The Standing Dead - Stone Dance of the Chameleon 02 (84 page)

There're
so
many
of
them,'
Sil
complained.

'And
their
settlement
has
devastated
a
large
part
of
the Southgarden,'
said
Whin,
who
still
looked
strange
with salt
beads
in
her
hair.

'With
all
their
extra
aquar,
I
can
see
we
won't
make
the end
of
the
season
before
we'll
be
forced
to
take
them
out of
the
Koppie
to
graze.'

There
was
much
grumbling
at
this
suggestion.

The
Bluedancing
eat
so
much.'

'And
at
the
moment
they're
supplementing
what
we give
them
with
the
djada
they've
saved
from
their migration.
What'll
happen
when
that
runs
out?
How
much hunting
will
we
have
to
do?'

People
hung
their
heads,
worrying
about
it.

Sil
looked
at
Akaisha
and
Whin.
'If
we
don't
feed
them they
might
rise
against
us.'

Several
of
the
men
snorted
their
derision
at
this suggestion.
'What
threat
are
women
and
children?'

'My
daughter's
right,
they
outnumber
us,'
said
Whin.

'Even
without
their
men,'
Sil
added.

'And
you're
not
always
here,'
Whin
said
to
the
men.

Fern
looked
grave.
'And
we're
going
to
be
out
hunting, perhaps
further
afield
than
we're
used
to.'

'Couldn't
we
send
them
back
to
their
own
koppie?'
said Koney.

Akaisha
shook
her
head.
'Without
men
to
hunt
for them,
we'd
be
condemning
them
to
death.
If
our
situations were
reversed,
would
you
want
to
be
thrown
out
onto
the plain
with
your
children?'

Nursing
her
newborn,
Koney
shook
her
head.
'No,
my mother.'

Whin
frowned.
'Our
compassion
might
yet
bring
us disaster.'

'Perhaps
we
should
consider
using
their
labour
to extend
the
Koppie,
as
the
Master
has
said.'
Ravan
had come
visiting
as
he
sometimes
did.
People
no
longer
felt him
part
of
their
hearth.

The
Elders
don't
need
the
Master
to
work
that
out
for them,'
said
Akaisha
without
looking
at
him.
The
area
of new
land
we
would
have
to
enclose
would
have
to
be enormous
to
solve
the
problem
of
grazing
the
aquar
as well
as
to
bring
enough
fernroot
into
safe
gathering
to
feed us
all.'

Then
we
must
hunt
more,'
said
Fern.

'We
already
hunt
more,'
said
Akaisha.
'And
though we're
hunting
enough
to
feed
everyone,
not
enough's
left over
to
make
djada
for
the
next
migration.'

Everyone
looked
grimly
into
the
fire.
They
looked
up as
Ravan
stood
to
speak.

The
Master
sent
me
to
tell
you
he's
devised
a
way in
which
more
than
enough
food
can
be
provided
for everyone.'

Ravan
stopped
to
take
pleasure
in
their
rapt
attention. Tell
us
then’
snapped
Whin.

Ravan
shook
his
head.
'He's
not
yet
sure,
my
mother; he's
not
fully
worked
it
out,
but
it
would
necessitate
all the
Tribe
working
together
under
his
direction.'

'Would
it
indeed?'
said
Whin
angrily,
but
Carnelian could
see,
though
she
tried
to
hide
it,
how
attentively Akaisha
was
listening
to
her
son.

'When
will
he
be
ready
to
reveal
to
us
this
plan?'

'It'll
be
ready
when
the
Elders
give
him
the
authority
to put
it
into
action.'

Though
Akaisha
and
Whin
frowned,
Carnelian
saw they
were
considering
it
and
only
then
did
he
fully appreciate
how
desperate
the
situation
had
become.

One
day,
Carnelian
and
Fern
were
fetching
water
with Osidian
and
his
hunt
along
the
margin
of
the
bellower lagoon.
Flamingos
in
fiery
clouds
had
just
touched
down and
their
chatter
and
busy
sculling
were
rippling
both
air and
water.

Carnelian
was
watching
fish
darting.
'It's
a
miracle,'
he announced.
They
have
sprung
up
from
what
was
dust.'

'Mother
Earth
is
bountiful,'
said
Fern,
then
smiled, 'just
after
the
Skyfather's
made
love
to
her.'

Their
musings
were
disturbed
by
a
call
from
Krow. They
saw
an
aquar
speeding
towards
them.

'News
from
the
Koppie?'
said
Fern
and
everyone frowned
expecting
the
worst.

The
aquar
skidded
to
a
halt.
The
Elders
command
that the
two
Standing
Dead
should
appear
before
them.'

As
Ravan
translated,
Carnelian
glanced
at
Osidian, expecting
defiance
but
saw
only
a
mild,
even
contented, acquiescence.

'We'll
ride
back
with
you,'
he
said,
then
turned
to Ravan.
'You
will
come
with
us.'

'I'll
come
too,'
said
Fern.

'You
will
remain
here,'
Osidian
said,
severely.

Fern
looked
to
Carnelian,
but
he
was
seeing
how
much his
friend's
defiance
had
angered
the
other
men.
Fearing what
might
happen
should
he
support
him
against
the Master,
Carnelian
decided
to
say
nothing
and,
angry,
Fern backed
down.