The Library at Mount Char Part 52

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because David wasn't strong enough," Father said. "The culmination of the training was to conquer a monster. But he never could. I gave him a lot of chances. Too many. Nine times I roasted an innocent child alive so that David would have a monster to kill. Nine different times the monster won. It finally occurred to me that I was training the wrong kid." He shrugged. "So I gave the monster a shot. That day, when David begged, I knew I'd finally figured it out, finally found my heir."

"Nine times?" The belly of the bull, glowing orange in the black of night. "Me?"

"You never begged," Father said. "Not once. I still can't believe it. You don't remember, of course, but I've ridden that bull a couple of times myself." He shuddered. "Once I even roasted you two times, back to back, so you knew, really knew, what you were in for. I wanted to see what you would do. You just looked at me." He shook his head. "I still have nightmares."

"What was I like?"

"Like David," he said. "But so much worse. Worse than me, worse than the Emperor...worse than anything, anywhere, ever. You were a demon. A devil."

"Hmm."

He waited awhile. "Do you have any more questions?"

"No. I-" It was on the tip of her tongue to thank him, but she didn't. Not much later, she would regret that. "No."

"Then Ablakha decrees that this fourth age of the world is ended. It's all yours now, Carolyn. 'Congratulations' isn't the right word, but I know you'll do well." Father stood, dusted himself off. "And that means it's time for me to go."

Just like that? "Will I see you again?"

He shook his head. "No. Never. There is no return from where we are going."

"Oh."

Father turned and set out walking to the jade staircase, toward n.o.bununga and Mithraganhi and what came next for such as them.

Carolyn watched him for a few steps. He did not look back. "Wait!" Carolyn said. "There is one more thing."

"What's that?"

"How did you know? That I'd resurrect you?"

"I didn't."

"Then what-"

"I didn't know, Carolyn. I had faith in you." Father's eyes twinkled. "You should probably start getting used to that."

She didn't get the joke.

Father sighed. "You're a strong one, Carolyn, but would it kill you to lighten up a little, maybe just every so often?" He snapped his fingers. "Oh! I almost forgot. I left you something."

"What?"

"A surprise."

She was wary of Father's surprises. "A good one?"

He only smiled.

She watched him walk away until she was sure he couldn't hear her. Only then did she whisper, "Good-bye, Father."

She never saw him again.

III.

Steve came back to life on the floor of the penthouse. He was accustomed to dying now; he had clear memories of everything up to the very last moments. Now, the apartment was thick with dust. The gla.s.s of Liquid-Plumr had partially dried up while he was away, crystallized. It sat where he had left it...how long ago? He remembered the flavor of it, metallic but not all that unpleasant, remembered also how it had boiled away in his guts. The bottom was crystallized, but there was enough floating at the top for another drink. It's been waiting for me. Belly up to the bar, pardner!

For some reason this struck him funny, and he giggled.

"Don't do that."

"What?" He turned to the sound of Carolyn's voice. She was perched on the granite island between the kitchen and living room like a gargoyle, smoking a cigarette.

"Don't giggle like that. You sound like Margaret."

"But I'm all dusty. Heh. Hee."

"It's been a while." She tossed him a pack of Marlboros, half full, and Margaret's lighter.

He caught them. "Thanks. Where's Naga?"

"She went home," Carolyn said.

"Back to Africa?"

Carolyn nodded.

"Why?"

"She wanted to be with her people. When, you know, at..." She trailed off.

"At the end?"

She nodded.

"Jesus, Carolyn. How bad is it out there?"

Carolyn was silent for a time before she answered. "Well, it's not the end." Then, softer, "not yet."

Steve nodded. "You haven't changed." He looked at the Liquid-Plumr, and suppressed a shudder. Here we go again. Maybe this time I could get ahold of some explos- "Actually, I have." Then, following his gaze to the Liquid-Plumr, "Here." She held up a pistol. "I'll make it easy for you. Or isn't a gun horrible enough?"

"I suppose I could make it work. Am I getting through to you at all?"

She just looked at him.

Steve sat up, brushed the dust off one of the kitchen chairs, lit his cigarette. "You're getting better at the whole resurrection thing. I'm not even sore this time."

"Thanks."

He squinted at her over his Marlboro. "You do look different. How long did you say it's been?"

"Three or four months, I think. I don't keep track. Different how?"

"I'm not sure. You don't look any older."

She snubbed out her cigarette. "I wouldn't. I don't age. Not anymore. It's a trick of Father's."

"You've got a couple of lines, though." He traced his hand across her cheek.

"Yeah, well. What is it you guys say? 'It's not the years, it's the mileage'?"

Then he saw it. "I know what it is. You don't seem so angry. Well...grumpy, maybe. But not like you were."

"How do you mean?"

"It used to be that your eyebrows were all crushed together all the time." He made a face imitating her. "And your jaw muscles kept jumping when you thought no one was looking. Now, less so."

"Hmmm."

"So, what have you been up to?"

"This and that," she said. "Studying, at first. Thinking things over. Then I had a chat with Father."

"Seriously? I thought he was dead."

She shrugged.

"Hmm. Just a chat? Not a fight, or anything?"

"Yeah. It was pretty civil, actually. Why?"

"Well...I bet an argument between the two of you would be something to see. Did you ever see that movie where King Kong fought the big dinosaur?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"That's a shame. I'm kind of funny."

Carolyn's brow furrowed...but then she relaxed. "Yeah," she said, smiling a little. "You are. I've missed that. And maybe I am less angry." She held her hand out for the lighter.

Steve pa.s.sed it over. "That's good. You need to get stuff out of your system. If you let it fester, it'll eat you up." She was looking at him strangely. "What?"

"You're one to-Nothing."

"So...four months, huh?"

"Give or take."

"That's longer than the last time."

"Yeah."

"Why'd you wait?"

"I wasn't going to bring you back at all."

"Are you mad at me?"

She winced. "No. Not mad. I just...I didn't think I could bear it if you...did, you know, something. Again."

"Oh." Steve considered this. "Well...I'm sorry."

"It's OK. I understand why you did it. Or, I think I do, anyway." She walked around the kitchen island and fetched the copy of Black Beauty off the counter. "This is for you."

He took it. "This is that, whatchacallit, the token thing? From the porch? Right?"

"It is, yeah. Open it."

He handed it back to her. "I don't have to."

"What? What do you-"

"It's got my name inside the cover, right? Handwritten, in red ink. This isn't like the one I had, it is the one I had. When I was a kid, I mean. Right?"

"You remember?"

"Sort of. I dreamed about it. After the fire. The first time I, you know..."

"You did?"

"Yeah. And again, just now. I dreamed I was reading it in the car, on the day my parents...you know, the day of the wreck. Then I was handing it to this little kid I was friends with, a little girl from the neighborhood. I hadn't thought about her in years." He shook his head. "We used to talk about books and stuff. I couldn't remember her name, though." He smiled. "And then I could. You used to be so blond."

Carolyn smiled back. "I've changed."

"Yeah. I guess you have. Me too, for that matter. I was wondering why that one house-that one where the beagle was hanging out-looked so familiar. I didn't recognize any of the rest though."

"You wouldn't. There was a fire. Most of it's been rebuilt."