We smile along with her and pat her on the back because sometimes a little revenge is all you can squeeze out of one lifetime. And besides, it’s Doris. Her family. A nasty neighbor or two. The guy at the local market who parked his sports car across two spaces. Local dog owners who were mean to her cat. Anyone she planted in that garden, you just know they had it coming.
Wanuri follows the map and we follow Wanuri. Four people. Four bikes. The usual flat road and hills. We ride an hour from camp before Wanuri signals to slow. We turn off the ley line we’ve been following for days and head a short way into some low, stony hills. From there, Wanuri uses the Magistrate’s spyglass to check out a small town a quarter of a mile away. She doesn’t seem interested in giving anyone else a peek, so I light a Malediction and hold out the pack to Doris. She shakes her head. Gisco takes one and I light it.
“Getting comfortable, are we?” says Wanuri.
“Having a cigarette picnic. Want one?”
“No and neither do you. Mount up. We’re moving on.”
I finish as much of the Malediction as I can and we head back to the map route.
It’s the same routine at the next two towns we come to. Up a hill. Crouch in the rocks like bashful lizards. Then back to blow down the Magistrate’s Yellow Brick Road.
At the second town, Doris gets on her bike but doesn’t start it.
“What’s wrong?” says Wanuri.
“I have a confession to make. I’m not exactly sure what an obelisk is.”
“Then why did you want to come on the run?”
“Camp is so depressing right now. I thought I could be more helpful out here.”
“Looking for something you don’t know what it is?”
Doris gives Wanuri as fierce a look as I’ve ever seen.
“In case there’s trouble.”
Wanuri leans on her bike. Before she can say anything, Gisco gestures, holding his arms a length apart like he’s measuring something from the ground.
Wanuri frowns.
“Now, what the hell are you saying?”
I say, “He’s saying an obelisk is a pillar.”
Gisco nods. I look at Doris.
“It’s a kind of pillar with a little pyramid on top.”
“Thank you both,” she says.
Wanuri looks us over.
“Are you done? Can we just do our job?”
“Back off,” I say. “Doris asked a legit question.”
“If I don’t back off are you going to shoot us up like the Magistrate’s trailer?”
I get off the bike and go to her.
“Is that going to be your excuse?”
Doris looks from Wanuri to me.
“What do you mean?” she says.