The Standing Dead

'My faithful brother,' growled Fern.

Carnelian knew his friend was unaware of how much Ravan was in Osidian's power. 'Don't be too unforgiving; the Master has possessed him.'

Today, I saw altogether too much in my brother of the boy my father spoilt.'

It was sensing Fern's intention forming to go and have it out with Ravan that made Carnelian speak. 'We'll find out soon enough what he's come to say when your mother returns from the diggings.'

Without another word, Fern made off towards the sleeping hollows. Left gazing at Ravan, Carnelian was remembering the cruel way Jaspar had used his half-brother Tain to blackmail him, reliving all the atrocities he had witnessed the Masters commit on their own households. Poppy was destined to enter one of these and he must do what he could to prepare her for it. His fingers were still in her grip. He pulled her after him saying softly: 'I want to tell you a story, Poppy.'

Sitting in their hollow, Carnelian began to tell Poppy about Ebeny. At first she was sullen but she perked up when he told her that she had come from Mother Akaisha's hearth.

'Did she miss the Tribe?'

Carnelian told her she did but that she grew happy in her new life. As he did so thoughts of Jaspar haunted him. His talk had put the first smile he had seen on Poppy's face since the arrival of the childgatherer, but he realized he was misleading her. For all he knew the kindness of his father's household was unique. It was true House Suth preferred to choose Plainsmen from the flesh tithe, but there were many Plainsman tribes, so most of their children would end up in the households of other Masters.

He sought balance by telling Poppy of Ebeny's harrowing experiences in the Plain of Thrones, taking care to explain that though the Masters might seem like angels, they were men; that the dragons, though fearsome, were only giant earthers with houses on their backs.

He stopped, seeing how frightened she looked.

'Are the Standing Dead then very cruel?' she asked in a little voice.

How could he answer that? He tried to hide the truth behind visions of the wonders she would see, but he had lost her, made it worse.

She looked at him from under her lashes. 'I had hoped…'

'What?' he asked her, dreading to know.

That you might save me,' she said almost in a whisper. She saw the answer in his face.

'Will you take me to the Mountain?'

Carnelian was shocked when he realized that he could. He could return with her, perhaps take her into Osrakum with him to his father's house. He crushed the hope. Most likely he would be dead by then. He had not thought this out, and had been avoiding facing the terrible blow his death would be for the girl.

Poppy reached into her robe and brought out her seed. 'We must bury her.'

'Do you mean plant her?'

She looked at the seed lying across her palm. 'No. I wouldn't want her to wake to find none of her daughters to look after her.'

Carnelian tried to argue, but only managed to make Poppy cry. Morose, he gave in, and they dug a hole at the foot of their hollow deep enough to kill the seed, placed it in the hole and buried it.

When Carnelian heard the women coming back, he and Poppy walked round to the hearth to meet them.

The women looked stooped from their earthworking. Poppy nudged Carnelian.

'Mother Akaisha won't blame me for going with you, will she, Carnie?'

Carnelian made reassuring noises, though his mind was entirely focused on finding out what Osidian had sent Ravan to say. Akaisha's seat in the root fork was empty and, when he looked for her, he saw she was a little way apart talking conspiratorially with Ravan. Fern was watching them with unconcealed impatience. Others kept glancing, curious to find out what was happening.

Akaisha terminated the discussion suddenly with some comment that left Ravan red-faced. As she moved to her place, everyone could see how angry she was. Whin raised her eyebrows enquiringly but received nothing but a curt shake of the head.

As he came up to sit beside Carnelian, Ravan drew some disapproving looks. Everyone could see how troubled Akaisha was. When she glanced up at Carnelian he knew he must be deeply involved.

They had not finished their meal when a voice came carrying from the edge of their hearth.

'May we step onto your rootearth, Akaisha?'

'You may,' the matriarch answered and five shapes approached which the firelight revealed to be Elder women, Ginkga among them.

The men have returned.'

Akaisha gave her bowl to Whin, pulled a blanket up over her head and made her way round the fire to join the visitors. When Akaisha glanced back at Carnelian, the other Elders did so too and then, they moved into the darkness.

Unable to sleep, Carnelian whispered her name in Poppy's ear. Certain she was asleep, he crept from his hollow round to the hearth. Fumbling around, he found a stick lying in Akaisha's root fork and used it to stir some light from the embers. In the soft glow he huddled on the men's bench, slowly edging round to get nearer the heat until he found the warmest place was in the fork itself. He sat there listening to the susurration of the cedars, drawing what contentment he could from knowing the Tribe were sleeping peacefully all around him. He fell asleep waiting for Akaisha to return.

Shaken awake, Carnelian let out a cry that was snuffed out by a hand closing over his mouth.

'Hush,' a voice hissed, in his ear. 'Do you want to wake the whole Tribe?'

Carnelian knew it was Akaisha by her scent. 'Move round from there,' she whispered, giving him a nudge in the ribs. Still only half awake, he slid round onto the men's bench. She groaned as she fell to her knees facing the elbow of the fork. He heard the mutter of some prayer she was addressing to the mother tree, then she sat herself in her usual place.

'Only on his wedding day is a man permitted to sit here.'

'I'm sorry, my mother, I didn't know.'

'Nevertheless, you should be punished.'

They sat side by side for a while until her breathing slowed enough to weave into the sighing of the mother tree.

At last Carnelian could bear to be silent no longer. 'My mother -'

'What did you tell the Master?' Tell?'

Akaisha peered at his face as if searching for something. 'He sent us word that, should we attempt to harm either of you in any way, he'd reveal your presence among us to the Bluedancing.'

That Osidian was fighting for his life, even that he might have done this for his sake, did not leave Carnelian feeling anything but shame. like any other Master, Osidian had resorted to extortion. Akaisha was still watching him, waiting for his answer. Had she not confided in him that this was what the Elders most feared? He spoke not in his own defence, but to reassure her.

'I told him nothing.'

'How then did he guess?'

The Master was once intimate with those who sent the Gatherer.'

She frowned. 'Who else but the Standing Dead sent the Gatherer?'

Carnelian realized that even if he should manage to make her believe in the existence of the Wise, he would find it impossible to explain Osidian's access to their world without revealing who he had been. 'Did the Master not guess the Gatherer had come searching for us?'

'You told us that much.'

'My mother, did I not tell you this before it was confirmed by the Gatherer himself?' She nodded.

'Is it then too hard to believe the Master guessed the rest?'

'Would he really betray us to the Bluedancing?'

'It is not difficult to deduce that, given the immediate danger we pose to the Tribe, the Elders would wish to have us killed.'

'If the Master had wanted you to be found, he could have revealed himself to the Gatherer. His threat is empty.'

Carnelian grimaced. 'Don't underestimate the appetite the Standing Dead have for vengeance.'

Akaisha bowed her head in thought.

Carnelian could see no way out of the dilemma that would allow the Tribe to escape harm. The whole, long, weary journey from his northern isle to Osrakum had been slaked in the blood of massacres. The wounding of his father, the intrigues of the election, the escape from slavery and his decision to go with Fern, all had led finally to this moment. He could see no other way.