Читать книгу The Hopes of Kings - Steve Reilly - Страница 18

Chapter 11

The river flowed gently past the small cottage, delicately kissing the bank before running on to seek other pleasures. The trees still provided their shade but the vegetable garden showed its lack of care in recent weeks. Patches of mud had dried along the banks where the water had dropped to lower levels.

On the verandah, two large chairs lazed in the morning sun. At present, they were occupied by Hirith and Battok who lay with their eyes closed, discussing the attack on Aiyu’s family and how the lowlanders came to be on the high country. They also wondered how they could have approached, completed the attack and left without being seen or any alarm given but they agreed the lowlanders had come with one advantage - they had not been expected. Ethru listened from where she sat on the floor with her back leaning against the wall and she wondered why she felt so at ease in this place so far from the city. Privately, she had no doubts that these men were the same ones who had chased Camille to the mountains and whose intent seemed only to cause trouble.

Inside the cottage, Zon was preparing a mixture of fresh vegetables for them to snack on. They were all relaxed and enjoying the comfort of the unusual warmth of the sun. Their duty to Obiri was proving far easier than any of them expected. Since the attack on Bhata, there had been no sign of lowlander activity.

Zon saw him first, through the open window. Kuir was approaching and his ungainly lope expressed a desire to reach the cottage quickly. She put down the food and came out onto the verandah, warning the others as she did. Together, they stood and waited for the guard to arrive.

“Lowlanders here,” Kuir called when he was close enough to make them hear. When he reached the cottage they began to quiz him on what he saw.

“Do patrol The Edge. See lowlanders in trees. First see two watch cliff. One see Kuir so Kuir look away. Make lowlanders think Kuir no see. Move different place. See more humans in trees. Then run here. Know Hirith want hear.”

He paused, seemingly hopeful for some form of congratulations on his good work, but Hirith was more interested in his observations, and then asked him of the numbers of lowlanders who had come and what they were doing now. Finally he announced that it was time for them all to move to The Edge where they had prepared their defence for whatever came next.

“Tell everyone come. We go now. If lowlanders want come mountains again, we play good joke on them.”

While they trotted to their position, Hirith contemplated their coming actions to assure himself he could do no more. To Hirith, it was strange that the cliff that had been the barrier that kept humans and auchs apart since the days of Ngai was now to be the place that brought the two races together in war, because that is what Obiri told him this was to be.

When did a war begin? he thought. Was it the first time two groups faced off, or was it the first death? Was it yet to start, or had it already begun? Or did there need to be a required number of people involved? And if so, how many?

In a very short time their small group were gathered at The Edge above the fissure entrance. Their arrival at the cliff put an end to all the futile thoughts. He kept his people back from the lip so they could not be seen as he was certain the humans would be watching for them just as he was certain an attack was coming.

Nothing else would explain the presence of the strong lowlander force, but he needed to know what was happening.

He asked Kuir to move forward again but warned him to crawl and take care not to be seen.

The others waited their instructions.

“When lowlanders come, I stand with Kuir and two more guards. We throw rocks. Others keep rocks ready. This be good joke. But no think lowlanders laugh. We show lowlanders no come mountains.”

But the expected attack did not come and eventually night spread its shadow again over the land. Battok called Hirith aside to ask his friend a question.

“How many lowlanders in trees?”

When Hirith admitted he had no idea of the size of the forces below but suggested their numbers were large enough to create the noise they heard but small enough to hide their numbers easily in the trees. Battok suggested the two of them should go and look and after only a moment’s hesitation, Hirith agreed and set out for the entrance to the tunnel. Battok hurried to catch up to his friend and together they walked through the luscious grasses, their careful passage watched by the stars, before descending through the dark tunnel to the mouth of the fissure.

Hirith looked to see where the guards stood watch. Two men could be seen at the edge of the trees but as far as Hirith could tell no one hid among the rocks to raise any alarm. The human guards’ eyes seemed only for the cliff above. They slipped out and made their way along the cliff base until they were clear of the fissure before heading out over the rocky ground and into the shadows of the trees. Even the stars could not see them here. They circled around to approach the humans from the far side, the lowlands side.

Crouching beside Battok, Hirith began to count and had determined that about sixty humans hid in the shadows when Battok touched his arm, making him aware of the approaching riders. More men were entering the camp and they remained still as a further nine rode past and into the camp. From their close position they heard one of the men warn the newcomers to keep quiet because the auchs were patrolling the cliff top, and for the groups’ leader to report for instructions.

Battok turned to Hirith and grinned.

“Lowlander talk be good to know,” he whispered.

Hirith considered the risks and decided that since they were already here, it would be an insult not to listen to what they planned. The humans held their meeting, not knowing that two of their enemy sat less than fifty feet away, taking note of all that was planned. When they finished, Hirith and Battok withdrew quietly to make their way back to the fissure.

Kuir and Ethru stood guard at the ramped entrance and Hirith asked them to join him. He would tell everyone what they had discovered.

“Rest now. Humans come tomorrow,” he told them. “Lowlanders wait for Kuir do check. Come after he leave. Then find auchs be ready. We begin war then. Be great fun,” he laughed.

He asked Tuuki if she could speak with the spirits and ask them if they would take messages to the other watchers, and to Konungssonur, to warn them of the lowlanders. He did not want to send a runner. He had only himself and eight others to defend against almost ninety, if the other soldiers the leader spoke of arrived.

They did not return to the cottage, but instead decided to wait close to The Edge in case things changed. Hirith had concerns about the coming attack and asked Battok and Zon if they could do something to make sure they were not surprised.

“I watch and signal Battok. He talk everybody. Tell what I see. He know what need be done,” suggested Zon. Hirith did not like the idea.

“Must watch too close. Lowlanders see you. Be ready. Change plan.”

“Lowlanders no see. I no move.”

“But you move give Battok warning.”

Zon explained that she and her mate had developed hand signals for when they played their pranks on their people. She could speak with him without moving anything more than her fingers. She was sure they would not be seen.

~

In the darkness, before the first colours of the morning filtered over the land, Zon stood still while her mate painted her with mud. Then, when she lay with her head and shoulders hanging over the air, Battok added sticks and small stones to his living sculpture to hide her outline from those below. Then he stepped back to admire his work.

“Lowlanders no see Zon now,” he laughed. “Look like Holdbori leave big shit on rock.”

Zon’s fingers moved and he laughed at her crude reply. Preparations had been made and now all they could do was sit and wait out of sight of the soldiers below. All except Zon, who lay as if she were dead. The sun touched the trees with its first breath and Zon’s fingers moved again.

“They watch,” Battok whispered.

“How many?”

Zon’s fingers danced again.

“Six under trees and two in rocks near entrance,” Battok relayed.

“Then wait. Let lowlanders watch.”

The sun baked the mud covering Zon, drying it to her skin.

Hirith kept them waiting until the sun approached its peak before he told Kuir to go and put their plan into action. Kuir rose silently and walked to the cliff top to stand on a rock, arms at his sides while he searched the world beyond the trees in full view of those below.

When Zon signalled, Battok snapped a branch and on hearing the noise and knowing that the lowlanders had dropped back into hiding he looked down to scan the edge of the tree-line. It amused him that he could still see them, though he was forced to pretend he could see nothing. With his acting finished, he moved to repeat his actions further along the cliff before falling back to re-join the others. They were forced to wait before Zon’s fingers broke into activity and Battok began to translate.

“Lowlanders come. Small number crawl over rocks like snails on cabbage.”

Battok’s eyes remained fixed on his mate as he continued to describe the scene below. This finger-talk could be useful if more auchs were to learn the skill before the main war, Hirith thought.

The first humans settled in to take up positions hidden among the rocks and a second wave moved out, a much larger group. While they moved towards the fissure, a third group remained under the trees. Time almost seemed to stop for Hirith as he held his people ready. Zon signalled that one group of lowlanders was close to the base of the cliff, and the next group were leaving the trees. He could not wait for them to approach for fear that the first men would reach the fissure.

“Time come show lowlanders no come mountains,” he grumbled.

He stepped up to the cliff edge. His three guards were ready and came with him.

Picking up the first rock, it was the size of a sweet-melon, and taking it in both hands, he lifted it above his head before he took a step and lobbed it over The Edge. The guards joined the fun and they soon had a steady rain of rocks of all shapes and sizes falling on the helpless humans below. The others began restocking the piles as they were used. Now that their presence was known and her observations were no longer required, Zon joined with restocking, dried pieces of her camouflage clinging to her body as if she had just crawled out of her mud bath.

Hirith could see that some of the rocks had found their targets. Humans lay sprawled on the ground staining the area around them red. The first group rose from their cover and drew their bows. Arrows flew up, but by the time they arrived they did not have the power to cause injury to anyone. Hirith laughed when he saw the lowlanders run as the steel pointed shafts joined the deadly rain of rocks as they fell back to the ground.

A horn sounded beneath the trees and the lowlanders immediately began to retreat, leaving behind their dead and severely injured. Hirith called a stop to their attack. He wanted to conserve his supply of rocks as he was concerned about a second attack. But time showed the humans had given up their attempt to gain access to the fissure, at least for the moment. He called for Battok to join him.

“Must make sure lowlanders go away. No try come back again. You have idea?”

“What care if come back. We no many but lowlanders run like chickens run from dog.”

He thought for a moment.

“We no many. Maybe that scare lowlanders away. Show only take nine auch beat many lowlanders.”

Hirith laughed,

“Better if show it only take five. Lowlanders see four but must know more help.”

Hirith called the others together and told them what he planned. Two would appear for the humans to see and he chose Battok and a guard. The soldiers below would not know who stood above them. The others would remain hidden. Kuir and Ethru followed him into the tunnel and they moved fast to descend to the fissure entrance and wait. He would know when it was time to step out into the light.

The lowlanders scurried about beneath the trees saddling horses and packing away gear. Only a few kept watch on the cliff above. As far as he could see, they paid little attention to the fissure. Was this another mistake by the humans, or were they more prepared than he anticipated? Perhaps they believed he would sit and wait for them to try again, but they appeared to be planning to leave and he could not understand why they would attack so weakly, only to leave at the first sign of resistance. While he waited, he tried to make sense of their actions.

One of the humans called out and pointed to the cliff top. Others ran to join him. Battok had drawn the human’s attention as he had expected and he reacted quickly, stepping out into the sunlight. Ethru joined him on his right and Kuir took up the position at his left. They stood there and waited to be noticed. He trusted Battok to watch and warn him, if need be. Moments later the lowlanders’ attention turned to him.

Hirith took a step forward and called, “Humans!” There appeared to be confusion among the humans as they tried to talk and watch him at the same time. Finally one man stepped forward and he guessed he was their leader.

“Lowlanders go leave mountains. No come back,” Hirith called.

He waited while the leader turned and spoke with his men and when he faced the auchs again Hirith continued, “Auchs no want fight. Auchs want live peace. Lowlanders come kill people, so auchs fight. Auchs remember Ngai teach must defend peace. Remember Darkward die protect all. Never forget.”

The human leader turned and called to his men while Hirith stepped back to join Ethru and Kuir. The soldiers mounted their horses and prepared to leave and their leader looked back to where Hirith stood.

Ethru began to chant beside him and Kuir joined her, followed by those on the cliff.

“Ngai and Darkward. Ngai and Darkward.”

It had been too easy, thought Hirith.

He watched as the humans turned to listen before they disappeared further into the trees.

They continued to chant until the humans were well gone.