The Standing Dead - Stone Dance of the Chameleon 02 (82 page)

Nervously,
Kyte
gave
a
full
account
of
their
casualties.

Akaisha
indicated
the
Bluedancing.
'And
why
are
they here?'

'We
couldn't
very
well
leave
them
to
die,'
said
Galewing.

'Which
they
would
do
without
their
men,'
added
Kyte.

Akaisha
looked
severe.
'We
don't
need
lessons
in husbandry
from
you,
though
perhaps
you
could
tell
us how
we're
going
to
manage
to
feed
them
all?'

'If
you
set
them
to
work
in
the
ditches
we
will
be
free to
hunt
more,'
said
Galewing.

'We
can
use
their
labour
to
extend
the
Koppie,'
added Kyte
and
it
seemed
to
Carnelian
that
Osidian
was
speaking
through
their
mouths.

The
Elder
women
greeted
these
suggestions
with
a thorny
silence.

'We
have
back
the
children
they
stole
from
us,'
said Kyte.

The
women
nodded.
Ginkga
shook
her
head.
'Was
this worth
the
spilling
of
so
much
blood?'

Galewing
glanced
at
Osidian.
'The
Master
has suggested
we
could
send
their
tithe
children
to
the Mountain
in
place
of
our
own.'

The
women
started
in
amazement.
Ginkga
was
the
first to
recover
her
composure.

There
is
something
shameful
in
this.'

Akaisha's
face
showed
she
believed
she
was
speaking not
only
for
herself
but
for
many
of
the
others
when
she said:
'But
there
is
also
hope.'

In
the
days
that
followed,
the
Tribe
plodded
on
through the
mud
and
storms
drawn
by
the
yearning
to
be
home. The
Bluedancing
slogged
on
behind
like
the
Tribe's
grim shadow.
Gradually,
people
were
becoming
accustomed
to them
being
there.
News
had
spread
of
the
plan
to
save their
children.
Carnelian
sensed
many
could
not
help seeing
this
as
a
gift
the
Master
had
given
them
beyond even
the
victory
that
had
brought
most
of
their
men
back safely
from
the
battle.
Like
him,
others
were
drawing reassurance
from
glancing
back
at
the
treasure
of
these foreign
children.
Unease
increased
when
the
Tribe
began to
grow
familiar
with
them.
People
told
each
other
that
the Bluedancing
children
were
bound
to
suffer
from
the
same fatal
arrogance
as
their
fathers.
Soon
Ochre
youngsters were
being
forbidden
to
play
with
the
Bluedancing.
It
was said
that
their
marked
children
would
have
gone
to
the Mountain
anyway;
that
they
deserved
to
go.
The
list
of claims
and
accusations
grew
until
the
rainy
wind
had washed
away
the
stain
of
guilt
from
the
faces
and
hearts of
the
Tribe.

In
the
lull
before
the
dawn,
Carnelian
was
woken
by whimpering.
He
rose,
knowing
it
was
Poppy.
Sil
had
told him
that,
since
the
night
of
the
Bluedancing
raid,
the
girl had
been
suffering
from
nightmares
of
which
she
would not
speak.
Carnelian
rose
and
woke
her.
Poppy
flung
herself
on
him.
He
thought
her
shaking
a
result
of
her
being cold
and
drew
her
into
his
blanket.
There
was
light enough
to
see
her
staring
blindly.
When
he
asked
her gently
what
she
was
seeing,
it
all
came
pouring
out.

The
black
demons
had
attacked
as
her
tribe
returned, joyous
to
be
home.
Her
mother
had
managed
to
reach
the ditch
carrying
Poppy.
They
had
tumbled
into
the
outer ditch
and
managed
to
find
a
hiding
place.
Morning revealed
her
mother
dead.
Then
Poppy's
tale
grew garbled.
Carnelian
gleaned
that
she
had
hidden
in
the ditches
from
the
demons
who
were
haunting
her
koppie. At
night
she
would
creep
out
to
dig
up
fernroot
which
she ate
raw.
She
drank
from
pools
deep
in
the
ditches.
When she
had
heard
the
Ochre
tributaries
calling
she
had thought
it
a
trap
but
had
eventually
come
out.
They had
allowed
her
to
return
to
her
mother
tree.

Poppy
looked
up
into
his
eyes.
'Is
it
true
I'm
no
longer going
to
the
Mountain?'

Carnelian
suppressed
his
foreboding
at
what
the
price might
be
for
her
salvation
and
nodded.
She
buried
her face
in
his
chest
and
began
sobbing.
Her
grief
did
not open
to
anything
he
said.
He
grew
desperate,
not
knowing what
she
was
feeling.
At
last
she
calmed
down
enough
to say:
'She's
dead.
I
killed
her.'

'Who?'

'My
seed.'

Carnelian
sagged
with
relief.
She
watched
him
fumble in
his
robe.
When
he
pulled
his
hand
out
he
opened
it
to reveal
the
seed
and
was
rewarded
by
wide-eyed
wonder and
delight.