mind than of body.
Like the female's fur, though she was clearly youngand not old, Gammage's body fur was sparse.
Andthat body was thin, showing more bony underliningthan padded muscle.
He wore not just the belt common to all the Peoplebut a long piece of fabric fastened at his throat, flowing back over his shoulders. This somehow gave himadded stature and dignity. He also had about his necka chain of shining metal links and from that hung acube not unlike the one Foskatt had carried. Whilehis hands—
Furtig's gaze lingered. Whoever had he seen amongthe People with such hands! They were narrower, thefingers longer and thinner even than those of the female. Yes, in all ways Gammage was even strangerthan the old tales made him.
"Eat now." Gammage gestured to the bowl. "Within the lairs we need all the strength food can give us.Rattons"—his voice deepened to a growl—"Rattonsestablishing their own place here! Rattons attemptingto gain Demon knowledge! And so little time perhapsbefore we shall be called upon to face the Demonsthemselves." Now his voice became a growl withoutwords, the sound of one about to enter battle.
"But of that we can speak later. Furtig, what saythey of me now in the caves? Are they still of like mind—that I speak as with the mindless babble ofthe very young? The truth, warrior, the truth is of importance!"
And such was the compelling force of the Ancestor's tone that Furtig answered with the truth.
"The Elders—Fal-Kan—they say that you plan togive Demon secrets to strangers, even to the Barkers.They call you—"
"Traitor to my kind?" Gammage's tail twitched."Perhaps in their narrow viewing I might be termedso—now. But the day comes when the People, plusthe Barkers, plus the Tusked Ones, will have to standtogether or perish. Of the Rattons I do not speakthus, for there is that in them akin to what I have learned of the Demons. And when the Demons return,the Rattons may run with them to overturn all our lives."
"The Demons return?" Listening to the note of certainty in the Ancestor's voice made Furtig believethat Gammage was sure of what he said. And if hetruly believed that, yes, would it not be better to make truce even with Barkers against a common andgreater enemy?
"Time!" Gammage brought those odd hands of histogether in a clap to echo through the room.
"Time isour great need and we may not have it. We have somany lesser needs, such as the one which took Foskatt into that section of the lairs we had not fully explored, seeking hidden records. But, though he didnot find what he sought, he has alerted us to this newdanger, a Ratton base on the very edge of our ownterritory. Let the Rattons learn but this much"—Gammage measured on between two fingers no morethan the width of one of them—"of what we havefound here, and they will make themselves masters,not only of the lairs, but of the world beyond. Saythat to your Elders, Furtig, and perhaps you will findthey will listen, even though they willfully close theirears to a worse threat."
"Foskatt was seeking something?"
Gammage had fallen silent, his eyes on the wallbeyond Furtig, as if he saw there something which was as plain to be read as a hunting trail, and yet tobe dreaded.
"Foskatt?" Gammage repeated as if the name werestrange. Then once more his intent gaze focused onFurtig. "Foskatt—he was hardly handled, near toending, when you brought him back to us, warrior.But now he heals. So great were the Demons—lifeand death in their two hands. But they played gameswith those powers as a youngling plays with sticks orbright stones, games that have no meaning.
Savethat when games are played as the Demons playthem, they have grim consequences.
"They could do wonderful things. We learn moreand more each day. They could actually make rainfall as they pleased, keep the sun shining as theywould. There was no great cold where they ruled and— But they were not satisfied with such, theymust do more, seeking the knowledge of death
Like the female's fur, though she was clearly youngand not old, Gammage's body fur was sparse.
Andthat body was thin, showing more bony underliningthan padded muscle.
He wore not just the belt common to all the Peoplebut a long piece of fabric fastened at his throat, flowing back over his shoulders. This somehow gave himadded stature and dignity. He also had about his necka chain of shining metal links and from that hung acube not unlike the one Foskatt had carried. Whilehis hands—
Furtig's gaze lingered. Whoever had he seen amongthe People with such hands! They were narrower, thefingers longer and thinner even than those of the female. Yes, in all ways Gammage was even strangerthan the old tales made him.
"Eat now." Gammage gestured to the bowl. "Within the lairs we need all the strength food can give us.Rattons"—his voice deepened to a growl—"Rattonsestablishing their own place here! Rattons attemptingto gain Demon knowledge! And so little time perhapsbefore we shall be called upon to face the Demonsthemselves." Now his voice became a growl withoutwords, the sound of one about to enter battle.
"But of that we can speak later. Furtig, what saythey of me now in the caves? Are they still of like mind—that I speak as with the mindless babble ofthe very young? The truth, warrior, the truth is of importance!"
And such was the compelling force of the Ancestor's tone that Furtig answered with the truth.
"The Elders—Fal-Kan—they say that you plan togive Demon secrets to strangers, even to the Barkers.They call you—"
"Traitor to my kind?" Gammage's tail twitched."Perhaps in their narrow viewing I might be termedso—now. But the day comes when the People, plusthe Barkers, plus the Tusked Ones, will have to standtogether or perish. Of the Rattons I do not speakthus, for there is that in them akin to what I have learned of the Demons. And when the Demons return,the Rattons may run with them to overturn all our lives."
"The Demons return?" Listening to the note of certainty in the Ancestor's voice made Furtig believethat Gammage was sure of what he said. And if hetruly believed that, yes, would it not be better to make truce even with Barkers against a common andgreater enemy?
"Time!" Gammage brought those odd hands of histogether in a clap to echo through the room.
"Time isour great need and we may not have it. We have somany lesser needs, such as the one which took Foskatt into that section of the lairs we had not fully explored, seeking hidden records. But, though he didnot find what he sought, he has alerted us to this newdanger, a Ratton base on the very edge of our ownterritory. Let the Rattons learn but this much"—Gammage measured on between two fingers no morethan the width of one of them—"of what we havefound here, and they will make themselves masters,not only of the lairs, but of the world beyond. Saythat to your Elders, Furtig, and perhaps you will findthey will listen, even though they willfully close theirears to a worse threat."
"Foskatt was seeking something?"
Gammage had fallen silent, his eyes on the wallbeyond Furtig, as if he saw there something which was as plain to be read as a hunting trail, and yet tobe dreaded.
"Foskatt?" Gammage repeated as if the name werestrange. Then once more his intent gaze focused onFurtig. "Foskatt—he was hardly handled, near toending, when you brought him back to us, warrior.But now he heals. So great were the Demons—lifeand death in their two hands. But they played gameswith those powers as a youngling plays with sticks orbright stones, games that have no meaning.
Savethat when games are played as the Demons playthem, they have grim consequences.
"They could do wonderful things. We learn moreand more each day. They could actually make rainfall as they pleased, keep the sun shining as theywould. There was no great cold where they ruled and— But they were not satisfied with such, theymust do more, seeking the knowledge of death
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