Hothouse - Brian Aldiss [27]
Where the poison landed on the suckerbird, it gave off a rank brown steam.
The suckerbird could utter no cries to relieve its promptings of pain. At something between flight and a hobble, it set off along the peninsula, heading for the shore, bounding into the air when it could to escape the seaweed. Its wings smouldered.
More than one kind of seaweed fringed that macabre coast. The frenzied bludgeoning stopped and the bladder weeds sank below the waves, their autotrophic beings temporarily exhausted.
In their stead, a long-toothed weed leapt out of the waters, raking the peninsula with its thorny teeth. Several fragments of rind were torn from the fleeing bird by these flails, but it almost gained the shore before it was properly hooked.
The teeth had it. More and more seaweed put out wavering arms and tugged at the suckerbird’s wing. By now it could fight only feebly. It heeled over and hit the confused water. The whole sea developed mouths to meet it.
Eight frightened humans watched all this from the top of the castle.
‘We can never get back to the safety of the trees,’ Fay whimpered. She was the youngest; she began to cry.
The seaweed had earned but not yet won its prey, for the plants of Nomansland had scented the prize. Squeezed as they were between jungle and sea, some of them, mangrove-like in form, had long ago waded out boldly into the water. Others, more parasitic by nature, grew on their neighbours and sent out great stiff brambles that hung down towards the water like fishing nods.
These two species, with others rapidly joining them, put forth claim to the victim, trying to snatch it from their marine enemies. From under the sea they threw up gnarled roots like the limbs of some antidiluvian squid. They seized the sucker-bird, and battle was joined.
At once the whole coastline came alive. A fearful array of flails and barbs burst into action. Everything writhed deliriously. The sea was whipped into a spray that added to the horror by partially concealing it. Flying creatures, leatherfeathers and rayplanes, soared overhead out of the forest to pick their own advantage from the fray.
In the mindless carnage, the suckerbird was pulverized and forgotten. Its flesh was tossed and lost in spume.
Toy stood up, full of decision.
‘We must go now,’ she said. ‘This is the time for us to get to the shore.’
Seven agonized faces regarded her as if she were mad.
‘We shall die down there,’ Poyly said.
‘No,’ Toy said fiercely. ‘Now we shall not die. Those things fight each other, so they will be too busy to hurt us. Later may be too late.’
Toy’s authority was not absolute. The group was unsure of itself. When she saw them beginning to argue, Toy fell into a rage and boxed Fay and Shree on the ears. But her chief opponents were Veggy and May.
‘We shall be killed there at any time,’ Veggy said. ‘There is no way to safety. Haven’t we just seen what happened to the suckerbird that was so strong?’
‘We cannot stay here and die,’ Toy said angrily.
‘We can stay and wait till something happens,’ May said. ‘Please let’s stay!’
‘Nothing will happen,’ Poyly said, taking her friend Toy’s part. ‘Only bad things. It is the way. We must look after ourselves.’
‘We shall be killed,’ Veggy repeated stubbornly.
In despair, Toy turned to Gren, the senior man child.
‘What do you say?’ she asked.
Gren had watched all the destruction with a set face. It did not relax as he turned it towards Toy.
‘You lead the group, Toy. Those who can obey you must do it. That is law.’
Toy stood up.
‘Poyly, Veggy, May, you others – follow me! We will go now while the things are too busy to see us. We must get back to the forest.’
Without hesitation she swung a leg over the domed top of the buttress and began sliding down its steep side. Sudden panic filled the others in case they were left behind. They followed Toy. They swarmed over the top, slipping and scrambling down after her.
At the bottom, dwarfed by the grey height of the castle, they stood momentarily in a silent group. Awe