The Standing Dead - Stone Dance of the Chameleon 02 (45 page)

'Yes,
he
started
it,'
said
Poppy
fiercely,
making Carnelian
laugh.

Skai
looked
at
Carnelian
over
his
brother's
head.
'But you
are
going
out
with
Father
Crowrane's
hunt
tomorrow?'

'I
haven't
decided
yet,'
said
Carnelian.

Sil's
eyebrows
rose
and
she
looked
up
and
down
the men's
bench.
'Isn't
Father
Crowrane
supposed
to
be warding
tomorrow?'

'I
heard
he's
swapped
with
Father
Kyte,'
said
Whin's husband,
Ravenseye.
Tomorrow,
his
hunt
is
to
fetch water
with
Father
Galewing's.'

'Why
the
swap?'
asked
Sil.

'Apparently,
Loskai
persuaded
him,'
growled
Fern.

His
wife
regarded
him
with
puzzlement,
thought
a moment,
then
looked
up
to
the
head
of
the
hearth. 'Mother
Akaisha,
if
Carnie
goes,
I
don't
suppose there's
any
chance
you'd
allow
Fern
to
go
with
him?

It
would
be
just
one
day
away
from
his
punishment.'

'Although
I
set
the
punishment,
I
acted
on
behalf
of
all the
Elders
and
can't
set
it
aside
on
whim.'

'Could
you
not
ask
the
other
Elders?'

Fern
glanced
at
Carnelian.
In
his
eyes
Carnelian
saw not
only
his
friend's
embarrassment,
but
also
a
yearning he
could
not
read.

'I've
said
all
I'm
going
to
on
this
matter,
child.' Akaisha's
gaze
fell
on
Carnelian.
There
are
others,
perhaps,
you
should
be
challenging,
others
who
made commitments
they
now
seem
happy
to
set
aside.'

Carnelian
hung
his
head.
It
was
true
that
to
go
with Osidian,
he
would
be
reneging
on
the
promise
he
had made
to
Fern
to
share
his
punishment
until
its
end.
It
did not
matter
if
what
she
had
said
to
Sil
was
true
or
not. Carnelian
knew
that
Akaisha
would
do
anything
she could
to
stop
her
son
becoming
embroiled.
Carnelian lifted
his
head.
Ravan
was
looking
past
him
to
Osidian. The
flicker
of
the
fire
showed
the
bones
underlying the
marble
of
Osidian's
face.
Carnelian
remembered
the question
he
had
read
in
Osidian's
eyes
before
the
fight.
A direct
appeal
to
the
love
they
had
sworn
to
each
other. There
really
was
no
choice.
How
could
he
let
Osidian
go into
danger
alone?

'Ravan
dear,'
said
Whin.
'Do
you
think
you
could
stay and
help
us
tomorrow?
We
are
going
searching
for
herbs in
the
Eastgarden
and
need
an
escort.'

Angrily,
Ravan
shook
his
head.
'My
place
is
with
my hunt.'

Poppy
approached
Osidian,
offering
her
bowl.
'I've
left some
for
you.'

Osidian's
gaze
did
not
move
from
the
heart
of
the
fire and
the
little
girl's
face
fell.
Carnelian
reached
out,
took her
arm
and
drew
her
to
him.
He
pushed
the
bowl
gently towards
her.
That's
kind
of
you,
Poppy,
but
he's
eaten
his. That's
yours.'

She
gave
Carnelian
a
piercing
look
and
mouthed:
'But he's
so
thin.'

'So
are
you,'
he
mouthed
back
sparking
several chuckles.
It
pleased
Carnelian
he
could
no
longer
so easily
see
Poppy's
bones.
Her
eyes
were
bright
and
the bruising
under
them
was
now
only
the
merest
shadow.
He had
been
avoiding
considering
the
impact
his
decision would
have
on
her.
How
hard
would
it
be
for
her
if
he were
not
to
return?

Poppy
sat
down
with
her
back
against
his
legs.
Peering over
her
shoulder,
he
watched
her
dig
her
spoon
into
the bowl.
When
he
lifted
his
eyes,
they
meshed
with
those
of Sil,
who
was
smiling
warmly.
He
thought
perhaps
she might
be
prepared
to
adopt
Poppy.
He
looked
past
Osidian at
Fern.
His
friend
liked
the
girl
and
might
be
prepared
to be
her
guardian.
Fern's
jaw
betrayed
the
anger
he
was suppressing.
Carnelian
decided
it
was
too
much
to
ask.
He glanced
up
past
the
fire
at
Akaisha.
He
would
ask
her. Besides,
he
owed
her
an
explanation
as
to
why
he
felt
he had
no
choice
but
to
go
with
Osidian.

When
he
saw
Akaisha
leaving
the
hearth
he
waited
a
little while.
Eyes
watching
him
rise,
quickly
lost
interest
as
he slipped
into
the
darkness.

When
Carnelian's
vision
adjusted
to
the
dark,
he
saw Akaisha
moving
towards
the
rootstair.
When
he
caught up,
he
reached
out
to
touch
her
shoulder.
She
jumped.

'It's
only
Carnie,
my
mother.'

She
pressed
a
hand
to
her
chest.
'What're
you
doing stalking
me
in
the
dark?'

'I
wanted
to
talk
to
you
alone.'