Shadowplay

CELL 59

Whooping and howling, the Kansi Riders (Plicik enforcers of the Landlaw) spurred their bull mos round and round the Maka landfolk who ignored them as best they could and kept moving South in stubborn silence, heading for the Pilgrim Road bisecting the Grass.

The Kansi cut at the walkers with their brine-soaked razor-tipped stockwhips, trying to drive them back behind the fences.

The landfolk kept walking, children in the middle, ignoring the whip cuts, ignoring the kicks and shoves from the mos, walking and singing, gazing straight before them as if they saw the Three striding there, leading them on their Pakoseo. Prayerbeads rolling thr their fingers, they kept walking South.

After another hour of futile threatening and harassment, each Kansi cut a walker from the crowd, threw him or her across the withers of his mo and rode off.

When the Kansi and their captives were no more than rapidly dimishing dustclouds, there was a collective moan of grief with punctuating cries of grief and loss, but not a single walker turned back. lab ough