Read Iriya the Berserker for Free Online

result, the shower’s like what we got earlier. I hear if a human stands naked in it, it feels about the same as if they’d soaked in warm water. Though I doubt the Nobility would’ve gone to all that trouble.”
    “It doesn’t matter either way—will you hop in with me?”
    The boy nodded.
    D got up, put his hand against a depression on a wall to the left, and once again a door opened—or rather, sprang into existence.
    “Not surprisingly, no one but a Noble can make use of the amenities,” said the Hunter. “There’s no bathtub for humans. Food,however, is a different matter.”
    “That’s great. As soon as I’ve had my shower, I’ll fix something up. And then we’ll have time to hear your tale at length.”
    The boy nodded heartily at Iriya’s words.

    The Nobility’s shelter was stocked with a sumptuous array of foods suitable for humans.
    “Say what you will, but the Nobility didn’t cheap out on this, did they?”
    On tasting the roast duck, which was on a par with the highest quality prepared by the very best of chefs, both Iriya and the boy were astounded.
    “Making all this appear, dishes and all, with one flick of a switch—the Nobles really were incredible, weren’t they? These plates are made of gold!”
    Once the meal was finished, Iriya began to ask the boy—Meeker—about his circumstances.
    He had lived with his father in a fishing community called Coeverlan, but about six months earlier his father had died in a manufactured tornado, leaving the housekeeper, Nadja, to bring him to his uncle in McCrory. Once they’d come this far, however, Nadja had said, “I’ve had enough of this!” and nothing more, leaving the boy with only enough money to reach McCrory and taking off with the rest of it, according to him.
    “She’s a backstabber. We always took care of her at home, but she left me high and dry here. I’ll get her for that. Once I’m bigger, I’ll find her and shove her around—just you wait and see.”
    “Good thing he only wants to shove her around,” the hoarse voice chuckled.
    With a dubious expression, Meeker looked around and asked, “Is there an old man in here with us?”
    Iriya clapped her hands together as if she’d just thought of something, then took the boy’s face with both hands and turned it in D’s direction, saying, “Our friend over there is the culprit—he knows ventriloquism!”
    After a moment of bewilderment, the boy gave a nod. The tension faded from his features. In his little head, a minor mystery had been solved.
    As if to escape the gaze of intent curiosity trained upon him, D went to the wall and held out his left hand. The wall became a window.
    The world was sealed in darkness. Eyes trained on its depths, the gorgeous and motionless young man looked as if he were pursuing some eternally elusive truth, like a statue that would muse until the end of time. Who could express how vain it was?
    As Iriya watched him in silence, she heard a faint yawn beside her.
    “Good night. Sleeping quarters for humans are at the end of the hall.”
    Meeker got out of his chair and went over to the door. “Carp,” he said, raising one hand. Most likely that was a farewell phrase from his hometown.
    Though Coeverlan was a fishing community, it wasn’t one of those seaside villages that always smelled of the tides. It was located in the lake region that spread across the northwest section of the Frontier. There they caught freshwater fish that rivaled those of the sea in their quantity, variety, strangeness, and danger. Meeker’s family probably also ventured out onto the lake in ships, selling the fish they caught in the Capital or in nearby cities and towns.
    “Carp,” Iriya replied, and as soon as she’d spoken, the diminutive form disappeared through the doorway, and the door shut.
    After a spell of silence, Iriya said, “Would you mind if I talked about myself?”
    “Where the hell is this going?” the hoarse voice said, its remark directed at