Mike’s voice had returned.
‘The Sickness. It lingers in us . . . then, at the end,’ her hand made a chopping motion, ‘very quick.’ She stooped and put the sword beyond Fergus’s reach. ‘Help me unload the horse. We’ll get him on it.’
‘We’re going to take him back? Get help?’
She shook her head. ‘We are going to send him back. And go on by ourselves.’
‘That’s the worst idea I ever heard!’
‘The Sickness is in me, too. I can feel it. If I turn back, I die, and so does the Clan.’
Mike did not need to consider it. ‘Okay,’ he said, and moved to the horse and started undoing the ropes.
It took what seemed like half an hour to get Fergus on the horse. In the end, they tied him on. Then they patted the horse on the rump and sent it on its way. It went more willingly than it had come, seeming to prefer the prospect of its own stall and feedtrough to any exotic fodder it might find along the road in foreign parts.
Mike and Katrin watched the horse carry Fergus out of sight. They were alone now, with only such provisions as they could carry on their backs.
Night was closing in as they started on their way again.
CHAPTER 10
THE RIVER YOBBIES
They slept in a tree. Mike could see the sense in that. ‘I guess this keeps us safe from lions,’ he said.
‘But not chagwars,’ she answered.
‘Chagwars?’
She nodded. ‘Chagwars.’
He thought for a moment. ‘Big cats? Orange fur? Black markings?’
‘That’s right,’ she said, ‘chagwars.’
‘Jaguars. What do you call leopards?’
‘We call them leopards.’
Mike left it at that, and concentrated on trying to sleep in a tree. It was obviously an acquired art. Katrin had acquired it, he had not. He sat in the fork of the tree thinking about chagwars, and lions and leopards and leathermen who ran dog packs. He knew he would never get to sleep.
After a while he went to sleep and dreamed about chagwars chasing him out of trees into the mouths of giant hounds, controlled, for some reason, by a faceless Fergus on a horse.
In the morning, Katrin shook him awake, and he tried to unbend his limbs. It took him a while to be able to use his arms and legs properly, and his neck felt as if it had developed a permanent forty-five degree twist.
They started off without eating, a custom Mike disapproved of.
‘The day beasts are up and hunting,’ Katrin explained. They’ll smell where we’ve lain the night and come for us.’
Mike felt like telling her to speak for herself, but then thought better of it. Anyway he probably smelled the same as the rest of them by now.
An hour later, they breakfasted by a creek. Katrin showed him how to dip the hard bread in water to soften it. At first he was reluctant, and explained why. ‘In Before, it’s dangerous to drink creek water.’
She looked at him in surprise. ‘Why?’
‘Well. . . there’s poisons in it.’
He could see the horror in her eyes. ‘Your Clan enemies poison your creeks? That’s against the Covenant!’
‘No, the poisons come from the farms.’
She now looked at him in blank incomprehension. Then smiled in sudden understanding. ‘Your farms are in Bad Lands.’
‘We spray poisons on our crops.’
‘Are you making a joke?’ she said solemnly.
‘No.’
‘Why do you poison your food?’ She spoke as if she were humouring a maniac.
‘The poisons are to kill the insects.’
‘If you kill the insects, what do the birds eat?’
‘Well they . . . they get along.’ He paused. ‘Unless you spray against insects you lose a lot of your crops!’
‘Yes. The insects eat. Sometimes there’s famine. . .’
‘So. It’s a good thing to do.’
She made no answer to that, and instead drank from the creek with a cupped right hand, her left grasping her bow. He watched, and then he also drank. The water tasted good. There was a rich, earthy taste to it. She watched him as he drank. He became aware of her eyes on him.
‘Well, we sure as hell don’t have
‘The Sickness. It lingers in us . . . then, at the end,’ her hand made a chopping motion, ‘very quick.’ She stooped and put the sword beyond Fergus’s reach. ‘Help me unload the horse. We’ll get him on it.’
‘We’re going to take him back? Get help?’
She shook her head. ‘We are going to send him back. And go on by ourselves.’
‘That’s the worst idea I ever heard!’
‘The Sickness is in me, too. I can feel it. If I turn back, I die, and so does the Clan.’
Mike did not need to consider it. ‘Okay,’ he said, and moved to the horse and started undoing the ropes.
It took what seemed like half an hour to get Fergus on the horse. In the end, they tied him on. Then they patted the horse on the rump and sent it on its way. It went more willingly than it had come, seeming to prefer the prospect of its own stall and feedtrough to any exotic fodder it might find along the road in foreign parts.
Mike and Katrin watched the horse carry Fergus out of sight. They were alone now, with only such provisions as they could carry on their backs.
Night was closing in as they started on their way again.
CHAPTER 10
THE RIVER YOBBIES
They slept in a tree. Mike could see the sense in that. ‘I guess this keeps us safe from lions,’ he said.
‘But not chagwars,’ she answered.
‘Chagwars?’
She nodded. ‘Chagwars.’
He thought for a moment. ‘Big cats? Orange fur? Black markings?’
‘That’s right,’ she said, ‘chagwars.’
‘Jaguars. What do you call leopards?’
‘We call them leopards.’
Mike left it at that, and concentrated on trying to sleep in a tree. It was obviously an acquired art. Katrin had acquired it, he had not. He sat in the fork of the tree thinking about chagwars, and lions and leopards and leathermen who ran dog packs. He knew he would never get to sleep.
After a while he went to sleep and dreamed about chagwars chasing him out of trees into the mouths of giant hounds, controlled, for some reason, by a faceless Fergus on a horse.
In the morning, Katrin shook him awake, and he tried to unbend his limbs. It took him a while to be able to use his arms and legs properly, and his neck felt as if it had developed a permanent forty-five degree twist.
They started off without eating, a custom Mike disapproved of.
‘The day beasts are up and hunting,’ Katrin explained. They’ll smell where we’ve lain the night and come for us.’
Mike felt like telling her to speak for herself, but then thought better of it. Anyway he probably smelled the same as the rest of them by now.
An hour later, they breakfasted by a creek. Katrin showed him how to dip the hard bread in water to soften it. At first he was reluctant, and explained why. ‘In Before, it’s dangerous to drink creek water.’
She looked at him in surprise. ‘Why?’
‘Well. . . there’s poisons in it.’
He could see the horror in her eyes. ‘Your Clan enemies poison your creeks? That’s against the Covenant!’
‘No, the poisons come from the farms.’
She now looked at him in blank incomprehension. Then smiled in sudden understanding. ‘Your farms are in Bad Lands.’
‘We spray poisons on our crops.’
‘Are you making a joke?’ she said solemnly.
‘No.’
‘Why do you poison your food?’ She spoke as if she were humouring a maniac.
‘The poisons are to kill the insects.’
‘If you kill the insects, what do the birds eat?’
‘Well they . . . they get along.’ He paused. ‘Unless you spray against insects you lose a lot of your crops!’
‘Yes. The insects eat. Sometimes there’s famine. . .’
‘So. It’s a good thing to do.’
She made no answer to that, and instead drank from the creek with a cupped right hand, her left grasping her bow. He watched, and then he also drank. The water tasted good. There was a rich, earthy taste to it. She watched him as he drank. He became aware of her eyes on him.
‘Well, we sure as hell don’t have
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