These he retained, but various other pieces of gear he threw to one side, evidently meaning to abandon them. Having closed the lightened pack and slung it on his back, he strung his bow, stuck five or six arrows into his belt and then picked up the still-smouldering fire-pot, which he replenished by poking in moss and green twigs.
His movements were silent and from time to time he paused uneasily, listening, in the half-light, to the sounds of the awakening forest. When at length he heard a faint noise of footsteps in the undergrowth beyond the pool he at once moved quickly aside and, with an arrow on the string, was already waiting in concealment when Shouter stepped out from among the trees.
Genshed lowered his bow and walked across to where the boy stood staring at the dead body on the ground. Shouter turned, started and backed away, one hand raised to his mouth.
'Tried to have a walk in the night, Shouter, did your' said Genshed, almost whispering. 'See any soldiers, did you? See any soldiers, Shouter?'
It was plain that Shouter was half stupefied, either with fear, hunger, lack of sleep, or all three. Though trying to reply, for some moments he uttered nothing intelligible. At length he said, 'All right, then; but I come back, didn't I? I want to mucking live, don't I?'
'So that's why you came back?' said Genshed, looking at him with a kind of pausing curiosity.
'Course I come back,' cried Shouter. 'In the forest – out there -' He stopped, pointing. 'That's no living creature,' he burst out. 'It's come for you – it's been sent for you -' He pitched forward to his knees. 'It wasn't me that killed Kevenant. You did that.' He broke off, looking quickly back over his shoulder. 'That thing – that creature – if it is a creature and not a devil – it was bigger than that rock, I tell you. It shook the mucking ground walking. I nearly come against it in the dark. God, I ran!' 'So that's why you came back?' repeated Genshed, after a pause.
Shouter nodded. Then, getting slowly to his feet, he looked round at the body and said indifferently, 'You killed him, then?'
'No good to us, was he?' said Genshed. 'Get caught in his company, that'd finish everything, that would. I got his money, though. Come on, get them up, get them moving.'
'You're taking them?' asked Shouter, surprised. 'For God's sake, why don't we just run, wherever it is?'
'Get them up,' repeated Genshed. 'Get a chain on the lot of them, wrist to wrist, and keep them quiet while you're doing it.'
His domination filled the place like flood-water, uprooting or drowning all other wills. Those children who, dizzy with hunger and privation, had spent the night in the ruins and now, unable to conceive of flight or hiding, obeyed Shouter as they had obeyed him for so long, felt pouring from Genshed, as they tottered into the open, a yet more evil power than he had yet displayed. Now, in the collapse of his fortunes, his cruelty released from the restraints formerly imposed by the hope of gain, he walked among them with an eager, bright-eyed excitement from which they shrank horrified. Kelderek, crawling from the crevice where he had lain, felt this same power draw him first to his feet and then, with faltering steps, to the edge of the pool, where Genshed stood awaiting him. Knowing Genshed's will, he stood silent while Shouter chained him, shackling him by the wrist to a lank-haired boy whose eyes went continually to and fro. This boy, in turn, was chained to another, and so on until all had been fastened together. Kelderek wondered neither why Shouter had returned nor how Lalloc had come to his end. Such things, he realized now, had no need of explanation. They and all else in the world – hunger, illness, misery and pain – came to pass by the will of Genshed.
Shouter looked up from fastening the last shackle, nodded and stepped back. Genshed, fingering the point of his knife, stood smiling in the broadening daylight. 'Well,' said Shouter at length, 'aren't we getting out now?* 'Fetch Radu,' answered Genshed, pointing.
About them the sounds of the forest were increasing, cries of birds and humming of insects. One of the children swayed on his feet, clutched at the next and then fell, dragging two others with him. Genshed ignored them and the children remained on the ground.
Radu was standing beside Kelderek. Glancing sideways, Kelderek could sec expressed in his whole posture the dread of which he had spoken on the previous day. His shoulders were bowed, his hands clenched at his sides and his lips pressed tightly together. ' Good morning, Radu,' said Genshed courteously.
The common hangman, to whom has been delivered some once-fine gentleman, now pallid with fear, broken and condemned, cannot reasonably be expected to exclude from his work all personal relish and natural inclination for sport. Into his hands has fallen a rarity, a helpless but still-sentient specimen of those whom he serves, envies, fears, flatters and cheats when he can. The occasion is an exhilarating one, and to do it justice calls for both deliberation and mockery, including, of course, a little sardonic mimicry of the affected manners of the gentry.
'Please go with Shouter, Radu,' said Genshed. 'Oblige me by putting that body out of sight.'
'Mucking hell, how much longer -' cried Shouter,- met Genshed's eye and broke off. Kelderek, turning his head by Genshed's unspoken permission, watched the two boys struggling to lift the gross, blood-soaked corpse and half-carry, half-drag it back across the threshold over which Lalloc had fallen before he died. As they returned, Genshed stepped forward and took Radu gently by the shoulders. 'Now, Radu,' he said, with a kind of serene joy, 'go and bring Shara here. Be quick, now!' Radu stared back from between his hands.
'She can't be moved! She's ill! She may be dying!' He paused a moment, and then cried, 'You know that!' 'Quiet, now,' said Genshed, 'quiet. Go and get her, Radu.'
In the clouded stupor of Kelderek's mind there were no sounds of morning, no stone hovels, no surrounding forest A ruined, desolate country lay under deluge. The last light was failing, the rain falling into the brown, all- obliterating water; and as he gazed across that hopeless landscape the little island that was Radu crumbled and vanished under lapping, yellow foam. 'Go and fetch her, Radu,' repeated Genshed, very quietly.
Kelderek heard the sound of Shara's weeping before he caught sight of Radu bringing her in his arms. She was struggling and the boy could scarcely carry her. His voice, as he tried to soothe and comfort her, was barely audible above her half-delirious, frightened crying.
'Radu, Radu, don't let me alone, Radu, I don't want to go to Leg-by-Lee!' 'Hush, dear, hush,' said Radu, clutching at her clumsily as he tried to hold her still.' We're going home. I promised you, remember?' 'Hurts,' wept the child. 'Go away, Radu, it hurts.'
She stared at Genshed without recognition, her own filth covering her as debris covers the streets of a fallen town. Dirty saliva ran down her chin and she picked weakly at the flaking crust round her nostrils. Suddenly she cried out again, evidently in pain, and passed a thin stream of urine, cloudy and white as milk, over the boy's arms.
'Come along; give her to me, Radu,' said Genshed, holding out his hands.
Looking up, Kelderek saw his eyes, bright and voracious as a giant eel's, staring on either side of his open mouth.
'She makes too much noise,' whispered Genshed, licking his lips. 'Give her to me, Radu.'
In the moment that Kelderek tried to step forward, he realized that Radu had refused to obey Genshed. He felt the sharp jerk of the chain at his wrist and heard the cursing of the boy to whom he was fastened. Simultaneously Radu turned and, with Shara's head rolling limply on his shoulder, began to stumble away.
'No, no, Radu,' said Genshed, in the same quiet tone. 'Come back here.'
Radu ignored him, moving slowly on, his head bowed over his burden.
With a sudden snarl, Genshed drew his knife and threw it at the boy. It missed, and he rushed upon him, snatched the child out of his arms and struck him to the ground. For a moment he stood motionless, holding Shara before him in his two hands. Then he sank his teeth in her arm and, before she could shriek, flung her into the pool. Shouter, running forward, was pushed aside as Genshed leapt after her into the water.
Shara's body fell upon the surface of the pool with a sharp, slapping sound. She sank but then, lifting her head clear, raised herself and knelt in the shallow water. Kelderek saw her throw up her clenched hands and, like a baby, draw breath to scream. As she did so Genshed, wading across the pool, pulled her backwards and trampled her under the surface. Planting one foot on her neck, he stood looking about him and scratching his shoulders as the commotion, first of waves and then of ripples, subsided. Before the water had settled Shara, pressed down among the gravel and coloured pebbles on the bottom, had ceased to struggle.
Genshed stepped out of the pool and the body, face-upwards, rose to the surface, the hair, darkened by the water, floating about the head. Genshed walked quickly across to where Radu still lay on the ground, jerked him to his feet, picked up the knife and then, snapping his fingers to Shouter, pointed downhill towards the river. Kelderek heard the boy panting as he hurried to the head of the line.
