The Standing Dead - Stone Dance of the Chameleon 02 (32 page)

THE BLOODWOOD TREE

Wife, you are the earth

the giver of gifts

the blessed mother of blood.

Come, sate my hunger.

(from
a
marriage
ritual
of
the
Plainsmen)

Carnelian
was
woken
by
Fern.
'Do
you
still
want
to
come with
me?'

It
was
too
dark
for
Carnelian
to
see
his
friend's
face.

'Yes,'
he
whispered,
his
heart
still
aching,
wondering
how long
it
was
until
dawn.
As
he
made
to
rise,
a
hand
reached up
to
pull
him
back.

'Where
are
you
going?'
asked
Osidian.

Carnelian
was
glad
of
the
gloom
that
hid
his
face.
He explained
the
decision
he
had
made
to
share
Fern's punishment.
Osidian
withdrew
his
hand
and
turned
away. Carnelian
stared
at
his
back,
trapped
between
his promise
to
Fern
and
his
feeling
that
he
was
deserting Osidian.

'I
brought
you
some
breakfast,'
said
Fern,
pushing something
into
Carnelian's
hand.
He
peered
at
the
two crumbly
discs.

'Rootflour
cakes,'
Fern
said
as
he
gave
Carnelian
two more.
'Give
those
to
your
brother.'

Carnelian
leaned
over
Osidian
to
put
the
cakes
down
on the
ground
in
front
of
him.
'One
of
us
at
least
must
work,'
he whispered.

When
Osidian
gave
no
response,
Carnelian
rose.
At least
he
had
been
spared
having
to
face
Whin.
'Lead
the way,'
he
said,
to
the
shadow
that
was
Fern.

As
he
followed
him
down
the
Blooding
rootstair, Carnelian's
thoughts
remained
behind
with
Osidian.
He only
became
aware
he
was
chewing
the
cake
when
it began
to
flood
his
mouth
with
its
peculiar,
bitter
taste.

A
breeze
was
blowing
from
the
indigo
east
when
they reached
the
foot
of
the
rootstair.
A
group
of
shadows
were gathered
in
front
of
a
wicker
gate
speaking
in
low
tones with
women's
voices.
The
gate
creaking
open
let
enough light
in
under
the
arching
cedars
to
allow
the
women
to notice
Carnelian;
as
he
could
tell
by
the
raised
tempo
of their
talk.
Fern
pushed
through
their
midst
so
that Carnelian
was
forced
to
follow.
He
sensed
their
wonder
as he
moved
through
them.

Crossing
the
earthbridge
with
Fern,
he
was
glad
the women
remained
behind.
The
easterly
was
ruffling
a swell
into
the
ferngarden.
Soon
they
were
walking
alongside
a
drainage
ditch
beneath
the
dark,
overhanging masses
of
the
magnolias.
Laughter
carrying
towards
them over
the
sighing
of
the
ferns
seemed
to
be
the
cause
of Fern
redoubling
their
pace.
Carnelian
followed
him across
another,
smaller
earthbridge
over
a
forking
of
the ditch,
the
prongs
of
which
enclosed
a
meadow
dominated by
a
huge
tree
with
leaves
the
colour
of
old
blood.
As
they crossed
this
meadow,
Carnelian
snatched
glimpses
of
Fern's face.
Its
grim
expression
did
not
invite
conversation.

The
meadow
ended
at
a
double
wall
of
soaring magnolias
between
which
ran
one
of
the
concentric ditches
Carnelian
had
seen
from
the
summit
of
the
Crag. Taking
them
through
the
first
line
of
trees,
Fern
found
yet another
bridge.
As
he
stepped
onto
it,
Carnelian
could see
that
the
roots
of
the
magnolias
buttressed
the
sides
of the
ditch
so
thickly
they
had
forced
it
into
a
jagged course.
Gazing
off
to
the
Koppie's
outmost
ditch, Carnelian
was
sure
the
trees
defining
its
edges
were
not so
ancient.
It
gave
him
something
to
ask
Fern.

In
response
to
his
question,
his
friend
came
to
a
halt and
turned.
This
is
the
Outditch
which
long
ago
defined the
limits
of
the
Koppie,
before
the
Newditch
was
dug
out there.'

Fern
set
off
again,
through
the
second
line
of
magnolias into
the
wider
expanse
of
the
outer
ferngardens.
They were
heading
directly
towards
the
Newditch,
so
that Carnelian
began
to
believe
they
were
making
for
the
open plain.
Again
he
wondered
what
it
was
he
had
agreed
to.

Before
they
reached
the
Outditch,
the
drainage
ditch they
had
been
walking
alongside
split
in
two
once
again. The
arms
curved
off
to
meet
the
Outditch,
embracing another
triangular
fernmeadow,
though
larger
than
the first,
but
which
had
in
it
another
russet
tree.
Something gigantic
lay
beneath
its
branches,
from
which
wafted
the sweet
beginnings
of
decay.
A
wisp
of
laughter
made Carnelian
turn
to
see
figures
filtering
across
the
earth-bridge
they
had
just
crossed.
Carnelian
turned
back
and caught
up
with
Fern,
who
had
almost
reached
the
tree. The
morning
had
become
bright
enough
for
Carnelian
to see
that
what
lay
beneath
it
was
a
saurian
which,
with
its horns
and
sweeping
crest,
was
much
like
those
he
had seen
pulling
wagons
along
the
roads
of
the
Guarded
Land.