land. Hunger will keep not only the body, but the mind in chains.
At first light, Osidian led them to the edge of a lagoon. He spent time surveying the ground and eventually settled them on a ridge on the shore. After a brief conference with Carnelian, he rode out across the dried-up bed with the better half of the warband: he had chosen only the unwounded and, of those, predominantly the young. Ravan went as interpreter. Galewing had volunteered to go to represent the Elders. Krow had chosen to stay behind. That Osidian had not objected to this made Carnelian suspicious that the youth had been left as a spy. Standing on the shore with the rain flying in his face,
Carnelian watched the riders fade into the grey south among gentle hills that would soon become islands. He had been left with clear instructions, delivered by Osidian as if they were strangers. By using Quya, Osidian had ensured that only Carnelian could be aware of his plan. Carnelian had had to obey him. If he had refused to command the men left behind, Osidian had said he would abandon them all to the revenge of the Bluedancing.
Carnelian could feel his men staring at his back. He leaned close to Fern. 'Will you be my second?'
Fern grimaced. The Elders will like taking orders from me even less than from you.'
Carnelian yearned to rid himself of the burden of command. He forced himself to look round. The Ochre remaining were massed on the ridge, sunk into their saddle-chairs, miserable in the downpour, many wounded, all disheartened, every one of them older than him. Their eyes accused him.
Carnelian turned back. 'If that's how they feel, then they shouldn't have agreed to follow the Master in the first place.'
'What options did we have?' said Fern.
'Do you believe I'm less trapped than you?'
'Have you more experience of war than the veterans?'
'You know perfectly well I don't, though I'd question how much experience they have of fighting on foot.'
Fern had no answer to that. He smiled winningly. Things are as they are, Carnie, but you know you can count on me.'
Carnelian had them all dismount. The kneeling aquar were hobbled to ensure they could not wander away. He oversaw the removal of their saddle-chairs. The Plainsmen looked at him as if he were mad when he asked them to pile the chairs in a heap. Discontent turned to outrage when he told them to set the heap alight.
'Do you want to bring the Bluedancing down on us?' said Crowrane.
That's exactly what I want.'
Carnelian's answer produced incredulous consternation.
'All of them?' said Loskai, scowling.
'If we're on foot, they'll ride us down,' said Crowrane.
That's what the Master hopes they'll think. You saw how carefully he chose this site? He knows what he's doing.'
Krow was nodding.
'How do you imagine we're going to be able to ride home without our saddle-chairs?' demanded Kyte.
'Let's worry about that when we're victorious,' said Carnelian.
The Plainsmen fell silent as the desperate reality of the situation soaked into them.
The moment they see us, the Bluedancing will know only half of us are here,' said Fern.
Carnelian was relieved that they were beginning to move along the path of argument Osidian had predicted. 'Knowing that, what do you think the Bluedancing will imagine is the reason we're making all this smoke?'
He was answered with many frowns.
Understanding came over Fern's face. 'A signal. They can't know how many of us attacked them last night. They'll assume we're signaling the Tribe to send the rest of our men.'
Fern looked out across the lagoon bed in the direction Osidian had ridden. The Master will come at them from an unexpected direction.'
As Carnelian gave a nod, he saw a tinge of confidence dawning in the faces around him.
Loskai, alone, retained his scowl. 'How can we hope to stand for long enough against four times our strength?'
Carnelian had been primed to answer that too. 'How do the earthers fend off raveners?'
Carnelian formed them up in ranks along the ridge in a dense formation they all understood was an imitation of an earther hornwall. He distributed the veterans along the front and put himself at the extreme right with Fern at his side. Each man was armed with a spear and a shield improvised from the wicker backs of the saddle-chairs. Looking down the line, Carnelian almost winced at how flimsy their hornwall looked. He caught one of the men looking at him, eyes red from fear and lack of sleep, and forced fierce resolve into his face.
He squatted down on his haunches, calling out, 'We might as well relax while we wait.' The movement rippled all the way down the line.
'Does anyone know a good song?' Carnelian asked. It was Krow who began a ballad which told of the love between the Earth and Sky. Raggedly others began joining in. The smoke from the saddle-chair pyre was being driven back over the aquar that lay like a field of boulders protecting their backs. Carnelian felt the flanks of the hornwall were too exposed and curved them back a little. He went over and over in his mind how Osidian had said the battle would go. His wounded forearm itched. He gazed out over the lagoon, squinting through another volley of rain, his heart racing every time he thought he saw the Bluedancing.
Carnelian was the first to spot them marching across the lagoon bed. He rose onto shaky legs and the rest of his men followed his lead. The Bluedancing were advancing towards them in a rabble.
They can't have seen us yet,' Fern said in a low voice, as if he feared they might hear him.
Carnelian nodded, wishing the rain was not slanting into his eyes. He turned to survey his men and his heart faltered, seeing how few they were. He forced a grin.
The Tribe will sing with pride of this day.'
Some answered him with watery smiles, others stared unblinking at the approaching enemy.
Faint cries confirmed the Bluedancing had seen them. Their front widened, then broke into a charge.
'Make ready!' Carnelian cried.
They locked their makeshift shields together as best they could and thrust their spears over the top, holding them in their fists, leaning their hafts on their shoulders as Carnelian had shown them. The spear points made their front a hedge of thorns, but Carnelian still felt desperately exposed on his unshielded right.
As the Bluedancing crashed towards them, Carnelian scoured the vast grey spaces of the plain but Osidian was nowhere to be seen. Fear of abandonment and death rose up into his throat. He slowed his breath, focused his mind on the play of rain on his skin. His was the command; his the heart that must strengthen them. He denied his fear its hold on him, then reached round to take Fern's shoulder.
The Master will not fail us,' he said. 'Pass it on.'
Fern smiled grimly and sent the message along the hornwall. Carnelian saw how they gripped their spears more tightly. He locked eyes with Fern and they smiled fiercely at each other. When Carnelian looked out across the lagoon bed he saw rolling towards them a storm of threshing mud that far out-flanked their hornwall on either side. The blackened faces of the Bluedancing were holed by the red of their screaming mouths. Their hair flickered black haloes round their heads. Their ululating warcries were swelling louder. The percussion of clawed aquar feet set the ground trembling, flinging earth up in all directions.
Around Carnelian the spear hedge bristled. The odour of their attackers washed over him. He felt more than saw the hornwall around him softening. He felt the Ochre on the verge of running from the screaming tidal wave rushing at them.
'Steady,' cried Carnelian in a long-drawn-out tone. Then, almost as if he had commanded it, the charge
