Read Online Virginia Hamilton by Dustland: The Justice Cycle (Book Two) - Free Book Online Page B
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space around him danced with a dizzying array of multicolored sparks.
I can hold blues in the palms of my hands!
He mixed greens with orange on his tongue. A simple flexing of arm muscles sent colors caroming at a thousand angles. Bloodred eddies and golden flurries skidded against mauve caps of dust breaking against his chest and shoulders.
He could feel the Levi persona quiver in awe.
Baloney! Thomas traced. He could close his eyes and tone down the colors, but never could he quite shut them out.
A choked tracing: Tom-Tom, seeing is believing.
Baloney, man! Stubbornly, Thomas fought to keep his fury.
In no time the light show of colors began fading, probably when the sun rose above the horizon. The dust felt warm, heating up uncomfortably.
Go ahead and believe whatever you want, he suddenly traced to Levi. It’s the way it is, just like we saw it.
He stared grimly at the light fixed to dust as it thinned and fell in shards. These dimmed and vanished, leaving the dry heat. Dustland brought forth its dismal, murky day.
It was Levi’s turn to carry them; that is, to feel and think for both of them. Thomas’ persona would now rest in his mind. And Levi came out and back into his own self—what could you call that part of them that seemed to walk, move, have bodies in Dustland? Thomas’ persona flowed into his. Yet Levi did not have his brother’s endurance. All he could manage was a painful stiff-legged trudge through the dust.
We can rest here, if you want to, Thomas traced. Lee, you want to rest here?
Here is any different from back there or up ahead?
“I was only thinking of you,” Thomas said. He found that, within Levi’s mind, there was no need for him to trace.
Well, you don’t have to think of me. The sooner we get farther, the farther away we’ll be.
“That makes a lot of sense,” Thomas said.
Makes as much sense as thinking it matters whether I rest , Lee traced wearily.
“I’m just trying to help you.”
Since when have you thought about me, Tom-Tom? Why you forced me out on this — this death run … I know it wasn’t to help me.
They were silent. Levi stumbled, fell to one knee. He got up, brushing himself off.
“You do need to stop. You can’t go on much longer.”
If I stop, I won’t get going again and Miacis will catch you — is that what you want to happen?
“I thought you were on their side.”
I’m not on anybody’s side.
“But you go along with Her Majesty, with letting Justice lead us into this stink-hole over and over again.”
It has nothing to do with going along with her, Levi traced. It’s … it’s that I know she is the Power.
“Wouldn’t be too sure of it if I was you. Least, not here.”
She is the Power, Tom-Tom. And if she believes we have to come here, that it’s her place, her destiny, I guess you call it, to be here — well, then I’ll do my part to help her get here.
“Even when it means half-killing yourself,” Thomas said.
A pause. They both were aware of the draining effect Dustland seemed to have on Levi.
Even that, finally Levi traced.
“Well, you must need to suffer, buddy. I always knew you had some love of misery. Some death wish!”
Couldn’t be worse than living with you always torturing me.
Thomas couldn’t think of a reply. He remembered he had promised his dumb sister, blind Justice, that he would never again use his power on his brother. Of course, he’d lied. What did she expect, the truth?
And now he felt smothered in Levi’s sorrowing mind. He needed to break out, and he did so. Found himself walking along a few paces in front of Lee. And felt like turning, snarling back at his dummy brother. But what good was it going to do? He shrugged and headed on.
When they walked with each other this way, with neither of them within the other’s mind, Thomas made them both invisible. Nothing whatever of them showed. Although their mind-tracing and talking was as sharp and alive as ever, their physical condition
I can hold blues in the palms of my hands!
He mixed greens with orange on his tongue. A simple flexing of arm muscles sent colors caroming at a thousand angles. Bloodred eddies and golden flurries skidded against mauve caps of dust breaking against his chest and shoulders.
He could feel the Levi persona quiver in awe.
Baloney! Thomas traced. He could close his eyes and tone down the colors, but never could he quite shut them out.
A choked tracing: Tom-Tom, seeing is believing.
Baloney, man! Stubbornly, Thomas fought to keep his fury.
In no time the light show of colors began fading, probably when the sun rose above the horizon. The dust felt warm, heating up uncomfortably.
Go ahead and believe whatever you want, he suddenly traced to Levi. It’s the way it is, just like we saw it.
He stared grimly at the light fixed to dust as it thinned and fell in shards. These dimmed and vanished, leaving the dry heat. Dustland brought forth its dismal, murky day.
It was Levi’s turn to carry them; that is, to feel and think for both of them. Thomas’ persona would now rest in his mind. And Levi came out and back into his own self—what could you call that part of them that seemed to walk, move, have bodies in Dustland? Thomas’ persona flowed into his. Yet Levi did not have his brother’s endurance. All he could manage was a painful stiff-legged trudge through the dust.
We can rest here, if you want to, Thomas traced. Lee, you want to rest here?
Here is any different from back there or up ahead?
“I was only thinking of you,” Thomas said. He found that, within Levi’s mind, there was no need for him to trace.
Well, you don’t have to think of me. The sooner we get farther, the farther away we’ll be.
“That makes a lot of sense,” Thomas said.
Makes as much sense as thinking it matters whether I rest , Lee traced wearily.
“I’m just trying to help you.”
Since when have you thought about me, Tom-Tom? Why you forced me out on this — this death run … I know it wasn’t to help me.
They were silent. Levi stumbled, fell to one knee. He got up, brushing himself off.
“You do need to stop. You can’t go on much longer.”
If I stop, I won’t get going again and Miacis will catch you — is that what you want to happen?
“I thought you were on their side.”
I’m not on anybody’s side.
“But you go along with Her Majesty, with letting Justice lead us into this stink-hole over and over again.”
It has nothing to do with going along with her, Levi traced. It’s … it’s that I know she is the Power.
“Wouldn’t be too sure of it if I was you. Least, not here.”
She is the Power, Tom-Tom. And if she believes we have to come here, that it’s her place, her destiny, I guess you call it, to be here — well, then I’ll do my part to help her get here.
“Even when it means half-killing yourself,” Thomas said.
A pause. They both were aware of the draining effect Dustland seemed to have on Levi.
Even that, finally Levi traced.
“Well, you must need to suffer, buddy. I always knew you had some love of misery. Some death wish!”
Couldn’t be worse than living with you always torturing me.
Thomas couldn’t think of a reply. He remembered he had promised his dumb sister, blind Justice, that he would never again use his power on his brother. Of course, he’d lied. What did she expect, the truth?
And now he felt smothered in Levi’s sorrowing mind. He needed to break out, and he did so. Found himself walking along a few paces in front of Lee. And felt like turning, snarling back at his dummy brother. But what good was it going to do? He shrugged and headed on.
When they walked with each other this way, with neither of them within the other’s mind, Thomas made them both invisible. Nothing whatever of them showed. Although their mind-tracing and talking was as sharp and alive as ever, their physical condition
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