He hesitated, looking hard into her face. Then he dug into his pocket and pulled out a small grey pouch.
‘What’s that?’ Serrah asked. ‘A glamour? Some charm that’s going to blast us out of here or-?’
‘No.’ His expression was deadly serious. ‘It’s something else Darrok gave me.’
He spread the pouch’s neck and showed her the contents.
‘What the hell?’ she whispered, actually taking a step back. The colour was bleeding from her face.
‘Listen to me.’
‘Is this some kind of sick joke?’
‘It’s the only way we stand a chance of getting out of here.’
‘You want me to take that shit? When you know what it did to Eithne?’
‘I’m not suggesting this lightly, Serrah.’
‘Why the fuck are you suggesting it at all?’ she hissed.
‘Because I can’t think of anything else that might get us out of here alive,’ he replied calmly.
‘Oh, yes, taking a dangerous drug’s really going to help in this situation, isn’t it?’
‘Think. When you were in the CIS you faced gangs who used this stuff. Remember how greatly their stamina was increased? How aggressive they were?’
‘They were bandits. Scum.’
‘That’s not the point. Ramp can give you an edge that just might make the difference.’
‘The damn stuff took so much from me.’
‘Then let it give you something back.’
‘I notice you’re talking about me taking it. What about you?’
‘Which one of us has a form of near immortality? Which of us gets berserk rages? Who needs ramp most to get us out of here?’
‘I’m scared,’ she confessed, eyes misting.
He embraced her. ‘Of course you are. But did you think I’d ask you to do this if there was any other way?’
‘It’s dangerous.’
‘No more so than facing what’s outside without it.’
She pulled away. ‘All right, I’ll do it. But right now, and don’t say anything more, Reeth. I don’t want any reason to change my mind.’
‘Give me your hand.’ She was shaking slightly. ‘I’m with you,’ he assured her. He poured a quantity of the crystalline substance into her open hand.
She stared at it.
‘Here, wash it down with this.’ He passed her the canteen. ‘You know how it goes, don’t you? You’ll roar for a couple of hours before it wears off. After that you’ll feel pretty washed out, but otherwise you should be all right.’
‘I may never forgive you for this, Caldason.’ She lifted her hand to her mouth and lapped the crystals, then she pulled a face. A swig from the flask gave her a brief coughing fit. ‘What now?’ she said huskily.
‘We wait. It should take effect soon.’
‘How will I know?’
‘You’ll know.’
31
‘Oh.’
‘What is it?’
‘My heart,’ Serrah said, laying a hand on her chest. ‘It jumped.’
‘Take a couple of deep breaths,’ Caldason advised.
She did.
‘All right?’
‘I’m fine.’ Her eyes looked strange.
‘We should put the armour back on.’
‘Nah, fuck it.’
‘I think the ramp’s working, Serrah.’
She massaged her forehead for a few seconds. ‘You could be right.’
‘How do you feel?’
‘I feel…I feel light-headed. I feel like I want to be sick, and dance. Or fight, run, cry, laugh…I don’t know.’
‘Yes, it’s working.’
‘What happens now?’
‘Soon you’ll start to feel a surge of energy, and well-being. Your reflexes are going to get faster. A lot faster. And you’ll probably feel reckless. That’s something you have to be careful about, Serrah. This isn’t a situation where either of us can afford to be careless.’
‘Uh? Sorry, my attention drifted. What were you saying?’
He spoke deliberately. ‘Ramp changes the way you think. It can affect your judgement. Do you understand?’
‘Gods, but I’m spoiling for a fight.’
‘I think you just answered my question.’ He took her firmly by the shoulders. ‘The ramp gives you stamina, and it’ll make you fight savagely if it comes to a brawl. But given the odds, it’s better using that extra energy trying to run for it.’
‘You’re no fun.’
‘We’ve got to act soon, Serrah. We need a plan.’
‘To run? How much of a plan do we need for that? We should-Oow!’ Her face clenched.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘I think it just kicked in harder.’
‘It’s going to get more intense before you reach a peak.’ He looked to the breaking dawn. ‘We need to move soon, before it gets much lighter. How are you with that?’
‘All right. What do we do?’
‘We keep it simple. What we want is a diversion to give us the chance to get clear, and ideally grab a couple of their horses.’
‘What kind of diversion?’
‘I thought we could use this.’ He was rummaging in a pocket again.
‘You’re a cornucopia. Is it something else Darrok gave you?’
Reeth brought out a small cloth-wrapped bundle. ‘No. This is thanks to you, actually.’ He opened the package and showed her.
‘Dragon’s blood? It needs salt water to set off. Got any?’
‘No. But does it have to be sea water?’
‘I don’t know, we’ve never tried it with anything else.’
‘Maybe it’d work with any liquid, and we’ve got the brandy.’
‘What about salt? Do you happen to have a ration of that on you?’
‘No, but you have.’
‘I don’t.’
‘You do in a way. The ramp raises your body temperature quite a bit. Unless you’re different to everybody else who’s ever taken it, you’re going to start perspiring soon.’
She smiled, just a little manically. ‘Sweat and brandy. Cute. It might just work.’
‘You still all right?’ He was studying her closely.
‘Gods help me, Reeth, but this stuff is nice. So hurry up. I’m finding it hard keeping a grip.’
‘The drug’s making you restless. Do some more deep breathing while I sort out the dragon’s blood.’
He tapped a little heap of the powder onto two thin strips of cloth, then added a couple of masonry chips for weight. Finally he wrapped and tied them.
