be fallible enough to overlook the punishment of a deserter.
'No doubt Harth and others will be horrified, but I trust you, Carnie. Go spend tomorrow with my son. Today, both you and he, each in his own way, have had to face death and suffered the certain loss of a daughter.'
Something woke Carnelian. He sat up. Though it was still dark, he could feel morning was near. Akaisha's voice spoke and was then answered by a man's. Footfalls faded into the creaking of the cedars. He waited listening for a while but there was nothing more. In the darkness it was harder to be brave. He was scared for those he loved and for himself. Death was close enough to suffocate him. To cheat the terror, he drank deep of the perfumed exhalations of his mother tree. Her branches embraced the air he breathed. She soothed him with her sighs. He lay down again, nuzzling into Poppy.
When the hearth awoke, Akaisha was nowhere to be seen and the older men were absent too. People breakfasted in silence, stealing glances at Carnelian and Poppy, at Fern and Sil and her mother. The horror of the previous day lingered like a chill in the air.
They were getting ready to disperse to their various tasks when Akaisha appeared. Though weary, her face was not so haunted with fear. She saw the question in their eyes.
'He's gone.'
The Mother be praised,' said Whin with a sigh and everyone echoed her. Carnelian could see the tension leaving their shoulders. Some even smiled. The sun had risen high enough to slip its rays down into the hearth. It seemed a kind of hope.
'Carnie?'
Carnelian looked at Sil. Their eyes met.
'Your hunt are warding today,' she said.
'I thought today I might work with Fern.'
A sadness came into her eyes, but then she smiled. 'He'd like that.'
Carnelian returned her smile, then leaned back trying to see round to the sleeping hollows.
'He's gone already,' said Sil. 'He's taken to missing breakfast.'
'I'll go down now, then,' he said, rising.
Poppy clutched his hand. He saw how anxious she was to go with him. They might only have a few days left. He looked at Akaisha, who cleared it with a nod. Carnelian put his hand on Poppy's head. 'Come on then.'
Together they ran down through the sun dapple among the cedar shades and out into the ferngardens. They caught up with Fern on one of the stretches of the Blooding path.
He turned and frowned. 'Did I forget something?'
'Us,' said Carnelian with a grin.
Fern glanced at Poppy then into Carnelian's eyes. It was clear to both of them that Fern was going to argue, so Poppy took his hand and began pulling him in the direction of the Bloodwood Tree.
Beneath the angry eyes of the butcher women, Carnelian laboured with Fern heaving offal onto the drag- cradles. They did not talk as they worked; to open their mouths was to swallow flies.
As they waited for the next pile of entrails, Carnelian's eyes were drawn to Poppy, sitting in the shade nursing her tattooed hand.
'She's young,' said Fern. 'Her hand will soon heal and then she'll forget.'
Carnelian turned to look at his friend. 'She only has a year.'
'A year can seem a lifetime to a child.'
They both knew Fern might only have the same time to live. Carnelian gazed at his friend, loving him. He fought the desire to tell him. Why burden Fern even more? How could it ever come to something?
'Hey,' said a woman to get their attention. They returned to their work.
The hatred some in the Tribe feel towards you will fade,' said Fern.
Carnelian frowned, thinking of his own death, then remembered to nod.
Later, in the shade of the Bloodwood Tree, Fern confessed the dreams he had had of seeing his daughter growing up. Carnelian nodded, but was not listening as he watched Poppy returning with their food and water. His mind filled with visions of the woman she would become labouring in some palace on the shores of the Skymere in Osrakum. If she were to fulfil her promise of beauty, she would most likely be taken to bed by a Master and then, perhaps, like Ebeny, become mother to a brood of marumaga. She was destined to have much the same memories of the Earthsky Ebeny had had and told him of. He prayed then that somehow Poppy would be chosen from the flesh tithe for House Suth and become a part of his father's household, where she might find Ebeny. Carnelian determined that that evening, while he still could, he must tell Poppy about Ebeny; he must empty as much knowledge as he could into the girl in the hope that, when the time came, it might help her adapt to her new life among the Standing Dead.
The sun was a gouged eye when one of the women called out: 'Hunt returning.'
Carnelian's head jerked up. Coming through the Horngate was a front of aquar from behind which rose the hump of the earther they were dragging. A single rider rode before them who, by his size, could only be Osidian. Carnelian's heart jumped up into his throat. He scanned the riders behind Osidian for Ravan, but because all were shrouded, he could not tell if the youth was there. Why was Osidian putting himself in danger? Looking round, Carnelian saw the agitation among the women standing round the Elder in charge. Two girls were already running back up to the Grove, no doubt to fetch men to attempt Osidian's capture. A warning was in Carnelian's mouth, but he swallowed it. He would not save Osidian at the cost of the Tribe.
Osidian came on so that Carnelian and Fern were forced to back away from his aquar. Nothing could be seen of him but the slit of black skin holding the emeralds of his eyes. Carnelian was pinned by their scrutiny and felt they were reading his heart.
'You missed the party,' he said.
'My Lord is being uncharacteristically flippant’ said Osidian in Quya.
Carnelian looked past him towards the approaching riders, trying to count them.
'All are there, my Lord.'
Their hearths will be glad to see them returned safely.'
Their hearths will not see them. They are mine, now.'
Carnelian recoiled from the cold Quyan verb that was used to denote the owning of slaves.
'Come with me now, Carnelian.'
'I cannot. Akaisha has my promise that I will not leave the Koppie.'
'Perhaps you should fear the consequences that might come from keeping promises to savages.' 'You threaten Ravan?'
'Why would I hurt the boy when he has proved himself such a willing catamite.'
Carnelian felt as horrified as when he had discovered that Jaspar had similarly used his brother Tain. Osidian was not describing love.
'You did this to wound me?'
Osidian laughed. 'I merely take my pleasure where I can find it.'
Carnelian almost leapt forward to pull Osidian down. He calmed himself. 'Let's not fight.'
The black of Osidian's robe and uba were crusted with blood. 'You must be weary. Surely you desire to wash. Come up to our hollow, rest in the shade and we can sort things out.'
'Would recent events not make such a course of action rather perilous?' 'Perilous?'
Osidian watched the women creeping closer. 'I do not see a warm welcome in their eyes.'
Carnelian felt he had no choice but to put everything into one final appeal. 'Osidian, if you value our lives, our only chance lies in throwing ourselves on the mercy of the Elders.'
Osidian laughed without humour. 'Your counsel then, my Lord, is that I who was to have been God Emperor should grovel at the feet of savages?'
At a motion of his hand, two riders came up to flank him. Carnelian saw behind them, the earther looming near. A woman Elder approached the corpse and made a show of examining it. 'How did so few of you manage to keep her safe from raveners?'
One of the riders turned in his chair. 'One who dared attack left much of his blood soaking into the ground before he fled the Master's spear.'
Carnelian recognized Krow's voice.
'Reconsider, my Lord,' Osidian commanded.
