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Authors: Peadar Ó Guilín
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and Stopmouth followed, wondering what kind of creature would stay within walls that could collapse at any moment.
The glow led them to a room at the back, strewn with rubble. Half of the ceiling had fallen away, and a huge piece of metal had crashed into the room to hang a few spans above a dying fire. Stopmouth could see thousands of tiny flashing lights inside the ripped metal shell. A single Bloodskin lay sleeping beneath it. Wisps of hair on its face rose and fell above the many little holes through which it breathed. Why was it here? Stopmouth wondered. What manner of creature would endure danger to be close to such a monstrosity?
Then it hit him. This creature…this flesh…was Wallbreaker to the Bloodskins. He felt dizzy. He had an image of the beast and his brother conversing, having more in common with each other than either had with the rest of their own Tribe. Stopmouth knew they had to leave this house and find a different Bloodskin to hunt. He touched Rockface’s arm and tried to signal they should go, but the bigger man simply grinned and moved closer to the sleeper. He raised his bone knife to strike. Stopmouth, without thinking, caught his wrist.
‘Are you mad?’ said Rockface.
The Bloodskin awoke. Its eyes glinted like the lights in the metal shell. Rockface knocked his companion away and stabbed down at the beast. Stopmouth never saw if the strike succeeded or not; he was already falling backwards. He crashed into the damaged wall and felt it shake under his weight. He looked up in time to see part of the fragile ceiling give way. A piece of stone twice the size of his head slammed down onto his legs. Pain erupted in him, like knives and teeth together. He saw bone, his own, poking through his skin. He screamed as he’d never screamed in his life. Whether it was the pain or the sight of his ruined legs even he didn’t know.
‘Shut up!’ shouted Rockface. ‘For the life of your Tribe, shut up!’ Rockface hit him and he did.
Several times his pain woke him, and several times it drove him into unconsciousness again. He caught the rest of the night’s events in flashes. Rockface must have lifted him to his shoulders and made a run for it. Stopmouth heard the Bloodskin alarm, a rhythmic clanging sound. But the houses around them had all been destroyed and so the enemy had further to come to catch up with them.
Rockface ran straight down the main street and passed between two guard towers. Every step jolted Stopmouth’s ruined legs. Slingstones fell around them. Two struck Stopmouth but hit nothing vital. A third found his legs and sent him back into unconsciousness.
Later he woke again. A pack of six Bloodskins were closing in fast. Their leader had almost caught up with the humans. Its strangely shaped muscles flexed under glistening skin; its eyes and spear pointed straight at Stopmouth. ‘Was it your brother we killed?’ he mumbled. ‘Are you the Bloodskin version of me? Is that why you’re so fast?’
They’d reached the trees by now. Stopmouth could hear the slap of branches and felt Rockface’s great body heaving for breath.
‘You should drop me,’ he tried to say.
By now the Bloodskin version of Stopmouth had come close enough to spear its human counterpart and might have done so if it had been more sure of its footing. Stopmouth saw its glittering, intelligent eyes, its lips pulled back in a snarl. At last the spear arm reached back, preparing to strike.
Rockface leaped into the air.
Stopmouth saw the beast falling forward, heard it scream. Then Rockface landed on the far side of the pit with a jolt and Stopmouth was screaming too.
5.
THE NEXT VOLUNTEER
W allbreaker’s stomach churned at the sight of his brother’s smashed legs. The young hunter, converted to flesh and white bone, brought his nightmares into focus and set him to scratching the spear scars the Armourbacks had made in his skin.
He couldn’t face it. ‘Take him home, Rockface. Take
The glow led them to a room at the back, strewn with rubble. Half of the ceiling had fallen away, and a huge piece of metal had crashed into the room to hang a few spans above a dying fire. Stopmouth could see thousands of tiny flashing lights inside the ripped metal shell. A single Bloodskin lay sleeping beneath it. Wisps of hair on its face rose and fell above the many little holes through which it breathed. Why was it here? Stopmouth wondered. What manner of creature would endure danger to be close to such a monstrosity?
Then it hit him. This creature…this flesh…was Wallbreaker to the Bloodskins. He felt dizzy. He had an image of the beast and his brother conversing, having more in common with each other than either had with the rest of their own Tribe. Stopmouth knew they had to leave this house and find a different Bloodskin to hunt. He touched Rockface’s arm and tried to signal they should go, but the bigger man simply grinned and moved closer to the sleeper. He raised his bone knife to strike. Stopmouth, without thinking, caught his wrist.
‘Are you mad?’ said Rockface.
The Bloodskin awoke. Its eyes glinted like the lights in the metal shell. Rockface knocked his companion away and stabbed down at the beast. Stopmouth never saw if the strike succeeded or not; he was already falling backwards. He crashed into the damaged wall and felt it shake under his weight. He looked up in time to see part of the fragile ceiling give way. A piece of stone twice the size of his head slammed down onto his legs. Pain erupted in him, like knives and teeth together. He saw bone, his own, poking through his skin. He screamed as he’d never screamed in his life. Whether it was the pain or the sight of his ruined legs even he didn’t know.
‘Shut up!’ shouted Rockface. ‘For the life of your Tribe, shut up!’ Rockface hit him and he did.
Several times his pain woke him, and several times it drove him into unconsciousness again. He caught the rest of the night’s events in flashes. Rockface must have lifted him to his shoulders and made a run for it. Stopmouth heard the Bloodskin alarm, a rhythmic clanging sound. But the houses around them had all been destroyed and so the enemy had further to come to catch up with them.
Rockface ran straight down the main street and passed between two guard towers. Every step jolted Stopmouth’s ruined legs. Slingstones fell around them. Two struck Stopmouth but hit nothing vital. A third found his legs and sent him back into unconsciousness.
Later he woke again. A pack of six Bloodskins were closing in fast. Their leader had almost caught up with the humans. Its strangely shaped muscles flexed under glistening skin; its eyes and spear pointed straight at Stopmouth. ‘Was it your brother we killed?’ he mumbled. ‘Are you the Bloodskin version of me? Is that why you’re so fast?’
They’d reached the trees by now. Stopmouth could hear the slap of branches and felt Rockface’s great body heaving for breath.
‘You should drop me,’ he tried to say.
By now the Bloodskin version of Stopmouth had come close enough to spear its human counterpart and might have done so if it had been more sure of its footing. Stopmouth saw its glittering, intelligent eyes, its lips pulled back in a snarl. At last the spear arm reached back, preparing to strike.
Rockface leaped into the air.
Stopmouth saw the beast falling forward, heard it scream. Then Rockface landed on the far side of the pit with a jolt and Stopmouth was screaming too.
5.
THE NEXT VOLUNTEER
W allbreaker’s stomach churned at the sight of his brother’s smashed legs. The young hunter, converted to flesh and white bone, brought his nightmares into focus and set him to scratching the spear scars the Armourbacks had made in his skin.
He couldn’t face it. ‘Take him home, Rockface. Take
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