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Mara snatched it up quickly and stuffed it into his mouth before the flies could get to it. It was chewy and very salty but tasted good.
“Not gonna say thank you?” the man said.
“Thank you.”
“What’s your name, anyway?”
“Mara.”
“Mara? Who in the fuck named you that? They were havin’ a laugh, weren’t they?”
This made Mara’s blood w
arm. “Well, what’s your name then?”
“Ooh, you upset little girl? Can’t handle a little piss-take?” The man laughed and moved the horse on.
Stupid man. Why’ve I gotta be with him? Why can’t I be with Silas? “Why can’t I go with someone else?”
The man turned the horse. “You’re gonna hurt my feelings goin’ on like that. Now come on, ain’t no wine to be drunk out here.” The horse walked on.
“Bastard,” Mara whispered. I hate you.
As the sky got darker and they finally got away from the stinking Blood Plain, they passed through a small farm. Dirty children laughed as they chased each other with sticks, while a man and a woman led two horses that pulled carts piled high with sacks.
“So then,” the man said, “you been to Sevens Helm before?”
“No.”
“Ha. Oh, dear. You’re in for a shock.” The man nodded ahead. “Here she is.”
The high stone walls of the city were like Talon’s, but behind the city, Mara could see water that stretched away as far as he could see. He’d never seen anything like it. “That’s a big river.”
“That’s the sea, you idiot. Ain’t you seen the sea before?”
Mara felt angry again. “No. I told you I haven’t been here.”
“Steady on. You’re a feisty little fucker, ain’t you? Where you from then?”
“Talon.”
The man spat on the floor. “Shit hole. Keeping the bloody diseased in a cage. You won’t see that shit here. We kick ’em out. Let ’em die. Chucked a load of ’em in the sea when they wouldn’t fuck off. Let the sharks sort ’em out. Silly bastards, you gotta know when you’re defeated, I say. Die with some dignity.”
Mara thought of Peter dying in the gap between the shacks. He was glad no-one like this man had anything to do with Peter when he was dying. It was better that Mara had kept him hidden, kept him safe.
Four guards in black armour stood at the entrance to the city. They didn’t stop any of the people that passed through – even the ones that looked poor – but they still made Mara feel nervous; guards always did. All four nodded at the man as they passed by. Is he friends with the guards? The man slid off his horse and handed it over to a scruffy boy who led it away. He’s got someone to take his horse. Is he rich? He doesn’t look or sound like he’s high-class.
The man turned. “Stay close, you little shite. It’s busy through here at this time of night. If you get lost, I might never find ya.” He smiled, showing a horrible set of brown and yellow teeth, then lit up another smoke.
Maybe I should get lost. “Okay.” Mara followed the man around a corner and into a crowd.
The crowd was loud and sweaty. Everyone was taller than Mara. Market vendors shouted from the bottoms of the white stone buildings. Women sang. Instruments played in all directions. Every second person seemed to bump into Mara.
The smell of cooking food filled the air, impossible to tell from which direction. If we pass some food, I’ll take some. Nobody could catch me in this. He thought back to the days in the vendor district of Talon, running fast through the crowds to keep a stolen prize. Being small was always an advantage in a crowd. He’d only ever been caught when chased in the open.
Mara stayed close to the man until they eventually left the crowd and walked along a busy but much quieter alleyway. A small stream ran along the centre of the path with turds floating along it. Women with hardly any clothes on stood in doorways, making sounds like cats as they passed. Most of them had paints on their faces that made their eyes look darker and lips look bigger.
Mara knew what this place was. He’d followed Peter to the place just like it in Talon. Whores. He looked at the fingers of the women as they passed. They all had red stains, just like Peter had gotten when he started smoking it. Peter had said he smoked it so he didn’t know what was happening when he let the men do stuff to him, and so he didn’t feel the pain after. It wasn’t long until he smoked it all the time, like the rest of the whores.
