Brave Story - Miyuki Miyabe [211]
No matter how far or how fast he ran, when he looked over his shoulder, there the stone-baby was, speeding after him. Wataru tripped and clawed his way back to his feet. And when he looked back over his shoulder again, for an instant he saw people in the air above the child’s face. Yacom, Lili Yannu, Satami were there. So was his father, and his mother. And Rikako, and countless others. Everyone who had ever hated or cursed someone was there. Everyone who had ever wounded another, or kicked another when he was down…
And there, in the crowd, he saw his own face.
Wataru ran. He ran past his udai, standing stiffly by the water’s edge. He ran past Yacom’s cart, filled with glass jars of swamp water. He ran and ran, and as he ran, he noticed the dorsal fin of a kalon cutting through the surface of the lake, keeping pace with him.
It knows there’s prey to be had. It’s waiting for the stone-baby to catch me, knock me to the ground, and throw me in the water. Wataru ran and ran on, tears of fright streaming down his face, his breath harsh and ragged in his throat.
Before long, a white mist began to creep through the swamp around him. The ground under his feet, the black water of the swamp—all were soon covered in a gauzy white veil. Wataru ran, swimming through the thickening mist. He looked over his shoulder and could no longer see the baby behind him.
I can’t stop now. I have to run.
Yet his feet were slowing. His knees bent, and buckled down to the ground. He couldn’t stand.
No. No! I have to run.
Wataru felt his soul inside him, quivering with fright, screaming for help. It was the last thing he heard before blacking out. Darkness crept under the blanket of the white mist. Soon blankness filled everything, and Wataru lay there, face down, utterly drained. He was asleep.
Croak… Croak…
From somewhere came the sound of a frog.
Crrrrroak. Wataru… Crrrrroak…
What’s a frog doing in a place like this?
Crrrroak. Wataru? Can you hear me?
The voice was sweet. He had heard it many times before. I know who that is.
Crrrroak. Don’t worry. You saw what happened. You did the right thing. You did what you had to do.
Sometimes ending a life is the right thing to do. The people you killed were evil, Wataru. You were right…
“No!” Wataru shouted. “I didn’t kill them!”
He cupped a hand over his mouth, gasping for breath. He was shaking uncontrollably. Where am I? What is this place? Where’s that stone-baby?
“You okay?” came a voice from right beside him. Wataru shouted again. He tried to run but only fell, rolling off something and onto a hard floor.
“Oy, oy, calm down there. You’ve had quite the nightmare. But you are awake now. You’re safe.”
Wataru opened his eyes to see a pair of concerned dark eyes staring back at him.
Chapter 25
The Blood Star
The man leaning over Wataru was young and wore a gray robe like the one donned by the priest in Lyris. But the sleeves were longer, and the hem was shorter, making it look somewhat more practical.
“Well now, how’s your fever?” he said, reaching out a hand to touch Wataru’s forehead. His face broke into a smile. “Very well, it seems to have gone down! Glad I had my analgesics with me. I was worried there for a bit.”
They were in a small room with one door. Wataru lay upon a simple bed, with a thin blanket and a hard pillow. He was also quite grateful for a fluffy, warm comforter.
“Where am I? Who are you?”
The young man smiled and lowered his head. “My name is Shin Suxin. I am a researcher at the National Observatory in Sasaya.”
“Nice to meet you,” Wataru managed. “You saved me, didn’t you? I owe you my thanks.”
“Not at all. Hungry? I don’t have much, but some warm soup should do you good.”
The man took a few steps to a small stove in the corner of the room. The only other furniture in the room was a small desk piled with books and a simple chair. The walls were covered with shelves; these too were crammed with books. Some of the books had drifted off the shelves into a pile on the floor, leaving only a narrow corridor between the bed