The Madness Project (The Madness Method) (23 page)

“Sweet shop,” I muttered, and picked my way around to the
alley behind the storefront.

The largest rubbish bin I’d ever seen slouched against the
far wall, spilling its contents into the puddles to make a feast for flies and
rats.  I peered over the edge, and gagged.  Buried in the mounds of garbage I
could spot a couple chunks of stale bread, but they were smeared and soaked
with something red that looked rather like blood.  Jewel-green flies swarmed up
around me, protesting my intrusion in a cloud of buzzing stench. 

I scanned the rest of the mound of trash, but the bread was
the only substance resembling food that I could see.  I almost reached in for
it, but couldn’t.  Couldn’t force myself to do it.  I slid down onto the ground
with my back to the bin, arms circling my legs and head buried against the
wind.

“You found it,” chirped a familiar voice, and I glanced up
to find Zip standing beside me.  “You’re too late though.  Gotta get here early
if you want the pickings.”

“So I’m learning,” I said.

Zip grinned and fished inside his shirt, pulling out a
half-eaten pastry wrapped in brown paper.  “Found it this morning.  Want a
bite?”

I stared at it, then at the kid.  My instinctive grimace
never made it all the way to my face.  A pastry like that had to be a treasure,
and Zip was offering to share.  I thought about his father with his purple
feet, and my selfishness, keeping my boots and stockings to myself.  The kid
put me to shame.

“No, you go on and eat it,” I said.  “But thanks.”

He grinned and tucked it away.  “Course.  But I’m saving it
for my Pop.”

“Your Pop lives around here?”

“Yeah, but he can’t get out much.  His feet’ve gone bad. 
Can’t walk too much.”  His eyes got wide.  “Gunny said they might fall clear
off!”

And then, I don’t know why, I bent over and unbuckled my
boots, pulling them off stockings and all, and dumped them in his arms.

“Hey, I seen these before!  That big ol’ tough had ‘em back
where I got my cap, isn’t it fine?”

“Yeah,” I said.  “They were mine.  But go on.  Think your
Pop needs them more than me.  Hopefully it’s not too late.”

“Thanks, mister,” Zip breathed, and he said it with more
reverence than most people ever said
Your Highness
.

“What about you?  You warm enough?” I asked, ignoring how my
toes had already started prickling with the cold.

“I’m swell.”  He shifted his weight, sticking his fingers
through the hole in his pocket.  “Say, you one of Rivano’s mages?”

“Why?”

“’Cause you asked.”

I frowned, not following.

“You asked if I’m a’right.  Street folks dan’ care much.  So
long as they’re warm, they dan’ care if you’re froze.  You even gave up your
trompers for my Pop without a beg from me.”

I curled my toes on the wet pavement, fighting a shiver. 
“That the sort of thing Rivano does?”

“Sure is.  When he’s being kind anyway.  My Pop says he’s a
mean man, though.  Won’t gan anywhere near the Hole, we won’t.  Nope.  But you
dan’ seem mean.”

“Thanks, I think,” I said.  “I’m not one of Rivano’s.  Came
looking for him though.  I want to see for myself if he’s a mean man.”

“Well, you gotta get past the Meats if you want in.”

“Who’re the Meats?”

“Kantian’s Boss at the Hole, and he keeps some mean toughs
to watch the turf.  I mean,
mean
.  You stay on the streets much longer,
you’re sure to see ‘em.  They’re always prowling about.”  His gaze drifted past
me, and all at once he drew up like a spooked cat.  “Like I said,” he whispered
and bolted away, fast as fear.

I glanced over my shoulder, and my heart sank.  Anuk and Jig
stood there at the mouth of the alley with a handful of other kids, looking
sore for a fight.  My toes had gotten so numb now that I didn’t trust myself to
stand.  So I just leaned back against the rubbish bin and stared across at
them, daring them to come closer, hoping they wouldn’t.

The big red-head Anuk, who I guessed led the little mob,
sauntered forward and stopped a few paces from me.  The other kids hung back,
whispering and grinning.

“You’re in Trip’s turf, so,” Anuk said.  “You one of his
boys?”

“Don’t belong to anyone,” I answered, closing my eyes to
seem unimpressed, and praying he didn’t gut me while he had the chance. 
“You’re here too.  So what does that make you?”

“Interested,” he said, not exactly answering the question. 
“Never seen you before.”

I opened my eyes and leaned forward, resting my arm on my
knee.  “Never seen you before either.”

“You’re a mage?”

“I’m looking for Rivano,” I said.

He stiffened, and the other kids stopped smiling.  “Who’s
asking?”

“Tag’s Taumir,” I said.

“That’s…” Anuk frowned, puzzled.  “That’s not a tag, is it?”

“It is where I’m from.”

“Anuk!” one of the kids shouted suddenly, a boy who couldn’t
have been older than nine or ten, with great big eyes and black hair that stood
straight on end like a chimney brush.  He ran up to us, saying, “He’s the one
Hayli was gabbing about!”

Anuk jerked his gaze from the kid to me.  “You met Hayli?”

“Yeah,” I said.  “Look, I didn’t come to muck around with a
bunch of street flies.  D’you know where Rivano is or not?”

Anuk reached down to grab the front of my shirt, but I
snatched his wrist and shoved it away, and got to my feet on my own.  The
bug-eyed kid stared at me, eyes wider than ever.

“No one gets to Rivano if I don’t say he can,” Anuk said. 
“And I don’t think I’ll say.”

I shifted my weight, hiding a wince.  My mind was spinning,
calculating my odds fighting him, calculating the advantage of doing so.  I
knew I’d have to get in with them somehow, and these kids seemed to value
toughness more than anything.  And while I wished I could just walk away and
leave Zagger to intimidate the kids into silence, Zagger wasn’t here, and I
couldn’t walk away.  I had to fight my own battles now.

“You sure about that?” I asked, hoping my voice didn’t sound
as unsteady as it felt.

Anuk drew himself up.  I had an advantage—I’d seen him fight
before.  Slow, methodical, unimaginative.  The way I used to fight.  Still, he
was half again as big as me, and probably twice as strong, and getting pounded
by him would hurt like the devil no matter how unimaginative he was.  For half
a moment I considered trying to diffuse the situation, telling him I didn’t
want trouble, but… I knew from the fire in his eyes that he’d just laugh me
off. 

Not the best way to convince him I belonged in his group.

I turned a little aside, then spun and drove the heel of my
palm straight at the nexus of his ribs.  He doubled over, predictable,
shielding his chest.  I grabbed his head and shoved it down.  Slammed my knee
up into his face.  As he stumbled, I smashed my foot against his knee and sent
him sprawling into the puddles.  He groaned and twisted, and stayed down.  The
bug-eyed kid gaped at me, but out of the corner of my eye I saw Jig circling
around toward me.

“Nice moves, like,” he called, raising his hands defensively
as he came in close.  “Now try me.”

I groaned inwardly.  I’d hoped taking down Anuk would declaw
the whole lot of them, but apparently not.  And I really didn’t think I had the
skills to fight a master like Jig.  Maybe with him I’d have to fight dirty. 
Cheat.  He had no reason to think I had a knife up my sleeve.

He fired two rapid punches at me.  My hands flew up, too
slow to block.  Pain shattered my forearm, then my chest, hard as a battering
ram.  Coughing, I staggered back and slammed into the rubbish bin.  Jig grinned
and danced on his feet.

I shoved away from the bin, caught a blow to the jaw.  The
world spun and darkened.  Tried to catch myself, but couldn’t stop before my
face slammed into the trash again.  I barely grabbed the rim, desperate to stay
upright.  Fire exploded in my ribs as Jig’s fists kept flying.

Stars…  Don’t fall…don’t fall…

I kicked out, hard.  Jig fell back.  I dragged in a gulp of
air just before another punch flew at me.  This time I dodged aside, knocking
his hand away.  My other hand slammed against his jaw with a shower of stinging
pain.  I followed him as he spun and locked my arm around his neck, pulling him
into a chokehold.  In a second he’d throw me off, but it was all the time I
needed to free my knife and bring it around to flash in front of his face.

I turned us both so the other kids could see.  For once Jig
didn’t try any slick moves to get free.  I tightened my grip until he snatched
and clawed at my arm, then I released him and let him fall to the ground.

“You dirty chizzer,” he snarled.

I lifted my hands in a shrug.  I couldn’t say anything. 
Blood and pain and adrenaline pounded in my ears, my heart still chattering. 
The world rocked; my muscles turned to lead.

The boys at the alley mouth moved suddenly, parting as a new
figure passed through their midst.  I almost smiled—or would have, if it hadn’t
hurt so much—because it was Hayli, looking disgusted and annoyed.

“What’re you dundering idiots
doing?
” she cried,
shoving one of the kids aside and storming up to us.  But she didn’t say it to
me; her gaze pinned Jig to the ground.  Then she turned to stare at me. 
“Shade?  You a’right?”

I arched a brow, wondering how bad I really looked…if I
looked as terrible as I felt.  Anuk groaned and flopped onto his back.

“Why you asking
him?
”

“He div’n beat me,” Jig spat, picking himself up.  “I had
him down, like!  He cheated!”

“Like you never cheat,” Hayli said, hands on her hips. 
“Well?  Now you’ve seen him.  You ganna let him come with me?”

Anuk staggered to his feet, hopping a little on the knee I’d
bashed, and held his hand out to me.  I rather thought that gesture meant more
down here than it ever did in the high-street boxing rings.  I took it, though
I could barely grip it, and nodded to him.  Jig watched with a nasty scowl, then
turned and limped off without a word to any of us.

“Jig’s an ass when he loses,” Anuk said, mumbling through
bloody lips.  “Don’t mind him, so.  I’m Anuk.  I know, you’re Shade.”

“That’s right.”

I caught Hayli staring at my feet, and after a second she
frowned up at me and asked, “You could’ve zotzed those idiots but you let
someone pinch your boots?  How’s that?”

“Nobody stole them,” I said, trying to remember if Kor had
ever told me what
zotzed
meant.

She scowled.  “We got extras, back at the Hole.”

“Hayli…” Anuk started, but she shoved him aside.

“Relax,” she said.  “You can keep a goggle on him.  Dan’ you
think he might be useful?”

He shrugged.  “You can fight all right, so,” he said to me. 
“Don’t mean I like you for one of us though.”

“I’m not looking to get in with anyone,” I said, gambling. 
I turned as if to walk away, fighting to hide my exhaustion.  “I just need to
see Rivano.”

Dead silence followed me, then Hayli called, “Wait!”  I
turned.  “You told me you’d come to have words with someone.  Did you mean
Rivano?”

“No.”  I came back and stood in front of her, folding my
arms.  “I heard he could help me find him, though.”

She and Anuk shared a look, then she nodded.  “Well. 
Suppose maybe I can help you find
him
.”

Chapter 4 — Hayli

Shade walked behind me, limping a bit though he tried hard
to hide it.  I’d been barefoot in the cold before, and I didn’t envy him. 
Couldn’t figure as to how he’d lost his boots, though, and he wouldn’t talk. 
Not about the boots, not about aught else.  The whole time we walked, he just
carried on quiet as could be.  Anuk had disappeared with Bugs and the other
kids, so I didn’t even have them to talk to—not that they would’ve wanted to
gab with me anyway.  All I could do was fret about what Derrin would say when I
brought him Shade.

I peeked over my shoulder at him when we reached the alley
where the martins roost, two streets over from the Hole. 

“You look cacky awful,” I said.  “Why’d you gan getting in a
fight with those two?”

“Not like I asked for it,” he said, flashing me a dark
glare.  “But they were in my way.”

I scowled, not quite getting his meaning.

“Rivano,” he said.

“Oh.”  I slowed up a bit, letting him join me.  “Why d’you
need to see Rivano?”

“I told you already.”

“Well, it’s not Anuk you got to get through to see him,” I
said.  “That’d be Kantian, and to get to Kantian you got to get through
Derrin.”  I gave a feeble wave of my hand.  “But, I suppose you have to get
through Anuk to get to Derrin.”

“Sounds complicated.”

I smiled.  “I expect you’re not in a hurry.  It could take
some time.”

He was scanning the buildings again, and the street, and all
the broken windows.  He had his hands in his pockets and might’ve had a fine
swagger if he hadn’t been hobbling along like a maimed cat.