where I want, when I want, how I want. I've put up with being cooped up inside for months because you tell me it's necessary. OK. But out here we're all the same, right?' I was beginning to gabble. I could see from the look on his face I was wasting my time. It was, oh, Jesus, she's being awkward. It was, oh shit, now she's going to throw a tantrum and make things difficult for me…
'What about me?' I hissed.
'You're being selfish.'
It wasn't the first time we'd had a real row. Like I said, there'd been a few – well, quite a few stampings about and wailings. What do you expect? But never like this, in front of everyone. I'd put up with it all because, let's face it, it was his land, he knew best. I didn't know the politics, I never had to bother with all that stuff. If he told me it was dangerous, it was dangerous. If he told me I had to be patient, I had to be patient I trusted him! But now for the first time I thought, this is bullshit.
'Look, we have to get a move on. Will you please get up there? You'll have a gun, you can shoot anything that moves.'
I'd had enough. 'I ride in the car.'
Conor's face went as hard as a little white stone. 'You'll bloody…' But I didn't hear the rest. He slammed the door in my face as hard as he could. I mean, hard. I mean, WHAM! It made me jump out of the seat. The air pressure made my ears hurt.
I was going to get out and stick the bastard, but outside he was still screaming like a girl.
'Take the bitch back to the compound,' he yelled at the driver. 'Get her out of my sight. Get her out…'
Conor jumped into another car, still screaming. I thought, who the hell is this? I've never seen anything like this before. Outside, the rest of the cars were pulling away. My driver reached right across me, and I got a look at his face all white like paste.
'D'you really want me to take her back unaccompanied, sir? Sir…?'
But the engines were revving up all around. The wheels squealed, the cars pulled away. They shot off, all wrapped up in Conor's fury.
'Shit,' growled the driver, and he slammed the car into gear.
'What's up with you?' I wanted to know. He looked like he'd been thrown to the lions.
'You don't travel on your own out here…' the driver grunted. He started up and we shot off. 'Jesus!' repeated the driver. He was really scared. And I realised two things. One, just how dangerous all this was. That man obviously thought we were in real danger. Two, if that was true, Conor had left us – had left
We were banging and bumping over the ragged ground. My head was whirling. 'Is it that bad out here?' I said to the driver. He was clutching the wheel and bounding the car forward.
He said, 'Three to one we get ate. Look to the left.' I looked sideways.
'I don't see…'
'In the sky.'
A flock of – something – was heading our way.
'The birds are coming,' said the driver.
I got out my bins and tried to get a look, but we were bouncing and leaping so hard over the broken-up ground I had no chance. They were flying fast, though, I could see that – a lot faster than we were going. Against the dark shapes of their feathers, you could see shiny metal glinting.
'They'll rip this thing to bits,' the driver said. 'Can you drive?' he asked me.
'I can shoot better,' I told him. And my heart, which had been thumping away, suddenly went right up to my head and I went, 'Whoooo-hoooo!' The driver looked at me like I was mad, but I was happy. No bunch of birdies was gonna snuff me out. Yeah, this was the first bit of real fun I'd had since I left the city. Look at me – I was getting things my way after all!
I hoicked my automatic out of my shoulder holster and leaned over the edge of the window.
'Might as well pull over,' I told the driver. 'If we've got to fight, we better stay still so I can get a decent shot in.'
Then I spotted out of the corner of my eye something else moving towards us. It was going really fast and that scared me because this wasn't in the air, this was on the ground. But then I looked and… shit. It was the convoy. Conor was coming back to spoil the fun.
I was pissed off about it, but the driver was pleased. He pulled over, and the convoy came skidding towards us through the rubble. I looked up at the sky, and the flock of things had already disappeared.
Conor got out and came over to us. He was as white as a sheet. He was so angry, he was gulping. I'd never seen anyone do that before. He was actually having to swallow his breath.
I said, 'You're spoiling my fun.'
'OK,' he panted. He leaned on his hands against the side of the car. He looked as if he'd just run all the way. I just sat there and waited. 'OK. Compromise,' he said.
I looked at him carefully and I said, 'Stuff you.'
He sort of bulged. 'Stuff you,' I said again, nice and slow so he could really get to savour it.
Conor stood there, breathing. You got the feeling speaking was difficult.
I said, 'Who are you?'
He swelled up again. 'I'm the one who just saved your life,' he snarled.
'No, you're the one who just nearly had me killed. Prat.'
He looked at me in sheer disbelief. No one ever spoke to him like that.
'P, R, A, T. Spells Prat,' I explained, in case he hadn't got it.
Conor walked twice around the car.
'I was scared for you,' he explained in a moment.
'Worry about yourself. If you want a pet, buy yourself one.' I skulked down into the seat. Just because I was in love didn't have to turn me into a hand puppet, did it? 'You go hunting,' I said. 'I'll start making arrangements to go back home.'
'OK. OK. Listen. You go in a car if that's what you want. But you have to understand, you aren't just a girl anymore.' He paused. He twisted round and leaned on the car bonnet as if the mere effort of having to talk was exhausting him. 'If anything happens to you, don't you see? You're precious. You're precious to me,' he added, as if my being his precious changed anything he wanted it to change.
'You come in a car, but we make it the armoured car. Right? That way you'll be safe if anything goes wrong. I don't want to blow this whole treaty just because of a halfman hunt. Once everything's established you can do whatever you like. But just at the moment, you're too important.'
I didn't say a word.
Conor leaned forward, up close. 'Armoured car, princess. Please?'
I groaned. Well, he had a point… didn't he?
'OK, then.'
'Hoo-ray.'
He came over and gave me a cuddle through the car window but I just did the sack of potatoes on him. He wasn't getting off so lightly.
The armoured car was one of those things with a whacking great gun sticking out the front where you have to climb in a hatch on the top. They slammed the lid down on me, and off we drove.
I was still furious, but I started thinking of how Conor's face looked when I called him a prat and I began to snigger to myself. He was so cross!
And I thought, at least he saw sense in the end. At least I got my way this time, for once.
That's what I thought.
This armoured car. There were three of us in there and there was room for about one. The driver was scrunched up over the controls, hogging this teeny tiny little scratched up, slitty little window. The only window. The gunner was standing up with his head out the top, because there wasn't much room for it inside. I was wedged in between. If I turned one way I got the back of the driver's head, if I looked the other I had my nose in the gunner's trousers.
They were furious. It was all polite and ma'am this and madam that, but they had a job to do and let's face it, I
