He was raging inside, but he held himself in check. This young woman had been able not only to survive the shock of coming to the canyons but was even now attempting to change them. In an ugly way he was fascinated. He found himself wishing not to stop her outright, but to wait for an opportunity to crush her in as public and humiliating a fashion as possible—and then deal with her privately. So, yes, coming here to his private booth to observe the show would be entertaining, for, as sure as one day followed the other, the occasion for bringing her downfall would present itself. “I don't give a damn about any of your contraptions. Your logic is flawed but I agree to accept it. Your tent may stay in place for now, but”—and he placed himself within inches of Pascale's face—“I warn you, it will never be safe to turn your back anywhere in these canyons!”
He turned and swaggered away. For a moment Pascale stared after him. Then she faced around to her helpers and clapped her hands. “We have permission! Let's finish the tent!”
That day the communal tent was completed and a table brought out of the cantina to set near the middle. The crew of helpers found boxes and logs to use as seats and some of the remaining blankets were spread on the ground. At once they took ownership, sitting around, looking satisfied with their work, and making remarks about how this would be a good place to eat meals. They seemed surprised and embarrassed at the sound of their voices conversing, but also pleased and proud, like schoolchildren trying out a foreign language. As promised, Ravel came down with Katoucha and she took up pole position at the table her good eye leveled across it as if she were already the hostess of the party. No one minded, rather they were even more impressed with their own work, having enticed the queen of the Women's cabin to abandon her porch.
That evening Zena and Pascale brought their meal out to eat in the tent and Zoltan did the same for himself and Orwell. As the shadows covered the awning the blankets and the ground retained the heat for a while and the little group lingered in the half light. Finally Pascale picked up the plates and brushed the table down. She took the dishes into the cantina and then asked Zena to walk back with her to their cabin. As they passed Magus' cabin there was no light in the windows. Both women tensed and shivered, but they arrived at their own place safely. Pascale asked Zena whether she would get up with her at first light because she wanted to climb the cliff. Zena laughed, “I knew you'd not be able to resist that for long. Sure, we'll go tomorrow. But I'll stay below and watch!”
2. WILDERNESS CAMP
The water-treatment plant was not far from the Zoo Colony where Danny lived. It was further south and west in the low hills beyond the Font Eterno and it only took an hour on horseback to get there. Danny made a visit on Stardust the day after the meeting with Jonas. He found a mile-long sparkling oval reservoir fed by streams diverted from the sierra. He'd passed it once before, but without investigating. This time behind the eastern wall he found the chemical treatment plant which supplied the immortality enzyme to the water. Everything was fully automated, with long storage barns, stainless steel silos, tanks, processing units, pipes and mixing chambers. Circling to the westerly side he found what looked like a main supply flowing into an underground tunnel with a heading to the north-west, in the direction of the majority of the colonies. Continuing around farther he found a small surface pipe, this time running south. On Jonas' hypothesis, this had to be it.
He nosed Stardust along the side of the steel pipe as it crossed a dusty perimeter and cut through a ridge. At the top of the rise, Danny could see the land fall away in a long pleasing sweep past a cluster of villas surrounded by fields of alfalfa. He wasn't sure which colony this was but, more important, he could see the pipe head in that direction, disappearing into the ground. It was clear this was the water source for the colony and the question now was where it went after that. He took the road past the cluster of buildings, looping round to the other side to the point where the track ran out. Here the land fell away more rapidly, covered with sage and straggling bunch grass. The surface was bumpy and cracked, with dips and rises running across his path, with brush in the washes and creosote bushes on the slopes. He could see no sign of the pipe but he judged it must follow the same line as the reservoir to the colony. He pushed Stardust on in the general direction and as he crossed the low rises he could see smudges of brown and shadow beyond and a smoky yellow tinge to the air. In half an hour he ran out of land and the stony ground in front of him suddenly plunged into thin air. There before him stretching to the horizon were the canyons, the badlands at the edge of Heaven.
He scouted the edge of the canyon looking for a point where the water pipe might be visible as it turned downward. There were any number of depressions along the edge where it could have been laid, but there was no sign of a pipe. It could just as easily have been placed in a gulley several feet deep and then covered over. The only sure place to look would be from below. There was no other option then, he would have to find this canyon, the most northerly one, and ride along the bottom to see if and where the pipe descended.
He climbed down from Stardust and found a palm-sized rock. Carefully he tied his red bandana round the rock and then flung it out into the canyon as far as he could. He thought he heard it hit, but could not be sure. He gazed out over the serried ridges, to where he could see no further. They ran in a jagged pattern, some following the angle of the one below, roughly south-west to north-east and others cutting across from the south-east. The effect was a jumbled maze with some canyons coming to a dead end and others opening into a transverse or forming an oblique angle. As he knew from his previous explorations, it was horribly easy to get lost. This time at least he had some points of reference, but he would have to be very systematic, or his efforts would be wasted.
He remounted and together he and Stardust took a route along the top of the canyon. They were heading southwest and he knew ultimately he had to hit the main track down. He was hoping he would connect directly with the descent along this present canyon, but his hopes were dashed when abruptly it came to an end and the land was a mesa stretching south to another separate canyon. He would have to follow that one, or even another one farther south, and so on until he finally got to the way down. At the bottom he would then be obliged to double back to the north until he found the original canyon or the water pipe, whichever came first.
He could not begin today: he needed supplies for a long, demanding trek. He headed home to the colony and when he found Eboni he asked her for a notebook, in which he could map his exact route with all its twists and turns. The previous day, after he had gotten back from the visit with Jonas, he had told her about his plan. At first she was totally opposed and tried to dissuade him, but when she saw the purpose it gave to him something in her own soul was stirred. She decided not to stand in his way. Today she was even excited about it all and wanted to help. She went at once to find the notebook and handed it to him.
“When you get Pascale out you'll have to hide her somewhere. I'll support you with supplies, that kind of thing.”
Danny hugged and thanked her. “Looks like this could be the beginning of a movement! But probably we shouldn't tell anyone else until we're sure we can trust them.”
The next day Danny began his systematic search. He set out early to the point where he had left the mesa, then followed the land until he came finally to the main way down, the track he had always descended on before. He had mapped the blocked canyons in his book as best he could, but he could not be certain that he had copied everything as he could rarely see clear to the bottom. When he finally got to the canyon floor he started to work his way back to the east and north, following the line as best he could. He got as far as he was able that day and then returned once more to the uplands. The following day he headed straight to the last point of his search and continued on from there. If there was a branch canyon going to the north he would take it. If this was a dead end, he would retrace his steps and continue heading east. Wherever the canyon angled east he would s
tay with it until he could go north again.
In this way he continued, tacking east and north. All the while he was scanning the walls for any possible water pipe and keeping a keen eye out for his bandana. Observing the walls made him attentive to the way the canyons were formed, how sometimes the sides were less steep and there might even be a possibility of climbing to the top with Stardust. Perhaps he could go over an intervening mesa and not have to backtrack along the bottoms. Still at this point he was too nervous about losing his way, so he kept down below.
Each day his search brought him farther away from the plateau and he was stretching the day to its last rays of light. After three days of his threading the canyons he seemed to reach a final dead end. He sensed he had gone well past the point of the water-treatment plant and there was no way further north. He got down off Stardust and gave her water from the canteen pouring it in a leather bowl.
“What do you think, Dusty? I suppose this means we overshot the pipe. It has to be toward the western end of one of the canyons. Some place we didn't look?”
The horse pawed the ground.
“Glad you agree, but I reckon you also want to get back home before sundown.”
He packed the canteen and bowl, climbed back on the saddle and set off at a smart trot, following the turns in his book exactly in reverse. He traveled smoothly but it was almost dark when he finally made the ascent to the plateau, climbing with Stardust on a lead rope in order to spare her and avoid the danger of a slip. As he struggled to the top he thought how much less exhausting it would be if he could stay down in the canyons a few days at a time. Yes, there were the dogs and coyotes, but if he could find some high ground protected by rocks, and perhaps light a fire, then he should be alright. His days down in the badlands had given him confidence and he felt it was time he took control of his story.
He told Eboni, “I think I'm becoming a canyon rat. I feel O.K. down there and I know I'll be safe. I want to bring supplies for a few days and have more time to finish the search.”
Eboni laughed. She said, “I always have a feeling you'll be O.K. and if it will speed things up then do it. I'd be down there with you myself except people here would notice and ask questions. Tomorrow we'll put things together for a longer stay and you can leave before sun up the day after.”
Thus Danny's day trips grew into a full expedition. Before first light he and Eboni brought everything to the stable and saddled up. He led the horse out of the yard and a short distance from the colony he mounted and rode away as the dawn was flickering in the east. He arrived at the last point of his search in the early afternoon. He headed back west but the canyon was a box at the other end too, so he had to double back south again until he found a further passage west. Effectively he was heading the other way along canyons which he had pursued in an easterly direction. He felt certain he would have seen his bandana or the pipe if he had passed them, so this was the only logical thing.
As he continued searching, he was also constantly on the look-out for a safe spot up on the mesas, at least somewhere on higher ground. He was now in a deep canyon running west and it was not coming to an end. He'd already checked out two dead-end northern branches and still it kept going. He was well beyond the point-of-no-return before nightfall. It felt both scary and exciting to be out in the wilderness, facing a night camp completely on his own. It was easily the most daring thing he'd ever done, so much more than back flips by the poolside in Tepland or taking the drugs at the Doblepoble. He scanned the cliffs for an ascent and he thought the whole thing was the best ever. He was so glad to be Pascale's brother and, yes, to be friends with Palmiro. Without them he might be in Heaven but he'd never be having so much fun.
To his right there was another branch and to his left, set high on the wall he spotted a craggy rock buttress with what looked like a fissure in its wall, perhaps large enough to pass through. There was also a possible ascent along a ridge starting five or six feet from the ground. Below that the bank was at a steep angle but the ground was hard and stony, scattered with cactus.
“This is what you're made for, Dusty. Let's see if we can rush the bank and reach that spine.”
He pulled away and pointed Startdust at the canyon wall in the direction of the buttress. She seemed to understand and tossed her head a couple of times in excitement. He held her still and then dug his heels against her flanks, urging her on.
She plunged into a run and took the bank in two leaps, making the beginning of the ridge and continuing her impetus up the cliff, her ears pulled back with the thrill of the charge.
“Yeeehaah! That's my girl!” Danny yelled in excitement even as he slowed and steadied her on the narrow path. But she was sure-footed, continuing higher and higher until they got to the band of rock and the opening. It was a few feet wide and Danny was able to guide Stardust in over the rockfall. At once they were in a natural stronghold about the size of a wide sitting room with high walls behind and to the side and clear ground in the middle. Nothing could come at them except one at a time through the split, and anyway he could build a fire.
“Perfect, it's like it was made for us! We'll leave everything here and go look at that branch canyon we saw.”
He unloaded the supplies, stashing them in a corner and covering them with rocks. He then led Stardust back out, remounting and carefully descending the ridge to the point where the narrow shoulder ended. He slipped out of the saddle and slid down the remainder of the bank, letting Stardust hop and skitter down alone. It was already early evening and there would not be a lot of time to explore the canyon opposite, but he made a start. As he headed down the burnished chasm, still giving off intense heat, he found it quickly broke into another canyon at a sharp angle. He turned into the switch and the feeling grew stronger and stronger that he was closing in on the point where he had thrown his rock. The canyon became a deep ravine and seemed it would probably go on some way but he still wanted to press on a little farther.
He almost passed the opening because it was only a few feet wide, but suddenly there was a branch to his right. He steered his horse through the defile, following it for thirty yards, then it abruptly widened out. From above it could easily have looked like a dead end and he thought it was possible this was the first blocked canyon he had seen from the plateau. But now there really was no longer time to explore. The shadows were thickening fast and he would have to return tomorrow.
As Danny retraced the way back to his camp, the final light of the sun made a frieze of brass along the length of the canyon. He stopped to gather brush for a fire, snapping dead stalks and picking up bone-dry branches. He made a bundle with his rope and slung it across his shoulder, then remounted Stardust. The Arab hardly needed to be told where to go or what to do. She passed the buttress, then faced around. Danny touched her and she made the run, leaping with circus-like precision. Within a minute and a half they were home, safe among the towering rocks.
3. STORY TELLING
In the tented meeting space twelve or more Ranch citizens were seated around the table. Across from them, half a dozen yards away, Magus was installed in his private booth observing. He was leaning his head on the braced fingers of one hand, like Caesar. To fit the role, his expression was at once bored, contemptuous and hostile. He now took it as his function to supervise what went on in the tent, but all along he was bitterly eager to find just one opportunity to crush Pascale and pull it all down. So far, however, he had not been able to break either her logic or her will.
People had gotten used to meeting in the tent every day and organizing certain simple chores. In the days after it had first been set up, Pascale had persuaded Zena to help her do something about the Women's cabin, clearing the floor, opening up the shutters and letting light and air in. The place was unspeakably filthy, with piles of old clothes where mice and rats had nested until someone had spread piles of poison around and their bodies had rotted on the spot and dried to dust. Cockroaches scuttled in every direction the moment anythi
ng was picked up and flies buzzed relentlessly against the window panes. Pascale and Zena began dragging everything out the door and tossing it on the porch.
Katoucha who was sitting there turned her head and looked as if she had never seen any of this stuff before. She uttered a stifled gasp of horror and stood up. She turned to Ravel beside her, pointing at the trash, clearly indicating he should do something about it. Ravel showed the whites of his eyes but his devotion to Katoucha was great and he began to help, pushing everything into a pile in the middle of the canyon. After saving some of the blankets and a couple of the more tolerable dresses, they heaped brush on the pile. Zena got some old oil from the kitchen and poured that on too. Pascale set it all alight.
When others smelled the pungent fire of the first cleaning, they wanted to join in. Alaqua and another woman from the cantina, Carly, came up and asked what they could do to help. Pascale set them to washing the saved articles. Katoucha marched Ravel and Zoltan down to the Men's cabin and got them to make a start there too. Thus the custom of house chores became established and, little by little, there was a regular detail of canyon Immortals heading off with pails, brushes and rags, or carrying out blankets and clothes to wash and then dry them on the canyon walls. The cleaners' efforts extended to the cantina. Working their way around the recumbent figures who still spent the day there, they swept the floors, carefully washed tables and dishes, and threw away old food. They also repaired the bug screens and went on fly hunts, swatting them or driving them out the door.
On this particular day Zena and Katoucha were organizing the tasks. Pascale had not arrived yet. She had adopted the habit of climbing the clifftop in the early morning to watch the light filtering from the east and be quiet. She had gotten used to the ascent and was able to make it swiftly, almost without thinking. She was also much less troubled about Magus. She sensed, for the moment at least, he was looking for an opportunity to humiliate her, not physically attack her. Indeed, there at the top of the canyon a lot of things came into perspective.
Pascale's Wager: Homelands of Heaven Page 35
