The Amtrack Wars - Earth Thunder Part 17

This claim triggered murmurs of astonishment and cries of disbelief.

Cadillac stood back and introduced Roz with a sweeping gesture.

'Rain-Dancer! Fourth and last of The Chosen! She will show you the magic that will confound our enemies!" As Roz cast her gaze slowly around the ring, an eerie silence descended. 'Stretch out your right hand towards me, and close your fist!" The wordsmiths and elders did so. 'And you!" she cried, to the crowd pressing in around the seated delegates.

The front ranks obeyed. Those further back, and people pa.s.sing by, did not feel the same compulsion.

Cadillac found his right hand was also extended towards her and hoped whatever image she planned to implant would not be too awful to contemplate. He tried to catch her eye but she was already pivoting on her heel, snaring the minds of those around her with another spell-binding illusion.

Cadillac, like the crowd of spectators was pleasantly surprised to find himself holding the stalk of a bright red flower which opened in the blink of an eye. Cries of delight and amazement burst from those around them, but they were shortlived. As the perfume from the red bloom reaches their nostrils, it became a thorn-stick with razor-sharp spikes like eagle's talons! And where the hand gripped the stick, the startled holder could feel the thorns buried deep in his flesh.

Many of those caught up in the mind-spell tried to let go, but each attempt to loosen their grip had the effect of tightening it even further. Blood oozed between their fingers and down the lower part of the stalk. The pain was considerable, but not unbearable. Mutes had an incredibly high threshold of pain. It was more the shock of the brutal transformation that caused them to cry out. But as they did so, the thorn-stick became a wriggling snake poised to sink its fangs into their forearm!

Roz allowed them to open their hands. The result was total pandemonium. Everyone leapt to their feet, hurled their snake to the ground and stampeded away from the centre, leaping and hopping over the carpet of writhing serpents thrown down by those behind them.

Cadillac held grimly onto his. He knew that none of this was real but his brain thought otherwise, and he had to force himself to grip the rattlesnake when all his instincts were telling him to throw it away!

And at the very instant his will failed him, the snake in his fist became another red flower which promptly vanished leaving only its scent lingering on the air.

The power which Roz was able to exercise, its scope, the ease with which she had snared several hundred people in her mental net was incredible. Those on the fringe of the crowd whose minds remained untouched could not, of course, see the flowers, thorn-sticks or snakes. All they saw was a crowd of elders recoil from their empty out-stretched fists then leap up and run in all directions, hopping and skipping as if they were walking on red-hot coals.

Since the front rows of standing spectators had also turned tail, those on the fringe were obliged to give way.

Jostled from all directions by senior clansmen of every stripe and colour babbling about a plague of snakes, they stared at the empty ring, totally bewildered by the eccentric behaviour of their leaders.

There was not a single snake to be seen. Discarded moca.s.sins, sandals and leather helmets lay in the gra.s.s around the two people who had stood their ground -Cadillac and his smooth-boned female companion, Rain-Dancer.

Having retreated to a safe distance, the wordsmiths, elders and the smitten front rows of onlookers also turned and realised with some embarra.s.sment that it had all been a trick of the mind. Some, whose sense of self-importance could not permit the idea they had also been made fools of, covered their confusion by a show of anger. Leading the surge back into the ring, the protestors closed in on Roz, waving their fists and hurling abuse.

Cadillac appealed for calm but she was ready for them.

Ice-cool, determined, and in complete command of the situation, it was hard to believe this was the same Roz who had fled yelping in panic from the dappled grey mare.

To the horror of those around them, the fists of everyone making a menacing gesture burst into flame. And this time, the pain was excruciating.

Screams and curses filled the air as those around the stricken protestors tried to smother the flames with articles of clothing. But as they did so, the flames vanished, leaving the flesh unmarked and whole. Everyone fell to their knees around Cadillac and Roz. Truly, this was great and terrible earth-magic!

'Will you not learn?!" shouted Cadillac angrily. 'What more proof do you need?!" He pointed at Roz. 'The power of Talisman flows through her! Our enemies are helpless against her magic because they only see what we wish them to see, and hear what we wish them to hear!" Roz pivoted on her heel, capturing the circle of kneeling spectators in one sweeping glance. Those nearest to her cowered away from her then gasped as she and Cadillac vanished from sight. More cries of amazement, some of the hardier spirits started to rise and were immediately flattened as the earth trembled beneath their feet and a deafening peal of thunder split the sky over their heads.

Everyone fell on their faces and hugged the ground.

The day the earth moved was a folk-memory seared into the minds of every Mute since the War of a Thousand Suns. A prolonged earth-tremor turned the bones of even the bravest warrior to jelly.

Once again, no one beyond the circle felt the ground shake or heard the thunder. Cadillac and Roz had not vanished. They only appeared to do so in the minds of those who had fallen under her spell. And when they both reappeared it was to an almost universal roar of acclamation.

Heyy-YAHH! Heyy-YAHH! HEYYYAAHHH!!

The cheers that were less than fulsome came from the throats of those still shaken by the experience of having seen their right fists burst into a ball of flame.

Thrilled to be playing host to such an outstanding duo, their adoptive clan insisted on placing a special guard around the hut which the M'Kenzis had put at their disposal. Taking her cue from Cadillac, Roz accepted what was, for the egalitarian Mutes, a signal honour. She had never been treated like a V.I.P before.

Cadillac took it all in his stride. learning up with Roz had dramatically increased his standing, but it was no more than his due.

They were, after all, The Chosen and about to risk their necks for the Plainfolk.

'You're getting better by the day,' he said, as the residue of the meal that had been prepared for them was cleared away. It had been cooked by three M'Kenzi women who had remained on their knees with their eyes averted while serving the various courses.

'I seem to have frightened everyone half to death,' replied Roz.

'That won't do us any harm. You know what the biggest problem is with the way Mutes run things? They talk too much. Everyone feels they have the right to stick their oar in."

'Oar...?"

'A shaped wooden pole the fisherfolk use to propel their boats through the water."

'Ahh... Don't you think that's a good thing - people having a say in what happens to them?"

'In theory, yes - but where has it got us? Too many conflicting opinions and aspirations. No cohesion. No vision! What the Plainfolk need is strong leaders.h.i.+p!" 'Isn't Talisman supposed to provide that?"

'Talisman isn't here? snapped Cadillac. 'For heaven's sake, Roz! I'm talking about what needs to happen now!

We're facing a threat from the Iron Masters and the Federation. The Plainfolk can only survive if they get organised. Someone's got to grab these guys by the scruff of the neck and start banging heads together."

Roz eyed him as she washed the meat juice off her hands in the bowl that had been laid reverently in front of her. 'And is that what you see yourself doing?"

'With your help, yes." He met her eyes with a confident smile. 'I feel ready to take charge- why be coy about it?"

'Why indeed?" said Roz. 'You sound just like Steve!" Cadillac wasn't sure if that was a reproach or a compliment. 'Really? I know one thing. If he was in my place he'd go for it."

'Yes... I imagine that's just how the Founding Father felt."

'This is not like that."

'I hope not,' said Roz. 'I don't want to find myself being ruled by another First Family."

Cadillac fixed her with a searching glance. 'What if you were part of it?" His question was met with silence. He tried again. 'Somebody has to lead. Will you follow?" Roz thought about it for a while then replied with a fatalistic shrug. 'The Wheel turns, The Path is drawn .... ' Cadillac reached out, took hold of her hand, and coaxed her to her feet. 'Then let's take it - one step at a time.

together."

CHAPTER FOUR.

While Cadillac had been touring the encampment in an effort to gather support for his grand strategy, Roz had been busy on his behalf, trawling the open-air bazaar for Iron Master swords, clothes and accoutrements.

Cadillac wanted to acquire two complete sets of samurai battle-dress, from the items that were being offered under the barter system by which goods were exchanged. All the Iron Master clothes and artefacts now on display had been stripped from the gaping hulks of the wheel-boats and the sodden mud-caked corpses of their crews but they were not all on offer. Some adorned the vendors, and many of the She-Kargo and M'Waukee warriors were carrying sheathed samurai swords. Others had claimed the bra.s.s helmet crests and various other decorative bits and pieces as battle trophies and these were now attached to their own hand-sewn headgear and chest-leathers.

By the time Cadillac was called upon to formally address the a.s.sembly of wordsmiths, elders and paramount warriors, Roz had mentally noted the whereabouts of most of the items he had asked her to find. The trouble was, they had precious few goods of their own to exchange. Her stunning demonstration of mind-control solved the problem. When she visited the bazaar on the following day, the vendors competed for the honour of her custom, eagerly offering to give her whatever she required.

All those with samurai clothes and armour were asked to match up complete outfits using design motifs, cord-knotting and colour-trim as a guide. It took a whole morning to sort out the various bits and pieces but finally, with the help of Roz's a.n.a.lytical eye, the vendors managed to a.s.semble several dozen sets which were laid out for Cadillac's approval.