When Spyder finally found his way back to the corner on the pink flagstone street, the others were already there.
Lulu waved to him and Shrike cocked her head in his direction as he approached. Spyder wondered if she recognized his footsteps. Hed heard that blind people could sometimes do that sort of thing. His hand felt as if it were on fire.
"Hey, Tex, we got horses. Were real cowboys now!" said Lulu happily. "Damn, whats up with your hand?"
"Are you all right, Spyder?" asked Shrike.
"Let me see the wounds," said Count Non.
"Later. If we have horses, lets get the fuck out of here. "
"You know how to ride?" Shrike asked.
"The end with a face goes forward. You can show me the rest on the way. "
They walked to the stables where Shrike and Primo had traded the last of her jewelry for horses, saddles and feed. Riding down the long boulevard, they left the city using a smugglers route theyd bribed the stable owner to reveal: a refuse tunnel that swept away the waste and trash produced by the citys human population. The place was dark, stinking and, at times, the ancient masonry ceiling was so low that even lying flat on their mounts, the riders backs slid along the slimy tunnel roof. But, it was better than trying to swim with the horses, or braving the sandstorm, fire or freezing waste at Berenices other gates, Shrike reminded them, before vomiting into the filth. That set Spyder and Lulu off. Eventually, the tunnel ended at a sluggish stream in the open desert, just beyond the city walls. The fresh air and light was as thrilling as anything Spyder remembered in his life. They turned north, with Primo, the traveler and natural geomancer, in the lead. Lulu an
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