The Glass Kingdom Read Online Free PDF Page A

ground.’
    â€˜Appreciate it, Paul.’
    â€˜Yeah, but you might want to…’
    I pushed my way through the crowd towards the door, leaving Paul in my wake. It was warm outside, and I stood by the entrance for a moment to get my bearings and adjust to the sudden quiet. Like I’d done a thousand times in the desert, I slowed my breathing and listened to the night. Behind the curtain of cicadas and drone of the highway I could hear the distinctive muffled sounds of a fight.
    I stepped to the corner of the pub and the noise increased. I saw them then, three men standing over Mikey. He was trying to get up as they put the boot in. They were only twenty metres away, partially obscured by a large flatbed ute. I broke into a run, with no intention of stopping until I collided with them.
    Two of the assailants looked up as I approached. I swear my feet were gliding over the gravel like I was fucken ice skating. It was beautiful. They tried to move back and ready themselves for me, but I was in juggernaut mode. I spared a glance down at Mikey—I couldn’t tell how badly he was hurt, and maybe that was just as well.
    I changed tack at the last second, veering away from the two men who’d spotted me. Instead, I shoulder charged the heavyset guy who was kicking Mikey’s curled-up body. The impact knocked him clean off his feet and into the passenger door of the ute. His elbow smashed the side window and he slid down in shock, a big gash opening up on his forearm. I wheeled on the other two, throwing a few quick, wild punches, windmilling to make them back off. One of them panicked a bit and flailed his arms madly to avoid me. The lucky prick caught a hold of my shirt and clung onto it as he stumbled and fell to his knees.
    As I tried to pull away from him the third guy whacked me on the temple with his fist, a dull thud made worse by the three gold rings across his knuckles. Given his fat friend had a handful of my shirt, my only option was to scrape the edge of my boot down his shinbone and stomp on his foot as hard as I could.
    I tell you what, not many people can stand the pain of having their shin kicked or scraped. It’s fucken white-hot pain, just blots out everything. The bloke sucked in a huge breath and his eyes rolled back in his head. His lips parted to expose two rows of shining, pristine teeth. I couldn’t resist. I elbowed him hard in the mouth and felt a couple of those pretty little babies crumble. He staggered back and spat a plume of blood, roaring in pain as he clutched his mashed-up lips. He fell heavily, a great cloud of dust billowing up with the weight of the cunt.
    In the absence of any other weapon, the overweight bloke on the ground sank his teeth into my thigh. I clenched so fast I bit my tongue, bringing the metallic taste of blood to my mouth. I lashed out at the guy’s face with my heel and felt a cheekbone give way, though it might have been an eye socket. The bloke opened his jaws and turned white before passing out. As he crumpled to the ground my shirt ripped right down the back, along the seam. I thrashed around, trying to wriggle out of it. Still curled up in the dirt, Mikey moaned and squirmed out of the way of it all.
    I was so busy untangling myself I only caught a glimpse of the first man as he pile-drove into me. We went down together, his bulk slamming me into the dirt. The prick was all over me. He stank of whisky and cheap cologne. Blood poured out of the cut on his forearm and smeared over my chest as he sat astride me, raining down blows.
    My arms were free so I went into a defensive boxing position as best I could, but he still landed a few corkers on my neck and around my ears. I knew if I didn’t get up I’d be in trouble soon. I tensed my spine against the ground, assessing his weight.
    I sat up quickly and headbutted him in the solar plexus. That knocked the breath out of him. He let out a great wheeze and froze for a second, his