The Standing Dead

'What do you mean, my mother?'

Whin dug the heel of her hand into her forehead. 'What I mean is, does this conspiracy spread to the other hearths?'

'Just the men.'

Whin smiled coldly at him. 'Just the men. Well, that's fine then. As long as it's just the men.'

Many of them lowered their heads. 'We assumed the Elders had approved this.'

Whin dismissed the comment with her hand and glanced at Carnelian. 'It's not you I'm angry with.'

Everyone stood in silence watching her brood. She glanced over to the sleeping hollows.

'I'm tired. We're all too tired. It'll keep until morning.'

Carnelian began moving towards the hollows.

'Where are you going?'

Carnelian faced Whin. To speak to Mother Akaisha, my mother.'

Whin shook her head. 'No you're not.' 'But there's something I want to tell her.' 'It'll keep until tomorrow.'

Carnelian saw how determined Whin was. He considered telling her, but was not sure she would believe him.

Whin looked round at her hearth, all of whom were staring at her. 'Well, are you all just going to stand there stinking of blood?'

'But the water,' said Sil.

'We'll take out what we need for drink and then we'll just have to manage with the little that is left.'

They did as she said and Carnelian joined them. There was only enough to soak into the strips they tore from a worn blanket. They used these to wipe off as much of the blood as they could, but it was impossible to get it out of their hair.

Woken by a commotion, Carnelian sat up. Shapes were moving among the hollows, where voices were loud with anger. Poppy appeared beside him. 'All the men have gone.'

He threw on his robe and went to find Akaisha. She was standing near the hearth with Whin, who had her hands on her hips.

'You don't know anything about this, do you?'

Carnelian's and Sil's eyes met.

'What do you two know?' demanded Whin.

'Yesterday, Fern was hiding something from me,' said Sil.

Carnelian began to feel afraid. Osidian was behind this.

'Look,' said Sil, pointing.

Through the canopy they could see a mass of smoke rising against the predawn sky. Carnelian judged it must be the curing fires in the Eastgarden.

Akaisha groaned. 'What're the Bluedancing up to? Who's overseeing them? They know they're supposed to wait for us. Sil, go down and see what's happening.'

'Can I go too?' asked Poppy.

Sil glanced at Carnelian, who nodded. He watched the two of them move off.

'Carnie, you're sure you don't know what's going on?' said Akaisha.

'I'm as baffled as you are, my mother,' he replied. Her sad, nervous look added to his worries.

Others of their hearthmates returned in ones and twos, shaking their heads, saying the same thing. All the men were gone and no one knew where.

Akaisha asked Whin to go up to the summit of the Crag and light the beacon. She went with some helpers. Akaisha and Carnelian's attention was drawn to the root-stair by a shouting coming up it. Sil appeared staring wildly. They both rushed to meet her. Akaisha had to take hold of her to calm her enough so they could understand what she was saying.

'Battle,' she gulped. She swung round and pointed. 'A battle down in the Eastgarden.'

'Our men?' demanded Akaisha, gripping her hard enough to make Sil yelp. The young woman nodded. Akaisha released her and looked up into the canopy of her mother tree, appalled. Cries of panic were breaking out all around them. Sil stared at Akaisha, waiting for her to say something.

'We must hold the Homeditch gates.'

Sil nodded again. Akaisha strode around, bellowing: 'Grab mattocks, sticks, whatever you can find. We must hold the Homeditch gates to make sure none of these attackers break into the Grove.'

Carnelian ran for his spear. On his way back, Poppy flew at him.

'Fighting, Carnie, fighting!'

He caught her. 'I know.'

Gripping the spear with one hand, he took her by the other and they began descending the rootstair. Sil, who was faster on the steps, overtook them. 'Come on,' she cried.

Carnelian remembered Akaisha and, looking back, found she was coming down after them. They waited for her. He reached out to take Akaisha's arm, to be her support, but she pulled herself free, glaring at him, and continued to take the steps as quickly as she could on her own. Carnelian and Poppy followed her, ready to catch her should she fall, every so often nervously trying to catch a view of the battle through the branches.

Even before they reached the bottom of the stair they saw the gate at its foot was swinging open. 'Earth and Sky!' Akaisha cursed. 'Didn't they hear what I said?'

When they reached the earthbridge they saw the women of the Tribe streaming down the Blooding towards the Eastgarden above which the air was slashed with smoke. Stare as hard as he might, Carnelian could see nothing of the battle. Akaisha bent forward, bracing herself on her knees.

'You know of course what this will be?' The Woading attacking.'

She closed her eyes and nodded slowly, gasping for air. 'War,' she gulped. The Master's brought war right into our home.'

'He'll beat them,' Carnelian said, desperate to believe it.

She caught him with one bright eye. 'More men killed; theirs and ours. For what? His vanity?'

Carnelian felt sick; the moment had come. 'Power. He's after power.'

She frowned.

Carnelian crouched and looked deep into her eyes. 'He dreams of returning to the Mountain.'

Akaisha's wrinkles bunched up as her eyes narrowed with incomprehension.. 'For that he needs an army,' he continued.

Akaisha chuckled without humour. 'Our men against the dragons?'

'He'll conquer many tribes.'

'Conquer?'

'Even now his schemes are maturing. There's not much time.'

Akaisha clasped her head. 'But what can we do to stop him? If he wins this battle…? If he doesn't…?'

'We can do nothing here,' he said, rising. 'We must stop the women getting caught up in the fighting.'

As they crossed the earthbridge into the Eastgarden, Carnelian and Akaisha could see among the trampled ferns the dead forming a line running to the Newditch. The women were singing as they ran to meet their warrior men. The proud victors were pulled from their saddle-chairs into embraces. Several were acting out the fight while their women and the children gawped wide-eyed. Breath was sucked in and hands slapped over mouths in horror as one man ducked and then leaning his head showed where an enemy spear had grazed his neck. Another man was producing gales of laughter as he pantomimed the flight of the Woading and the desperate way they had had to leap their aquar over the Newditch to get away.

Carnelian and Akaisha had reached the edge of the crowd when cries broke out: The Master, the Master.' Carnelian pushed through, making a path for Akaisha. He could see Osidian towering above the crowd, whose tide was breaking round him in adulation. Joy blazed from every face.

Akaisha, shouting something, could not be heard above the tumult. Carnelian saw a man standing with a bull-roarer and tore it from his grasp. He whirled the thing above his head until it began to keen. The crowd fell silent.

'You must not worship him,' Akaisha cried. 'He uses us for his own ends.'

Voices answered her by listing the children the Master had saved, the abundance of meat and now, victory.

'Victory, victory, victory.'

Carnelian whirled the bull-roarer again to bring quiet.

'Why do you think he does these things for us?' Akaisha cried. 'What is it you think he wants?'

The rest of her speech was drowned out by whistling and stamping.

Galewing rose above the crowd in a saddle-chair and began speaking. The noise abated as people struggled to hear what he said. Hands reached up to stroke his aquar, whose eye-plumes were stiff with agitation.