Ravan was protesting but Fern cut through with a bellow: 'You'll do as you're told.' He turned and looked at Carnelian. 'Well, don't just stand there!'
Carnelian began moving towards Osidian. He tried to reassure himself that the Great would protect his father, if only to defend their ancient privileges from encroachment by the new God Emperor.
Fern was pointing at Osidian. 'Krow, will you give your aquar up for that one?'
Krow stared down, paralysed by fear.
'We can't leave the Standing Dead here,' cried Fern.
Krow turned in his saddle-chair searching, crying out: 'Father Cloud, Father Cloud.'
Fern rushed up and grabbed the youth's foot. That one,' he pointed at Carnelian, 'read the name of my tribe from the picture on my father's hand. By warning us, he saved my people. We owe him. Please, give up your seat and ride with him; Blur's stronger than your aquar and will more easily carry you both.'
Krow glanced over at Carnelian, then made his aquar kneel. Fern lurched over to Osidian, stooped, threw the blanket off him and, with a grunt, tried to lift him. He grimaced under the strain.
Carnelian rushed to help and together they dragged Osidian to Krow's saddle-chair, crammed him in and secured him as they had the dead.
'Come on,' shrieked Ravan. Carnelian turned to see Krow holding Blur for him. The drizzle that had begun to fall made Carnelian aware of his nakedness. He scooped the russet blanket from the ground and wrapped it around his waist.
'We must go now,' roared Fern as he vaulted into Ravan's saddle-chair. Carnelian ran over to where Krow was still holding Blur. He climbed into her chair and hooked his legs over the crossbeam.
Krow clambered in on top of him. 'Make her rise.'
Carnelian pressed his feet into her back and Blur swayed them into the air.
'Follow us,' Fern cried. Over Krow's head, Carnelian saw Ravan's aquar lurch into a run, then Blur was loping after her.
INTIMATIONS
What choice has a river in running down to the sea?
Eastwards, beneath a glowering sky, Carnelian could see nothing moving but Ranegale and the other raiders until he noticed, obscured by distant rainfall, a mass of riders scudding towards them.
Fern and Ravan's aquar fell back to ride alongside Blur. Fern squinted round his brother. 'You lead the undirected aquar deep in among the others, we'll stay behind to make sure none stray.'
Krow jerked a nod and Carnelian rocked his feet to make Blur pick up pace. Krow shifted his weight as he looked behind them.
They're following.'
Soon Blur was moving up among the other raiders whose aquar were maintaining a steady pace.
'We must go deeper in,' said Krow.
Carnelian urged Blur forward until they had almost caught up with Ranegale and Loskai. They scowled when they saw Carnelian, but it was when they saw the dead tied into their chairs that their eyes widened with disbelief. Ranegale began haranguing Krow, speaking too fast for Carnelian to follow. He squinted into the faces of the riders around him to see if he could read in them what was being said. Brittle with fear, the youths were gazing past Ranegale oblivious to the quarrel. Carnelian saw that the auxiliaries were still pouring towards them, but the focus of the youths' gaze was on something beyond that. A shape was interrupting the regular pattern of kraal towers. Carnelian turned to stone as he realized he was seeing a dragon.
Ranegale fell silent as he became aware of the fear stiffening every face. More dragon silhouettes were appearing among the kraal towers, dwarfing them. Squadrons of riders welled over the ground before them. The auxiliaries they had seen before were beginning to veer away, northwards. The gap between them and the scouring line was occupied by a single dragon.
'His pipes are lit,' cried Cloud in Vulgate and Carnelian looked for and found, rising from the dragon, a tiny scratch of smoke that reminded him of plague sign.
'We can swing round to the left of him,' said Ranegale, pointing his mutilated hand north-east. 'You see where the auxiliaries have left a gap?'
'He must see us,' said Cloud, his voice tight.
'Let's make a dash for it,' cried Loskai.
'No,' roared Ranegale, 'we mustn't commit our aquar until we're sure the gap is real.'
Tension grew as more and more of the scouring line came into sight. The dragon from which smoke was rising was well ahead of the others. Behind it, the line stretched north and south as far as Carnelian could see. He kept glancing off to his left, expecting to see the auxiliaries there charging towards them.
That lot won't catch us,' muttered Krow, as if he were trying to convince himself. Carnelian could see that, to get that far in front of the line, the auxiliaries must have been running their aquar for some time.
Cloud was craning over the back of his saddle-chair speaking to the youths. The tone of his voice was reassuring but his eyes were starting from his head. 'Let's go now,' shrilled Loskai.
Carnelian tried to ignore the trembling in Krow's body as he watched the squadrons of aquar positioned between the dragons becoming more distinct.
'Soon it'll be too late,' pleaded Loskai.
Ranegale gave out a wailing cry and the raiders sent their aquar into a run. Carnelian saw Osidian's creature slipping after them and the dead jiggling in their chairs.
Krow's voice exploded. 'Come on. Come on!'
Through his toes Carnelian could feel Blur's heart racing. He rocked his feet and she leapt forward. The clamp of his knees over the crossbeam kept his legs safe from Blur's thighs as they pistoned higher and higher with her lengthening strides. Krow pushed back into him as if he feared he might be thrown onto the ground. Carnelian blinked away the tears the wind put in his eyes. They were heading straight for the smoking dragon. He could make no sense of its size except that it rose mountainous above the riders running before it. Its four curving horns seemed even larger than his uncle Crail had claimed, so too the pyramid tower upon its back from which smoke was rising in two threads.
Krow gave a start. Cries broke from the raider youths. Carnelian saw a mass of riders had appeared from nowhere to block their path.
'A trap!' The word blown past him in the wind.
Overcome by panic, Carnelian let his feet leave Blur's back. As her running faltered, he quickly pressed them back. Ranegale was wheeling them southwards. Carnelian felt Blur's desire to follow and let her go by putting pressure on his right foot.
'High Father,' moaned Krow.
Carnelian shared his dismay as more squadrons of auxiliaries sprang into view. The dragon was looming in the corner of his eye. Blur straightened up and increased speed.
Krow groaned: 'Where's he taking us?'
Ranegale was not fleeing back the way they had come but, instead, running them along the front of the dragon line from whose towers more smoke was beginning to rise.
'How far can they breathe their fire?' Carnelian cried.
Unable to take his eyes off the advancing monsters, Krow answered him with a vague shaking of his head, over which Carnelian saw the watch-tower Ranegale was heading for. Squinting, Carnelian could make out the road into which it was embedded. The Ringwall, a fortification that enclosed the Guarded Land. Ranegale must be trying to take them through one of its gates. Carnelian prayed the barbarian knew what he was doing.
Following Krow, Carnelian craned round and saw auxiliaries racing to hit them in the flank. Even though he
