The Ask and the Answer (Page 94)

There’s another flash of Noise from the Mayor and another flinch from Davy. “Jesus, Pa, effing quit it already!”

But he looks at his pa to say it.

And his pa catches his eyes again.

“Tie Todd up and get my horse, David,” the Mayor says, holding his stare.

“Pa?” Davy says, his voice gone quiet.

“My horse,” says the Mayor. “He’s out back.”

“Get between them,” Viola hisses at me. “Break the eye contact!”

I move but the Mayor turns the gun on her without taking his eyes off Davy. “One move, Todd.”

I stop.

“Bring me my horse, son,” says the Mayor, “and we’ll greet the new settlers side by side.” He smiles at his son. “You’ll be my prince.”

“He said that before,” I say to Davy. “But not to you.”

“He’s controlling you,” Viola shouts. “He’s using his Noise to–”

“Please tell Viola to be quiet,” the Mayor says.

“Be quiet, Viola,” Davy says, his voice soft, his eyes not blinking.

“Davy!” I shout.

“He’s just trying to control you, David,” the Mayor says, his voice rising. “Like he’s done from the start.”

“What?” I say.

“From the start,” Davy mumbles.

“Who do you think’s held you back from promotion, son?” the Mayor’s saying it and he’s saying it right into the middle of Davy’s brain. “Who do you think tells me all the things you do wrong?”

“Todd?” Davy says weakly.

“He’s lying,” I say. “Look at me!”

But Davy’s overloading. He’s just staring frozen at his pa, not moving at all.

The Mayor gives a heavy sigh. “I see I have to do this myself.”

He comes forward, gesturing us back with his rifle. He grabs Viola and lifts her to her feet. She cries out from the pain in her ankles. I move automatically to help but he pushes her forward so she’s right in front of him, his rifle at her back.

I open my mouth to shout, to threaten, to damn him–

But it’s Davy who speaks first.

“It’s landing,” he says quietly.

We all turn eastward. The ship is taking a slow circle, flying around a hilltop east of town–

Maybe even the one where the tower once stood–

It comes round again and hovers above the treetops–

Before slowly starting to lower itself out of sight–

I turn to Davy, too, see his eyes fogged and confused–

But he ain’t looking at his pa no more–

He’s looking at the ship–

And then he’s turning his head and looking at me–

“Todd?” he says, like he’s just waking up–

And his rifle is just there, just hanging from his hand–

And one more time–

Forgive me.

I lunge forward and snatch it from him. He don’t even put up any resistance, just lets it go, lets it go right into my fingers and I’m already raising it and cocking it and pointing it at the Mayor.

Who’s already smiling, his gun still in Viola’s back.

“So it’s a stand-off, is it?” he says, grinning from ear to ear.

“Let her go,” I say.

“Please take your gun back from Todd, David,” the Mayor says, but he has to keep looking at me, watching me with the gun.

“Don’t you do no such thing, Davy.”

“Stop it!” Davy says, his voice thick, his Noise rising. I sense him putting his hands to the sides of his head. “Can’t you both just effing stop it?”

But the Mayor’s still looking at me and I’m still looking at the Mayor.

The sound of the ship landing screams over the city, over the Noise of the army marching its way back down the hill, over the distant booms of the Answer making its way up the road, and over the terrified, hidden ROAR of New Prentisstown all around us, not knowing that their whole future depends on this, right now, right this second, me and the Mayor with our rifles.

“Let her go,” I say.

“I don’t think so, Todd.” I hear a rumble of Noise coming from him.

“My finger’s on this trigger,” I say. “You try to hit me with yer Noise and yer a dead man.”

The Mayor smiles. “Fair enough,” he says. “But what you need to ask yourself, my dear friend Todd, is if, when you decide to finally pull that trigger, can you pull it fast enough so that I don’t also pull my own? Will killing me kill your beloved Viola, too?” He lowers his chin. “Could you live with that?”

“You’d be dead,” I say.

“So would she.”

“Do it, Todd,” Viola says. “Don’t let him win.”

“That ain’t happening neither,” I say.

“Are you going to let him point a gun at your own father, David?” the Mayor asks.

But he’s still looking at me.

“Times are changing, Davy,” I say, eyes still on the Mayor. “This is where we all decide how it’s gonna be. Including you.”

“Why’s it have to be like this?” Davy asks. “We could all go together. We could all ride up on horseback and–”

“No, David,” says the Mayor. “No, that won’t do at all.”

“Put the gun down,” I say. “Put it down and end this.”

The Mayor’s eyes flash and I know what’s coming–

“You stop that,” I say, blinking furiously and looking over his shoulder.

“You cannot win this,” the Mayor says and I hear his voice twice over, three times, a legion of him inside my head. “You cannot shoot me and guarantee her life, Todd. We all know you’d never risk that.”

He takes a step forward, pushing Viola along. She calls out at the pain in her ankles.

But I find myself taking a step back.

“Don’t look in his eyes,” she says.

“I’m trying,” I say, but even the sound of his voice is getting inside me.

“This isn’t a loss, Todd,” the Mayor is saying, so loud in my head it feels like my brain’s vibrating. “I wish for your death no more than I wish for my own. Everything I said earlier was true. I want you by my side. I want you as part of the future we’re going to create here with whoever steps out of that ship.”

“Shut up,” I say.

But he’s still stepping forward.