Lily roots were a great delicacy for curlies, one of their favourite foods, and she could feel their gaiety as they closed off their noses, lowered their extra eyelids and dived like seals for the bottom, their tails streaming out behind them like mermaids' hair as their lips and teeth pried loose the lily roots. Once the roots were captured, the curlies turned snouts up, pumped with their front legs and were back on the surface, munching their catch.
The men as well were all in the lake now. Sinead climbed out, dried herself and dressed. Seamus had emerged before her and Liam followed shortly after. The curlies made three or four more dives.
‘Looks like them fellows are more interested in horse play than the curlies are,' Seamus said, watching the hunters diving and splashing each other and trying to catch the curlies' tails.
One of them was busily trying to uproot lilies. Hoping to curry favour, no doubt, Sinead thought with a wince at her own unspoken pun.
Liam said, 'Their feet probably hurt and curly-coats know well enough that once they're out of the water, they'll have riders again.’
Seamus grinned. 'Ah, Sinead, it's a cruel taskmaster you are.’
‘Maybe so,' she said. 'But I don't seem to be gettin' through to them, now do I?’
‘I always thought it was simple,' Liam said. 'All my life, everybody I know, anytime they wanted anything, just listened to what was wanted and did it and they were taken care of. It's not like it's difficult or anything. But these fellows just don't seem to think that way.’
Seamus whistled for his curly and the others automatically followed. The men playing in the water either didn't see or pretended they didn't.
‘Ah, we've worried them enough, Sinead,' Seamus said with a wink. 'They've no guns to do great harm with now. I say we take the curlies and leave them on their own a bit.’
Sinead returned his wink. 'An excellent idea. Perhaps without us looking on they'll figure things out for themselves.’
9
Clodagh looked over the four white-robed figures and shook her head. 'I don't know what Sean thinks I'm going to do with all of you. There's only me at the house, but I don't think there's enough stretching space for all of you.’
‘Please, Clodagh,' Sister Igneous Rock said. 'We don't want to put you out. But we have learnt that the Beneficence manifests itself to you in certain caverns warmed by its blessed blood and breath. We could ask for nothing better than to be allowed to live there.’
The others nodded eagerly but Clodagh shook her head. 'The caves aren't living places. It's OK to take shelter there if you're caught out in the weather, of course, and it's OK for animals. Not for people.’
‘Forgive my ignorance, Clodagh, but why is that, would you say?' Brother Shale asked.
Clodagh shrugged. 'We talk to the planet most directly in the caves. If someone's living there, it wouldn't be polite to go in and have a chat with their house. And on the other hand, how would you like someone setting up housekeeping inside your mouth?’
Sister Agate beamed. 'Oh, she is so wise. They said you were wise, and you really are just as wise as they said. Isn't she wise, brothers and sisters?’
‘Indeed. But might we, at least, become acquainted? Would you introduce us to the planet?’
Clodagh shrugged. 'You're standing on it. But I don't see why not. Only thing is, we just had one latchkay and there's not another one s'posed to happen till Snowdance. And a latchkay is really the best time. But things are happenin' so fast, maybe we should have another one sooner.’
‘How soon is the next one?' Brother Shale asked.
‘Two, three months. Depending.’
‘Oh,' Sister Igneous Rock said. 'But that won't do.’
‘Why not?’
‘We had hoped to come and worship and return home to spread the Word within the next month.’
‘Hmph,' Clodagh said. 'If you go that soon, you'll miss most of the winter.’
‘Well, yes,' Brother Shale said. 'It is said that the exterior temperature gets down below minus two hundred Fahrenheit and I have rather poor circulation to endure that sort of cold.’
‘Never mind that,' Sister Igneous Rock said staunchly. 'Now, Clodagh, I appreciate your importance as the nominal high priestess of the Beneficence, but I really don't understand why we should wait for a latchkay. Brother Granite told us that significant communication had taken place quite extemporaneously when people wandered into or were taken to the caves by one of you. That is what we wish.’
Clodagh said, 'OK, but I'm not any kind of priestess. I guess I'd better take you tonight, and we can all sleep there. This once.’
‘Fine,' Brother Shale said. 'Now then, what will the Beneficence perceive as an appropriate sacrifice?’
De Peugh was the first of the hunters to notice that something was missing. 'Damn!' he said slapping the water.
‘Damn what?' asked Clotworthy, shaking the water out of his ears.
‘The Great White Huntress and her native bearers have deserted us and taken the transportation!’
‘Oh dear,' said Minkus. 'I'm afraid he's correct. I do hope she left our clothing. My winter togs came from Herod's on Nilus II and they were hideously expensive.' He flung this last bit back over his bony white shoulder while wading to shore. 'Ah!' he said, once there. 'It's all right, chaps! Our kit is all accounted for.’
‘Great,' said Ersol. 'So it'll take us much longer to freeze to death this way.' A fat black cloud chose that moment to cross the path of the low-hanging sun and a teasing wind chased wavelets up to wet the back of his legs as he danced around on the sharp stones scattered along the shore.
The first one to finish dressing was Mooney, who, looking to the far side of the lake, pointed and said, 'She didn't take all the horses with her! Look, there's one of them over there!’
‘First one to catch it gets to ride!' Clotworthy said and started running. Unfortunately, he hadn't quite finished putting on his boots, and tripped and fell face down in the shallows, wetting his water-resistant parka and muddying and scratching his face.
Ersol, a more experienced hunter, proceeded calmly into the lumpen undergrowth sprouting beneath the sparse, skinny trees.
‘I see it,' he hissed back to the others, and stalked it. Meanwhile, Clotworthy stood, picked up a bow and arrow, followed by Minkus brandishing a spear, and Mooney holding the dagger in his teeth so he would have both hands free to grab the curly's mane if necessary. De Peugh took the time to hoist the quiver of arrows on to his shoulder and test the bow string before following his fellows. He also, prudently, stuck a rabbit in one of the forty-seven capacious pockets of his hunting vest.
The curly looked as if it was amenable to being caught, standing quietly, drinking from the lake, until Ersol was almost within touching distance of it. Then it lifted its head and looked at him.
‘Holy horseshit, will you look at that!' he said.
The curlycorn shook its shaggy head at him, its newly sharpened single horn glinting, and trotted off to a safe distance. It blinked at him, once.
‘It's a fraggin' unicorn!' Ercol called back to the others.
‘Well, don't just stare at it, shoot it!' de Peugh growled, coming up behind him and drawing his own bow. 'You can bet your retirement fund those things don't get depressed and go lie in holes waiting to die.’
‘No-one', said Minkus, 'will ever believe this.’
‘Not unless we take the head back with us,' de Peugh said, letting his arrow fly.