Nightpeople Read online

  This final proclamation echoed around the chamber for a long time, then Dreamer Gaardi spoke.

  ‘What you gonna do with her?’

  ‘That’s not the concern of the council. You only need to worry about keepin’ the law.’

  ‘You gonna trade her to the Nightpeople?’

  ‘If we do, it’s not your worry.’

  ‘Crap! Even if she goes across to Olympic with you lot, she’s still the last Dreamer. She belongs to all the Darklanders.’

  ‘She’s taken on Baanti’s place, even his bloody dog worked that out.’ Slander caught the brief expression of surprise that flashed across Dreamer Wanji’s face. ‘Oh, yeah, we know all about that. You ever hear of a Dreamer’s dog willingly following another?’

  ‘That means nothin’,’ Dreamer Wanji interjected. ‘The way Dreamer Baanti used to treat that animal, it’s a wonder it didn’t take off a lot earlier.’

  ‘That’s not how dogs are and you know it. That girl took Baanti’s dog, she took his power, and in the end she took his life. She left Olympic with no Dreamer. That gives us a claim over her, which is all the council needs to concern itself with.’

  With that, Slander turned his back on Dreamer Wanji and the other Dreamers and marched back into the shadows outside the circle. Saria was alarmed to notice that a couple of the Dreamers had spent most of his argument nodding their agreement. Dreamer Wanji kept his face expressionless.

  ‘Let’s keep this moving along. Dariand?’

  The nightwalker stepped into the middle. He didn’t stalk around the fire like Slander had, but stood still in the light, facing Wanji but speaking to everyone.

  ‘You all know my claim over this girl, and you all know it’s the only one that counts, so I won’t waste your time re-telling old stories and spinning a lot of rubbish.’

  And with that, he stepped back out of the light, and Saria’s heart sank. She thought Dariand would argue for her to stay in Woormra, but instead there’d been nothing, no argument at all. Across the circle, Slander was grinning.

  ‘Fair enough.’ Dreamer Wanji stood again. ‘You lot should all clear out now, and we’ll make our decision. It’ll take a while, so don’t hang around. Go back up top and one of us’ll come and get you when we’re ready.’

  ‘What about the girl?’ Slander demanded. ‘We still don’t know where she is. I reckon now’s the time to hand her over. Then if the council doesn’t agree with our claim, we can return her.’

  ‘It’s not gonna happen that way, Slander.’ Dariand’s reply was quiet but deadly serious.

  Too late to stick up for me now, Saria thought.

  ‘Quiet, both of you,’ Dreamer Wanji snapped. ‘Slander, you got the council’s word that if the decision goes your way, we’ll hand her over to you safe and sound. The council’s word has always been good enough for others, so you’ll just have to accept it too.’

  ‘You’d better not be messing with me, Wanji, or this town of yours’ll be …’

  ‘Enough! Out, all of you.’

  Still muttering, the delegation from Olympic slouched towards the entrance tunnel, a couple of them holding torches to light the way. Dariand let them get well clear before following. Around the fire, the circle of old men sat still and silent until the last sounds from the departing men had faded completely. Then, sighing, Dreamer Wanji sat back on his stone seat.

  ‘So, whadda we do about this, eh?’

  ‘Law is law, Dreamer Wanji. You said it yourself.’

  ‘True, but the laws are about what’s best for the Darklands, not just for Slander and those who live at Olympic.’

  ‘No difference, as far as I’m concerned.’ One old man stood slowly as he addressed the council. ‘The Darklands are all but dead now and it’s gotta be time that we started accepting the fact. Pretty soon we’re gonna need all the strong towns and people we can muster, and no matter what you think of Slander and that Olympic mob, they know how to survive. Hell, if they’ve managed to get by with Baanti as their Dreamer, they’ll do fine with the girl.’

  A murmur of agreement ran around the circle. Only Dreamers Wanji and Gaardi shook their heads. Still concealed in darkness, a shiver ran through Saria. She had to do something. She couldn’t just let this group of old men send her back to Olympic. Why hadn’t Dariand argued more? He’d told her he’d look out for her interests, and she shouldn’t worry.

  But she’d watched his attempt at ‘looking out for her’ and now was more worried than ever

  Dreamer Gaardi was on his feet.

  ‘You send that little girl over to Olympic, you might as well just chuck her down one of the pits here. Slander’ll trade her off to the Nightpeople first chance he gets.’

  ‘We don’t know that. And if he does, it’s his right.’

  ‘Crap. She’s the last of us. And look at how that mob treated her the first time they had her in their hands.’

  ‘That was different. That was before they knew she could do reaching.’

  ‘What? You think it’ll be any better for her now? You all know she’s refusing to do reaching any more. How do you reckon that’ll go down with Slander? Think he won’t try and force her into it? You happy to live with that decision, Kenjii?

  ‘What difference is there between them handing her over to the Nightpeople, and you letting her go haring off into the desert chasing some imaginary “call”?’ Kenjii retorted. ‘You reckon the Nightpeople aren’t gonna find her there? At least if we send her off to Olympic, then the Darklands might get some benefit from it.’

  A long silence fell over the group. Saria craned her neck, trying to see their faces, but most were hidden in shadows. The only person she could make out with any degree of clarity was Dreamer Wanji, who kept his expression as blank as possible.

  ‘There’s no benefit in it for us if she isn’t comfortable with what she can do, fellas,’ Dreamer Wanji replied. ‘We all know that. You can’t reach properly unless you can do it like breathing. But after everything that’s happened to her in the last couple of weeks, Saria reckons that every time she touches the Earthmother, or lets the Earthmother touch her, she ends up hurting something. So it’s no wonder she sees things the way she does. How many of us have ever burned someone out?’

  Around the circle, the other men’s gazes met Dreamer Wanji’s evenly.

  ‘You know the answer to that, Dreamer Wanji.’ Saria couldn’t identify the speaker.

  ‘I do. And so do you. None of us. Ent any of you, or me either, for that matter, can understand what it’s like to burn the spirit out of someone. None of us know how that feels, because only two Dreamers have ever done it. The first of them was Dreamer Baanti, and we saw what effect that first burning had on him. He ended up being a bloody useless Dreamer, more of a danger to himself and others, and that’s why now he’s buried outside this town. And we all know why he ended up that way – because we never let him understand his power. After what he did to old Dalii, we were all too scared to really let him get under the skin of it and touch the Earthmother properly. So he never did. The only other one who’s ever burned someone out is Saria, and now she’s headed exactly the same way as Dreamer Baanti. Is that what we want, eh?’

  None of the council answered.

  ‘You listen to me. That girl’s a Dreamer She’s gonna reach, and she’s gonna do it strong. I’ve never seen anyone go as far out through the Earthmother as she did. Hell, she got out past the bloody Shifting House, and who here can ever claim to have done that, eh? She’s gonna reach, one way or another, and it’s up to us to decide whether we want her to be in control of herself when it happens, or not. That’s what we’re decidin’ here. We send her over to Olympic, and we might as well just dress her up as Baanti, ‘cause that’s what she’s gonna become. You mark my words.’

  A heavy silence fell over the assembled group. The men who’d earlier nodded their way through Slander’s argument now sat still. None made eye contact with any of the others. All stared either down at the dirt fl
oor of the cavern or into the flickering light of the fire-pit. And Dreamer Wanji let them sit like that for what seemed an age, considering the full implications of his words, before finally standing and walking in a slow circle around the fire-pit.

  ‘You let that girl follow this “call” of hers and she’ll reach. She’ll have to. But she’ll be reaching for something she wants, so it’ll sit good with her. It might open her mind up to the possibility that all Teaching’s not a bad thing. It’ll make a Dreamer of her, and a damn powerful one. Trust me on that. But if we send her over to Olympic and let Slander and that mob of no-goods try and bend her to their will, all we’ll end up with is another Dreamer Baanti. Or worse.’

  Saria almost rushed over and hugged the old man. He’d convinced them. Most of the council now looked doubtful. Only a couple still shook their heads. She took a couple of deep breaths and tried not to let herself get too excited.

  ‘You’re not giving us much of a choice here, Dreamer Wanji,’ Dreamer Kenjii finally announced, his voice almost accusing.

  ‘That’s ‘cause there isn’t one. At least, not so far as I can see.’

  ‘So we let her go off with Dariand, then. And that’s it?’

  ‘Not straightaway. I’ll keep tryin’ with her a bit longer, first.’

  ‘And if she still refuses to reach for you?’

  Dreamer Wanji shrugged.

  ‘Then we let her go. I don’t know what this “call” is that she talks about, but it’s mighty powerful, that’s for sure. I reckon it’ll draw her into the Earthmother better than anything I can do.’

  There was one last long pause.

  ‘Anyone still want to vote on this?’

  Nobody answered, and finally Dreamer Wanji allowed himself to smile. Seeing that, Saria felt the tension that had gripped her stomach begin to finally unclench.

  ‘Good. Dreamer Gaardi, you wanna go up and get Dariand and Slander?’

  ‘No need.’ Slander’s voice, low and malicious, floated from the shadows on the other side of the chamber from Saria. ‘I didn’t go all that far.’

  The old men in the centre twisted around on their seats, trying to get a bearing on where Slander had hidden himself, but most were fire-blind in the darkness, and the strange acoustics of the vast underground cavern made the Olympic headman’s voice echo and refract off the angled walls. ‘I had a feelin’ that you’d try and pull something like this, Wanji. You’ve always been a bit predictable that way.’

  ‘You got no business being down here while the council is meeting, Slander.’ Wanji’s voice was little more than a hiss.

  Slander laughed.

  ‘Hah! I got as much right to be here as any of you, ‘specially now that this council’s taken to ignoring law and to makin’ up its own rules.’

  ‘If you’ve been listening, then you know the reasons for our decision.’

  ‘Enough talk!’ Slander snapped. ‘Now, you lot have got one chance here. I imagine that by now my lads up top will have dealt with Dariand and the other troublemakers in this crappy little town, so when you get back up top – if you get back up top – you’re gonna find things a bit different in the plains.’ Saria’s skin prickled cold at the threat in his voice. ‘I’m givin’ you all one chance, right now, to make a decision – the right decision this time – on the matter of the girl. You wanna have any chance of seeing daylight again, all you gotta do is vote as the law says you should.’

  ‘You’re a fool, Slander.’

  ‘And you’re a weak old man who’s pissing himself in the dark!’ Slander retorted. ‘Now, who’s for letting the girl go wandering off into the plains with Dariand, eh? Come on! Now’s your chance. You wanna support this old madman? This is it.’

  For a moment everything froze. Dreamer Wanji stayed standing and nobody else moved. Around the council circle, old men sat, a couple looking angry but most with their eyes downcast. Then, very slowly, Dreamer Gaardi climbed to his feet.

  ‘I vote with Dreamer Wanji.’ He spoke softly, but the words rang off the stone walls.

  ‘That’s one.’ The malice in Slander’s voice was giving way to a kind of delighted amusement. ‘Any more?’

  Nobody else moved.

  ‘Looks like that’s it, then.’

  ‘That’s not how this council makes decisions,’ Dreamer Wanji growled.

  ‘It is now.’

  From the darkness came a soft ‘swishing’ noise, followed by a sharp ‘snap’ and Dreamer Wanji’s head whipped backwards, blood gouting from his temple. The old man stayed upright a moment longer, swaying slightly, and then his old body folded in on itself, as though melting into the floor of the cavern.

  Saria jammed a knuckle into her mouth and bit down on it hard to keep herself from screaming. The rest of the Dreamers were on their feet in a rush.

  ‘SIT DOWN!’ roared Slander from the darkness, and the old men’s shouts died. Only Dreamer Gaardi knelt beside Dreamer Wanji. Saria, who’d half stood, intending to rush to the old man’s side, forced herselfback to the floor, choking back tears.

  Keep calm! she thought. Stay quiet! Dreamer Wanji was beyond help and there was no sense giving herself away until she knew what she was getting into. Slowly, agonisingly, she pushed her concern and grief for the old man down again, making herself breathe long, silent, deep lungfuls of the dusty cave air.

  Over beside the fire, Slander had finally stepped into the light. A long leather sling dangled nonchalantly from his hand. He walked confidently into the middle of the circle, the flickering glow illuminating a cold, dark smile on his face.

  ‘Don’t think I’m down here alone, either, you lot. I get trouble from any of you, and …’ He left the rest of the threat unvoiced and instead turned his attention to Dreamer Gaardi, who was trying to roll Dreamer Wanji onto his back.

  ‘You feel like changing your vote now, Dreamer Gaardi? You got this one opportunity. Or would you rather end up like your mate here?’ He nudged Dreamer Wanji’s prone form with his toe.

  For a long time Dreamer Gaardi stared up into Slander’s eyes, meeting the larger man’s stare evenly. Slander let the leather slingshot swing gently from his fingers. Then finally Dreamer Gaardi climbed back to his feet.

  ‘You do what you want, Slander.’ He spat the words as he turned and took a couple of steps back towards his stone. ‘You’ll get no argument from me.’

  ‘Didn’t think I would.’ Slander’s grin increased and he half-turned away from the old Dreamer, but Dreamer Gaardi hadn’t finished speaking.

  ‘You’ve made a big mistake, though.’

  ‘Have I?’

  Now the beginnings of a smile crept to the corners of Dreamer Gaardi’s mouth.

  ‘You just killed the only man in this room who knows where that girl is. So you better hope your boys up there haven’t been too rough on Dariand, ‘cause otherwise you just landed yourself in a whole pile of problems.’

  Even though her anger, Saria was pleased to see how quickly the smile faded from Slander’s face.

  ‘Crap! Arnu, get back up top and find out what’s goin’ on with Dariand. No, get him brought down here. Now!’

  From the main entry came the clicking tap of firestones, then a torch flickered into life.

  ‘Hurry up!’ Slander yelled at the man.

  Arnu vanished up the entrance passageway, his torch throwing a curved beam of light ahead of him.

  Saria!

  Even through the cold dead floor of the cave, the call reached into her Nightwards. That was where she had to go.

  Now that Dreamer Wanji was dead, and probably Dariand too, it was all she had left.

  Follow it.

  SARIA!

  The surge left an echo in her mind, an imprint which lingered long after the initial pulse of it had died away.

  Nightwards.

  Slowly, silently, barely breathing and never taking her eyes off Slander, Saria crept backwards through the dark towards the fissure.

  The whispering of the breathi
ng tunnel washed over her. Saria stared up into it, fighting her fear back down to the same place as her despair. There was no other way.

  Ahead of her, the narrow confines of the tunnel yawned off into inky nothing. If she turned her head just slightly, she could still look up the other passage to where the last dull light from the fire in the sleeping chamber still spilled out, trickling down the stone floor towards her like a cascade of water. There was nothing like that up the breathing tunnel.

  She had no other option, though. There’d be no way of getting past Slander in the main cavern, and who knew how many men he still had hidden in the darkness there.

  And even if she did, she’d still have to find her way back up to the entrance tunnel, alone and in the dark, then somehow get out of Woormra.

  No. The breathing tunnel was her only chance. At least the moving air meant that somewhere up there it reached the surface. All she had to do was follow it to that place and then she’d be safe.

  Or at least, free.

  Taking a final glimpse at the reassuring warmth of the firelight up the passage, Saria took a deep breath and stepped forward into the tight darkness of the left-hand passage.

  As before, she trailed her hand along the rough wall as she moved forwards and upwards, drawing what little comfort she could from the trembling pulse of earthwarmth there. Before long, she reached the point where the roof angled sharply downwards and she had to duck her head, fall to her knees, and crawl forward. In just moments she’d reached the place where she’d stopped on her previous expedition, the point where Dariand had been blocked.

  Like last time, she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more just ahead, that she could fit through if she wanted too. Closing her eyes, she stretched her arms out and explored the passageway as best she could, then, scrabbling her legs behind her to find a couple of toeholds, she gently eased herself forward below the hanging roof. The stone above pressed tighly into the small of her back, pushing her down against the floor, but then abruptly the passage widened out again.