the bottom, he knew. Brocando hung on and moaned, with his eyes shut. Even Bane had slumped down, bracing himself for the shock.
So only Glurk saw the pones leaping from the platform, one by one.
The tiny wings opened. They were too small to carry pones-but they worked. They whirled madly and the pones stayed up, drifting gently between the hairs.
With only Acretongue's weight upon it the platform slowed down, and hit the dust with a thud.
Acretongue lumbered off, while all about them pones crashed down through the hairs like falling fruit.
The others looked up at Glurk's face.
"You knew we wouldn't crash!" said Pismire accusingly.
"Hoped," said Glurk. "I wasn't too sure, even after all Culaina said."
"Who's Culaina? Is he the she? said Pismire. He was badly rattled. He was kind enough in his way, but knowing more than Glurk about almost everything was one of the few things he was sure he was good at. He wasn't used to this.
Another pone bounced on to the dust beside them. They're lighter than they look, he thought. Balloons with wings. No wonder they don't like sharp objects ...
"Culaina's hard to describe," said Glurk. "I think she's a sort of wight."
"A sort of wight?" said Pismire.
"You'll have to ask her yourself," said Glurk. "We're going to see her now." Acretongue's head dipped, and he began to plod between the hairs.
"No, we're not," said Bane. "We must go to Ware!"
"Back to Jeopard, you mean!"
"Ware's only a few days away. I have to tell them about this!"
"They might know already," said Pismire, glumly.
"They don't," said Glurk.
"How do you know?"
"We're the only ones who know about the moul army," said Glurk. "We'll have to go to Ware to warn people. But first we've got to go back to talk to Culaina."
"This wight? Why?" said Pismire.
"To tell her what we've seen," said Glurk, smiling in a puzzled kind of way. He scratched his head. "So she can remember what we tell her now and tell me two days ago. When I met her."
Brocando opened his mouth, but Pismire waved him into silence.
"Wights remember the future as well as the past," he said. "But ... look, they never tell anyone, Glurk."
"This one does," said Glurk. "Don't look at me like that. You think I could make this sort of thing up?
CHAPTER 13
"Following you was easy enough," said Glurk. "I mean, twenty people leave a trail, no problem there. Half the time I had to be careful I didn't walk into you. And then I thought ... they're going south in a straight line, so I might as well go on ahead, spy out the land, see what's happening. One person can move a lot faster than twenty, so why not? I'd got a snarg to ride, too. They respond well to a bit of kindness," he said. "Mind you, you have to use quite a lot of cruelty as well. And that's how I met Culaina. She's very strange."
There was a pause. Then Pismire said, "I think we missed something there."
"You'll see where she lives," said Glurk. "I ... er ... I don't think people see it unless she wants 'em to. I've never seen anything like it. And there she was and ... and ... she told me where you were going, and how I could hang on to the bottom of that lifting cart, and pinch the armour off a Vortgorn, and release the pones, and how they could fly ... everything."
"How did she know all this?" Brocando demanded.
"Because we're going to tell her," said Glurk. "Don't ask me how it works."
"They remember forwards as well as backwards," said Bane.
"But they must never tell!" said Pismire. "Otherwise dreadful things could happen!"
"I don't know about that," said Glurk, guardedly. "The way I see it, you've been freed ... that doesn't sound dreadful."
"But we must get back to the tribe," said Pismire.
"And my people!" said Brocando. "They need us!"
"I've been thinking about that," said Glurk. "There's two hundred Munrungs and three thousand Deftmenes, and they're all armed and together and ... they need us? We've got some good lads in the tribe. And Snibril's with them ... isn't
So only Glurk saw the pones leaping from the platform, one by one.
The tiny wings opened. They were too small to carry pones-but they worked. They whirled madly and the pones stayed up, drifting gently between the hairs.
With only Acretongue's weight upon it the platform slowed down, and hit the dust with a thud.
Acretongue lumbered off, while all about them pones crashed down through the hairs like falling fruit.
The others looked up at Glurk's face.
"You knew we wouldn't crash!" said Pismire accusingly.
"Hoped," said Glurk. "I wasn't too sure, even after all Culaina said."
"Who's Culaina? Is he the she? said Pismire. He was badly rattled. He was kind enough in his way, but knowing more than Glurk about almost everything was one of the few things he was sure he was good at. He wasn't used to this.
Another pone bounced on to the dust beside them. They're lighter than they look, he thought. Balloons with wings. No wonder they don't like sharp objects ...
"Culaina's hard to describe," said Glurk. "I think she's a sort of wight."
"A sort of wight?" said Pismire.
"You'll have to ask her yourself," said Glurk. "We're going to see her now." Acretongue's head dipped, and he began to plod between the hairs.
"No, we're not," said Bane. "We must go to Ware!"
"Back to Jeopard, you mean!"
"Ware's only a few days away. I have to tell them about this!"
"They might know already," said Pismire, glumly.
"They don't," said Glurk.
"How do you know?"
"We're the only ones who know about the moul army," said Glurk. "We'll have to go to Ware to warn people. But first we've got to go back to talk to Culaina."
"This wight? Why?" said Pismire.
"To tell her what we've seen," said Glurk, smiling in a puzzled kind of way. He scratched his head. "So she can remember what we tell her now and tell me two days ago. When I met her."
Brocando opened his mouth, but Pismire waved him into silence.
"Wights remember the future as well as the past," he said. "But ... look, they never tell anyone, Glurk."
"This one does," said Glurk. "Don't look at me like that. You think I could make this sort of thing up?
CHAPTER 13
"Following you was easy enough," said Glurk. "I mean, twenty people leave a trail, no problem there. Half the time I had to be careful I didn't walk into you. And then I thought ... they're going south in a straight line, so I might as well go on ahead, spy out the land, see what's happening. One person can move a lot faster than twenty, so why not? I'd got a snarg to ride, too. They respond well to a bit of kindness," he said. "Mind you, you have to use quite a lot of cruelty as well. And that's how I met Culaina. She's very strange."
There was a pause. Then Pismire said, "I think we missed something there."
"You'll see where she lives," said Glurk. "I ... er ... I don't think people see it unless she wants 'em to. I've never seen anything like it. And there she was and ... and ... she told me where you were going, and how I could hang on to the bottom of that lifting cart, and pinch the armour off a Vortgorn, and release the pones, and how they could fly ... everything."
"How did she know all this?" Brocando demanded.
"Because we're going to tell her," said Glurk. "Don't ask me how it works."
"They remember forwards as well as backwards," said Bane.
"But they must never tell!" said Pismire. "Otherwise dreadful things could happen!"
"I don't know about that," said Glurk, guardedly. "The way I see it, you've been freed ... that doesn't sound dreadful."
"But we must get back to the tribe," said Pismire.
"And my people!" said Brocando. "They need us!"
"I've been thinking about that," said Glurk. "There's two hundred Munrungs and three thousand Deftmenes, and they're all armed and together and ... they need us? We've got some good lads in the tribe. And Snibril's with them ... isn't
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