Stone Seeds by Jo Ely

Author:Jo Ely
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Urbane Publications

BLACK FLOWERS

JENGI EXAMINES ANTEK BRIEFLY, looks away. Lifts a jar and climbs the stool to stack it. Top shelf. But just a moment later he’s teetering for a jar just out of reach. Leans far right enough that he’d take a nasty fall if he lost his footing even for a moment, especially over the meat slicer like that. It seems extraordinarily clumsy to Gaddys. But then what else can you expect from a Digger? She thinks. He’s been making mistakes lately, too many and it’s a pain that the general’s wife goes on re-certifying him as ‘tame’, three times a year and year in, year out, no matter how pollinated she gets. The damned woman never seems to forget to do that one thing.

Jengi will be easy enough to replace in the shop, Gaddys calculates. With her right foot pushes the meat slicer a little closer to Jengi, moving her foot backward so casually that it appears like an absent minded gesture. She goes back to counting her ration cards. And now she’s making small indecipherable marks on her clipboard in red ink, next to Sinta names on today’s work rota.

“Right a bit, Jengi Dear.” Smirks. Jengi, balancing on one foot only now, teeters on the edge of his small platform.

What happens next happens fast.

Antek lunges. Shoots out his right foot, secures Jengi’s stool with it. Now he holds his right arm out steadily, for just long enough for Jengi to get down safely.

The two men eye each other, wide scared eyes, the significance of Antek’s action is immediately apparent to them both. Now Antek feels rather than sees Gaddys’ curious gaze on the back of his head. He understands his mistake. He is already on Gaddys’ list. There’s no room for him to make another error like the one with the rain barrel. He’s only just gotten out of prison, and even that by the skin of his teeth.

Egg Men aren’t supposed to help out a member of any tribe but their own, and the OneFolks of course, and even then only when following orders. But apparently the Egg Boy’s right foot and right hand have decided something else without him. It’s too late now, Antek thinks. Best to brazen the thing out. “Didn’t want to see the jar smash.” Antek says in a stilted voice. “Egg Boys must protect the rations. Them jars are fine quality foodstuffs.” He says stiffly. Pauses, looking down. The smashed jar was empty. “You want to watch them foodstuffs better, Digger.”

Gaddys shrugs, eyes the row of empty jars. She looks bored. There is no reason for her to doubt Antek, after all the Egg Men were bred to be incapable of deception. The Egg Boys don’t lie.

“Yes. Of course.” Jengi’s tone is giving nothing away. “Now I’ll get out of your way, Egg Man.”

“Good.” Antek sniffs. “You do that, Digger.”

Gaddys turns away. Fixes her coils. Checks her nails and yawns again. Showing all her small white teeth. “Over there,” she says. Pointing Antek toward the Egg Boys rations.

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