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struggle, and quickly pinned Perry down.
 Don t hurt him, Syndi said, rubbing her arms as she took a step backward and
stared at Roln, who d pinned Perry to the ground.  Let him up. Perry if you run, so
help me, I ll kick your ass.
 Who is this man? Tor asked, pulling Syndi out of Perry s reach.
The tents of the village weren t too far away. He saw no movement among them
and could only hope for the moment that the four of them were alone. There was a wet
path, looking well trodden, leading from the hole of water in the ground back to the
village. If Syndi had helped create this hole before she d left, this Perry had been
working at hauling water ever since then. His marks in the ground were proof of that.
Perry struggled against Roln, but was no match. His officer had Perry s arms
pinned behind his back and held Perry so that he stood facing Tor and Syndi.
 How do you know them? Perry asked, frowning when he saw Tor hold on to
Syndi.  Syndi, what have you done?
She ignored his questions and glanced at her village, then up at Tor.
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Dead World
 Perry is a friend, I guess, she said, hesitating on the word friend.  I ve known him
all my life.
 Friend? Perry hissed.  Just a friend?
Tor didn t like the man s tone.
 Yes, Perry. Just a friend, she said with conviction.  And at the moment, you re
pushing it.
There wasn t time at the moment to question why Perry would think himself more
than a friend. He would get answers to that later. There were two buckets near the
water, more than likely what Perry had used to haul water back to the village. One of
them lay on its side, its contents having soaked the parched ground, filling the cracks at
Tor s feet. More than likely, Syndi had startled Perry when she came out of the water.
This water meant everything to these people. He d establish authority first then get
his answers.
 What have you been doing with my water? he asked Perry.
 This is my water. Perry struggled again against Roln s grasp.  Find your own
water.
 Your water? Syndi sounded surprised.
Perry gave her a quick look, but dismissed her with a mere glance. He narrowed his
gaze on Tor.
 Why are you here? he asked, trying to look stern but failing miserably.
It wasn t hard to tell that Roln used little effort in restraining the puny runt.
Tor looked at Roln.  Let him go.
Perry shrugged out of Roln s grip when his guard released him, as if he d had some
effort in freeing himself. His personality was obvious. Tor knew the kind. They d play
nice to whoever they thought could get them the farthest, and stab them in the back just
as quickly. There was no question in how best to handle him.
Tor pointed at the hole in the ground behind him.  You re using my water, from
my land. With little to no effort I can block it at my end and you won t get a drop. Tell
me what your motives are right now, or I block the water.
Perry s back straightened. The man had no muscle tone at all. His small beady eyes
shifted from him to Syndi.
 Who the hell is this man? he whispered to Syndi.  What have you done?
 I showed you where to dig for the water, she reminded him.
Tor wondered if this was how it happened twenty some years ago. Had Ran Mose
followed his woman to the surface, only to find a people who needed his water so
desperately they would do anything for it?
The man would have cut a deal, made a prosperous contract for himself. His greed
was about to destroy both of their worlds. Tor had worried about their government,
about being able to contact and talk to them, but it was the people who would respond
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to him. These cast-outs would protect him to keep their water. The desperate look in
Perry s eyes told him as much.
 I m Tor Geinz, he said, grabbing Perry s attention.  I rule the West Passage,
which exists underneath you, and is where this water is coming from.
 Then why do you look like the picture of the men wanted for destroying the
water? Perry challenged.
 Does this water look destroyed to you? Tor gestured to the water bubbling to the
surface. Just looking at it reminded him how quickly his skin was drying out. If they
stayed up there much longer they would weaken. But he had to make a decision. Perry
had seen them. Now he needed to decide whether to leave him above ground, or haul
him down to the tran-bus.  Sounds to me like you ve been fed a bunch of lies. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]