Chapter 16

Collecting the Dead

∞

The sound of clicking began to fill the air, sharp like metal against metal, loud like the sound of cicadas calling to their mates, but slow and rhythmic like the beat of a death drum. It was quickly followed by long exoskeleton legs, appearing at first over the wall, followed quickly by the Barakai bodies connected to them. They came in droves, one after another, after another, filling the bowl at the top of the Dead Mountains. One of the Barakai approached and a clicking noise began to emerge from Argimos’s throat. He could speak their language. “Clicklicklick, akaikaikai, clicklicklick,” Argimos said. The Barakai returned his clicks and the conversation continued. At one point Argimos nodded in Jo-Laina’s direction, the Barakai was following his gaze and then more clicking.

After he finished clicking with the Barakai, it turned and approached Jo-Laina. It lowered itself in front of her momentarily, righted itself again and left.

“He thanks you for ridding these mountains of the vermin and he says that the Barakai will, forever, be in your debt.”

“Tell them that more are coming,” Jo-Laina said quickly.

“I did.”

“Tell them that we will be taking refuge in the Black City and that they are welcome.”

“I took that liberty too.”

“Will...”

“They will,” Argimos finished. “Remember, Jo-Laina. I can hear your thoughts.”

The Barakai began to gather their dead. They made quick work of it and before long, there wasn’t a single Barakai corpse left in the bowl.

They had their own dead to deal with. Jerifai hovered above Greegus, his head hung low, arms folded reverently in front of him, eyes closed, and lips moving forming words Jo-Laina didn’t understand, even though she’d seen him pray over too many of their fallen already. It was the Bentarian way to honor the dead and assist their souls to the other side. He prayed over Greegus, Morj’im, and the others, one by one, finishing with Panpar, but remaining with him the longest. By the time that he had reached Panpar, even the other Prim were wearing wet eyes.

∞

It took both Argimos and Belimos to lift and carry all of the dead from within the bowl using their mental fingers. All in all the Shooktah had collected a hundred humans, assumingly from villages near the base of the mountains, and had done so without being seen. If that weren’t the case, they would have heard of their arrival before.

Both Argimos and Belimos were wearing out, and the sun had begun to crest the horizon by the time they had reached the place where Argimos had originally gathered them. They stopped to rest and Jo-Viel immediately stood on the farthest ledge, closest to the desert, facing out toward the horizon. Her blind eyes were closed and her breathing slow. She stood there silently for minutes until Jo-Laina came up next to her.

“What is it, sister?” Jo-Laina asked her.

She didn’t answer at first. She remained quiet, standing there, as if she hadn’t heard her. Jo-Laina withdrew from Argimos, believing that Jo-Viel may have done the same, and searched for the shadow of Jo-Viel’s hawk bolainin. She found it, flying in the distance, not toward them, but away. She watched as it finally circled back and waited for it to return.

“Bring Argimos to your side,” Jo-Viel said after a time.