krrf that he had bought, that tunnelled his vision and made his heart feel like
it was starting and stopping by turns, lending an unreality to the whole night,
so that he paused in the middle of the bridge and leaned on the rail, wishing
that he could heave up his insides.
Then he saw the man following-he was sure that he was following, a walker who
had also paused on the bridge a little ways down from him and delayed about some
pretended business.
Sweat broke out afresh on him. He must not seem to see. He pushed himself away
from the rail and started walking again, trying to keep his steps even. The
shanties of Downwind lurched in his view under the moon, closer and closer, like
the crazy pilings of the fishing-dock beside it and the sway and flare of
someone’s lantern near the water below. He found himself walking faster than he
had intended, terror taking over.
Others used the bridge. People came and went, a straggle of them passing him in
the dark, passing his pursuer and still he kept his steady pace. But one of them
had veered into his path and sent his hand twitching after his knife, coming
rapidly toward him.
Moria. His heart turned over as he recognized his sister face to face with him.
“Walk past me,” he hissed at her in desperation. “There’s someone on my track.”
“I’ll get him.”
“No. Just see who it is and keep walking.”
They parted, expert mimery: importunate whore and disgusted stroller. He found
his breath too short, his heartbeat pounding in his ears, trying to keep his
wits about him and to concoct lies Moria would believe, all the while terrified