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not to relax.
Chi-churog accepted a long smoking stick from one of the females and waved it casually. Now, then,
tell me how you come to be in the lands of the Xi-Murogg? It must be some matter of great importance
to have brought you, as you have said, so far from your own homes.
Before either Buncan or Gragelouth could respond, Squill was off and running. Omitting certain
unflattering details, vastly embellishing upon others, he regaled the attentive leader of the Xi-Murogg and
his equally rapt harem with a story of unsurpassing skill and gallantry, occasionally even remembering in
an off moment to insert a brief word or two about his five companions.
Bloody rotten stinkin egotist of a sibling, Neena muttered under her breath.
Squill blinked, turned to her. Say wot, sister?
I was remarkin that you re your father s son. She smiled pleasantly.
That s a fact. Squill resumed his oral epic.
Evening pressed down on the box canyon when he finally finished. Their host seemed pleased, and the
travelers had consumed a prodigious quantity of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as several delicious
prepared varieties which had been transformed through drying, steaming, broiling, and other means of
efficacious preparation. Within Chi-churog s tent unabashed contentment reigned among hosts and guests
alike.
To the otters astonishment, one polished wooden platter was even heaped high with dried fish.
There are caverns nearby, their host explained, cut by water and populated by colorless, blind fish.
The meerkat smiled. But not tasteless, I assure you. Their flesh is tender and succulent and forms a
welcome addition to our diet.
It finished off the otters suspicions as neatly as if they d been pared away with a sharp knife. Even the
always leery Gragelouth was compelled to admit that their welcome had been all that could have been
hoped for.
Tiny belly bulging, Viz glided into the tent to land on Duncan s shoulder. He d taken a moment to relieve
himself. After belching delicately, he whispered into the human s ear.
Keep your expression bland and don t let on that I m telling you anything, but we re in trouble.
Buncan smiled as he waved off a fruit-laden female. How do you mean?
Want to take a guess? It s Snaug.
This tune is was harder for Buncan to maintain his composure. Don t tell me they got him drunk?
Viz s beak was all but cleaning Buncan s ear. They must ve done it when I was in here with the rest of
you. I don t know if they did it deliberately or if he got a taste of something that appealed to him and
asked for more. Snaug s a hard one to say no to. Not that it matters. The important thing is that right now
he s lying flat on his side, out cold to starboard, snoring like a ventilation shaft from hell. I don t mink he ll
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be able to stand up til morning, much less run.
What s that you say? Chi-churog leaned forward, and Buncan remembered having read something
about meerkats having exceptional powers of hearing. Your great friend is already asleep? The village
leader burst out laughing in a series of sharp, squeaky barks, similar to but higher-pitched than that of the
otters. He should rest well tonight, men. As will you all.
Tomorrow we will have the Ceremony.
With studied diffidence Buncan slid the duar off his shoulders and laid it across his knees, making a
pretext of checking the tightness of the strings. He tried to sound nonchalant. What ceremony?
The Ceremony of Fertilization. Chi-churog glanced at the roof of the tent. Tomorrow night the moon
will be full. We need to ensure that our fields will be also.
Buncan untensed, his muscles relaxing. For a moment his natural suspicions had gotten the better of him.
What is this Ceremony of Fertilization? However it was performed, he mused, it sounded anything but
threatening.
You have seen our fields.
Wonderfully kept they are, too. Gragelouth was at his obsequious best.
Chi-churog accepted the compliment with a nod. We are proud of what we have wrought from the
Tamas. Our fields do more than sustain us; they provide us with the means to live well in a place where
few others can even survive. We tend them as if our lives depend on them, which they certainly do. The
Xi-Murogg wandered the Tamas for many years before finding and settling in this place. Since then we
have cared for the soil of this canyon as if it were our own flesh. We have ample labor, and enough
water. Only one shortage complicates our work.
I wondered about that, Gragelouth admitted.
What are they talking about? Buncan mused. Though he d been following the conversation closely, he
felt suddenly lost.
Chi-churog stared evenly at Gragelouth. You are perceptive, traveler. Many successful seasons have
thinned and weakened this earth. Rain carries some nutrients down from the surrounding rim, but it is not
nearly enough. Our springs run clear and clean, which in this case is less than helpful. We make use of the
dung of our riding and pulling animals, but even this is limited in the results it can achieve.
Therefore, whenever the occasion presents itself we miss no opportunity to lavish upon our precious
sustaining fields whatever additional fertilizers may become available.
Gragelouth smiled demurely. If you would like to add our personal by-products to your efforts we will
be happy to accommodate you, but except for what Snaugenhutt can produce I fear you will be
disappointed.
Chi-churog put the stub of his second smoking stick aside. You underestimate yourself, sloth. He
grinned, his black nose twitching. Crops do well on dung, but better by far on blood and bone.
At which point Buncan knew exactly what had happened to the bodies of the original owners of the
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mounted skulls he had encountered earlier.
CHAPTER 19
With speed no one imagined he possessed, Gragelouth sprinted for the exit and straight into the arms of
the half dozen guards waiting outside. Buncan wrestled his duar into position while Squill and Neena
lunged for their weapons.
The meerkats and rats and ground squirrels were too fast. They poured into the tent and swarmed the
travelers, too many for the otters, too quick for Buncan. Viz made a dive for the doorway and flew
straight into a waiting net. Squill managed one good Sword stroke, slicing an overanxious meerkat from
groin to armpit, before he went down under five or six assailants. Without Snaugenhutt s aid they didn t
stand a chance in close quarters, and Snaugenhutt was apparently indisposed until morning.
They wouldn t nave until morning.
It was all over in less man a minute.
It wouldn t have mattered if the otters had fumbled for lyrics instead of weapons. The duar was quickly
wrenched from Duncan s fingers. Not because the Xi-Murogg had any idea it possessed unique powers,
but because it was large and well made and if properly wielded could conceivably bash in an unwary
meerkat s skull. Which was just what the furious Buncan wanted to do, except that his hands and feet [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
