Walking the Tree (35 page)

  She reached for the smaller brother and bade him to lie down, then she straddled him and let him enter her. His brother knelt behind, raising bumps on her flesh.

  The big brother bade her lie down and he entered her that way. He was bigger than his brother, harder, and she gasped. There seemed to be no competition between them. They were happy to work together.

 

Afterwards, they lay there together and the brothers spoke of their irritation with the Order – how the rest of them were weak, ready to run, would not protect their village, hurt anyone to save it.

  The brothers thought the village was worth killing and dying for.

  It was a very different attitude to the rest of the Order, who were so fearful of people disappearing they would not fight anything. They said they had lost three to the Tree; three disappeared inside never to be seen again.

  Lillah thought of Rham, never to grow up, and of Thea and Gingko, grown and gone, never to be mothers.

 

She wanted to stay. She liked the Order and she liked the brothers, but they were only two Orders from Gulfweed. She thought, "I will make Morace safe. Hand him over to his relatives. Then I can come back.

  Lillah and Morace held hands as they left. Another Order that hadn't made the connection between Morace and a woman dying in Ombu. Another time safe. Ster walked with them, too. She had gained strength, no longer mouthing Lillah's opinion. She took the lead more often and Lillah thought she would be welcomed in an Order where a leader was needed.

  Lillah wondered, as she had many times, what she was doing. All her learning told her that if Morace was sick, he needed to be sacrificed. But she didn't believe that. She didn't believe that he could cause destruction.

 

• • •

 

"This is a beautiful place. So peaceful," Tamarica said. Lillah nodded. To Tamarica, any place where the men weren't cruel was peaceful.

 

In her mapping, Lillah told the Tree:
Lovely brothers
go to war, lovely brothers so nice together.

  
Here, the Tree grows red fruit. The leaves are small and
dense and the Bark drips red sap.

 

 

 

The market between Aspen and Sargassum was lively, full of laughter. People were different away from their homes. Some became dour and complaining, others seemed free of constraints and expectations and all the better for it. With only a two week walk, people travelled there often.

  It still seemed strange to be walking without Phyto. Zygo in particular seemed downhearted.

  "I hope he's all right. I wish he could have walked with us all the way home."

  "He has his life to follow. We were lucky to have him for as long as we did. He liked being around us, I think. He learnt a lot from you, too, Zygo."

 

"This is where Aquifolia's mother lives. She came from here." Lillah said as they approached Sargassum. She wondered how poor, lonely Aquifolia was. Unloved forever, not even liked particularly well. But then, no, she had married Araucari and they were happy, Lillah was sure. He was a good man even without use of his legs.

  They saw the Order ahead and before it, the sand white and full of glare. It was odd; a bad omen.

  Morace ran ahead. "It's fish doors. All of it! Have you ever seen such a thing?"

  It was, too, the small white shell circles. Lillah had only seen scattered dozens before. Here, there were millions. Lillah and the other teachers did not remember such a thing from when they were students.

  The children, amazed by the shells, ran through them. Ran their fingers through them and collected them in massive piles.

  Ster and Lillah watched together. "I remember finding this Order strange," Ster said.

  "In what way?"

  "They seemed to know so much. They often knew what we would say and they seemed to know what would happen before it happened. They were never taken by surprise by Leaffall. Or by Spikes."

  "What are you telling me?"

  "I'm telling you that here we need to be careful. These people, of everywhere you or I have been, understand each other. They understand us. They are not as caught up in their own existence as most others on Botanica. They know people and remember the things they have heard."

  "The messenger would not have bothered to tell them about Rhizo, surely," Lillah said. "They would not be interested in the death of a woman they don't know."

  "They are interested in all deaths. And she is from the next Order, don't forget. They may know her in some way."

 

They spent the night near the sea doors because the children seemed to love being around them and they had few joys. Lillah felt nervous. She saw them as a bad omen, as did the other teachers, but she didn't want to share that nervousness with the children.

  The Bark here was pale, almost luminous. Green onion shoots grew amongst the roots, so they had a tasty meal of flavourful fish.

  "In the morning we will walk into Sargassum," Lillah said. "I know a woman who came from there. She settled in my Order. She is the one who burnt me."

  She showed them her arm

  "Why did she burn you?"

  "She didn't like me much," Lillah said. "That's what I always believed. She said it was a message for her Order; I guess we'll find out."

 

As they were settling to sleep, they heard, "Lillah!"

"Who knows you here?" Tamarica said.

"No one! Who could know me here?"

  "Lillah!" they heard again. In the falling dark, a young woman came to them under the trunk.

  "Nyssa!" Lillah ran over to her childhood friend and they swung each other around joyfully.

  "You look the same! I knew you straight away!"

  "You, too!"

  "And this is your school?"

  "This is them."

  "And which one is the young boy in your especial care?"

  Lillah didn't speak. The teachers and students stared at Nyssa.

  She said, "Sorry. Sorry. We were told…but you can find out that later. Are you going to join us tonight?"

  Lillah noticed her friend had burn scars on the backs of her hands and wrists.

  "Did you have an accident? Are you all right?"

  "No, they burn deliberately here. They can read the scars, tell your future."

  Lillah remembered dismissing this talk from Aquifolia.

  "Do they really believe that?"

  "They know you are coming. With him. Not your name, of course. They're not good on the details. But they saw running big and running small."

  "We are not running," Lillah said.

  "I'm not small, I'm almost fourteen," Morace said. Lillah pinched him to be quiet.

  "You are. Of course you are. Big man," Nyssa said. "Come on, let's sit amongst the branches, Lillah. We can talk."

  They held hands to help each other climb up. They talked of Nyssa's life, her husband, the child she had caught.

  Then Nyssa said, "Lillah, we don't see everything. But we do see some. We don't know why you are in danger. But we see that you are."

  "What should we do? Will they help us or hurt us? Should we walk on?" Lillah gave up any thought of pretence, although she didn't tell Nyssa of Rhizo's death and their fears for Morace's health.

  "Don't walk on. They won't hurt you here, not tonight and not for the next while. Aquifolia's mother Maringa wants to see you. She leads us in many ways. She told me to bring you to her when you arrived."

  "But will she help or hurt? Nyssa?"

  "We have to trust her, Lillah."

  She led them through the thick low branches of the Tree. They could hear some quiet voices, but not many.

  "They're mostly on the outskirts, building a welcoming shelter for your school. They like to build. And because one of us dreamed there was someone special in your school they are taking extra care. Do you think that it is true?"

  Lillah's heart gave a flip; she could feel it. Was it her? Lillah? Would she do something the whole Tree would know about?

  "I don't know. We're all special, aren't we?"

  "Maringa is sleeping, now. It's ash sleep she's having; sometimes we put fresh ash under our pillows and have a dream-telling in the morning. I think she is struggling to know what to do about your arrival. In the meantime, my Order will welcome you all."

 

The shelter was built, lined with the white fish doors. The Order welcomed them all tiredly and it was decided to have welcomefire the next day.

  "Are you hungry?" Nyssa asked them. They had eaten, but it seemed like many hours earlier.

  Nyssa gave them bags of dried fruit to eat. It was perfect; the sweetness, a touch of saltiness and it filled them without bloating. More of the fruit would be exchanged at welcomefire in the morning for the flute they had been given in Aspen.

  They rested then, in the temporary building made for them.

  "I like it here," Borag said. "It has a good smell about it. I wonder whether they use that fruit in cooking?"

  They talked amongst themselves for a while, then slowly drifted off.

 

When Nyssa called them, Lillah rubbed at her eyes, feeling like she'd slept for blinks only.

  "Maringa is awake. It's dark out. Come on." Lillah pushed Morace awake, and they followed Nyssa down to the water's edge, moonlight path for them to walk. A woman sat hunched over, way out on the seawalk, unmoving.

  "Is she okay?" Lillah asked. She could hardly talk for the fear that filled her. She thought, "Run. Run. Take him home," but home was still so far away. And home may not be safe; home may still hurt them both.

  "She's fine. Walk out to her."

  Maringa turned as she approached. Aquifolia had warned Lillah of the disfigurement, but Lillah had imagined something like Aquifolia's own face; small patches of shiny skin on the face.

  This woman had been burnt over and over again. There was no skin on her face that wasn't shiny and pink or scabby. Morace gasped in horror.

  "Lillah," she said. "Step forward."

  She took Lillah's arm and ran her fingers over the scar tissue. "You came from Ombu, didn't you?" Lillah nodded, not really wanted to admit this. "My daughter stopped with you. Aquifolia. She always promised to send us a gift. We haven't seen it yet." Lillah thought guiltily of the parcel she'd thrown away. She shouldn't have done that.

  "She didn't send anything," Lillah said.

  "Really?" Maringa closed her eyes and touched the scars on Lillah's arms. "You know my daughter then? Aquifolia? Were you kind to her?"

  Lillah nodded. "She helped us prepare for school. She stopped in our Order because she felt comfort able there. She has made a lover with a very good man. I know him. He is a good man."

  "And yet she didn't send a gift for me?"

  Lillah felt her whole body flush with guilt. She wanted to continue with her lie, but looked into Maringa's eyes and knew she would not be able to do that.

  "I have done a very bad thing with that," she said. "Your daughter sent you some sticks, but I did not want to carry them. I discarded them. I thought I would collect more sticks before we reached here and that you would not know the difference."

  Maringa stared at her. Maringa's face was almost all scar tissue and she did not smile. "I would have known the difference. Better to not receive the sticks at all than to receive a false message."

  Lillah shivered. She had never felt so cold. So unprotected.

  The woman lifted Lillah's arm and inspected it closely, sometimes touching her nose to the skin. "My daughter has given me something to read. You see now, she knew what she was doing. Fire is cleansing. She must care very deeply for you. I hope she does not know how little you care for her."

  "I was always kind to her," Lillah said.

   "Yes," she said. "Yes. I see you try to be kind. And you have kept this boy safe. But now is his truest danger."

  "I don't think so," Lillah said. "We are almost at the Order of his mother. They will care for him there."

  The woman stroked her arm again with a tenderness that made Lillah anxious.

  "There is only one direction you can take. They are coming for him, and for you, too. You must enter the Tree."

  Lillah began to cry. She had come to this woman for help, and while she had not really expected to be saved, she had hoped for a hint at what to do.

  Not insanity. Not an impossibility.

  "You must enter through the ghost cave, and make your way to the centre of the Tree. I can't tell you more; what is inside sits beyond my imagination. It is not evil, though. They wish you no ill."

  "The ghosts? I can't go to the ghosts. You are a terrible woman. You are terrible and cruel. We came to you for help."

  "Are they ghosts?" Maringa ran her lips along Lillah's scar tissue. "I do not believe they are. I believe they are people living inside, not ghosts."

  "Of course they are ghosts. I've seen them. We've all seen them. They mean us no well. They hate us. They want to destroy us. Everybody knows this. Everybody."

  "Lillah, if you don't risk entering the Tree you will die, and Morace will die, and they will probably kill your entire school as well for hiding you. They will kill me and all of my family. They will slice you open with far more violence than any ghost will, and they will find illness inside you, and they will kill anyone you have contacted. All your lovers, all your family. You will cause the deaths of many."

  "But they will do that anyway."

  "They will not do it without the proof. They will not do it without looking inside Morace for Spikes."