“Old and new shall blend in our interiors the way Inegban* shall blend into Alpèasak,” Malsas< said.

There were cries of appreciation at this from those who stood close, for she had spoken so well and the idea was so novel that they would tell each other about it and talk about it for some time. Vaintè did not speak again until those closest had repeated what Malsas< had said so that everyone would know.

“The meat from Entoban* is urukub, grown from the egg brought carefully to these shores, hatched in the Gendasi sun, grown large on Gendasi herbiage. There are others, this one is the biggest, you have all seen it when you have passed the pasture at the swamp. You have all admired the sleekness of its hide, the arched length of its neck, the full-flesh of its flanks. You have seen it.”

There were murmurs of appreciation at this, for they all had seen the tiny head at the end of that long neck rising high up from the water with a great mouthful of dripping green vegetation.

“The first urukub to be slain, yet one so large that all here will eat their fill of it. Then for Malsas< and those who have traveled with her from Inegban* there will be a creature they have never eaten before, sharp-footed deer of the kind found only in this place. The eating will now begin.”

The two who would serve hurried away to return with the gourds of meat, each kneeling before the Eistaa she was to serve. Malsas< reached out and took up a long bone with a tiny black hoof attached, cool sweet flesh hanging loosely from it, tore a large bite from it, then held it up so all could see.

“Urukub,” she called out and all who heard her made comment on her humor. For the smallest bone in a urukub was bigger than this entire beast.

Vaintè was pleased. The eating went well. When they had finished, washing their hands in gourds of water that their servers held up to them, the ceremony was over and the others went to eat before darkness came.

With no one listening or watching for the moment Malsas< could speak in confidence to Vaintè. Her voice was soft and the motions of her limbs merely hints of movement.

“Everything said here today was more than true. Everyone has labored hard, you hardest of all. Therefore I know you can use the labors of the Daughters of Death I brought with me.”

“I saw them. They will be used.”

“Use them until they die!” Malsas<’s teeth clacked together loudly with the force of her expression. “There are more and more of them, like termites eating away at the base of our city. See that they do not attempt to eat this city as well.”