Whisper Gatherers (8 page)

She folded her arms and leant back. It was an unnerving gesture that I found hostile. I decided to mimic her pose. She snorted. “Then let us concentrate on the moment, or as near to as is appropriate, to end my telling of how things came to pass. We have been camped in the Wilderness for some months now and have lost three ‘dults to Wolfies.”

“Nah, not Wolfies? Gruesome and then some.”

“It was, but that was not the worst. Our hunger drove some to seek out Carnies. When they returned nothing was the same. Restlessness and doubt swamped us. Made some quite mad. Worse still, two little ‘uns disappeared just four days ago. Since then all is fear and dread. We almost disbanded, but Daniel is good and strong. he told us that he received word from God that we were to settle in Cityplace and make it our home.”

“Not likely for sure. The place is a fortress and no one gets in or out without prior knowledge. Even the Carnieval is monitored most severely, and those brutes only allowed in if escorted by City S.A.N.T.S.”

“Exactly. So we decided to storm the place. We procured some weapons from a Woodsfolk that found our lair. In exchange, we gave him what little food we had. Then word came to us of the ghosties. It seemed the perfect opportunity to get in.”

“Wow, some plan. Pity it didn’t succeed, for you and yours, not ours of course.”

Lilith smirked. “Tell me something, Adara?”

“Anything, if I can.”

“Can you really bring the birdybirds down?”

“Not too certain about that. I know I can lure the raptors.” I showed her the talon scars on my forearms and back of the neck. “Haven’t quite got the right frequency to attract the smaller sort, and not quite honed my skill to avoid being gouged a bit.”

“Quite a gift. With such a talent, you will be much in demand.”

“Against my will. I have no desire to hurt said creatures just to satisfy the excess greed of Carnies and the like.”

Lilith bit her lip and I swear I saw the same fire as before light up in her eyes.

Chapter Nine
 

Bundled Off To Who Knows Where

I put my hand inside my tunic pocket and let my fingers rest on the hilt of the knife Orva gave me. Lilith stood. I did too.

“I shall rest. Again many thanks for the food much needed.”

“Thanks for the info. Not sure what I’ll do with it. Not sure it matters now that your lot are under the power of the Longarms.”

“Who knows that we still are? When we left there was much chaos.”

“That is true.”

Lilith bowed a little and left. The hairs on the back of my neck stuck out when she passed by me. There was something about her that I did not trust. I tiptoed into the hallway and pressed my ear to the first closed door. Not a sound except for heavy breathing, that I guessed came from Elijah.

Softly, I footed my way to the pooplace. The door was open but the one next to it was not. I opened it and saw Lilith sitting on the bed, hunched over, gnawing on something fleshy. She lifted her head. I saw a glob of drool on her chin. She quickly wiped her face and tucked what she was eating into a soft brown pouch.

“Adara, can I be of use?”

“Nope, didn’t realise you were in here. I came to lie down myself. This was the room I chose when first we entered.”

She rose and headed for the door. “So sorry, I didn’t realise you had picked this one for yourself. I shall leave.”

“Nah, you can have it. I’ll take the one opposite. Besides, there is a strange smell in here that I find unpleasant.” I turned to leave, but swivelled round just before I reached the exit. “What were you consuming when I first came in?”

“Nothing.” I folded my arms and cocked my head to one side. She lowered her lids for a brief sec then looked at me all sweet of smile. “Well, yes something of course. It is merely a root that I dug up in the Wilderness. I am ashamed at keeping it all for myself given Elijah’s condition. But, it is a hard, glutinous thing. Had I offered him some, I dare say he would have expelled it in much the same way he did the water.”

I narrowed my eyes and nodded. “Oh, right. It did indeed look strange to me when I saw it. What kind of root did you say it was?”

“I did not, for, in truth, I do not know what it is.”

“Really? Strange that you should eat a thing that may be poisonous.”

“Oh, it is not at all dangerous. I witnessed a Wolfie chomping on a similar thing.”

“I’m sure you did,” I said and left her to munch upon what could only be gristle and bone. I shuddered at the thought that Lilith was a Carnie. I attempted to dismiss such a notion from my nonce, but the evidence was too strong. I went to my restingroom wondering how many more of the Praisebees ate meat.

I lay on the not so soft bed and closed my peepholes. Images of birdybirds being ripped limb from limb filled my head. I sat up ‘bruptly. The idea that I had to stay in this confined place with Lilith and her loathsome weakness filled me with dread. I reached into my trouser pocket and pulled out the comdevice. My fingers hovered over the ‘on’ button. Then I put it back, went into the hallway, and walked down the passage to the door Dreng had locked. I pushed it, pulled it and kicked it hard, but it did not budge. Neither they nor I could hope to escape from that source.

With a yawn, for I was indeed fatigued from all that had passed, I ambled back to the communal room. I rifled through the grub box for something sweet. Pulling out a grainbar, I sat on the cosycouch and crunched down on the tasty sweet. The not so distant memory of Lilith and her gristle-chomping made me shiver. I looked to the hallway and vowed not to sleep. If Lilith could ingest dead meat of who knows what, then it would not be beyond the realms of feasibility that she could have notions of consuming my tender, living flesh. I dismissed the idea of her eating Elijah, not much on his bones to satisfy a Carnie.

Not knowing how long it would be before the S.A.N.T.S. returned, I searched the room for some sort of diversion to help me keep awake. To my delight, I found a playslab on the shelf above the one where I took the grubbox. I sat back down, turned it on and spent some time playing my favourite game of ‘kittle-go-pounce’.

Although an enjoyable pastime, I could not concentrate. Soon my thoughts returned to what had occurred earlier. Now that all knew I had the gift, my life would not be my own. A realisation came to me. I would not be able to join S.A.N.T. camp. I groaned out loud. The noise must have woken Elijah, for within a few secs he was standing in the doorway rubbing his sleep-encrusted eyes.

“Are you ill? I heard moaning.”

“Nah, not me, never get sick. I was just expressing the hopelessness I feel. I made a mistake. Now must accept the consequences.”

Elijah nodded, yawned, stretched, then sat upon the chair. That was when I saw his feet. Yeuk and then some. Grey muck stuck to the soles and heels. Bits of leaves and grass where embedded between his toes and as for the nails? They were as black and soil filled as a newly dug hole. Despite my revulsion, I could not turn my head away. Elijah noticed where my stare landed and bent forward. Looking down at his feet, he giggled. “Sandals do not keep out the grime of the forest floor I’m afraid. There are no places of ablution where we settled.”

“How did you wash?”

“A quickly dip in the river once a week. Not so bad when the weather is warm, but when it is not, trips to said water are less frequent.”

“It is a shame that there is no steamshower here. I would venture you would be pleased to stand beneath one.”

“That I would. It has been many months since I have felt the warmth and deeply cleansing of such a luxury.”

He gave out a sigh and smacked his lips. I took his actions to infer that he was still empty-bellied, so went to the grubbox for more food. I took out a packet of ricebread and held it out. “Would you care for some?”

“I would indeed, if it can be spared. In fact, as I am little unwell, perhaps I will partake of just a small amount.”

Opening the wrapper, I gave him half, then sat back down and ate the rest. Elijah munched slowly. “Help yourself to more water. These roundels have a tendency to stick.” He gulped, reached over to the box and extracted a small tube of water. He drank in tiny sips, took another bite of the disc then put the rest on his thigh.

“Are you no longer hungry?”

“I could consume the rest, but I will save some for Lilith. We must conserve our rations.

Not knowing if he was in on all this Carnie stuff, I was unsure whether to tell him of what I saw in Lilith’s restroom. Tapping my fingers on the arm of the couch, I said in quite a throw away manner, “Elijah, have you ever eaten meat?”

“What? No, never. I have no desire to.”

I continued my interrogation by leaning forward, resting my chin upon my knuckles and squinting with one eye. “Have you ever witnessed any of your flock consuming such food stuffs?”

Elijah furrowed his brow and passed his fingers through his mud-caked, dark hair. He lowered his eyes for a sec then stared at me. “I did once. It was several weeks ago, when a Wolfie took the first of us. The beast left behind some stray bits of innards and the like. We were hungry in the extreme, spring was late in coming. There was little to forage or steal out in the edge of the Wilderness. It was before we befriended a Woodsfolk and had only a sack or two of grain left. I was getting firewood and heard a most unpleasant slurping sound. I thought it was the Wolfie returning to consume what it had dropped, but when I peeked around the tree I was hiding behind, I saw one of our own chewing on a piece of offal.”

I did not react to his words, instead, I simply said, “Go ahead, finish your food, Lilith is not hungry.” He bent his head, sighed and ate. There was more to this Lilith fem than she would have us all believe. A Carnie for sure, and resourceful. It was she who freed Elijah, but not Daniel. Oddly indeed. Elijah drained his water tube and rose.

“I will rest again. There is no telling what will take place from here-on-in. Will you not to bed?”

“Nah, have a bad case of the jitters for some reason. Can’t seem to settle.”

He smiled thinly and left. I wondered how long before we would be free of this strange place, hoped it would be soon. I went to the pooproom and relieved myself. Then did it again. Nerves. Not surprising I suppose, but not nice. I rinsed my hands, shook off the excess liquid, went back into the communal room and flopped onto the cosycouch. Tiredness washed over me. I let my head loll back, vowing to close my eyes for no more than a sec.

“Adara, wake.”

I felt a hand gently rock my shoulder and opened my eyes. Orva knelt in front of me. “We must leave. Come quickly and quietly. We must not awaken the others.”

“What? Are they not coming too?”

“No, not yet. Not until we have figured out what to do with them.”

“But Elijah is unwell. There is not so much grub and Lilith…”

“Do not concern yourself with the fate of these two insurgents.”

“Elijah is not like that, he is good and kind. Also, I think he is in danger.”

“From whom?”

“Lilith.”

“I think not. She freed only him. Therefore, she is more fond of him than you would like.”

That I could not argue with. I stood and Orva placed two grubboxes onto the floor.

“I have brought more provisions. They will be fine for many moons to come.” Orva gestured for me to go to the exit, I hesitated and she all but dragged my limp bod to it. She took a swift look back then pushed me through.

Chapter Ten

Another Place Of Hiding

This corridor was wide and brightly lit by one long fluorescent light tube that stretched all the way along the ceiling. Grey and cold, it stretched a goodly way. “Keep moving until you get to a black door,” Orva said.

In the distance, a dark oblong shape came into view. I ran swiftly towards it. It was huge. Big enough for a whole tree to go through. “Why is it so vast?”

“I have no idea, perhaps whoever built it had something in mind. Perhaps they needed it to be large so that they could get large things through,” she said and looked at me as though I was a bub. She knocked twice, then three times on the door and I heard the same sequence tapped back. Orva took a big metal key from her backpack, inserted it into the lock and turned. The door made a heavy clunking sound as it opened. I strained my neck in an attempt to see what was beyond it.

“Stay close to me. Follow each step I take as if you were my shadow.”

We stepped out into semi-darkness. I sucked in outside air and coughed. Dreng stood before us and put his finger to his lips. Orva tilted her head to the moonless sky, sniffed, then motioned for us to follow. I did what she told me, mimicking her quick strides.

It was hard to keep up, at first, her legs being longer than mine, but I managed without too much loss of breath. Although I was disorientated and had no clue where we traipsed, the familiar high-up search lights that ringed the perimeter fence, blasted on and I calmed as we moved past less shady objects I recognised. As the dimness faded I realised that we were at the outer edges of Cityplace.

The dazzling lights that lit the sky and made the stars run for cover, came closer into view. We stopped. “Cams and Flashlighters are everywhere. The whole place is on alert looking for you. That Daniel male blabbed about the exit we took. Now all strive to find the portal. Although it is well hidden and impossible to open, they are aware of its existence. Who knows, perhaps some Meek may stumble on its unlocking device.”

“Where to now?”

Dreng stepped forward and said in a loud whisper, “To a secret S.A.N.T. safe place. Ye will be secure there for sure.”

Orva pointed to a large container. It was one of the many huge waste bins that flanked the outer perimeter of Cityplace. No one but the Sanitary cleaners were allowed access to them. Although, once when playing, ‘hide-and-I’ll-go-seek’ with Santy Breanna, Deogol and I hid behind one. She found us super quick of course and gave us such a scolding that we never went back.

“It is a basic hideaway.”

“What, more basic than the underground thingy?”

“Afraid so. But, there is a vidscreen and companel for us to communicate.”