The Inferior (10 page)

Wallbreaker fixed his gaze on the younger man, until Stopmouth felt himself squirm.
I’ve done nothing wrong!
But the gaze didn’t shift for what seemed like tens of thousands of heartbeats.

‘How are you healing, Stopmouth?’

‘W-w-well.’ Stopmouth felt himself relax. ‘I r-r-run every d-d-day.’

‘Good,’ said Wallbreaker. ‘You would have been volunteered long ago had I not been able to keep you fed. And Indrani too. A lot of people want her to volunteer, you know. Especially the women. But I married her out of kindness. To keep her safe. And you safe too, because she has no small talent for healing. Some people would find it very funny if, after all that, the chief’s brother were to betray him with his own wife.’ Wallbreaker laughed. ‘Some fools are saying that you are already betraying me. Can you believe that, Stopmouth? They say you’re laughing behind my back!’

‘N-n-n-never!’

‘Why not? Don’t you find her beautiful?’ Stopmouth could only look away. Wallbreaker got to his feet and shoved Stopmouth violently with both hands, knocking him back hard so that he hit the wall and slid to the floor, winded.

‘Why, Stopmouth?’

‘I d-didn’t—’

‘I didn’t say that you did.’ His voice turned to a whisper. ‘But you want to. Don’t you? What is it about my wives, Stopmouth? I would have paid bride price for you to the father of any girl you wanted. But no. Always
my
women. First Mossheart and now poor, unnatural Indrani. I’m a laughing stock. I’m the only chief who can get the Tribe through the horror that’s coming. But I can’t be chief if I allow this situation with Indrani to go on. You understand that, Stopmouth?’

‘W-will you v-v-v-volunteer m-m-m-me?’

‘Who do you think you’re talking to?’ shouted Wallbreaker suddenly. ‘Crunchfist?’

Then he calmed again. ‘Not a bad idea, Stopmouth. But I will waste none of our people for selfish reasons. No brother of mine will volunteer until he’s too old to lift a spear. In fact, if we could gain control of the Talker, no human would ever have to volunteer again. We could co-operate with other strong peoples. Even’–he grimaced–‘with the Armourbacks…No, I won’t waste you, Stopmouth. Let’s make a deal. I don’t want Indrani. I’d willingly set the ugly beast aside and allow you to marry her.’

Stopmouth tried to prevent a smile from spreading across his face and failed. He couldn’t remember a moment in his life when he’d been more happy. He reached out to hug his brother, but Wallbreaker threw him back again, even harder than before.

‘No, Stopmouth.’ He was speaking through clenched teeth. Why was he still angry? He’d just said he didn’t even want her. ‘Not so easy! If I set her aside for you, my chieftainship would be ruined for ever. This will only work if I can provide us with a victory so stunning that no hunter would dare to question my manhood. You understand? If you want Indrani, then I want the Talker.’ His eyes bored into Stopmouth. ‘Someone’s going to have to get it for me.’

‘W-who?’

Wallbreaker just kept staring.

9.

THE ALLIANCE ATTACKS

S
topmouth carried the last of Mother’s hides to the new house near Centre Square. He wasn’t sure he liked it: the buildings were smaller here and other houses crowded in on either side. To tell the truth, nobody wanted to move, but Wallbreaker had ordered the Tribe to pull in as close together as possible. ‘For protection,’ he said. ‘A smaller perimeter will be easier to defend.’

A number of families had disobeyed. The chief just ignored them. ‘They’ll come round,’ he muttered, ‘when they’ve wasted a few more lives.’

Stopmouth still felt bad about what had happened between them and desperately wanted to patch things up. However, the chief was always busy and only spoke to his brother to give him instructions. He seemed to have orders for everybody these days, even the children.

One day he told the Tribe’s women to stop pounding skins for a few days to build barriers instead. ‘I want them blocking every street within a short walk from my house,’ said Wallbreaker. He showed them where, always making sure that this new border had plenty of space in front of it so that intruders wouldn’t be able to leap across from nearby buildings. Men were drafted in as well. Traps were dug in the streets, both inside and outside the barriers; boulders were hoisted onto roofs. As work progressed, accidents reduced the number of mouths to feed and created volunteers to keep the others strong.

Stopmouth’s own strength came back to him as he worked, and new muscle developed where little had been before. He showed other men how to make spear-points from Armourback shell and soon every fragment of it in the Ways had been used for weapons.

Now and again word came through from the families who’d stayed beyond the protection of the new walls. One day a hunter visiting his uncle discovered only blood. Other homes were found abandoned too. In the end the last survivors moved into the centre.

Now all hunting parties left with Wallbreaker’s permission and hunted only where he ordered them to go.

‘I can’t stand this,’ said Rockface one day. His had been the last family to retreat from near the old border. ‘I found my infant playing with a pair of Hoppers. They were leading her away. Couldn’t even be bothered to carry her!’ He grinned. ‘I made her a cot out of one of them.’

He watched Stopmouth filing at a piece of Armourback shell for a time. Then he stood up again and wandered restlessly from one side of the small room to the other. ‘I can’t bear it!’ he said finally. ‘Crunchfist wouldn’t have retreated like this, hey?’ Then his eyes lit up. ‘Say, Stopmouth, since you and Windbreaker don’t seem to be talking much these days, how about the two of us sneaking into Clawfolk to see if we can’t sling a Flyer, hey? It’ll be like old times.’

Stopmouth could never think of Rockface’s ‘old times’ without a shiver of fear running up his spine. But he needed the big man: no one else was willing to go along with Wallbreaker’s mad scheme to steal the Talker. Rockface, on the other hand, had
begged
to go.

I must be crazy, thought Stopmouth. And yet the young hunter prayed every night that an opportunity to capture the magical device would arise soon. If he survived, he, Stopmouth, would have a chance to seek happiness. In the meantime Indrani, who’d learned enough Human by now to understand the peril in which she’d placed both herself and Stopmouth, had finally agreed to avoid further scandal by moving into Wallbreaker’s house. She’d been promised her own room and would pretend to obey the chief. Stopmouth was to keep his distance. When the Talker was found, Indrani would be free to live where she pleased, while Stopmouth would be free to woo her.

He hadn’t shared the last part with her. His stutter didn’t like the idea of wooing and silenced any attempts to broach the subject. But things would be different after the Talker. He felt sure of it.

He sighed, smiling.

‘Thinking of our coming adventure, hey?’ asked Rockface, souring the mood again.

Right on cue, Rockface’s boy, Littleknife, ran up to them, covered in sweat and dust. ‘The chief wants to see the two of you at once. You’re to bring your weapons.’

‘Thank you,’ said Stopmouth, his stomach churning.

Rockface whooped. ‘See you there!’ he shouted. He flung the child over his shoulder and ran off. Stopmouth collected his latest spear and a favourite sling. He didn’t bother with stones or water skins–he’d find plenty of both waiting for him. Then he moved out into the crowded streets of the reduced perimeter. News travelled even faster than in the old days. People buzzed with excitement and fear. Stopmouth didn’t pause to ask what was happening. He could guess well enough.

Wallbreaker was waiting for him with Mossheart. The chief had no smile for his brother. A cold nod was all. In the background Indrani busied herself pounding hides where anybody could see her. She never looked up at the sound of Stopmouth’s voice, but he thought she stuck to her task with more single-mindedness than was natural. Her hair looked tangled and filthy. Not like her. But who had time for combs these days? Suddenly he realized he was staring. Mossheart smirked, but her husband was positively shaking, as if poised for violence.

Stopmouth lowered his eyes and was relieved when Rockface arrived, too excited to feel any of the mounting tension.

Eventually Wallbreaker spoke, more calmly than his brother could have imagined possible. ‘Our scouts have spotted large numbers of Armourbacks and Hoppers moving together outside the walls of Hairbeast-Ways. You realize what this means?’

‘They’ll try to take us,’ said Rockface, ‘before they take the Clawfolk!’

‘Oh, certainly that,’ said Wallbreaker. Since becoming chief he’d worried less and less about showing contempt for those who didn’t see things as quickly as he did. ‘More importantly, the object we seek, the Talker, is in Hairbeast-Ways. It has to be to co-ordinate all that moving about. And yes, Rockface, they’re coming for us. Maybe even tonight.’

‘You w-w-want us to l-l-leave n-n-now?’

‘Yes, dear brother. N-n-now.’

Stopmouth staggered as though the world had suddenly lurched under his feet. He felt the eyes of Mossheart, Indrani and Rockface on him. But not Wallbreaker’s. The chief looked only at the hides on the floor. ‘Of course,’ he muttered, ‘if you don’t think the reward is worth the risk, you can always stay here instead.’

‘Is not worth risk!’ shouted Indrani suddenly. She threw down the hides she’d been working on and stormed out of the room.

‘That one’s mad,’ said Rockface, in forced good spirits. ‘People will sing of our deed long after the Traveller’s been forgotten.’

Stopmouth gathered himself. He took a deep breath and swallowed the words that first jumped to his lips. Instead, he said, ‘Wallbreaker, w-w-when…if I c-c-c-c—’ He took another breath. Never in his life had it been so difficult to speak to Wallbreaker. ‘If I come b-b-back, p-p-promise we will be b-b-brothers again?’

Wallbreaker nodded curtly, and then, as if not trusting himself to speak, he waved them out of his presence.

Stopmouth and Rockface jogged to a house on the perimeter nearest Flim, where friends helped them over the wall.

‘You’re brave lads,’ said one of the hunters, but he was shaking his head and Stopmouth knew the man thought they were crazy.

On the far side of the barrier, Stopmouth and Rockface circled back towards Hairbeast, keeping to the shadows. It was the middle of the day and even in the shade sweat sheened the hunters and soaked into their loincloths and tool-belts. They kept moving, regardless. A few Clawfolk skittered past, stalking one of the surviving Hairbeasts. Finally, after a quick check of the Roof for Flyers, they ducked into a crumbling house that looked as if it would collapse on any creature daring to shelter in it. Parts of it were rigged to do just that. The top floor, however, was trap-free and a lot less dangerous than most of the other buildings in the area.

The men filled their water skins in a nearby channel and dragged them up to a small shelter on the roof that was built to look like rubble from the air. Stopmouth hoped it worked. He’d been having bad dreams about Flyers since the night of the disaster.

‘We’ll have a fine view of it when it starts!’ said Rockface happily. His companion nodded. A wide street led away from the house straight to the new human border. Another house had been prepared for them on the Clawfolk side of the perimeter in case the enemy had decided to come from that direction instead. But the roads were narrow there and the lines of sight more restricted.

Stopmouth dug out a store of smoked flesh. ‘Ugh,’ he said. ‘A-A-Armourback!’

‘There’ll be a lot more where that came from soon enough,’ said Rockface. He too grimaced when he chewed on the flesh.

‘We should save some for later, hey? It’ll be so boring waiting here. For all we know, the Armourbacks mightn’t even bother turning up!’

Within minutes of finishing the snack, the big man was on his back, eyes closed and snoring.

Stopmouth watched the empty streets and distracted himself with daydreams of Indrani. They didn’t seem so impossible now. Wallbreaker had promised, hadn’t he? Stopmouth imagined the fine skin on her arms, hairless and gently curved. He imagined her lips and the strangely perfect teeth hidden behind them.

Something caught his eye: a pair of hunters were racing back from the direction of the old perimeter. The man in front had already thrown away his spear, so intent was he on escape.

Another movement. Stopmouth almost shouted to warn the men but, remembering why he was there, bit his tongue. Three Flyers were swooping down towards the running humans. Coloured wings folded inwards and the creatures dived. Just when it seemed as if they’d crash into a building, they pulled sharply upwards and released the rocks they’d been holding in their claws. The first man’s head burst open. His companion raced away, running for his life. To Stopmouth’s relief, the second hunter made it to the walls, where a hail of slingstones drove the Flyers away.

There could be no doubt now. The Armourbacks were coming.

A tenth of a day later, or maybe a fifth, the air filled with a dozen more Flyers. They glided high above Man-Ways. Now and again they’d swoop out of sight behind the walls. Stopmouth saw one of the creatures rise up with a child in its claws until something knocked both it and its prey out of the air. He expected to hear the sound of human cheering. None came. Perhaps the child had died in the fall.

Now the streets began to fill with Hoppers and Armourbacks. Other Flyers arrived to perch on nearby buildings.

‘What’s going on?’ said Rockface, waking.

‘Hush!’

Stopmouth tried to count the enemy below him. Impossible, of course, but there didn’t seem to be as many as he’d expected. Had they really suffered such tremendous losses in their attack on Flim? If so, surely they couldn’t afford more of the same now! But then he remembered the amazing organization this strange alliance had shown on the night Speareye had been killed.

The rest of their force must be circling round to the other side, he thought. After several tries, he managed to communicate this information to Rockface.

‘So how will we know which of the two groups has the Talker?’ asked the older hunter.

Stopmouth shrugged. Perhaps the ones with the Talker could be spotted by their superior organization. Then again, such a group might just be following previous orders. Or maybe the Armourback chief was even smarter than that: maybe it had used the Talker to teach prearranged signals to all the species under its control. However it was done, the discipline was perfect. Tens of Armourbacks passed in a line through the streets below with tree trunks on their backs. Hoppers hopped alongside with sacks of what might have been water skins or smoked flesh. After the enemy fighters, the two humans saw another strange sight: hordes of Armourback and Hopper females escorting rivers of young.

‘Can’t leave them behind,’ said Rockface, ‘or the hunters’d come home to nothing!’

There were definitely more beasts than Stopmouth had at first guessed. The small vanguard had grown tenfold, and more creatures were still arriving.

‘W-what w-w-w-ill they all eat?’ whispered Stopmouth.

Rockface didn’t answer. He didn’t have to.

The enemy moved to occupy houses. Downstairs, something hopped into the hallway. A rumbling sound shook the building, followed by gratifying Hopper screams. Up and down the street, dust emerged from other houses too, along with further cries of pain.

Stopmouth fell asleep sometime after dark. He didn’t wake until the Roof had filled with light again, although a small square patch of it remained black where a Globe had once struck it. Armourbacks and Hoppers combed the streets below him, looking for rocks or bricks, which they carried to the tops of the sturdiest buildings. This activity went on for a whole quarter day until Stopmouth imagined some of the roofs must have been groaning under the extra weight.

‘What next?’ asked Rockface.

Next wasn’t long in coming. For a while the air had been mostly empty. Now, hundreds of Flyers converged from every direction towards the piles of stones. Each one descended and took a rock in its claws before rising again. They were so numerous it seemed they would blot out the light of the Roof. They wheeled in the sky without any Flyer ever bumping into its companions. Then they sped in the direction of Man-Ways.

The men watched in horror as humans fell off the walls under a rain of stone, knocked senseless or killed outright. Screams reached their ears a heartbeat later. Flyers who’d dropped their burdens returned to the stockpiles in search of more. One human had fallen from the wall into enemy territory. He lay there, moving his head from side to side, his legs obviously broken. Stopmouth winced in sympathy. A group of five Armourbacks made a run for the body, probably hoping to get there before slingers came back to the rampart above. All five disappeared into a pit-trap before they’d got halfway.

‘Spikes!’ said Rockface with a smile. ‘Your brother sure knows where to put them!’

The bombardment continued for many heartbeats. In the midst of it, a Flyer landed on the roof of their building clutching a stone. Rockface grabbed a spear, but Stopmouth held the man’s arm. Rockface turned to him in anger, but relaxed almost immediately when he saw Stopmouth’s pleading face. He raised a hand in apology.