第42节

ctorious delegations conferred on what to do

next. Clearly nothing could be as it was before. When the D'Troit,

C'Natti and San'Louis clans learned of their defeat there would be

great bitterness.

The enmity between the opposing bloodlines would deepen, the character

of the fighting would change. Not the traditional clashes between

rival bands of warriors but large-scale confrontations- and perhaps a

permanent state of war.

It was a gloomy prospect. The She-Kargo, M'Waukee and San'Paul had

made common cause against the D'Troit faction but that did not mean

their own traditional hostility to one another had evaporated. In a

sense, this year's journey to the trading post had been the Plainfolk's

road to Damascus but there had been no miraculous conversion. The

atmosphere was not now filled with harmony and light. Each clan, while

sharing the bond of a common bloodline was still fiercely protective of

its own identity and its turf.

What had brought the She-Kargo, M'Waukee and San'Paul together on that

fateful day and the desperate hours preceding it was their unshakeable

belief in Talisman and their willingness to accept the advent of The

Chosen, whereas the D'Troit and its fellow-travellers were apparently

ready to ditch those self-same beliefs in exchange for a deal with the

hated dead-faces.

All the clans wished to trade with the Iron Masters if only for the

simple reason that no one wanted to find themselves living next-door to

a better-armed - and thus stronger - clan. But the Mutes were under no

illusions about the impact these trading contacts would have on the

traditional life-style and belief-system of the Plainfolk. From the

very beginning, they knew they were getting the worst of a deal. And

the fact they had been forced to trade by the threat of armed invasion

by highly-organized predators had offended their sense of honour.

But it was the best and only offer available. And by accepting it, the

Mutes had been able to delay the advance of their other enemy - the

sand-burrowers.

Everyone knew they were being ripped off but the point was all the

clans from the six major bloodlines had accepted the conditions laid

down by the Iron Masters.

It was a collective rip-off and that, in some strange way, made it

bearable. The mistake the D'Troit had made was in appearing to have

come to a more favourable arrangement with the dead-faces in a way that

would give the D'Troit extra power and advantages the other bloodlines

would not share.

They had come close to succeeding, but their attempt to win hearts and

minds by isolating the M'Calls and the She-Kargo had been foiled by Mr

Snow's rousing defence. In implementing Lord Hirohito's plan, his

successor, Aishi Sakimoto, had overlooked the crucial flaw in the

domain-lord's strategy. The endemic hostility between individual clans

and bloodlines imperilled the long-term future of the Plainfolk but the

She-Kargo, M'Waukee, San'Paul, San'Louis - and to some extent the

C'Natti - were united by their fear and hatred of the D'Troit.

The majority of the C'Natti delegations had submerged these feelings in

the hope of gaining the advantages that would accrue from being on the

winning side - and had suffered terrible losses as a result. Whether

they would now change sides remained to be seen. The few C'Natti who

had survived the tidal wave and had been spared in the subsequent

mopping-up operation were still too shocked to think rationally about

the future.

It was a future which no one taking part in this first council could

contemplate with any great pleasure. It seemed unlikely that the Iron

Masters would return cap-in-hand to apologize for instigating the

attack on the She-Kargo. They had obviously intended to punish the

M'Calls and the entire bloodline for the actions of The Chosen in the

Eastern Lands. This could not be allowed to happen. No one who

believed in the Talisman Prophecy could fail to defend those who had

been sent to herald the coming of the Thrice-Gifted One.

The dead-faces would return, but not to trade. From now on, the

Plainfolk would have to rely on their own resources. Still stunned by