Free The Standing Dead - Stone Dance of the Chameleon 02 by Ricardo Pinto

know what was going on. Facing away from the barbarians, all he could do was strain to pick out their voices.
    'Does he live?' asked Ranegale. There were some words Carnelian could not catch, then: 'Put him back in his saddle-chair.'
    'We must make another cradle.' Fern's voice, sounding frightened.
    'We've no time for that,' said Ranegale.
    'We'll make time.' Cloud's voice. 'Do you really believe he'd be lying there in the mud if he had the strength to ride?'
    'He gave you the cord, Cloud. How many knots does it hold now?'
    For a while Carnelian could hear only the whispering of the youths. 'Seven.'
    'Our best hope is that whatever's delaying the scouring line will keep it in Makar for five days more. That's already bleak enough don't you think, Father Cloud? And now you've decided to back Fern in what will cause us at least half a day's delay.'
    'Let's dump one of the Standing Dead,' said Ravan. 'My one's fever is going to get him anyway so we might as well use his cradle for my father.'
    Ranegale's nasal voice rose to a bellow: 'No. We need them both alive.'
    'Why?' demanded Cloud.
    There was a silence during which Carnelian struggled but the leather bands were too tight.
    'Why doesn't my father let us all in on his plan to get through the scouring line should we run into it.'
    'My plan is that which Stormrane trusted me with. We fire some kraals and when the auxiliaries come to see what's happening we slip through the gap they leave in the line.'
    There were murmurs of support.
    'So you all feel this is a good plan, eh? I'd like to see you set fire to rain-sodden wood.'
    Voices rose in protest.
    'Listen. Listen! That's not really important. If you'll listen, I'll tell you what is. Have you any idea how close the roads have come on either side of us?'
    They all fell silent.
    'I can see you do. Well, imagine now how close together the aquar twenties will be in the line. It will be a city wall with dragons as its towers. Most of us have seen how fast dragons can move and we all know perfectly well how swift unburdened aquar run. The Standing Dead in the dragons' towers will spot us the moment we make a break for it. They'll close the gap like this.'
    A slap like whiplash.
    Then we'll just have to creep through at night,' said Fern.
    'If you'd stayed in the legions more than a few days you wouldn't be saying anything so stupid. They'll set their fires close enough for their light to overlap. Even if they didn't we'd never be able to time it. No. If we run into them there's only one way we'll get through. We'll have to move one of the dragons out of line.'
    Everyone began shouting at once. Carnelian strained to hear Ranegale's voice among the others. He caught the phrase, 'Standing Dead'. The hubbub quietened.
    'We'll leave them both, or maybe just one of them, in a kraal to be found by the auxiliaries.'
    'Rather than suffer death for having looked on them, they'd murder them,' said Fern. 'How would their commanders ever find out?'
    'We'll tie them up to the kraal's outer wall so they can be seen from the dragon towers. Of course the poor bastards will all die for seeing our Standing Dead, but it'll bring a dragon. With luck, more than one.'
    'And you think this would make a breach in their line big enough for us to race through?' asked Cloud. From the tone of his voice Carnelian could tell the Elder was already half convinced.
    'You're going to hand them over alive?' asked Fern, incredulous.
    'If we give them corpses, the auxiliaries will leave them guarded in a kraal and then hunt us down,' said Ranegale.
    'And alive, our Standing Dead will bring them down on us like lightning,' said Fern.
    'Can you imagine the confusion when they find two living Standing Dead out here? Dead they'll bring down swift vengeance: alive, perhaps they'll open us a door in the scouring line. We'll flee towards Makar. Once we reach the pass we'll lose any pursuit. They'll never find us in the Earthsky.'
    They'll close the pass against us,' said