by Jane Routley
How could I forget? His room full of smoke. Those episodes where he drank too much Holy wine and kept hitting out at invisible bats. His building that funny little hidey hole in the wall.
He was a sad man.
“I thought he was always like that.”
“He was never a strong person but... Anyway, I guess Klea never got over it either.”
“Oh, Bright. Poor Klea. How horrible.” Radiant became Avunculus once Batty was gone, and it had been another year before Flara and Radiant were deposed for mismanaging the family funds. They were sent into separate exile. Recently Flara had been allowed back, but Radiant was still out somewhere among the salt mines.
“So you see, there’s a reason why she may have done what she did.”
“Yes, I see.” I said, shivering. “How can people be so terrible?”
Bright put his arm around me and gave me a squeeze.
“Shine,” called a voice from behind us. The ghost was there, a pale figure in the lily light.
“What are you doing out here?”
“The hut is full of people with glittery skins,” he said. “I got uneasy.”
“There’s only five of them,” laughed Bright, clapping Shadow on the shoulder. “Don’t be such a baby. They’re not going to eat you. They just love Hilly’s bread. Come on, Shine. I’ll introduce you to the ones who tried to chase you off. Dannel seems to have taken up with a pretty woman called Bethel. I hope you won’t be too broken-hearted.”
I smacked his arm.
On the surface, everything was light and cheerful. Dannel and I talked deeply and satisfyingly of his life since he had left the village. He’d been many places and I was envious and impressed.
But when I lay down to sleep that night, I couldn’t. Maybe I was overtired. I kept thinking about Klea and Batty and Uncle Radiant. Bright had said she used to scream and cry. Yet no one came. No one came. A dark, sick feeling grew in the pit of my stomach, and even the warm bulk of Katti curled against my back did not comfort me. It was a long time before I could fall asleep.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
SOMETHING CRASHED AND I woke up. The door was an oblong of sunlight. The Mooncat woman was framed in it.
“Mage! Male! Coming up from the river,” she cried.
“Illy!” cried Shadow.
That was a quick recovery, I thought as I grabbed my crossbow.
“Don’t worry. I can take him.” said Bright. “He’ll still be weak.”
“What if there’re others?” I cried, making for the door.
“Good point! You better hide.”
Shadow and I were outside before he’d finished speaking. We would have run for the old mine workings where they’d never have found us, but the mage was coming from that direction. We could already see his light through the trees.
Tree ferns carpeted the whole area around the hut.
This way, thought Katti, streaking down the hill into the ferns. Shadow and I threw ourselves in after her. Once underneath their canopy of branches, we could see a vague pathway through them. Katti had disappeared, but Shadow and I found a place to hunker down on our bellies watching the hut. I loaded a bolt into my crossbow. I heard him rummaging in his pocket and the strange little hiss that his talisman made again. Katti reappeared and hunkered down beside us. We all waited.
I heard the voice calling.
“Shine! Shine, Sweetie! Where are you?”
Scinty! It was Scintillant, not Illuminus. I felt myself relax and knew I shouldn’t.
But I did lower my crossbow.
Bright must have heard the call too, because he came running out of the hut and stood in front of the open gate.
Scintillant was flying between the tree trunks, his long dark curls and his black and gold robes trailing out behind him. When he saw Bright standing at the gate, he stopped short, hovered for a moment and dropped down into the clearing, facing him.
The two men stared at each other. Even hiding in the ferns I could feel the hostility between them. This was something I hadn’t known about...
“I wondered if you were up here,” said Scintillant.
“What are you doing here?”
“Looking for Shine and her ghost friend.”
“You’ve no need to worry about them. I’ve got it all under control.”
“Have you, Bright? An unregistered ghost? I know you radicals like them, but have you considered that he might be out here to spy out the land for them?”
“Don’t... don’t try this, Scintillant,” said Bright. “I’m never going to believe a word you say again. What are you really here for? Are you mixed up in the crystal smuggling with Illuminus?”
“He’s simply worried about the ghost,” said Scintillant. “He told me all about it last night. Asked me to come and sort it out.”
“How touching! Hadn’t thought you were so close. But I guess money will bring people together. Crystal smuggler!”
“All this talk about crystal smuggling is a scandalous libel.”
“You’d know all about scandalous libel. All those things you said about Graceson.”
Bright had told me someone in the family had accused Stefan of making advances on some of the family’s young boys. He hadn’t told me it had been Scintillant. After what Bright had told me about Radiant last night, the savage reaction of the family—throwing Stefan into jail without a trial—made much more sense.
“You didn’t have to stand up for him, you fool,” sneered Scintillant. “He’s a mundane. Pretty mundanes are ten a penny. Or you could have broken him out of prison and sent him on his way. But no, you had to openly admit you were lovers. Some rubbish about his reputation! You’re a fool like your mother.”
“My mother is not a fool. And Stefan’s my love. The love of my life. I couldn’t leave him under the shadow of such a suspicion.”
“So you threw away all your wealth and power for love. How very sweet.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to understand. You love no one.”
“I’m tired of this conversation,” said Scintillant. “Are you going to give me that ghost?”
“Of course not,” said Bright. He threw a bolt of power at Scintillant, which Scintillant deflected with a wave of the hand. This was my cue. I was supposed to fire my crossbow at Scintillant while he was distracted. But I couldn’t do it. Anyway, Bright looked confident.
Scintillant pulled something out his robe.
“A gun,” cried Shadow. “No! Stop him!”
Scintillant was pointing a metal tube at Bright. The shape and colour of it reminded me of Hagen’s firework tube. Even as I realized that, thunder boomed and a puff of smoke came out of metal tube. Blood spurted from Bright’s shoulder and he fell, hands clutching his wound, face astonished.
“Bright!” I screamed. I stood up and shot at Scintillant but he was too fast for me and threw the arrow away wide.
I pushed forward to Bright’s side. Getting through the trees ferns was horribly slow, like wading up a river. Scintillant had his metal tube pointing my way, but I didn’t care. I had to get to Bright.
“You slime rat!” I screamed. Scintillant was standing, watching me come, his metal tube pointing at me. He was grinning, the dog. I was so furious, I wanted to shoot him, but I had to get to Bright first.
“Hello, darling,” said Scintillant. “Tell me about—”
Suddenly he jerked and something pushed out of his chest. Blood spurted and he staggered and yelled and fell back among the ferns.
Stefan Graceson charged out of the open door of the hut, crossbow in his hand, and fell on his knees beside Bright.
He was shouting Bright’s name and tears were running down his face. When I reached them, Stefan had already pulled out a kerchief and was padding it over the wound. I loaded my crossbow quickly and went towards where Scintillant had fallen, just in time to see his bloodied, shaking hand rise up out of the ferns holding the metal tube. Thunder boomed three times and smoke filled the air.
The terrible thunder made me stagger back. By the time I’d got over to Scintillant, he’d dropped the tube and was unconscious, curled up on the ground, the crossbow bolt shuddering as it slowly worked its way out of his back.
The tube looked exactly like Hagen’s. Remembering how hot the last one had been, I kicked it into the ferns with my foot and ran back to Bright.
“Is he alive?” I whispered to Stefan.
“Yes!” breathed Stefan back to me. He saw something over my shoulder. “Another mage coming! That must have been a signal. Quick, hide!”
“No! I won’t leave you.” I hoisted the crossbow to my shoulder.
I spun round to face the oncoming mage. In truth, it was too late to run anyway. From the speed she was coming, she must be a woman.
I could see her. Pale green draperies. Chatoyant! Of course, who else?
I stood over Bright and Stefan, crossbow pointed at her. Behind me, I heard Stefan loading his own crossbow.
Chatoyant didn’t pay any attention to us until she had dropped to the ground beside Scintillant and checked that he was still alive.
That done, she came to us.
“You’re really carving your way through my brothers, young mundane,” she said wryly. It was the first time I could remember her speaking to me directly. I levelled my crossbow at her.
“Oh, please, spare me the heroics!” She flipped her finger and the crossbow was ripped from my hands so hard it stung and I yelped. She flipped her finger and I heard the same thing happening to Stefan behind me.
“Good. Now, no more silliness. I want that ghost.”
“Why are you so obsessed with the ghost?” I said. “I haven’t got one. He’s gone.”
“Nice try,” sneered Chatoyant. “But we know about him. Illy saw him yesterday. You made a lovely mess of my poor little brother, but he was still able to write down what he saw. What are you thinking, hiding an illegal ghost?”
“And what are you thinking, crystal smuggling?” From the flicker in her eyes, my accusation had hit home; and yet she denied it.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. All I know is that you and probably your aunt are endangering our empire by hiding an illegal ghost. And an exiled invert. Ladybless, girl. What sort of people are you, out here?”
“The ghost is all sorted. He’s already on his way to Elayison. If you interfere, you will only create a scandal.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Well, I don’t believe you. I know about the crystal smuggling.”
“You are extraordinarily insolent for a mundane,” said Chatoyant. She waved a hand and her crystal glowed. Her power plucked me off my feet and yanked me onto the ground, face-down before her.
She put her foot on my back. “Hasn’t it occurred to you that I could hurt you? That I wouldn’t mind a bit, hurting you?”
“I can’t tell you where the ghost is, because he left here last night,” I said through gritted teeth. I hated Toy. I was not going to tell her anything. Part of me knew I should be scared, but I was too furious.
“What if I offer you money?”
“Have you got any money?”
“Of course I’ve got money. I’m not like my brothers.” She rolled me over with her power and her foot and bent over me. “Think of it. You could go to University. Everyone knows that’s what you want to do.”
This remark made me even madder.
“What are you going to do with the ghost when you get him?” I hissed. “Kill him?”
I was going to add like you killed Blazeann but some instinct for self-preservation stopped me.
Chatoyant’s face lost its hopeful look. She let out a sigh.
“You children of Eff. You’re both crazy. Such mad gallantry. Looks like we’ll have to do this the hard way.”
She pulled me upright, her power lifting me like a rag doll, till I stood before her with my back to her. I could see Bright from here, lying unconscious, eyes closed, limbs straight and arms crossed on his breast as if he was in his tomb. Stefan crouched beside him one hand on Bright’s chest, looking up at us with wide, apprehensive eyes.
“Is the ghost your lover, that you protect him so?” Chatoyant whispered against my neck. “Did you inherit your mother’s tastes?”
“No!” I retorted.
“They use us, the ghosts. They are dangerous. And greedy. Greedy for our crystal. Let’s see how much this one cares about you.” She picked up my hand in hers. I struggled, but it was no use.
“Ghost,” she shouted. “I know you’re out there hiding. If you value Shine’s life, it’s about time you showed yourself. I’m going to break her fingers, and if that doesn’t bring you out of hiding, I will strangle her. Slowly. To death, if necessary.”
“No! He’s not here,” I protested. “Aaargh!”
She’d chosen well. Having your little finger broken hurts like hell. You always hope you’ll be bravely stoical at these moments, but I yelled. It helped with the pain.
“I’m here,” said the ghost standing up in the ferns. He was holding his talisman up, pointed at us. Just like Scintillant had held the gun at Bright.
Suddenly Chatoyant screamed and let me fall on the ground, then seemed to collapse in a mass of green draperies and fur. A Mooncat was on top of her, growling and tearing. They struggled, its teeth sunk into her shoulder. As I gaped, another Mooncat leapt over me and onto them, blocking my view.
Something nipped me on the shoulder. Katti.
Come, come, stupid cub. She tugged at me. I staggered to my feet and ran up the hill after her. The ghost was already there; he took my hand. A long way in front of us, I could see Stefan running, and in front of him, a man carrying Bright in his arms. They were heading towards the mine. I started running too.
A cat screamed, a terrible sharp sound, and foliage crashed. A moment later I felt a pressure wave of power in my chest and saw the flash of crystal. I glanced behind me as another cat scream echoed though the clearing, and saw a glowing furry shape flying through the air.
Hide! They are defeated, wailed Katti. I threw myself face down into the tree ferns beside the path, and Shadow followed.
We hunkered down as still as we could be. I prayed that the ferns would stop swaying in time to not give away our position.
I could see the ghost’s pale face shining in the dimness before me.
“You hurt?” he whispered.
I shook my head. My hand was stuffed in my shirt. It throbbed and felt twice its size, but there was no point fussing about it now. Katti crawled up next to me.
They are safe in the mine, her thoughts said to me. Lucky Bright and Stefan! I whispered the information to the ghost.
“Wish we were!” he murmured.
Down the hill foliage crashed like thunder. A cat squeaked and there was an explosion. Then the rush of foliage slowly dying away.
Chatoyant’s voice rang out loud and clear. “Rogues. Hell bound rogues. Inverts, illegal ghosts and now rogues. Your family are the end, Shine!”
She gave a grunt: she was hurt. But not enough to close her down. Curse it! And now we had no weapons.
“Why do you have to make this so hard, Shine? Just stand up and give up that ghost. He’s a spy, can’t you see that? They’re a danger to us all. You don’t know their power. But I do. We need to kill him.”
She sounded closer. She must be in the air. I peered up though the fern fronds.
Uncle Batty, or more probably the Mooncats, must have liked tree ferns, because the forest around the hut seemed to be full of them. Who wouldn’t like them? They were perfect cover. They grew to waist-and shoulder-height. We were hidden from the air as long as we didn’t knock against their dark trunks and make them shake.
Unfortunately there were still things Chatoyant could do.
Suddenly the fern field just behind us exploded, showering us with hot bits of trunk and branch. I curled tight hands over my head, knees against my chest, trying to be as small as possible.
&nbs
p; “I know you’re in there somewhere,” called Chatoyant from above us. My back ached with fear. My spine felt like a big soft vulnerable worm.
I put my face against Katti’s fur. Crawl away, I willed her. She could get between the fern trunks without showing herself. We were too big and clumsy. The only answer I got from her was a soft hiss of disapproval.
Branches crunched away over to my right and, turning my head, I could see through the fern fronds to where Chatoyant had come to rest perched in a nearby tree. Her robe was torn at the shoulder and dripping blood, and she had claw marks down her cheek, but her smile was huge. She was safe in the tree. No Mooncat could jump her up there and she’d see any arrow before it hit her. She could destroy the fern field at her leisure. She was a woman. Her magical power would assuredly go the distance.
“Come on, Ghostie girl!” she called. “Come on out before I burn you out. I bear you no ill will, but I’ll hurt you if I have to.”
She threw out her hand and sent a blast of fire to a part of the fern meadow in front of us. Another rain of hot wood crushed the ferns close to Katti’s side. I put my body over hers.
The ghost eased back towards me.
“How long can she keep this up?” he whispered in my ear.
“Long enough,” I mouthed. “She’s a woman. Their power, it’s strongest.”
Another blast of fire, another rain of burning wood. Shadow pulled his head back as a smoking fern tree fell towards him. The next blast could hit us.
“That’s it, then!”
Shadow held up his small silver talisman. It hissed very faintly as if it breathed in. “I’m sorry, Shine. I know she’s your cousin, but I’m going to have to shoot her out of that tree. Maybe kill her.”
“With that little thing?” It looked nothing like Scintillant’s firework tube.
“Sure,” he hissed back. “It fires a bolt of light that burns. Just like she does.”
No wonder he kept pulling it out when we were in danger. But that little thing? It was only a tenth the size of Scintillant’s gun. Still, at this point I was willing to clutch at any straw.
“Go on,” I hissed. The ghost held the tube up and took aim at Chatoyant, who was breathing in, marshalling her power in preparation for another blast.
