Read And The Devil Will Drag You Under (1979) for Free Online Page B

it.
    She understood that she was dealing with the limits of the beggar girl; whatever the girl knew, so did she. The rest was locked away, perhaps in the same mental closet as the girl herself.
    "The others," she prompted. "They also used the girl's body?"
    Again he shook his head from side to side. "Naw. Different folks'. She's only been with me a little bit, since the short days. But you got to remember that you are her now, to everybody but you and me, so get used to it."
    His attitude astonished her, and she pursued it. "These others-what did they come for?"
    He shrugged. "Different things. One for wine, I remember that. One for some kinda seeds. I dunno what the third was after. They was all trouble, though." Her eyebrows rose. "Problems?"
    He nodded. "Dumb. Didn't know how to behave or anything like that. Lots of trouble. I think you're gonna be the worst."
    That got to her. "Me? Why?"
    "You got to get a jewel from the Holy Elder, and I never heard of nobody in religion ever givin'
    anything. They always want you to give. And I understand the Holy Elder don't know you're here and wouldn't give you this jewel, anyway, right?"
    She nodded. "Something like that."
    He sighed. "Well, you might as well relax, then. You're gonna hav'ta learn the ropes around here pretty quick, and I kinda think that once you do, you'll see you're gonna be here an awful long time."
    Jill didn't like that at all. "What do you mean?"
    The boy chuckled. "The Holy Covenant states that none may take what belongs to another without the consent of the one it belongs to," he explained pa-tiently. "In other words, if the Holy Elder don't wanna give it to you, there's just no way you can get it."
    She exhaled slightly and murmured under her breath, "We'll see about that." She glanced about.
    "Where are my clothes? I'd like to look around outside just to see what sort of place this is."
    The boy howled with laughter. "I knew it! Boy! You girls is dumb!"
    "What do you mean?" she snapped angrily.
    He was still laughing. "The Holy Covenant," he re-sponded. "I guess in the spirit world or wherever you all come from it's different, but this is Zolkar. You got to obey the Holy Covenant.
    You got to, whether you like it or not. Had one of you a while back who was a grown-up-married, too, although her husband was out of town so she didn't hav'ta worry about that part. Wouldn't wear the veil. Stepped outside into public, Holy Spirit struck her, zam! She don't have no nose or mouth or anything! Started chokin' to death, of course. I got the veil on her all right, but she wouldn't repent. Dumb, you see?"
    Jill was aware of a queasy feeling in her stomach. "What happened to her?"
    "Died, of course," the boy replied, still chuckling slightly. "How long can anybody live without breathing?"
    She sighed. "All right, you made your point with your little story. I'll do what you tell me. But I only asked for some clothes . . ."
    He nodded. "That's it exactly. You're a girl! Girls don't wear clothes. When you change into a woman, then some man'll claim you for a wife. Then you put on clothes and veil and all, and nobody but he and his family see you any other way again. That's the sys-tem, see? That's the way things work."
    She was appalled. Clearly females weren't people here, they were objects. It was like a Middle Eastern harem, only worse.
    She wanted out of this world as quickly as possible. "So what happens if it's cold?" she asked, trying to keep her outrage under control.
    He shrugged. "Then you don't go out, of course. Don't happen often around these parts anyhow, and not now for sure, not with the long days here. Cools down at night, sure-that's why the fire's here. But it's mostly wetness. Tomorrow will be warm, even hot. You won't have no trouble."
    Except being naked in public, she thought sourly. Aloud she said, "Then I can just go out now, like this?"
    He nodded. "If you want. Dumb, though. After dark, this much, the air'll go right through you.
    Gonna rain,