Return to Eden

track."
    Kerrick felt a great weariness. He knelt beside the dead boy and removed the bundle of hèsotsan. Then straightened Harl's limbs and closed his eyes. He rose slowly to his feet.
    "I killed him," he said, bitterly. "I brought him here."
    "The marag killed him. We have new death-sticks. Leave him now—and leave all thought of him. He was young but he was a good hunter. I will take his spear and bow. Another boy who wishes to be a hunter will get great strength from them."
    Tbere was nothing more to say, nothing that could be said. They had the weapons. With the bundles slung across their shoulders they started north, were quickly out of sight. It grew dark under the trees and shadows stretched across the two bodies, so alien to each other, now united in the inescapable bond of death.
    There were no large carrion eaters here within the city, so the corpses were undisturbed during the night.
    At dawn the crows found them. Landed hesitantly and hopped forward, very suspicious of the large and unexpected gift. They were beginning to tear at the flesh when loud shouts disturbed them and they flapped away. The first fargi, hèsotsan held hesitantly before them, approached down the path. They milled about, looked into the forest, searched further along the track. Only when Muruspe came up, she had been careful to lead them only from the rear, was any order restored. Anatempè stood beside her, signing shock and grief.
    "What is the meaning of this? What happened?"
    "It is very clear what happened, Muruspe said, displaying immense distaste. "Intepelei received warning of intrusion, she came alone, she died for her valor. She must have killed one ustuzou, others killed her.
    You are a Yilanè of science who assists Ukhereb. Can you tell me when this happened?"
    Anatempè squatted down and touched the skin on both bodies. Signed unclarity of conclusion. "Not this morning. Perhaps during the night, probably late yesterday."
    "Probably. The fargi who hid here yesterday said that she saw two ustuzou. Now one is dead here, the other gone. What were they doing here? Why did they come?"
    Anatempè turned to look at the wall of the hèsotsan pit; Muruspe followed her gaze. "Has it anything to do with the hèsotsan?"
    "Alpèasak is a large city. Twice killer ustuzou have come to this city. Twice there have been deaths at the hèsotsan pit."
    "And the ustuzou use the hèsotsan as well as we do." Muruspe was silent with inner thought, then signed attention to orders. "We will bring the bodies to the ambesed. This is a matter for the Eistaa."
    There were expressions of pain and dismay when the sad column moved through the city. The fargi pushed away from it, frightened by death of a Yilanè, sight of a dead ustuzou. The two bodies were laid upon the ground while Muruspe went to inform the Eistaa.
    Lanefenuu stared down at the corpses stretched out on the grass before her, stared in silent thought.
    Silence filled the ambesed as well, since none dared interrupt her. The two scientists, Ukhereb and Akotolp, had already examined the bodies and agreed on what had probably happened.
    The ustuzou had been killed by a dart from a hèsotsan, undoubtedly Intepelei's own weapon. The hunter then killed in turn by ustuzou stone tooth; there were mortal wounds in her neck and back.
    "Why did this ustuzou come to my city?" Lanefenuu finally said, looking about the circle of her advisers.
    "The killing of ustuzou has been ended. I ended it. Vaintè is gone. We stay within our city—but they do not stay within theirs. You know these creatures, Akotolp. You knew them when you first came to Alpèasak, before you fled destruction, before you returned. Why are they here?"
    "I can only guess."
    "Then guess. Without knowledge that is all any of us can do."
    "I think that… they came for hèsotsan. They have their own stone teeth to kill with, but they like to kill as well with our hèsotsan. They came to steal them from us."
    "That was also my own thought. We must find out more of this matter. Three hunters vanished to the north, three Yilanè killed inside my city. Now, Akotolp, you were to search. What have you found?"
    "Nothing. No evidence of ustuzou near the city—or even as far north as the round lake. The birds fly and I have images."
    "Then have the birds fly further. Those filthy creatures are out there and I want to know where. Find them. Should I send hunters to search?"
    "That is not wise because these ustuzou are more cunning than any