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the rich demanded mummification. Here riches meant nothing. They were heaped
with all the rest. Asa volunteered, "This is a real old place. The Custodians
don't come here anymore, unless maybe to get rid of loose bones. The whole
cave is filled up up that way, like they just pushed them out of the way."
"Let's look," Raven said. Asa was right. The cavern narrowed and its ceiling
descended. The passageway was choked with bones. Shed noted the absence of
skulls and urns. Raven chuckled. "Your Custodians aren't as passionate about
the dead as you thought, Shed."The chambers you see during Spring and Autumn
Rites aren't like this," Shed admitted. "I don't guess anybody cares about the
old ones anymore," Asa said. "Let's go back," Raven suggested. As they walked,
he observed, "We all end up here. Rich or poor, weak or strong." He kicked a
mummy. "But the rich stay in better shape. Asa, what's down the other way?" "I
only ever went about a hundred yards. More of the same." He was trying to open
a passage urn. Raven grunted, took an um, opened it, dumped several coins onto
his hand. He held them near the torch. "Uhm. How did you explain their age,
Asa?" "Money has no provenance," Shed said. Asa nodded. "And I made out like
I'd found a buried treasure." "I see. Lead on." Soon Asa said, "This is as far
as I ever went." "Keep going." They wandered till even Raven responded to the
oppression of the cavern. "Enough. Back to the surface." Once up top, he said,
"Get the tools. Damn. I'd hoped for better." Soon they were back with a spade
and ropes. "Shed, dig a hole over there. Asa, hang on to this end of the rope.
When I yell, start pulling." Raven descended into the Catacombs. Asa remained
rooted, as instructed. Shed dug. After a while, Asa asked, "Shed, what's he
doing?" "You don't know? I thought you knew everything he did." "I just told
Krage that. I couldn't keep up with him all night." Shed grimaced, turned
another spadeful of earth. He could guess how Asa worked. By sleeping
somewhere most of the time. Spying would have interfered with wood-gathering
and grave-robbing. Shed was relieved. Asa didn't know what he and Raven had
done. But he would before long. He looked inside himself and found little
self-disgust. Damn! He was accustomed to these crimes already. Raven was
making him over in his own image. Raven shouted. Asa hauled away. He called,
"Shed, give me a hand. I can't get this by myself." Resigned, Shed joined him.
Their catch was exactly what he expected, a mummy sliding out of the darkness
like some denizen of the deeps of yesteryear. He averted his gaze. "Get his
feet, Asa." Asa gagged. "My God, Shed. My God. What are you doing?" "Be quiet
and do what you're told. That's the best way. Get his feet." They moved the
body into the brush near Shed's pit. A passage urn rolled out of a bundle tied
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
upon its chest. The bundle contained another two dozen urns. So. The hole was
for burying empty urns. Why didn't Raven fill his pockets down there? "Let's
get out of here, Shed," Asa whined. "Back to your rope." Ums took time to
empty. And Raven had two men up top with little to do but think. So. They were
busy-work. And an incentive, of course. Two dozen urns with each cadaver would
build up quite a pile. "Shed& " "Where you going to run to, Asa?" The day was
clear and unseasonably warm, but it was still winter. There was no way out of
Juniper. "He'd find you. Go back to your rope. You're in it now, like it or
not." Shed resumed digging. Raven sent up six mummies. Each carried its bundle
of urns. Then Raven returned. He studied Asa's ashen face, Shed's resignation.
"Your turn, Shed." Shed gulped, opened his mouth, swallowed his protest, slunk
toward the hole. He lingered over it, a hair's breadth from rebellion. "Move
it, Shed. We don't have forever." Marron Shed went down among the dead. It
seemed he was in the Catacombs forever, numbly selecting cadavers, collecting
urns, dragging his grisly booty to the rope. His mind had entered another
reality. This was the dream, the nightmare. At first he did not understand
when Raven called for him to come up. He clambered into gathering dusk. "Is
that enough? Can we go now?" "No," Raven replied. "We've got sixteen. I figure
we can get thirty on the wagons." "Oh. Okay." "You haul up," Raven said. "Asa
and I will go down." Shed hauled. In the silvery light of a three-quarters
moon the dead faces seemed accusing. He swallowed his loathing and placed each
with the others, then emptied ums. He was tempted to take the money and run.
He stayed more out of greed than fear of Raven. He was a partner this time.
Thirty bodies at thirty leva meant nine hundred leva to share out. Even if he
took the small cut, he would be richer than he'd ever dreamed. What was that?
Not Raven's order to haul away. It sounded like someone screaming.... He
nearly ran. He did go to pieces momentarily. Raven's bellowing brought him
together. The man's cold, calm contempt had vanished. Shed heaved. This one
was heavy. He grunted, strained.... Raven came scrambling up. His clothing was
torn. A bloody gash marked one cheek. His knife was red. He whirled, grabbed
the rope. "Pull!" he shouted. "Damn you, pull!" Asa came out a moment later,
tied to the rope. "What happened? My God, what happened?'' Asa was breathing,
and that was about it. "Something jumped us. It tore him up before I could
kill it." "A Guardian. I warned you. Get another torch. Let's see how bad he
is." Raven just sat there panting, flustered. Shed got the torch, lighted it. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]