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put under his tongue so he could forget about the thirst that was turning his
mouth to a _washboard.
A loud squawl brought his head up.
A black trax was circling overhead.
He straightened, waved.
The trax dipped a wing, squawled again, then took off.
He stood looking after it until Mithel came scrambling back to him.
The boy stood with hands clasped behind him, watching the trax vanish into
the clouds.  What s that? he said.
Hedivy shook himself, began trudging up the steepen-ing slope to where the
trees began.  Trax, he said.
 I KNOW that. Mithel trotted ahead of him, switched round so he
was climbing backwards, moving with an ease that irritated Hedivy.  I
shoulda said who.
 Friend. Hedivy grabbed a handful of the aromatic branches, used them to pull
himself up a tough section, the whippy limbs bending and creaking, but not
breaking away even when he put most of his weight on them.  Help s comin .
Half an hour later the trax was back. He swooped low over Hedivy, arced up and
around, came back and dropped the longgun he clutched in his talons, then went
racing away toward the Pass.
Hedivy caught the gun, the weight of it slapping with comfortable
familiarity into his hands, the bulletsac tied to the trigger guard
swinging against his gut. He smiled and began untieing the sac from the guard.
Mithel came running back.  Lemme see, huh? Lemme see.
Kielin caught him by the arm to drag him off. Over her shoulder she said,
 What saves you, saves us.
Remem-ber? She scowled at the boy.  Leave him alone, Mith. This is his
business.
Hedivy smiled again. His business. Yes. He shook the strap loose,
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slung the longgun over his shoulder, pulled the sac open, and began
shoving bullets in a clip as he climbed up the slope, his body moving easily
now, aches and weakness forgotten.
One thing you could say about the gyes he might be as woolly headed as this
lot, but he knew when you needed a gun in your hands.
He caught up with Kielin, walked beside her.  Can you find out how many
Qilimen are waiting for us?
 Seven. She chuckled at the expression on his face.  The trees.
 You telling me trees can count?
 No. We can.
He brushed at his face as if brushing away cobwebs.  And you know where they
are.
 Oh, yes.
 And you can show me.
 No need. Your friend will take care of them.
 Huh.
>>
Serree, Adlee say he see ohhh eight ... nine ... ten folk climbing up the
mountain ... last one, it s Hev limpin along like he hurt or somethin . Adlee
say no guns, no weap-ons, just folk climbin mountain and back down below,
Qilimen, lots and lots and lots of Qilimen, spread out all over the place, got
drums, bangin on them, he don know why ... saaa!, more Qilimen sittin in
trees ahead of Hev and the Dream-ers, waitin for them, Adlee thinks ... the
Pass, that s where they are. Where Honeydew and Adlee and Serree gotta go. Got
guns and lookin ugly. Adlee says he wants to take his longgun and drop it to
Hev, just in case, he says.
Tell him I think it s a good idea, Honey, and he should come back right now
After his supply run Adlayr dropped to the ground in his usual awkward,
stumbling touchdown, choreographed to Honeydew s giggles. He got to his feet,
brushed the dirt off his face, and took the trousers Serroi passed to him,
talking as he began getting dressed.
 Hev is lookin better now he s not just a passenger. I could tell he was
feelin low. He hopped about, got his second leg in the trousers and ran the
laces round the hooks, shook his head as Serroi held out his shirt.  I m
probably gonna have to fly again, no point in it.
Serroi set her hand on his arm, held him still a moment.  You re all right?
 Easy in, easy out, he said, but wouldn t meet her eyes.
Serroi shifted her pack, started walking.  How far to the Pass?
Adlayr caught up his pack and moved after her, Honey-dew settling on his
shoulder, her hand tight on the long braid that went past his neck and hung
down his chest.  We re closer on this side than the
Dreamers are on theirs. I d guess from how they re moving, it ll be at least a
day and a half before they get into the Pass, we should reach our end sometime
round tomorrow noon. It s a winding gorge, looks like a river ran through it,
then the land rose and cut the water off. Thirty, forty stades long. Take at
least ten hours to walk it, probably longer. The Qilimen are waiting about
five stades inside. Narrow place, with walls too steep to climb, a cliff on
the west side. They ve piled rocks up along the edge, can shoot through gaps,
rake the pass for half a stade on either side. Two of them are up trees with
longglasses, the others are sitting round under the trees, eating, talking, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]