The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure - By Storm Constantine Page 0,82

him and the farming settlement they lived in was known either as just the Richards Place, or else as Casa Ricardo, in the native tongue. Mima explained to Ulaume that when the rogue Wraeththu had come to destroy the farm, she’d been lucky. She’d been away from home, buying tools from a neighbouring farm some miles away, and had seen the smoke from a distance when she’d returned. For some days, she’d haunted the shadows, seeking evidence of whether her family had survived or not. The Wraeththu had remained there until the althaias were over, because they’d incepted every suitable young male. Mima had found Terez before he’d regained consciousness. With the stealth of a mountain lioness, she’d crept into the house the Wraeththu had been using for their inceptees and had stolen him away from beneath the noses of his captors. But when he’d regained consciousness, he’d been wild and mindless. She’d had to tie him up and take him out into the desert to wait for the Wraeththu to move on. ‘I had another brother, Dorado,’ she said, ‘but I couldn’t find him. I was just relieved I was able to rescue Terez.’

Ulaume winced as he listened to this story, imagining Terez’s terror, his instincts that would have craved to be with the ones who had made him like them. It must have felt as if his limbs were being torn off.

‘Eventually, I untied him,’ Mima said. ‘He went for me like a wild animal and I had to run for my life. He didn’t know me then, and he hasn’t since. Well, you’ve seen what he is now.’

She had returned to Casa Ricardo and had buried the bodies she’d found there: these were the graves Ulaume had seen at the base of the hill.

‘After that, which was the most terrible thing anyone should ever have to do, I lost my mind,’ she said. ‘It went all in one go, just like a light going out. I laid the earth over the final grave and I died too, and yet I didn’t. All I can remember is running around screaming, and then everything gets muzzy. There was no day or night, no thought. Terez and I must have been occupying the same territory, but we never met up. We were both animals. He still is, of course. It began to change for me when I met the little girl – Lileem. I felt like a big dog, wagging my tail for her. I just wanted to please her and be with her. The rest… you know what happened.’

‘I found dead upon the road near here,’ Ulaume said. ‘More recent than what happened to your people. Did the rogue Wraeththu return?’

She shook her head. ‘No. Most likely, Terez did that. He eats anything.’

Ulaume swallowed with difficulty.

‘The bad Wraeththu must have attacked every farm around here,’ she said. ‘So there must have been some survivors seeking an escape.’

Pell’s prophecy, or wish, had come true. Ulaume and Mima had found each other, and together they could keep Lileem, and each other, safe. Ulaume only hoped the outside world, and all that was evil in it, would pass them by.

Chapter Twelve

Saltrock felt different now. Seel walked the familiar streets and it was as if revisiting a childhood haunt. He’d been away only a short time, although longer than he’d planned, but even in the few weeks of his absence, new buildings had sprung up. As he’d expected, the Gelaming had been determined to make their superior presence felt and had lost no time in ingratiating themselves with Stringer, who being an affable soul, had seen no sinister motive in their behaviour. For Stringer, it had no doubt been astounding to realise that he was effectively in charge of Saltrock. With Orien gone, and Seel away with Colt, the inhabitants had invested him with authority. They had gone to him with queries and to seek advice, because there’d been nohar else to turn to.

Seel had to admit that Stringer had done a good job. He’d even been round to tidy up Seel’s office and Seel felt strongly that his plans for the town had been inspected thoroughly. Was it time to hand over the reins of Saltrock to Colt and Stringer, who were more than suitable for the role? Evidence seemed to point that way, but Seel felt uneasy, because this was what Thiede wanted, and therefore he had to suspect that Thiede had somehow engineered the situation.

Seel discussed it openly with Colt,