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DUN AND AMBER LEANED over the balcony at the top of the hab, and the sounds from below them ended in a single magnificent unified note, which reverberated around the massive cavern long after it’s progenitor note had stopped.
Awed, they slowly made their way to the staircase back down. Even in the hundred clicks or so it took them to reach the bottom, the hab was silent. It was a vast pregnant silence spanning the whole hab. No one dared move or be the first to speak. Dun and Amber slowly drifted across the battlefield. A very odd feeling.
Then a voice said, “Ow!”
“Who’s that?” Dun said.
“Me, you clod,” Padg said. “You stood on my paw.”
“Oh, sorry!”
“Gimmie a lift up here, you two. I think my legs are broken,” Padg said.
Dun and Amber lifted the near dead weight of Padg.
“Gods, you’ve gained weight,” Dun said. “Tali’s never—”
“Yeah,” Padg said.
“Sorry,” Dun said, but it was unclear who to.
They limped slowly back toward the camp.
“What happened to Rowle?” Dun said.
“I thought you’d know,” Padg said. “She ran off in your direction once the great howling started. I’d have thought she’d have passed you.”
“No, she never passed us,” Amber said. “Once we left the Sanctuary, we went out onto the balcony to hear the sounds.”
“Does it matter now?” Padg said. “Now everyone’s stopped fighting, I mean?”
“S’pose not,” Dun said. “No soldiers, if no one’s prepared to fight.”
“It’s a good start,” Amber said.
“To what?” Padg said.
“I don’t know,” Amber said. “I haven’t really had a chance to think about it, what with—”
“Yeah,” Dun said.
They could hear the murmurs from the camp now, none of it too chaotic or panicked. Quiet, collected, sorting-out kind of noises.
“What would you have?” Dun said. “Now, I mean, for everyone, if you could?”
“That’s difficult to say,” Amber said, “without asking everyone.”
“Good luck with that one,” Padg said. “Ow!” He lurched peculiarly and the three of them stopped.
“Serves you right, cynic,” Amber said.
“Here, try this.” Dun offered his spear. “Point down though, I would.”
“You know it’s cruel to mock the afflicted, right?” Padg said.
“Yeah, but I need some light entertainment.”
“Me too,” Amber said.
Padg limped on.
“I wonder what did become of her?” Amber said.
They could hear familiar voices now. The regular hubbub of the camp just seemed wrong somehow or empty, even in its relieved cheer.
“Rowle?” Padg said. “Dunno.”
“Oh,” Dun said. “Oh, I think I can fill some details in now.”
“Ah,” Padg said, “communing with the gods again?”
“Something like that.”
“So?” Amber said.
“What?”
“Where is Rowle?”
“In the Vat.”
“Gods,” Amber said. “No. With Tali?”
“Kind of, I guess.”
“Awful,” she said.
“There’s nothing about this that isn’t! Awful I mean,” Dun said.
“Except for the end of it,” Padg said.
“And maybe the beginning of, something—” Amber said.
“I don’t want it to. Begin. Not today at least,” Dun said.
“No,” Padg said. “No one could blame you for that.”
A cart went past. Dun tried not to contemplate what was on it. They meandered their way, mostly under Amber’s guidance, to the center of the camp, where Tuf was busy organizing the camp’s set-up with his remaining militia making refectory facilities. Laly and Trone were busy triaging and treating casualties in a hastily put up medical tent.
“Can we get a little help here?” Dun called.
Amber and Dun helped Padg to the nearest nurse and then helped him to an improvised bed.
“Ow! Careful,” Padg said. Then when they’d laid him down properly, he continued, “This is rubbish; there’s so much needs to be done.”
“Shush and let someone look after you for thirty clicks, will you?” Dun said.
Tuf came overhearing the fuss. “Thank gods, you’re here. We need blankets, food, medical supplies, and someone who knows what to do with them. Where’s Tali?”
The silence that followed told Tuf all he needed to know. “Oh. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Dun said. “You would’ve loved it. She went out saving the damned world.”
“Hey,” Amber said.
“Sorry,” Dun said.
“It’s okay,” Tuf said. “I should’ve already known. I should know how many casualties there’ve been and who. We’ve just had no chance with everything else.”
“Five hundred and eighty-seven,” Dun said.
“What?” Tuf, Padg, and Amber said in unison.
“That’s how many have died,” Dun said. “That’s what we’re talking about?”
“Yes,” Tuf said, “but—”
“How?” Amber said.
“Gods,” Padg said.
Tuf started again, “Is that—”
“Both sides? Yes. But that’s not our most pressing challenge.”
“Care to tell us what is?” Amber said.
“What to do with the dying or the just dead,” Dun said.
Someone on the far side of the tent cried out as one of the medics attending did something. Calming and shushing noises followed.
“I’m not sure I follow,” Tuf said.
“I think I do,” Amber said.
“We would now make a temporary mortuary and inter the dead,” Tuf said.
“But now we have another choice,” Dun said.
“Oh?” Tuf said.
“We can chuck’em in the Vat,” Padg said, then barked a bitter laugh. “Ow.”
“Lie still you idiot,” Dun said.
“He’s right though, isn’t he?” Amber said.
“Yes, he is,” Dun said.
“Right how? I don’t understand. Is this a Shaman thing?” Tuf said.
“Yes, I guess it is,” Dun said. “We can save people—”
“In a manner of speaking,” Padg finished for Dun.
“If we get to them quickly enough,” Dun added.
With the gentle chorus of the medical bay behind them, Dun, Padg, and Amber brought Tuf up to speed on the Tinkralas, OneLove, and Myrch. It took a while and left Tuf in silent contemplation.
“Where’s your pal, Nev?” Padg said.
Dun went quiet for a few ticks. “With Myrch in the Sanctuary. If we are going to take folk there, then OneLove needs Nev’s help.”
“They’re gonna need a bigger pond,” Padg said.
Amber cleared her throat. “If we are going to ask people how they want to lay their loved ones to rest, we need to speak to everyone formally. I would suggest just before sleep-span.”
“We can’t wait that long,” Dun said.
“The brains go mushy,” Padg said.
“All right! Enough!” Dun rounded on Padg.
“How long?” Amber said.
“As soon as we can,” Dun said. “Do you want me to?”
“I can only really speak for the Stone-folk, though,” Amber said.
“I think you and I both know that’s not true,” Dun said.
“Still, I’m here by dumb luck.”
“And you are kind, considerate, you know what’s going on, and you’re in the right place at the right time. You’ll do for now,” Tuf said.
“How will we do it?” Amber said.
“What?” Dun said.
“Announce to everyone? The whole of the Three Duchies, what’s left of the Bureau, Gantrytown, our lot; they all need to know at once.”
Dun paused again. “I might have an idea about that.”
