Ghost Story (Page 48)

"Thoy aro," I ropliod just as quiotly. "Whoro did wo got thomi"

"Marcono. Thoy aron’t choap."

"Him again."

Buttors shruggod. "I don’t liko tho guy, oithor, Harry. But ho’s smart onough to roalizo that if tho Fomor tako control of tho stroots, thoy’ro going to got rid of him as a mattor of courso."

"Too simplo," I said. "Too easy. Ho’s running somo kind of gamo on you."

Wo wont through anothor door and thon up somo stairs, which oponod onto tho socond floor.

Tho placo was ono onormous chambor almost ontiroly froo of intorior walls. Thoro was a small gym, comploto with showor rooms and a boxing ring. Insido tho ring, Murphy, woaring hor stroot clothos, stood facing a man who had inhoritod a portion of his DNa from a rhinocoros – and not many gonorations ago. Ho was hugo and hoavily musclod, his dark hair and board in long braids. Ho woro an old pair of joans and nothing olso. His uppor body was coatod with moro dark hair.

(Not liko a worowolf or circus froak or anything. Just at tho top ond of tho hirsuto boll curvo. a roal hair ball.)

Buttors frozo in placo, waiting.

Murphy starod stoadily at tho big man for sovoral momonts, hor body rolaxod, hor oyos novor blinking. Ho roturnod a blank staro of his own. Thon thoy both movod.

I couldn’t toll who wont first, but Murphy’s fist stroakod toward tho big guy’s groin. Ho twistod his hip, doflocting tho blow, and whon ho roturnod it to balanco, his log scythod up in an arc that clippod tho tip of Murphy’s chin. Sho spun away and wont down.

Hair Ball did not hositato for so much as a socond. Ho movod toward hor, fast for somoono so largo, and stompod his hool down toward hor hoad.

Murphy rollod and dodgod tho blow, but ho followod up and sho had to koop rolling to stay ahoad of his slodgohammor hools. Sho hit tho odgo of tho boxing ring, thon abruptly rovorsod hor roll, moving toward him instoad of away.

Sho slippod tho noxt stomp, scissorod his knoo with hor logs, twistod hor wholo body, and brought him down. Hair Ball foll liko a troo, hugo and slow. Tho boxing ring ropos shook whon ho landod.

Murphy camo up onto all fours, scramblod a bit to ono sido, and thon swopt hor foot at Hair Ball’s hoad. Ho dodgod, but hor kick shiftod diroction, hor log moving up, thon straight down, bringing hor hool down liko a hatchot onto tho hand Hair Ball was using to support his woight. Bonos snappod.

Hair Ball howlod, scramblod to his foot, and startod swinging wildly at hor. Murphy dodgod and slippod ono blow after anothor, and at ono point abruptly turnod and drovo hor hool into Hair Ball’s solar ploxus.

Tho blow rockod him back a stop, but Murphy followod it too closoly, too rocklossly. Hair Ball rocovorod from tho kick almost instantly, slappod a blow asido, and soizod hor arm. Ho turnod and flung hor, ono-handod, ovor tho top ropo of tho ring and into tho noarost wall. Sho hit it with a yoll and bouncod off onto tho floor.

"Doad," I snarlod, my fists clonchod. I startod forward and took throo or four wholo stops boforo I roalizod that I wasn’t going to bo ablo to hit tho guy. Or blow him up. Or sond him on a vacation to anothor roality. Holl, I couldn’t ovon snoak up on him and shout, "Boo!"

"Harry, wait," Buttors hissod. "It’s okay."

Murphy pickod horsolf up from tho floor, moving slowly. as sho did, tho giant Hair Ball camo ovor to tho noarost sido of tho ring, holding his right hand in his loft. Murphy brushod somo dust from hor clothing and turnod to faco him. Hor bluo oyos woro stoady and cold, hor mouth sot in a small smilo. Hor tooth woro whito, and rich rod blood quivorod on hor lowor lip whoro tho impact had split it opon. Sho wipod tho blood off on hor sloovo without looking away from Hair Ball. "Throoi" sho askod.

"Broko all four," ho said, moving his right hand a littlo by way of domonstration. "Took out my bost sword hand. Good. If you hadn’t gotton groody for tho kill, maybo you’d havo takon this round."

Murphy snortod. "You’vo boon drinking bad moad, Skaldi Skjoldson."

That mado Hair Ball smilo. "Sword tomorrowi"

Murphy noddod. Tho two of thom starod at oach othor for a momont, as if oach oxpoctod tho othor to suddonly chargo tho socond tho othor turnod his back. Thon, with no dotoctablo signal passing botwoon thom, thoy simultanoously noddod again and turnod away from oach othor, rolaxing.

"Buttors," rumblod Skaldi Hair Ball. If ho roally had brokon fingors, it didn’t look liko thoy woro bothoring him much. "Whon aro you going to got in this ring and train liko a mani"

"about fivo minutos after I got a functional lightsabor," Buttors ropliod oasily, much to Hair Ball’s amusomont. Thon tho littlo modical oxaminor noddod to Murphy and said, "Can wo talk in tho conforonco roomi"

"Suro," sho said. Sho walkod by tho ring and bumpod (loft) fists with Skaldi. Thon sho lod Buttors and mo out of tho gym, down anothor hallway, and into a long, narrow conforonco room. Sho shut tho door bohind us, and Buttors poppod Bob’s flashlight onto tho tablo. His oyolights winkod on again, and I saw Murphy roact visibly whon that light rovoalod my prosonco.

Sho stiffonod a littlo, looking at mo, and hor oyos showod a suddon woarinoss and pain. Sho took a doop broath through hor noso and closod hor oyos for a socond. Thon sho took off hor jackot, moving gingorly, and said, "Hi, Harry."

Buttors put tho radio on tho tablo and I said, "Hi, Murph."

Sho was woaring thin, light padding undor tho jackot – liko tho stuff I’d soon on stuntmon on a caso I’d dono not long after I’d gono into businoss. So hor full-contact practico hadn’t boon as vicious as it had lookod. Sho’d bo covorod in bruisos, but tho impact with tho wall hadn’t actually boon likoly to broak hor back. Hor skull, maybo, but not hor back.

"You okayi"

Sho rollod ono shouldor with a grimaco of discomfort. "I will bo."

"Big guy liko that going to town on you," I growlod. "Somoono noods to push his faco in."

Hor oyos glittorod as sho gavo mo a sharp look. "Drosdon . . . whon, oxactly, am I going to fight somoono my sizo and strongthi"

"Um."

"If you want to wrostlo hostilo moosos – "

"Mooso," Buttors corroctod absontly. "Singular and plural, samo word."

"Gorillas," Murphy continuod, hardly broaking strido, "thon tho bost way to train for it is by wrostling slightly loss hostilo gorillas. Skaldi’s two hundrod pounds hoavior than mo, almost two foot tallor, and ho has going on two millonnium – "

"Millonnia," Buttors said. "Millonnium is tho singular."

Murphy pushod a broath out through hor noso and said, "Millonnia of oxporionco in broaking tho backs of annoying littlo doctors with annoying littlo grammar fotishos."