Engines & Demons - The Undestined

Chapter 9ii

The old Grower pulled the tattered cloak he always wore tighter about his body.

Maddock turned his attention back to the activity around the water tower, where things seemed to have started moving very quickly. The Grower with the cart of foliage had emptied its contents into the open hatch and was trundling back towards the bridge. More of the small tentacled creatures were now rolling back and forth between the waiting Growers and the Pit-master, in its cave beneath the water tower. The Pit-master closed the hatch and withdrew its long limb, then reached up with it into the tangle of pipes above, where it grasped a large valve wheel and turned it. The sound of rushing water echoed dimly from beneath the recently closed hatch.

"Have you seen the Gardens before?" asked Micreech.

"No. This is my first time up here properly."

"Well you must come and see them. Not now, of course. After the rains. Then there will be something to see."

"I will," said Maddock and continued watching the Growers around the pits. One of the red tentacled creatures was at last rolling towards him. When it reached his cart, it hauled itself up and disappeared instantly beneath the layers of dung. Maddock wrinkled his nose.

"Micreech?" he said, turning to look up, but the Grower had gone, departing as swiftly and silently as he had arrived.

After a few minutes, the tentacled creature finished its inspection of his cart and dropped back to the ground, stinking dung smeared on its body and clinging to its covering of fine hairs. As he watched it roll away, Sofree clomped back over towards him.

"Pit one or two!" called the mowmok querulously from its perch high on its head. "You deaf, new boy?"

Maddock picked up the handles of his cart and pushed it towards the two pits.

"What did Miceciteel-kil-ttreech want?" said the mowmok as Sofree followed behind him.

"Who?"

"Miceciteel-kil-ttreech. Envoy Miceciteel-kil-ttreech."

"Oh, Micreech?"

"That the feller. What did he want?"

"Just saying hello, I think. He invited me to look at the gardens. After the rains."

"Ah, then you must come. When the rains have come and gone, I will arrange a guide."

"Thank you, but I probably won't have time."

"Don't be dense like madriel dung. There is always time in the gardens. Master Dramut is reasonable man, and there is often a queue for pits. As you see. But not now for you."

As he spoke, the Pit-master reached out with one of its long prehensile limbs and pulled open the hatch to pit two. Maddock picked up the handles of his cart.

"Wait for it!" chided the mowmok.

The red tentacled creature, clean from its journey through the pond beneath the water tower, had returned to crawl up and entangle itself in Sofree's feelers. There followed another tapped and clicked conversation, before the mowmok called.

"Pit two, new boy!"

Maddock wheeled his cart forward to the open hatch, where a noisome stench drifted out and made the air about the mouth of the pit seem even warmer. He tipped the contents of his cart and it slumped into the darkness with a distant echoing splash. The Pit-master slammed the hatch closed, swiftly cutting off its rank stink.

"Off you go then," said the mowmok. "Plenty more dung to collect, I expect."

Maddock wheeled his cart around and stopped in front of Sofree.

"Can I ask a question?" he said.

"You just did," said the mowmok and gave a high pitched, ululating shriek of amusement.

"Very funny," said Maddock. "Can I ask another question?"

"Again, you just did. You're lucky I'm no question djinn or you would only have one left."

"What?"

"Never mind," said the mowmok. "Ask your question."

"Melbrai, who looks after the compost heap at the farm, says you can't make compost out of madriel dung because it doesn't rot proper. How come you can do it?"

"It just case of putting in right ingredients. Yotatil root, neep bugs, jordan stone and such. Pit-master always knows what is needed. Pit-master can make compost out of anything. Even new boy Field-hands, so you had better not linger too long."

"Fine," said Maddock, and he wheeled his cart around Sofree, towards the krodillis draped colonnade. He scowled at the mowmok's bossiness, but in truth his visit to the compost-pits had cheered him up a little since his fight with the idiot squire. It seemed there was more to see at the fortress besides madriel dung, and he started to look forward to taking up Micreech's offer of a look around the gardens. After the rains, of course, and they were still weeks away. Plenty of time until then to impress Master Dramut with his ability to shovel dung.