The Standing Dead - Stone Dance of the Chameleon 02 (38 page)

The
girl
did
not
seem
to
be
aware
the
woman
was
even there.
Carnelian
thought
he
understood.
He
looked
Fern in
the
eye.
'Most
likely
she
witnessed
her
people
being butchered
by
Manila.'

Fern's
face
blanked
with
understanding.
Pale,
Sil
had turned
to
look
at
him
and
now
turned
back
to
the
little girl.
She
gently
stroked
some
hair
from
the
girl's
temples. 'It's
all
right,
little
one,'
she
said
gently,
but
the
girl
just kept
on
staring.

'Make
her
stop,'
Fern
said.

Carnelian
approached
the
girl
and
knelt
in
front
of
her. She
looked
right
through
him.
He
moved
aside
to
let
her see
Fern
again.
'He's
a
friend.
He's
your
friend.
The
blood comes
from
there.'
He
pointed
at
the
earther
corpse stretching
out
from
behind
the
tree,
and
she
turned
to look
at
it,
then
back
at
Fern.

Her
eyes,
so
unnaturally
large
in
her
thin
face,
put
a lump
in
Carnelian's
throat.
He
smiled
at
her.
'What's
your name?'

The
second
time
he
asked
the
question
he
was rewarded
by
her
focusing
on
him.
He
indicated
himself. 'You
see,
I'm
just
as
filthy
as
he
is.
You're
safe.'
He
would have
hugged
her
if
he
had
not
been
cohered
in
blood.

To
everyone's
surprise,
the
little
girl
said
something. Carnelian
did
not
understand
and
glanced
urgently
at
Sil, who
shrugged.

'I
believe
she's
telling
you
her
name.
Poppy.'

Carnelian
turned
his
attention
back
to
the
girl.
'Is
that right?
Is
your
name
Poppy?'

The
girl
stared
so
deep
into
his
eyes,
Carnelian
felt she
was
looking
at
his
soul.
When
she
surfaced,
she gave
him
the
tiniest
of
nods.

When
they
returned
to
their
labours,
Poppy
sat
beneath
the
Bloodwood
Tree
and
did
not
once
take
her
eyes
off Carnelian.
Any
time
he
paused
to
glance
back,
he
would find
her
there,
gazing
at
him.
At
first
he
found
it
unsettling,
but
as
the
day
wore
on,
he
realized,
with surprise,
that
if
he
had
found
her
interest
in
him
gone,
he would
have
been
disappointed.

He
and
Fern
had,
over
the
day,
disassembled
the remains
of
the
earther,
dragging
the
bones
like
logs.
All that
was
left
was
the
immense
beaked
head
with
its flaring
crest
and
horns:
clearly
too
heavy
for
them
to move.

'What
do
we
do
with
that?'
asked
Carnelian.

Fern
frowned
at
him.
'We
wait
until
they
bring
in
the next
one.'
With
that,
he
turned
to
walk
towards
the
shade of
the
tree.
Carnelian
caught
up
and
walked
at
his
side. Glancing
at
Fern's
gory,
resolute
face,
Carnelian
knew
he would
get
nothing
more
out
of
him.

Sil
came
to
the
edge
of
the
tree
shade
to
meet
them. 'Mother
Akaisha
says
you
might
as
well
wash
while
we wait
for
the
new
earther
to
come
in.'

Her
husband
acknowledged
what
she
said
with
a
gruff nod
and
walked
on
past
her.
Carnelian
saw
with
what concern
she
watched
him
move
away.

'Why's
he
so
morose?'
he
asked
her.

'He
can't
be
brave
all
the
time,'
she
snapped
and looked
at
him
as
if
had
said
something
callous.

Carnelian
was
taken
aback.
He
had
sensed
that
Fern had
reconciled
himself
to
his
punishment.
Seeing
the pain
that
lay
behind
her
anger,
Carnelian
did
not
feel
he could
ask
and,
instead,
went
off
to
wash
with
Fern.
Poppy eyed
him
as
he
walked
sighing
with
pleasure
at
the
cool relief
from
the
sun.
He
smiled
when
he
heard
her
creeping
after
him.
When
he
turned,
she
froze.

'Could
you
please
fetch
us
water
to
wash
with,
Poppy?'

When
the
girl
nodded,
he
jogged
to
catch
Fern.
They walked
together
in
silence.

'Poppy's
bringing
us
water,'
Carnelian
said.

Fern
turned,
frowning.
'You
mustn't
get
too
attached
to her.
She
has
the
kind
of
prettiness
the
Gatherer
likes.'

When
Poppy
brought
them
water,
Carnelian's
gratitude made
her
look
at
her
feet
as
she
handed
it
to
him.
She stood
and
watched
him
and
Fern
washing
each
other. When
they
were
clean,
they
went
to
sit
with
their
backs against
the
tree,
surveying
the
dazzling
plain
beyond
the Outditch.
Poppy
followed
them
and
sat
herself
near Carnelian.
Remembering
Fern's
warning,
he
tried
to
take no
pleasure
in
having
her
there.