Foster, Alan Dean Catechist 02 Carnivores of Light and Darkness

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Our wall? The merchant laughed bitterly. Would that it were so! For if that were the case we would
use it to push these murderous Chlengguu into the sea.
Ehomba started slightly. The sea? We are near the ocean? Strain as he might to see past the western
horizon, he could detect no sign of the Semordria. He was surprised at how his heart ached at the mere
mention of it. It had been far too long since he had set eyes on its dancing waves and green depths.
You mean the Semordria? the merchant asked. When Ehomba nodded with quiet eagerness the other
man could only shake his head. You really are far from your home, aren t you? Raising one beringed
hand, he pointed to the west. The Semordria lies a great distance off toward the setting sun. I myself,
though a man of modest means and varied interests, have never seen it. His arm swung northward.
That way lies the Sea of Aboqua, a substantial body of water to be sure, but modest when compared
to the unbounded Semordria. Upon its waters ships of many cities and states ply numerous trade routes.
I am told that at several locations it enters into and merges with the Semordria, but I myself have never
seen these places. I have only heard other merchants speak of them. And I have never heard of a trading
vessel with captain and crew brave or foolhardy enough to venture out upon the measureless reaches of
the Semordria itself.
Ehomba slumped slightly. There is something I must do that requires me to cross the Semordria.
The merchant s heavy eyebrows rose. Cross the Semordria? You are a brave man indeed.
But if no ship will do that, Simna put in, how are we supposed to make this crossing? I m a good
swimmer, but no fish.
From the tales I have heard of the monsters and terrors that swarm in the depths of the Semordria, I
believe it a journey even fish would be reluctant to take. The man rubbed his chin whiskers. But it is
rumored that in the rich lands on the far side of the Aboqua there are ports from whence sail ships
grander than any that ply the smaller sea. Who knows? You might even find shipmaster and sailors stupid
enough to attempt such a passage. Tell me, what do you hope to find on the other side of the Semordria,
anyway?
Closure, Ehomba told him. Now, about this Wall. It is a very impressive wall. Behind it I see fields
and buildings, some of which have been burned. If it is not yours, then it must be a construction of these
Chlengguu. But why build it here, and how did they manage to trap all of you on this side instead of the
other, where your homes and villages lie?
The merchant looked over his shoulder. My poor family must be in an agony of apprehension at my
absence.
Simna fingered the hilt of his sword. Let em agonize a little while longer. Answer the question.
You really don t know, do you? The man heaved a deep sigh. The Wall was not built here. Turning,
he pointed to the northwest. When it first appeared on the outskirts of Mectin Township, no one could
believe that the Chlengguu had managed to raise so massive a structure in so short a time. Its true nature
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was not immediately apparent to the people of the Queppa. That we learned all too soon.
There was nothing we could do. Our young men and women fought bravely, but the Wall is so high and
strong it cannot be breached. The Chlengguu we fought to a standstill, but we could not stop the Wall.
Simna blinked at him, glanced sharply down at the line of battle then back at the merchant. Are you
telling us that these Chlengguu keep moving the Wall forward? He stared at the unbroken barrier that
stretched from far west to distant east. The whole Wall? That s impossible!
Would that it were so, traveler, the other man agreed, but the Chlengguu do not move the Wall. Each
time it advances, it pins us tighter and tighter against the desert lands. That is why you passed so many
people, so many refugees. We have nowhere else to go. We are squeezed between the Wall and the
desert. He cast a sorrowful gaze downward. These Relibaria Hills are our last refuge, our final hope.
We pray that the Wall cannot surmount them. If it can He broke off, momentarily choked. If it can,
then we will be pushed out into the desert, where most of us will surely die, and the fertile lands of the
Queppa will belong forever to the Chlengguu.
I do not understand, Ehomba confessed. If the Chlengguu do not move the Wall, then how ... ?
See, see! Gesturing with a trembling hand, the merchant was pointing downward. Look upon the
abomination, and understand!
Below, activity had increased from the frantic to a frenzy. Scaling ladders were brought forth as the
ragtag citizen soldiery of the united Queppa peoples mounted yet another assault on the Wall. Fusillades
of arrows flew like hummingbirds but because of the Wall s height were hard-pressed to wreak much
havoc among its well-protected defenders. Catapults and siege engines heaved rocks and bales of [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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