the
sun swung low the overseers clapped and the slaves went into a bustle,
finishing their work and putting away their tools as if a boogey man would soon
come out.
Ral
and Guppy busied themselves at a tree opposite the little island. Rigging like
that on a ship’s mast ran from the top of the tree. A rope led to one block
and tackle, looped through another one and ended at a long object that leaned
over the water. It was a drawbridge. They lowered it and the slaves walked
across it in ones and twos, Ral cursing and telling them to hurry.
Thurlun
came over to Kyric and Lerica. “Before I untie you, I want you to know that
the crocodiles are very active at night. They’re big, and they’re man-eaters.
Do not go near the water’s edge at night.”
Kyric
looked him in the eyes. The man wasn’t lying.
Tebble,
the one Kyric had fought with, came rushing out of nowhere growling, “You
fucking son of a bitch,” throwing a haymaker swing aimed right for his nose.
Thurlun
stepped in and caught his arm. “Whoa. What’s this about?”
Tebble
was unusually red on his forehead and around his right eye. “He rubbed
something in my face. It’s killing me.”
“You’ll
live,” said Thurlun. “Go smear mud on it like the natives do.”
Harlon
led them to the bridge. It was a stripped tree-trunk that had been split and
folded back, with a few rough planks set crossways to hold it together. They
were the last to cross. It was narrow, and it wobbled. The waters of the
swamp rippled. Creatures moved beneath the surface as twilight began to fall.
The
Terrulans all stared in wonder at Kyric. A foreigner akin to their captors,
thrown in with slaves. They stepped aside as he walked among them. Then a
skinny old woman with close-cut hair stood before him, surprise on her face as
she greeted him in Cor’el.
‘ You
are even younger here than on the other side ,’ she said-signed. ‘ With
your power, I thought you would be older than me .’
‘ Who
are you ?’ he returned.
‘ I
am the one who dreamed you here. I am Rolirra .’
CHAPTER 9: Dreamers
Kyric
blinked and looked again. It was her, only she was thirty years older. “I
knew you were real,” he said, though she didn’t understand him.
‘ How
is it ,’ he said-signed, ‘ that we have walked together in our dreams ?’
‘ We
are Ilven ,’ she replied. ‘ We are the clan of dreamers .’ She smiled
wearily. ‘ Everyone is tired and hungry. We will talk at the meeting place
after we have eaten .’
Beneath
a group of trees in the middle of the island, a cooking table had been fashioned
out of tree limbs and mud. Above a bed of coals in its center, thick slabs of
fish roasted on a buccan of green wood. Rolirra said some sort of blessing
over it, which was echoed by the circle of Terrulans, then it was handed out,
with palm leaves for plates.
It
was bland, yet fishy in taste, but otherwise alright. Suddenly mad with
hunger, Kyric wolfed his down and licked the remaining flakes from his leaf.
Someone brought him more. Apparently there wasn’t any shortage of fish around
here.
“Why
do I get the feeling,” he said to Lerica, “that we’re eating fillet of angel
ray?”
She
didn’t say anything. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and licked
it clean. “What in hell is wrong with Aiyan?” she whispered savagely.
“All he had to do was agree to work for them — “
“I
know, I know.” Kyric let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know why he didn’t do
that.”
Clouds
of mosquitoes gathered over the island. A big round moon began to peek over
the treetops as the last light faded in the west. “Great,” said Lerica. “The
moon will be full tomorrow night.”
“And
will you turn into a bird and fly away?” he said, thinking of the fairy tale
about the woodcutter.
“No
bird. But I might fly.”
He
was about to ask her what she meant by
sun swung low the overseers clapped and the slaves went into a bustle,
finishing their work and putting away their tools as if a boogey man would soon
come out.
Ral
and Guppy busied themselves at a tree opposite the little island. Rigging like
that on a ship’s mast ran from the top of the tree. A rope led to one block
and tackle, looped through another one and ended at a long object that leaned
over the water. It was a drawbridge. They lowered it and the slaves walked
across it in ones and twos, Ral cursing and telling them to hurry.
Thurlun
came over to Kyric and Lerica. “Before I untie you, I want you to know that
the crocodiles are very active at night. They’re big, and they’re man-eaters.
Do not go near the water’s edge at night.”
Kyric
looked him in the eyes. The man wasn’t lying.
Tebble,
the one Kyric had fought with, came rushing out of nowhere growling, “You
fucking son of a bitch,” throwing a haymaker swing aimed right for his nose.
Thurlun
stepped in and caught his arm. “Whoa. What’s this about?”
Tebble
was unusually red on his forehead and around his right eye. “He rubbed
something in my face. It’s killing me.”
“You’ll
live,” said Thurlun. “Go smear mud on it like the natives do.”
Harlon
led them to the bridge. It was a stripped tree-trunk that had been split and
folded back, with a few rough planks set crossways to hold it together. They
were the last to cross. It was narrow, and it wobbled. The waters of the
swamp rippled. Creatures moved beneath the surface as twilight began to fall.
The
Terrulans all stared in wonder at Kyric. A foreigner akin to their captors,
thrown in with slaves. They stepped aside as he walked among them. Then a
skinny old woman with close-cut hair stood before him, surprise on her face as
she greeted him in Cor’el.
‘ You
are even younger here than on the other side ,’ she said-signed. ‘ With
your power, I thought you would be older than me .’
‘ Who
are you ?’ he returned.
‘ I
am the one who dreamed you here. I am Rolirra .’
CHAPTER 9: Dreamers
Kyric
blinked and looked again. It was her, only she was thirty years older. “I
knew you were real,” he said, though she didn’t understand him.
‘ How
is it ,’ he said-signed, ‘ that we have walked together in our dreams ?’
‘ We
are Ilven ,’ she replied. ‘ We are the clan of dreamers .’ She smiled
wearily. ‘ Everyone is tired and hungry. We will talk at the meeting place
after we have eaten .’
Beneath
a group of trees in the middle of the island, a cooking table had been fashioned
out of tree limbs and mud. Above a bed of coals in its center, thick slabs of
fish roasted on a buccan of green wood. Rolirra said some sort of blessing
over it, which was echoed by the circle of Terrulans, then it was handed out,
with palm leaves for plates.
It
was bland, yet fishy in taste, but otherwise alright. Suddenly mad with
hunger, Kyric wolfed his down and licked the remaining flakes from his leaf.
Someone brought him more. Apparently there wasn’t any shortage of fish around
here.
“Why
do I get the feeling,” he said to Lerica, “that we’re eating fillet of angel
ray?”
She
didn’t say anything. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and licked
it clean. “What in hell is wrong with Aiyan?” she whispered savagely.
“All he had to do was agree to work for them — “
“I
know, I know.” Kyric let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know why he didn’t do
that.”
Clouds
of mosquitoes gathered over the island. A big round moon began to peek over
the treetops as the last light faded in the west. “Great,” said Lerica. “The
moon will be full tomorrow night.”
“And
will you turn into a bird and fly away?” he said, thinking of the fairy tale
about the woodcutter.
“No
bird. But I might fly.”
He
was about to ask her what she meant by
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