reconnection is thrilling."
Thomas and Elric left together. Ryan could hear the sound of his son's feet dragging, reluctant, across the
echoing hall.
The door closed behind them.
"Well, now you know, people," Norman chirped brightly. "Could be worse, believe me."
"How?" Ryan asked, the single syllable as cold as Sierra meltwater.
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"Well, the Family could have chilled you all. Last night. You saw what they did to that silly-billy of a
filmmaker. They all have dreadful strength. Even Melmoth, and he's weak as a kitten compared to his
usual old ways."
"Some of them have died," J.B. pointed out. "So they can be chilled."
The butler shook his head slowly. "Even the mightiest sequoias will fall eventually in the deeps of the
forest. But if there is nobody there to hear the thunderous crash, is there any sound at all?"
"Don't play fucking Zen games with us, you preening little shit!" Mildred walked toward him, her beaded
plaits swinging. "Don't come on with 'What's the sound of one hand clapping?' and 'How when is now?'
and all that crap! You serve what must be one of the most perverse and vile families in the whole of
Deathlands and doing your chirpy and amusing little gay act with us doesn't By God, it doesn't make you
winsome, Norman."
Her shout echoed around and around the vaulted gallery at the second floor.
"Well, pardon me for living!" the butler exclaimed.
"Living and partly living," Doc stated. "Have you opened the door to the secret garden and taken the path
least traveled? By the Three Kennedys, but what a pathetic whining bastard you are, Norman."
"Well, you can whistle down the pussy's well for food for all I care." Norman glowered at them. "You'll
see, as well. See I'm right. It could be much worse."
Ryan heard the door open and close again. "Might be worth scavenging into the kitchens. J.B., mebbe you
and Jak could go see what you can beg or borrow or steal."
"Sure thing," the Armorer said.
"After we've eaten, then all meet up in our room for some serious planning. Krysty, could you and
Mildred and Doc turn the lamps back up?"
"Sure, lover. The sight of the Family in any kind of light's poor as anything."
Mildred came around the table and laid her hand on his arm. He could feel her tension and anger. She
lowered her head so that her mouth was close to his ear.
"Anything you want to tell me, Ryan?"
"Like what?"
All around the huge room he could hear Doc and Krysty turning up the wicks. And he could definitely see
the patches of shimmering, golden light.
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"Like, whether you think your sight might possibly be creeping back, Ryan?"
Krysty heard her and whirled. "Ryan! That true?"
"Mebbe."
Chapter Thirty-Four
Because of the mutie hearing that the four surviving members of the Family seemed to possess, Ryan had
whispered to Krysty, Mildred and Doc not to let on about his sight returning, to wait until they were alone
in their room.
When J.B. and Jak returned, about fifteen minutes later, they were each taken aside by Mildred and told
the exciting news, both of them warned not to show any reaction.
They had brought some bread and butter and several jars of preservesstrawberry, blueberry and lemon
cheeseas well as a couple of bottles of pre-dark wine that Jak had found in a dusty corner of the cellar.
"A Sancerre and a very good claret," Doc pronounced. "I can tell you that those bottles will either be the
nectar of the gods, or, if they have not been properly tended, then they will taste like rancid camel piss."
Sadly they had not been properly tended and were both bitter and deeply undrinkable.
"Still, there's the best of Adam's brewery, from a barrel out near the rear entrance to the house," J.B. said.
"Least the water's good and wholesome. Only thing in this rad-blasted place that is."
"Can we get out that way?" Ryan asked.
"Sure. But why bother, Ryan? Front door's bolted from the inside. Not locked. Guess it's done to stop any
would-be assassin getting in and trying to wipe out the Family. Doesn't stop anyone from getting out."
"From what we've seen about their invulnerability they'd have a tough job," Mildred said.
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"I don't know." Ryan allowed Krysty to spread his bread with the fruit jelly in case anyone watched from
the slabs of deep shadow above them.
"Got a plan, lover?" she asked.
"Let's finish up down here and get to our room. Take my arm to guide me, Krysty ."
"I WAS WONDERING WHETHER a house like this might not have secret passages in it," Doc said,
once they were all gathered safely together in Ryan and Krysty's bedroom. "Maybe a priest's bolt hole
that could hide a rat or a ferret or a weasel or some other sneaking wildwooder?"
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