The Darkness Under The Trees (The Stone Dance of the Chameleon Book 4) by Ricardo Pinto

Author:Ricardo Pinto [Pinto, Ricardo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ivory Tower Press
Published: 2020-06-18T20:00:00+00:00

RENDER

To catch a man

Bait your hook

With his deepest desires.

(a proverb of the Wise)

THE PALE SLIT IN OSIDIAN’S UBA scanned the Plainsmen. ‘Tomorrow I will descend to the land of the Marula.’

On the hill they rose around Carnelian in an uproar. Osidian raised his hands. ‘While I’m away, you must repair the ladder down into the chasm.’

The men erupted again and carried Carnelian up the slope in their surge.

Blue pushed past him. ‘Why, Master, so that the murdering bastards can swarm up to destroy us?’

‘If that had been their intention, don’t you think they would’ve done so long ago?’ Osidian’s contempt silenced them. ‘Their attacks on the Earthsky were incidental, just an attempt to regain access to their temple,’ he pointed, ‘the Isle of Flies’.

‘When their pygmy slaves revolted and cut the Ladder—the only direct link between the Lower and this Upper Reach—the Marula sent armies through swamp and jungle up on to the Earthsky and killed Plainsmen for the water and djada they needed to get here.’

Ravan stabbed a finger at Morunasa. ‘If we kill the Maruli, his people will know only that another expedition has failed. Why would they dare to try again?’

A Darkcloud stood forward. ‘Let’s burn their Isle of Flies as they burned my tribe’s mother trees.’

Morunasa bared his teeth. ‘Any man who crosses to the Isle’ll be devoured by the Darkness-under-the-Trees. Understand this, Flatlanders: you may kill me, but my brethren in the land below’ll never forsake the dwelling of our Lord.’

‘You see?’ said Osidian. ‘They’ll plague us until they have their Ladder back.’

Carnelian spoke up. ‘Why do you need to go down there with the Maruli?’

Osidian gazed at him. ‘To convince them that there’s no need to send another force.’

‘There must be more to it than that.’

Osidian’s eyes flashed. ‘Enough! Will you do as I ask?’

The Plainsmen murmured their assent.

•

On the hill, the Plainsmen huddled gratefully round the fires they made with the dead wood lying everywhere. Carnelian chewed djada with Blue, Krow, Ravan and the others of his hearth. When two shadows emerged out of the darkness, they jumped.

‘We’ll sit with you,’ said Osidian, with Morunasa just behind him. He displaced Blue and sat beside Carnelian. A waterskin was passed around. Carnelian took only enough to moisten the djada and passed the skin to Osidian, who drained it.

Ravan glared at the Master. ‘We need water.’

‘There’s plenty in the river.’

There were mutters of discontent.

‘If they fear to fill their skins from the Blackwater,’ said Morunasa through a sneer, ‘let them drink from the caches the pygmies keep in these baobabs.’ With a chalky hand he indicated the giants that loomed around them in the dark.

‘I saw no jars,’ said Carnelian.

‘Did I not say, in the baobabs?’

‘They’re hollow?’

Chewing, Morunasa nodded.

Carnelian remembered the openings high in the charred trees. Osidian looked at the faces around the fire. ‘Search the trees for water.’ Blue and others eyed the blackness uneasily but obeyed.

Osidian touched Carnelian’s arm. ‘While I am gone, you must rebuild the Ladder.’

Carnelian remembered the mess of the ropes he had seen far down the chasm wall.

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