Under Fragile Stone

by Oisin McGann

  ‘If your kin are down in those caves,’ the chieftain was saying, ‘then they’re done for. You don’t know what’s down there. Those tunnels are a maze, and they ain’t empty. Yuh hear what I’m sayin’?’

  ‘I can’t give up on my family,’ Emos told him. ‘And there are signs that can be read down there, if you know what to look for. Caftelous showed me how.’

  ‘The hermit? Didn’t tell me about no signs.’

  ‘He hated you. Why would he tell you anything?’

  ‘I got wondrous powers of persuasion, particularly when I’m tryin’ to learn some history.’

  Emos stared hard at him.

  ‘He disappeared a few years ago. Did you have anything to do with it?’

  Ludditch chuckled.

  ‘Damn, Harprag, I’d everything to do with it. It was me who killed ’im! After I was done with ’im that is. Dumped what was left of ’is body in the woods for the animals.’

  The Myunan’s face was expressionless, but his eyes burned with hate.

  ‘All this is going to come back on you, Ludditch.’

  ‘I don’t think it will, somehow,’ Ludditch laughed. ‘And certainly not at your hands, Myunan. If it wasn’t for my respect for our dead, we’d fall on yuh right here. But you go on and stay here, we can wait you out. Sometimes huntin’ is all about waitin’ …’

  His voice faltered as two winged figures appeared over the roof of the shrine, carrying a long bundle between them. Their wings beat the air urgently, the two creatures gaining height and flying away over the trees.

  ‘What the blazes is that?’ Ludditch rasped.

  ‘If I read the sign on the gate correctly,’ Emos replied, ‘it’s your Great Aunt Eldrith.’

  Ludditch and his father looked in horror at each other and then started to spit curses at Emos, but the Myunan held up his hands.

  ‘You’ve been threatening us with torture and death since we crossed your border, so save your breath. We’ll assume that this means you’ll kill us even slower now, if you get the chance. But know this, Learup. If you ever want to retrieve your great aunt’s corpse, you’ll give us safe passage to the cave, you’ll wait while we search for our people, and then see us from there to the southern border. Then, when we’re back in Myunan territory, we’ll return old Eldrith in the same perfectly preserved state that we found her. Make any move against us, or even get in our way or try to slow us down, and my nephew and niece there will start dropping pieces of her all over the forest.

  ‘I’d suggest you send some birds out and make sure none of your hunters try shooting the young ones down. You wouldn’t want them to drop the old girl from such a great height.’

  ‘Harprag,’ Ludditch snarled. ‘I’m goin’ ta …’

  ‘Spare me,’ Emos cut him off. ‘We’re leaving. Don’t get in our way.’

  He walked back to the wagon and climbed in beside Jube, who was sweating profusely and uttering prayers to Everness under his breath.

  ‘I was scared before,’ he said. ‘I’m ready to soil myself now. They’re going to go insane over this.’

  ‘They can only kill us the once,’ Emos reassured him. ‘This way we have them over a barrel. Not even Ludditch will brook risking the body of a dead relative. They had it in for us anyway. I’ve just raised the stakes. He’ll have to let every hunting party and lookout from here to the cave know that we’re not to be touched. We’re safer now than we were before they found us.’

  ‘That may be so, but just the way they’re lookin’ at us is loosenin’ my bowels. Where to now?’

  ‘Back onto the road, the same way we were heading,’ the Myunan replied. ‘We’ll be there by the afternoon.’

  Jube shifted into gear and drove down towards the Reisenick horde. They slowly parted in front of the vehicle, but not before each one looked the intruders in the eyes. Some of the oldest were by the gate, determined to be on the expedition despite being barely able to walk without canes or staffs. Every one of them had murder written on their face.

  ‘Everness protect us,’ Jube muttered.

  ‘And Eldrith too,’ Emos added.

  * * * *

  Lorkrin adjusted the grip his prehensile toes had on the bundle and pushed down against the air with his wings.

  ‘I’m getting tired,’ he gasped, at last, embarrassed that he had said it before his sister.

  Taya nodded, already too out of breath to answer, but relieved her brother had spoken up first.

  ‘He said we could come back to the wagons once they were on the road,’ Lorkrin panted. ‘He said we just had to give Ludditch time to give his orders. Let’s catch up with them.’

  ‘Okay,’ Taya replied.

  They both looked down in surprise as the expanse of trees gave way below them and they found themselves flying over what looked like a freshly ploughed stretch of land. It looked so out of place that they kept looking at it and noticed that the ground appeared to be moving, as if it were alive, clumps of it kneading together and breaking apart in perpetual motion. It was not unlike watching a mass of maggots writhing together. The noise was a constant rumble, like white water, but with a gritty edge to it. They flew lower to get a closer look. Every now and then, a spout of soil burst into the air, and while they watched, some trees at the edge of the clearing had their roots eaten away and with tormented groans they toppled to the ground. Each was swallowed up with frightening speed, the weaker branches and twigs broken and crushed in the malevolent earth’s grip, the trunks engulfed with a sound of straining, tearing wood.

  ‘Krundengrond,’ Taya breathed.

  They spiralled upwards over it, higher and higher so that they could look out over the land. It was not the only stretch of fresh earth in sight. The closer to the mountains the expanse of forest got, the more they could see it was broken by gaps in the trees.

  ‘It’s spreading,’ Lorkrin shouted between heaving breaths. ‘Draegar was wrong, it is here. This is what Ludditch was waiting for. But what’s it got to do with Absaleth?’

  ‘Don’t know … but he sounded pretty sure of himself,’ Taya replied, wearily. ‘He thinks we’ve got this god-heart … must mean Orgarth’s heart. Wonder what that is.’

  ‘Remember Harsq did that thing on the stuff, the second time, I mean?’ her brother wheezed.

  ‘Yeah,’ she panted, knowing he was referring to the exorcism on the scrap.

  ‘Well, if that nail was stuck in Draegar’s back …’ he heaved in a breath, ‘… then it didn’t get exorcised, did it? Maybe the heart…is the bit left after all…the rest is gone.’

  ‘Can a god fit in a nail?’

  ‘Maybe he’s a very small god…who knows what size any of ’em are … when you get right down to it.’

  ‘Uncle Emos’ll know,’ Taya called back. ‘What I want to know then, is … what’s it got to do with Rug? He was the one … who kept the nail.’

  With the dead body in its robe dangling from their feet, they sought out the road and soared along it until they came upon the wagons, the rescue party leading, followed closely by Reisenicks. The two Myunans glided down towards Jube’s wagon. Dropping their hostage into Draegar’s upstretched arms, they flopped to the floor of the flatbed and squatted wearily, trying to get their breaths back.

  ‘Well done, the pair of you,’ Emos said warmly, putting his arms around them. ‘You saved our lives back there.’

  ‘Uncle Emos,’ Taya puffed. ‘There’s krundengrond breaking out east of here … It’s spreading towards the mountains … We’re going to run right into it.’

  ‘Krundengrond?’ Emos frowned. ‘Here? I don’t think …’

  ‘It’s here,’ Lorkrin said, firmly. ‘We’ve seen it. That’s what Ludditch has been trying to start. He’s after a “god-heart”, we think he means Orgarth’s heart. He thinks we have it and if he takes it from us, he’s going to let the krundengrond out all over the place.’

  ‘Could a god fit in a nail?’ Taya asked, slowly regaining her wind. ‘We think Rug�
�s nail might be what they’re looking for. Like it’s the last bit left of Orgarth.’

  She explained where the nail had come from.

  ‘Rug thought it was important too, but he didn’t know why. Do you think it could be … controlling him, or something like that?’

  Rug stood up in alarm.

  ‘I’ve been possessed?’ he exclaimed. ‘Is that what’s wrong with me?’

  ‘Everybody calm down,’ Draegar said. ‘Children, your imaginations are running away with you. Either yours or Ludditch’s anyway. There is no krundengrond here. It doesn’t break out, because nothing can hold it still in the first place …’

  ‘Will you just listen, instead of treating us like babies!’ Lorkrin snapped.

  ‘Don’t you take that tone with me, lad.’

  ‘Uncle Emos!’ Taya pleaded. ‘It’s real – we’ve seen it!’

  Emos wasn’t listening. He was looking out at the mountains, lost in his own thoughts.

  A shudder ran through the ground beneath the truck’s wheels. They heard a deep, ripping sound ahead. A tree pulled its tangled branches free from its neighbours at the side of the road and crashed to the ground, falling diagonally so that it nearly blocked the way through. Everyone turned to look towards it.

  ‘It’s an ambush!’ Draegar shouted.

  ‘No. It’s not,’ Lorkrin retorted, rolling his eyes. ‘If you’d just listen …’

  Jube swerved around the top of the tree, nearly sliding into the ditch at the side of the road as he avoided the obstacle. The men all looked warily up into the trees, awaiting the attack they thought must come, but Taya and Lorkrin were watching the ground. The wagon suddenly jolted to a halt, throwing them all off their feet. Jube pressed down on the accelerator, but the vehicle was caught fast. All around them, the road was breaking up. Cullum pulled past them, the heavier equipment truck still caught in the ditch after making it past the tree. There was a point where the side of the trough had collapsed and the Noranian used it to scramble up and onto an intact section of road. He stopped and the Noranians looked back, Khassiel already jumping down with a roll of chain to tow the other wagon free.

  ‘Don’t come any closer!’ Emos shouted to her, then turned to the others. ‘Forget the wagon. Everybody get out!’

  ‘By the gods,’ Draegar muttered, staring at the erupting road. ‘It’s true.’

  Lorkrin beat his tired wings and took off, with Taya following a moment later. Draegar picked up Ludditch’s great aunt, grabbed Rug and hauled him over the side. The two of them staggered across the splitting clay to where the Noranians were watching in disbelief. Jube was still at the wheel, trying to reverse out of the quagmire. Emos rapped on the small glass window on the back.

  ‘Jube! Get out of the truck!’

  The miner waved his hand at him, then changed into first gear again and tried the accelerator once more. Draegar started across to them, but the ground pulled at his feet and he had to stumble back. The wagon shook and shunted forwards and at first it seemed as if it was starting to move, but then the front sank suddenly and something crunched against the undercarriage. With a violent shudder, the front wheels and nose of the vehicle were pulled into the ground. Jube clutched the steering wheel in terror.

  ‘Get out!’ Emos yelled at him.

  There was the creak of buckling metal and a jolt went through the chassis. Jube tried to open his door, but the earth was already up to the bottom edge, jamming it shut. The door’s window had a crossbar; only the top half of the glass could be opened, too small a gap for the burly miner. The truck tipped further forward. The ground was already halfway up the windscreen. Emos watched in dread. The back window was tiny, it offered no way out. He swung over the side and pulled frantically at the window’s crossbar. Jube fell back from it and raised his feet. Emos pulled his hand aside and the miner began slamming his heavy boots against the thin bar. It bent, the glass shattering. The krundengrond was nearly to the sill. Emos kicked at it from the other side, trying to bend it down enough for the miner to get through. The earth was over the sill and probing in through the broken glass. The cab’s doors creaked under the pressure. The windscreen cracked by the Reisenick’s rocks burst inwards. Jube screamed and then his cry was cut off. Emos was forced to climb onto the back of the cab. He looked down through the tiny window, but all he saw was writhing earth, pressed against the glass. He beat his fist against the solid wood panelling.

  The krundengrond was coming up over the cab, the wagon tipping further and further over. Emos looked urgently around. The vehicle was surrounded on all sides. He clambered up the flatbed and perched on the tailgate. Holding up his hands, he cast his eyes around above him … and there they were. Taya and Lorkrin swooped down, Taya grabbing his hands and Lorkrin catching his feet, the two of them lifting him from the sinking wagon and carrying him to safety.

  They landed heavily at the side of the equipment wagon. It was still on a solid stretch of road, but the fringe of the krundengrond was edging steadily closer. The tree that had blocked the road was already being eaten up. On the far side, the Reisenicks watched in fear and amazement. All except Ludditch. He was wearing an expression of satisfaction.

  ‘Let’s get out of here,’ Draegar said. ‘Jube’s gone. There’s nothing we can do for him now. We need to make it up into the mountains before we all follow him. At least that mess’ll get Ludditch off our backs for a while.’

  Lorkrin and Taya watching in grieving silence as the ground swallowed the remains of the wagon, the sound of rending metal and splintering wood filling their ears. And then there was only the grating rumble of the churning earth itself, its edges creeping outwards with slow, unrelenting force. The others climbed aboard the equipment wagon, Cullum taking the wheel once more.

  ‘Taya, Lorkrin!’ Emos called. ‘We have to go.’

  They turned at the sound of their uncle’s voice and jumped up onto the back of the truck. Leaving the Reisenicks stranded on the far side of the krundengrond, the wagon drove off, making for the relative safety of the thin, rocky soil of the mountains.

  * * * *

  Ludditch gazed at the krundengrond like a man in rapture.

  ‘Look at that,’ he choked. ‘Harsq? Harsq!’

  ‘I’m here.’

  The chieftain looked round at him.

  ‘Didn’t I tell yuh? It’s started now,’ he said to the exorcist. ‘And all we have to do to make sure it spreads right around the territory is get our hands on those outsiders. Damn it, boy. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.’

  ‘How do we catch them now?’ Harsq asked. ‘Your dream come true is blocking the road before us, and even if we get past, they still have your aunt.’

  Ludditch waved his hand dismissively.

  ‘There’s other roads, and we’ve men all along the trail. And as for Great Aunt Eldrith, she’s a tough old bird. She’ll come through this all right.’

  Harsq could not take his eyes off the krundengrond. The myths had been true. But how could they be true? What could have held the earth still all this time? His gaze was fixed on the violently tossing ground. He was certain that it was looking back at him. His faith was shaken by what he saw, and he did not know what it meant for his promise to rid Ludditch of the god of Absaleth. But there was no god, he reasoned. After all, his exorcism had driven the spirit of Absaleth out. It had been a potent ceremony, but had he really unseated a god? Was he really that powerful?

  The priest looked down at his hands, and then back at his generator truck. Perhaps it had nothing to do with the spirit of Absaleth. Perhaps the krundengrond had not been there before. Perhaps he had created it, an accident caused by his new, unfettered state of mind. He had always known his ceremonies had massive effects on the land. Could it be that, empowered by Brask’s might, he had unwittingly infused this earth with life?

  A fevered light came into his eyes. If he had given it life, then he could control it. He stared out across what had once been the section of roadway
in front of them. Kneeling and putting his hands on the ground in front of him, he felt the krundengrond’s vibrations through the clay. And he knew that it felt him too.

  ‘Harsq!’ Ludditch shouted.

  The priest looked up. Everybody else was already back aboard the vehicles. They were waiting for him.

  ‘Stop prayin’ and get your backside up on your wagon,’ Ludditch barked at him. ‘We got to take a detour, but we’ll be back on their tails faster’n a skunkrin up a drainpipe. Get aboard, now.’

  Harsq took one last longing look at his creation and climbed back into the cab of the generator wagon. There would be plenty of time yet for them to get to know each other.

  18 RUG’S HANDS

  Taya and Lorkrin sat quietly on a crate with their backs against the wall of the cab, watching the road behind them. Everybody had lapsed into silence after their escape. Emos was staring into the distance, deep in thought.

  ‘I’m sorry, children,’ Draegar said at last. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. Perhaps if I had, we might have been able to …’

  ‘Ludditch knew,’ Emos cut in abruptly. ‘He came here himself and he had his whole family with him. He’s here personally to hunt us, and he’s brought Harsq with him.’

  ‘He thinks we have what’s left of Orgarth,’ Lorkrin said. ‘Rug has this nail that we got out of Draegar’s back after that second exorcism – we were thinking it might be that. Ludditch figures if he gets rid of Orgarth, the krundengrond keeps growing and when it’s finished, it’ll cut off the Reisenick land from everywhere else. What I don’t get is where the stuff came from.’

  ‘It’s always been here,’ Emos said softly. ‘It’s an old, old legend and I didn’t believe it myself. I have only heard of it once, in connection with the stories of the Tuderem, the alchemists who once lived here. Thousands of years ago, the land around Absaleth is said to have been a swathe of krundengrond, stretching over half of what is now the Myunan Territories, and covering the flat country southeast of Absaleth as far as Sestina. Which coincidentally, would form an impenetrable boundary around the south and east of the Reisenicks’ territory. It tormented Orgarth, the spirit of Absaleth, constantly eroding the iron and stone that was his body. He was being eaten away, painfully slowly.