Eric Flint - Mother of Demons

"Under cover of Ropou's maneuver, the remaining battle groups will retreat into the swamp. Ufta's group will go first, taking the gana with them."

"The gana will panic," complained Ufta. "They will not enter the swamp."

Kopporu stared at her. She had almost ordered the execution of Ufta as well. Perhaps she should have.

Something of her thoughts must have shown, for Ufta suddenly announced that she would see to the task. At once.

Kopporu ordered one of the swamp-dwellers to accompany Ufta, to provide her with a guide once her group entered the swamp. The other battle leaders were likewise provided with guides. She then ordered the five battle leaders to their posts, after issuing one final command.

"In the event of my death, Gortoku will assume leadership of the tribe."

"What's left of the tribe," said Ufta softly.

" No." The battle leaders stared at Aktako, surprised. Despite her personal relationship with Kopporu, the old veteran was always a stickler for protocol. She never spoke at the meetings of the battle leaders.

Aktako's own mantle was as black as Kopporu's.

"Ufta still does not understand," said Aktako harshly. "This is the tribe. From this moment forward, there are no other Kiktu."

The old warrior waved a palp toward the south. In the distance, the clash of flails and forks could be heard. But above it, swelling, they could hear the shrieks of the doomed. The Utuku cutters had already started their work, in anticipation of the great victory feast.

Aktako made the gesture of negation.

"Those are no longer Kitku. They are meat for the conquerors."

As soon as the battle leaders left the command circle, Kopporu summoned the remaining swamp-dweller to her side. The swamp-dweller was called O-doddo-ua, and she was what passed for a leader among the swamp dwellers. Her name seemed strange to Kopporu's ear, but she knew it was a common one among the helots in the Oukasho Prevalate. O-doddo-ua, like most of the swamp-dwellers, was an escapee from the southern prevalates. They had chosen the wretched and dangerous life of the swamp in preference to a life of ceaseless toil and slavery. There were many Kiktu warriors-the great majority, in truth-who despised the swamp-dwellers for that choice. Kopporu admired them for it.

But whether they despised them or not, all the Kiktu would now be dependent on the swamp-dwellers. The swamp was a feared place, unclean; essentially unknown to the Kiktu. Their survival would depend on the knowledge of the outcasts.

"Do you have any questions, O-doddo-ua?"

The swamp-dweller hesitated. There were traces of pink in the ochre of her mantle, Kopporu noted. Not with surprise, except, perhaps, at the absence of red. O-doddo-ua had known, abstractly, that Kopporu was ruthless in her approach to reality. But abstract knowledge is one thing; gutted bodies are another.

"You are afraid of what I will do to you, once you have served us," stated Kopporu.

A sudden ripple of ochre washed over the swamp-dweller's mantle, followed by the gesture of affirmation.

"I am not cruel, O-doddo-ua. Treacherous only when I need to be. I promised that we would reward you if you guided us through the swamp. The promise will be kept."

O-doddo-ua hesitated; then spoke softly, in the slurring accent of the southerners.

"We have not agreed on the reward."

"True. I offered you five wires of bronze. I can now promise you a few gana, as well. But that is all." Kopporu allowed a brief ripple of brown into her mantle. "The Kiktu will have nothing more to give. We are now a poor tribe ourselves."

"Not true, battle leader. You are rich in what the swamp-dwellers treasure most. Richer now, I think, than ever."

"Indeed? What is that?"

"Knowledge of survival, and its needs." To Kopporu's surprise, the swamp-dweller's mantle turned black.

"Our reward will be adoption into your tribe. No, more. Into your own clan, battle leader Kopporu."

Despite her iron self-control, Kopporu was unable to prevent her mantle from glowing bright orange. Not often, since she was a child, had Kopporu been so thoroughly astonished.

"What?"

"You heard. Those are our terms, battle leader. We have discussed it amongst ourselves, and decided."

"But- why? "

"We know the swamp, battle leader, but we do not love it. Not at all. We are tired of being outcasts. And we have long since abandoned the foolish notions of civilization. It would be good to have a place in the world. In the greatest clan of its greatest tribe."

Kopporu whistled bitter amusement. "Greatest tribe? Its greatest clan? Are you blind, O-doddo-ua? The Kiktu are no longer the world's greatest tribe, if we ever were. By tomorrow we will be not much more than outcasts and swamp dwellers ourselves."

O-doddo-ua said nothing; but the black mantle never lightened its shade.

After a moment, Kopporu made the gesture of acceptance.

"So be it, if that is your wish. But, understand this, O-doddo-ua: the decision is not mine to make. I am a battle leader only. You and your people cannot be adopted into the Kiktu without the consent of the entire tribe, in full tribal assembly. My clan is a small one, and the clan leaders are not-"

She stopped abruptly. O-doddo-ua whistled.

"Are not alive," she finished the thought. O-doddo-ua waved her palp to the south. "Or not much longer. All the clan leaders are gathered in the center, with the mothers. You will be the new clan leader, Kopporu. And your clan will now be the greatest of the Kiktu."

"Still…" She made the gesture of resignation. "I will do what I can, O-doddo-ua. The decision must still be made by the tribe as a whole. I will speak for you, that I can promise. But that may not be of any use. I myself will have to stand trial, at the next assembly. For treason and murder. My words may harm your cause more than they help it."

"We will take our chances. By then, much will have changed. The warriors will be shocked by your actions, once they understand what has happened here. Appalled, even. But by then, they will have spent time in the swamp."

"So?"

"So-the swamp has a way of teaching one to distinguish what is important from what is frivolous. And they will no longer despise we swamp-dwellers."

O-doddo-ua turned away.

"You will see, battle leader. You will see."

No sooner had O-doddo-ua left the command circle than Lukpudo entered. The battle leader of the Opoktu was bearing a new wound. But it was a slight wound, and would soon be lost in the welter of other scars which crisscrossed her mantle.

Kopporu watched Lukpudo approach with a mixture of fondness and deep regret. Fondness, for her trust in the Opoktu had not been mislaid-the small tribe had fought well and valiantly. Deep regret, for their loyalty was now to be repaid by treachery. Kopporu would attempt, at the last moment, to keep a way open for the Opoktu to follow her into the swamp, should they so choose. But she had not confided in them, and she knew that they would be too confused to act quickly enough.

She noticed that Lukpudo gave only the briefest glance at the bodies of the two murdered battle leaders as she approached. Lukpudo's indifference puzzled her. It was obvious the two battle leaders had been slain here, not on the battlefield.

The mystery was resolved at once, and Kopporu found herself astonished for the second time that day.

"When do we make our retreat into the swamp?" asked Lukpudo.

The Opoktu battle leader whistled amusement at Kopporu's orange.

"The Kiktu leaders may be stupid, Kopporu, but our clan leaders are most assuredly not. It's one of the advantages, you know, to being a small tribe. You have to be smarter."

"You knew? "

Another whistle.

"Not exactly. We have been planning the same maneuver ourselves. I almost raised the subject with you, once. But you're such an upright sort that I decided it best not to. I could not afford, you understand, to be denounced. But I began suspecting what you were up to when I saw the swamp-dwellers you were collecting around. There could only be one logical explanation for their presence."