Malsas‹ looked at the two figures bent before her and considered what they both had said. In the silence the only sound was the shuffling rasp of feet as every Yilanè in the ambesed pressed forward to listen. A decision must be made.

“You spoke with crude haste, Vaintè. At any other time that would have been unforgivable and your death would have followed. But I smell too many other deaths in the wind and I would have you live to defend Alpèasak, just as you would have Stallan do the same. There is need for you both. Now tell me the meaning of this cruel event.”

“First my thanks, Eistaa. Like Stallan I live only to serve Alpèasak. The meaning is clear, and the meaning of past events are clear as well. An armed and dangerous force of ustuzou marches on Alpèasak. They must be stopped. The meaning of the visit by the creatures to the coast is now known as well. It was a ruse to distract us. When they returned to the mountains they separated and this pack of savage animals came south, secretly, determined. As soon as I found out about their presence hunters were sent to attack them. We were defeated. It must be our last defeat or I fear for our city.”

Malsas‹ was shocked by her words. “What harm can these beasts cause to Alpèasak?”

“I do not know — but I fear. The determination of their advance, the strength of their attack causes that fear. Would they dare risk so much if they did not plan damage of some kind? We must see to our defenses.”

“That we must do.” Malsas‹ turned to Stallan. “I understand even more why Vaintè risked her own life to save yours. You were the one who designed the defenses of this city, Stallan, is that not true?”

“It is, Eistaa.”

“Then strengthen them, reinforce them. You speak for the Eistaa. Demand anything you need. The safety of our city is between your thumbs.”

“I shall not let it slip, Eistaa. With your permission I shall see to it now.”

Malsas‹ looked after her retreating back with confusion and disbelief. “It is hard to understand affairs in this new land of Gendasi. Nothing is as it was in Entoban*. The natural order has been violated with ustuzou killing Yilanè. Where will this end, Vaintè? Do you know?”

“I know only that we will fight these creatures. And we must win.”

Yet try as hard as she could, Vaintè still could not keep the movements of doubt from what she said. All there could see the fear clearly in what she said.

Herilak held up his arm when he heard the shrill scream from the forest ahead. The hunters stopped as well — then looked around in fear as the scream echoed again: a heavy thudding shook the ground beneath their feet.

“Do you know what that is?” Herilak asked.

“I think that I do,” Kerrick said. “Go forward slowly now because the first fields should be just ahead.”

The trees were close together here and the game trail that they were following wound between them. Herilak led the way with Kerrick close behind him. The thudding sounded again and more screams — then Kerrick called out.

“Stop here! See those vines ahead, across the trail? They stick to the skin and can’t be pulled off. I was caught by them once. Warn the others. We are at the outermost fringes of the city now.”

They went forward cautiously, though any sounds they might have made would surely have been drowned out by the tumult in the meadow ahead. At the forest edge they stopped and looked with awe at the open field beyond.

Two immense creatures, each larger than the largest mastodon, were circling each other in the high grass, while a third looked on. Their wrinkled hide was yellowish-brown, their wide heads were heavily armored, while blood-red, bony plates covered their backs. One of them lunged at the other, snapping a horny, toothless beak, screaming loudly. The other turned sideways, swinging its tail around so that the great bony club at its tip lashed out. It hit the earth with a ground-shaking thud as the first creature moved aside to avoid it.

“Ruutsa,” Kerrick said. “They do that when they are fighting over a mate. That’s the female, there, eating grass. I know this field — I know where we are!”

He stamped a flat spot into black soil, then bent and scratched lines on it with the tip of his stone knife.

“Herilak, look — this is what the city is like. They have a model there that I have studied so long that I know it by heart, even now. This is what it looks like. The sea is here, these are the beaches, then the wall. Here is the ambesed, a big empty space where they all meet.”

Herilak watched intently as Kerrick sketched the city, then the fields about it.

“The fields surround the city in circles, wider and wider, and the ruutsa are right here.”

Herilak looked closely at the scratched lines, tugging at his beard in thought. “Are you sure that is where we are? It has been a long time since you left this place, they might have changed the fields, moved the beasts around.”

“Never, not the Yilanè. What is, is, and never changes. Little things may be different from day to day, but once a thing is set it is that way forever.”

“Then I believe you, since you are the only one who knows the murgu so well…”

A cry of pain cut him off and they turned to see one of the Sasku hunters rear up, then fall heavily to the ground. They ran to his aid and Herilak reached to tear the thorn-tipped vine from his arm: Kerrick stopped him.

“Don’t touch that — or you are dead too. It is too late to help him. The poison is in his body.”

The Sasku’s back arched with pain and there was foam on his lips, pink with blood where he had bitten his tongue.

He was paralyzed and unconscious — but it took him a long time to die.

“Unless you want this kind of death, don’t let anything touch you until we are well inside the fields,” Kerrick said. “Watch where you walk, don’t brush against any kind of plant. Some of the vines will stick to you, or as you have just seen — others will kill.”

“Is all of the city like this?” Herilak asked.

“No, just the outer edge. To keep marauding animals — and Tanu — away. Once we get past this barrier the only danger will be from armed guards. They are protected and hidden behind walls and may be hard to see.”

“But they must sleep at night,” Herilak said.

“They must, but there may be night alarms here now. We will find their positions and stay well clear of them.”

“What is the plan then?”

Kerrick went back to the diagram on the ground and pointed to the outer circle. “We must get past these fields. Most of these creatures, grass-eating ones like the ruutsa in this field, won’t attack unless they are disturbed.”

He lifted his head and sniffed the air. “The wind is from the west, so we must circle around to this spot, to have the wind behind our backs. Once past the fields the trees of the city begin. They are close together there. Once the fire starts and spreads there will be nothing to stop it.”

“Is there any dry wood to be found there?” Herilak asked.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Then we will search for it now, take it with us.”

“Wait until we have reached the fields to the west of the city. The wood can be collected then, everything made ready. We want to get through the outer barrier around sunset. All of the Yilanè, other than the guards in their outposts, will have returned to the city by then so we will not be seen. We will avoid the guards and reach the place where the trees begin by dark. Then we will start our fires.”

All three ruutsa were grazing quietly when they left, their battle forgotten!

It was late afternoon before they had worked their way around the outermost fields. None of the game trails seemed to go in the right direction, so they had to force their way through the groves of trees and thick, tangled undergrowth.

When they carne to a sluggish stream Kerrick called a halt, then passed the word for them to gather together. The water ran clear towards the center of the stream so they waded out there to drink. When they had drunk their fill Kerrick told them what was to be done, stopping often to translate his orders to the Sasku. They all listened with grim attention for this was journey’s end. Victory or certain death.