The Carpet People

wasn’t very popular. There was quite a lot of fighting. So when a pack of mouls arrived one day – he invited them in.’
    ‘He wouldn’t!’ said Brocando.
    ‘He thought he could hire them as mercenaries, to fight for him. Well, they fought all right. They say he’s still king, although no one has seen him. The mouls do all the ruling. A lot of people ran away. The rest are slaves, more or less. Quarrying grit. Forced labour in the fields. That sort of thing.’
    ‘The mouls don’t look as if they’d be interested in vegetables,’ said Snibril.
    ‘They eat meat.’
    Pismire had been sitting against one of the cartwheels, wrapped in the blanket; travel was not agreeing with him. They’d almost forgotten about him.
    His words sunk in like rocks. In fact it wasn’t the words themselves that were disturbing. Everyone ate meat. But he gave the word a particular edge that suggested, not ordinary meat . . .
    Brocando went white.
    ‘Do you mean—?’
    ‘They eat animals,’ said Pismire, looking more miserable than Snibril had ever seen him before. ‘Unfortunately, they consider everything that’s not a moul is an animal. Um. I don’t know how to say this ... do you know what the word “moul” means in moul language? Hmm? It means . . . True Human Beings.’
    This sunk in, too.
    ‘We’ll attack tonight,’ said Brocando. ‘No one’s eating my subjects.’
    ‘Er,’ said Glurk.
    ‘Oh yes,’ said Bane. ‘Yes, indeed. Fine. Five thousand soldiers couldn’t attack Jeopard.’
    That’s true,’ said Brocando. ‘So we—’
    ‘Er,’ said Glurk.
    ‘Yes?’ said Brocando.
    The chieftain appeared to have something on hismind. ‘I’ve heard one or two references just recently to “we”,’ he said. ‘I just want to get this sorted out? No offence. As a reward for rescuing you, we’re now going to attack this city that no amount of Dumii soldiers could capture and fight a lot of mouls? You want my tribe, which hasn’t got a home now, to save your city for you, even though this is impossible? Have I got it right, yes?’
    ‘Good man!’ said Brocando. ‘I knew we could depend on you! I shall need half a dozen stout-hearted men!’
    ‘I think I can let you have one astonished one,’ said Glurk.
    ‘We’ve got to help,’ said Snibril. ‘Everyone’s too tired to run away. Anyway, what will happen if we don’t? Sooner or later we’ve got to fight these things. It might as well be here.’
    ‘Outnumbered!’ said Bane. ‘And you’re not soldiers!’
    ‘No,’ said Glurk. ‘We’re hunters.’
    ‘Well done!’ said Brocando.
    Glurk nudged Snibril. ‘Have we just volunteered for practically certain death?’ he said.
    ‘I think we may have, yes.’
    ‘This kinging is amazing,’ said Glurk. ‘If we get out of this, I think I’m going to try to learn it.’
    Night came. A blue badger, hunting early, nearlyblundered into the line of would-be invaders and waddled off hurriedly.
    There was a whispered argument going on among the Deftmenes. Some of them wanted to sing as they went into battle, which was a tradition. Brocando kept pointing out that they were going into battle secretly , but one or two diehard traditionalists were holding out for the right to sing peaceful songs, which would – they said – totally confuse the enemy. In the end Brocando won by playing the king, and threatening to have everyone who disagreed with him put to death. Glurk was impressed.
    When it began to seem to Snibril that the dark Carpet had no ending they reached the road again and, ahead of them, torches burning along its walls, was the city of Jeopard.

Chapter 9
    The wights built Jeopard. They brought red wood and sparkling varnish from achairleg to pave its streets; from the Hearthlands they led great caravans of the rare jet, to be made into domes and cornices, and cinder and ash for bricks and mortar; at the distant High Gate Land of the Vortgorns they traded their varnish wares for beaten bronze, for doors and pillars; salt and sugar, in great white crystals, were dragged between the hairs by teams of sweating horses, for walls and roofs. And they brought different coloured hairs from all parts of the Carpet. Some became planks and rafters, but most they planted around the city.
    Everywhere there were gardens. In the evening light it looked peaceful, but they had to lie low twice when moul cavalry went past on the road.
    ‘In my city, too,’ said Brocando.
    ‘You’ve got a plan, I hope,’