Darkwhispers

by Vashti Hardy

  “Will you be resting here, or will you go straight to the city? The rest of your crew are guests of the Proffesus Excelsis; I expect you are keen to be reunited.” He observed Arthur curiously. “We can send word to them, so that they know you are safe.”

  “No need, we will take ourselves over directly,” said Ermitage. “Let’s surprise them, shall we, my dear old thing?”

  They followed the woman through more stone hallways, until they came to the last door. Just when Arthur had thought it would be near on impossible to surprise and shock him more, he saw the city.

  Some distance away, in the middle of the vast, watery plateau in front of him, Tempestra rose like a great jewel that had been carved in ivory stone. There were domes not unlike those in Lontown, but more decorative, as the lines and curves imitated the twists and shapes of nature. Tall, majestic archways rose at different heights and bridges arced gracefully between structures. In the centre was the tallest cupola, the highest point in the land, aside from the mountains that embraced the plateau to the north and east.

  Arthur couldn’t wait to take a closer look. A long jetty extended from the back of the power-falls into the lake plateau.

  “We have to walk far out as the water-wings can’t go too near the edge, at least not for us novice Erytheans!” Ermitage led the way along the wooden platform, his spindly legs half-skipping with excitement, and Arthur couldn’t help but smile at him and this incredible place.

  “Do they not have any sky-ships?” Arthur asked.

  “My impression has been that they generally dislike the things. They call them thunder-clouds!”

  Soon they were racing in another water-wing across the lake towards the city. Spray spattered Arthur’s skin, cool and refreshing in the blistering heat, and Parthena joined them with a great squawk. She flew alongside them, tilting so that her wing tips brushed the surface of the water. As they neared the city, Arthur was reminded of the Citadel: but while the Citadel rose from the rock, Tempestra rose from the water.

  Now he was closer, Arthur could see that some of the rooftops were green, and the walls looked to be made of stone and glass. The city even continued beneath the water level!

  “The water level ebbs and flows, just as it does in the rest of the land. It’s not as extreme as in the western areas, but it still happens.”

  Ermitage steered them to the closest jetty and tied the water-wing to a post. It was clear they had been expected. A delegation was grouped at the far end. A tall, elegant-looking lady approached them, with shiny black hair and perfectly smooth brown skin. She wore a high-necked jacket, which looked to be made of the same light silky material as the previous woman’s uniform, but it was intricately embroidered with bronze thread so that it looked as though vines wound in beautiful patterns around her torso and sleeves. She observed them with forest-green eyes.

  “Welcome to Tempestra. My name is Tauria Verada, I am Proffesus Excelsis of Erythea.”

  Arthur wasn’t sure whether he should bow or shake hands, but as she didn’t move, he nodded his head respectfully and said, “I’m Arthur Brightstorm. I’m with the Culpepper crew.”

  She frowned. “Miss Culpepper hasn’t mentioned a missing crew member?”

  “I was separated from the group, but luckily I ran, or rather, fell, into Mr Wrigglesworth.”

  “I will have someone inform Miss Culpepper that you have been found.”

  “No need,” Ermitage chimed in. “We will surprise her. Where can we find her?”

  “She has quarters in the visitors’ sector. I’ll ensure you both have rooms made up there too.” Tauria beckoned to a man waiting a short distance away.

  He wore similar clothes, and carried the same calm demeanour, almost as though he’d mastered the art of keeping the rest of his body absolutely steady while walking. His skin was pale, but his hair was dark and long like Tauria’s. “I am Cassea. I will show you to your rooms.” They followed him through a gabled entrance into a building and along beautiful corridors filled with lush plants and drinking fountains, so it felt as though a piece of the forest was inside the city, or vice versa. Every part of the stone walls and ceiling were carved with vines, leaves and other natural forms. It had both an ancient and modern feel at the same time, and there was a calmness in the white stone and greenery. Every so often they would pass an opening to a courtyard filled with an orange grove, or with palms and seats where people sat reading, writing and drawing. The place filled him with awe.

  Arthur’s room was just as impressive, and Ermitage was put in the room next door. “You are free to come and go as you please here,” said the man. “I can take you to the rest of your crew now, or perhaps you would like a tour, or some refreshments?”

  Arthur wasn’t yet sure what to do if he saw Eudora. He needed time to think and speak to Ermitage. “I think I’ll rest for now, thank you.”

  It felt good to have his own space again, but also to know that he at least had Ermitage close by. But what was he going to do next?

  “Your crew will be dining this evening with Tauria; you will be most welcome to join them after you have rested. Call for me if you need anything.” Cassea dipped his head and walked towards the door.

  “Excuse me,” Arthur called after him. “How do I do that?”

  Cassea smiled and put his hand flat. A white butterfly flew from the wall and landed on his hand. He spoke quietly to it, then the butterfly flew towards Arthur. He instinctively put out his own hand for the butterfly to land on.

  “Simply hold out your hand, and a sapient butterfly will come. Tell it your news, who you wish the news to reach, and it will relay it.”

  Arthur couldn’t believe it! The tiny voice had come from the butterfly!

  Cassea left and Arthur lay on the huge bed in the middle of the room. Through the window he could see Parthena happily circling above the lake plateau.

  “What an incredible place,” he said to himself. But he couldn’t relax for long; he had to make a plan and expose Eudora.

  He sat up, an idea forming in his mind.

  CHAPTER 24

  FLORIAN

  After another night sleeping in the water-bear’s nest, Maudie had decided she’d been seeing things and that the boy had been a figment of her imagination; she’d probably been thinking of Arthur and so her brain had conjured it up. It had rained in the evening, not a patch on the previous day, but it had still set her heart hammering. She couldn’t sleep until it stopped, which thankfully wasn’t too long. Today, the weather was fine and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. Below, the ground layer appeared to be fairly well drained. Valiant’s parent water-bears had come to sit close by.

  “I have to go now,” she said to Valiant. “Thank you for saving me. I’ll always be grateful, and part of me wishes I could stay in this place for ever, but…” She sighed, not relishing the thought of returning to the dangers of below. “I need to find my own family.” She stroked them all goodbye, then she gave one last look at Valiant and began the climb downwards. Valiant tried to follow her for a little way and kept jumping on her shoulder, but she eventually took his little webbed paw in hers and made the motion for no. “You have parents, and take it from me, that’s a lucky place to be. You belong here in your beautiful treetop haven.”

  Valiant took her hand and signed no, three times in succession, then kept his paw there.

  “I really must go.” Maudie smiled sadly and brushed her eye with her free hand, then she placed him on a branch and peeled her hand away. Valiant gave a sad exhale then put a hand in his pouch and passed her one of the pink gemstones.

  “To keep?” she smiled.

  Valiant signed yes.

  At least having the stone would be like taking part of this place and Valiant with her on her journey forward. She looked into his bright, intelligent eyes and said, “Thank you again for saving me. I’ll never forget you.” Then she continued down, focusing on her route and trying to contain the horrible lump in her throat. She took o
ne last look back to see Valiant’s face, then carried on into the jungle. Now she was, yet again, utterly alone.

  Maudie had forgotten just how stifling the forest floor was. She felt like every tiny insect wanted a nibble of her. Worse still, she couln’t see any of the water flowers Valiant had given her and she was starting to feel thirsty. She’d passed the caves and for one chime she was certain she was heading for the other beaches, and the next chime she’d lost all confidence. She was gathering more cabbage palms and looping them around her neck to dry – when something caught her eye.

  Her heart leapt to her mouth.

  Someone was there, or something. She was certain she’d just seen a face through the trees, but now there was nothing. She carried onwards with the distinct feeling she was being followed. Perhaps it was Valiant? She would catch a glimpse, and then swift as a blink, it was gone.

  After a while, she decided she needed to try to climb and get her bearings again, and it would also give her a chance to scan the surrounding forest for whatever it was that was shadowing her.

  She was about to unclip her harness from her belt when something launched at her. She threw her hands up defensively and kicked out, but she tumbled to the ground.

  Looking down at her was the face of a boy.

  “Get off me!” she yelled.

  The boy frowned and blinked huge, bottle-green eyes at her. He shook his head as though to dislodge an incorrect thought.

  “I … I thought you were from the city … But you speak Lontonian to me. Are you practising?”

  “Practising what?”

  “Lontonian.”

  “Of course I’m not!” she said indignantly.

  “Wait, why are you speaking Lontonian?” He peered into her face. “Where are you from?”

  “Where are you from?”

  “I’m from here. You’re clearly … not.”

  She pushed him off. “It’s very rude to jump out on someone. You were fortunate I didn’t have my knife in my hand – I might have stabbed you.”

  “No, you wouldn’t have.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I saw no knife in your hand before I jumped.” He reached out and touched her clothes. “Such strange items.”

  She stiffened and reared her head back a little. “Well, yours are very … green.”

  “Do you live in the west? Are you really Vornatanian?”

  “I am, and what of it? Do you live here?”

  “Of course I do. Yet you speak to me as though this is your home! How did you get here?”

  “…Well, that bit’s complicated. Is there a town close by?” she asked hopefully. If there were more people, she might find Harriet and the others.

  He looked at her curiously. “There’s a treetop town in the east. You won’t find any Erytheans living around here. It’s too volatile.”

  “Then what are you doing out here?” she said suspiciously.

  “Again, you talk to me as though I am the intruder! What’s all that on your belt?”

  She slapped his hand away. “My tools.”

  “Let me see.”

  “No.”

  “This looks broken,” he said, reaching for the compass.

  “Well, there’s nothing I can do about that at the moment without my other tools and I’m pretty certain that you can’t help me mend it either.” She flashed a slightly sarcastic smile, then found herself scowling as she remembered how she’d almost fallen out of the tree. “So it was you that I saw in the canopy?”

  He grinned.

  “You made me fall.”

  “Was I anywhere near you?”

  “Well … no, but—”

  “Then how could I make you fall?”

  “You scared me.”

  He squinted. “I’m not sure you are the scared sort. Clumsy, yes, and so noisy in the jungle.” He shook his head and tutted.

  She huffed. “You can speak the same language as me.” She suspected from his slight accent that it wasn’t his usual language. It suddenly struck Maudie that she was in a continent unknown to those of Vornatania, yet he was able to speak their language, so it must be that the people here knew of them. Was it because of Ermitage Wrigglesworth, she wondered?

  “We speak many languages.” He shrugged. “The languages of the many islands, the language of the southernmost reaches of Erythea, the language of the ancients, the language of the forest.” Florian turned his face to the sky, formed his mouth into a large O shape and called out, a strange, hooting howl which was so loud that it made Maudie jump as though she’d received a shock from a faulty combuster.

  Moments later, a returning howl sounded from somewhere in the distance.

  “That’s … er … impressive,” Maudie said.

  “What are you doing here? How did you get past the Angariis?”

  “Angariis?”

  He narrowed his eyes, and she could see that he was weighing up whether she was just a lost girl in the jungle or a potential threat. His frown told her he still hadn’t decided.

  “We weren’t looking for your land. We crashed.” She felt content that she wasn’t lying to him; after all, they had been looking for Arthur, technically.

  “And you were separated? Are the others alive?”

  “I hope so.”

  “I need to take you to the city. It’s the way of the book.”

  Maudie’s heart sank. “The way of the book? Do you mean law?”

  He nodded.

  “What if I don’t want to?”

  He shrugged. “If you’re sure you can survive a day without being eaten – or another deluge.”

  Her skin quivered.

  “But you can suit yourself. I thought you might want to look for your people.” And without giving her a chance to respond, he shrugged, turned, and jumped up into another tree.

  “Hey!”

  “Good luck, foreign girl.”

  The branch the boy had jumped to looked impossibly far for her to reach. She braced, gritted her teeth, pulled back ready, then leapt.

  He went higher up the tree, so she followed. Then across to another tree, and higher still. She was now high enough to get hurt badly if she fell. “Come on,” she willed herself.

  Vines trailed all around her; perhaps she could tie one to herself? She caught a glimpse of the boy several trees away now. “Wait!”

  He glanced back and she thought she saw a smirk.

  Under her breath she hissed, “Clanking cogs!” then grabbed the closest vine and leapt.

  She landed clumsily on the next branch and for a terrifying moment of indecision her hands wavered between hanging on to the vine for dear life and letting go to grab any part of the tree she’d landed on. She yelped and lurched for the branch, stumbling and falling, legs either side so that she ended up hugging it.

  “I’m OK!” she shouted – not that the boy had shown any concern whatsoever. But the boy might be her only chance, so she had to keep up with him. Branches rustled and cracked a few trees ahead. She steadied and stood, looking for another vine. This time she managed to land closer to the trunk and at least didn’t fall.

  The boy peeped his head from around the other side, making her cry out.

  “You scared me!” she snapped.

  “I didn’t think you’d actually follow me up! I was going to come back for you.” He was looking at her as though she was quite deranged. “You understand that you need to come with me to the city?”

  She nodded.

  “But I need to go to the treetop town first. I think you’d be better off a little lower to the ground.”

  “I’m fine, but if you insist.”

  “You move through the trees with the grace of an oversized water-lizard. Come.” He held out his hand, but she ignored it and looked for the best route downwards.

  “I’ll have you know, I’m very good on the rooftops of Lontown. I’m just not quite used to these trees yet, but it won’t take long.”

  “So, you are all as di
rectional in your thinking as we’ve heard.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He didn’t answer and swung down to a lower branch.

  She hurried after him, taking a similar route but trying to do it a little differently.

  “Stubborn. Thinking you know best.”

  She put her hands on her hips, but felt unbalanced, so leaned one hip on the tree. “Not at all.”

  “You are clumsy with nature.”

  “No, I’m not. We’re not.”

  He carried on until they were at ground level. All his movements were precise and perfectly balanced.

  “You have dug great chunks from your hills to make your sky-boats fly.”

  His look was bemusement rather than disgust.

  “Not everyone does that.”

  “And your main city is more brick than trees.”

  “Well, not really.” But again, he was right.

  “You think you are forward, but really you are behind.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” She slipped and almost fell again. “I’ll have you know we have a great universitas and inventors that are revolutionizing sky-ship exploration.”

  He was moving faster, darting through the undergrowth. “In Tempestra you will see what real progress is.”

  She wished she had her sky-ak right now. That would shut him up. Maudie decided to keep quiet, for fear she’d yell at him again, although she didn’t have a choice in it: the boy was moving at such a pace she could barely draw breath.

  “I hear you call the great lands First, Second and Third. Yes, you Lontonians like to think you are at the top of the mountain.”

  The boy may have been her best chance of survival right now, but he was rapidly becoming her least favourite person. “Now just wait a chime!” She sprinted after him and reached for his arm, but in her urgency slipped and went thumping over, bashing her elbow badly. It might have made her cry if she hadn’t been so cross. She gritted her teeth. “We’ve made mistakes and are learning and improving all the time.”