Edward nodded.
‘Let’s go, then,’ said Dani. ‘We can rest when we’ve put some distance between us and this hole.’
She walked to the cliff edge, collected three fist-sized rocks and put them in her satchel. ‘Bart. Follow me,’ she ordered, and they headed into the trees.
Chapter 17
A Terrible Choice
They made their way through the forest in the dark, Dani leading. Whenever they lost sight of the cliff, they veered in its direction until they could make it out again through the trees. Eventually, Dani called a halt. They sat and ate hard-boiled eggs and nuts, and then Dani found a piece of flat ground and cleared it of sticks. ‘Bart, lie down here and go to sleep.’
Bart immediately lay down and shut his eyes. Dani turned to Edward. ‘I’ll take first watch.’
Edward was too tired to reply. He nodded and lay down.
‘Where are we, do you know?’ asked Dani. ‘Are we even in Tintarfell anymore?’
‘Technically yes,’ replied Edward, ‘but our soldiers rarely venture up here. This area’s called Breendon.’
‘Does anyone live up here?’
‘There’s a few villages and towns back from the cliff, I think, but we mainly leave them to themselves.’
There was a silence and Edward could feel Dani looking at him.
‘Why are you still here, Edward?’ she asked eventually.
Edward was suddenly alert. ‘What do you mean?’
‘The King doesn’t care about missing servants, so I assume the only reason he sent you to search for Bart was because he thought the kidnappers were after you. But even that doesn’t make sense. If they were after you and they got Bart by mistake, why would the King risk your safety by sending you after them?’
Edward hesitated. He didn’t want Dani to suspect that his father thought that Bart could be some kind of threat to the kingdom. His father had ordered him to keep that secret. ‘I think he’s testing me,’ he said.
‘What do you mean?’
‘He wants to see if I’m worthy of succeeding him,’ said Edward bitterly.
‘Oh,’ said Dani. There was an uncomfortable silence. ‘Even so,’ she pressed, ‘that bearded man back at the cottage said the kidnappers had been after Bart, not you. So, why are you still here? Couldn’t you just go home and tell your father that Bart was their target?’
Edward thought fast. ‘Yes, but if someone is draining people’s minds to increase their own powers, then why are they doing it? Maybe whoever it is will gain so much power that they pose a threat to the kingdom. My father would want me to find out who’s doing it and why, and Gildarin said that Melindarah might know.’
He hoped that sounded convincing. Before Dani had time to ask him any more awkward questions, he quickly asked her one. ‘It must be terrible for you having Bart like . . . this. Are you all right?’
To his surprise he saw tears come to Dani’s eyes. ‘It’s . . . bad. All our lives, we’ve been together. It’s my job to take care of him, but . . . I didn’t. Seeing him like this . . . his blank eyes . . . it’s horrible. What if he never recovers? I don’t know what I’ll do.’ She stopped, took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. ‘But he’ll be better soon. He will be.’
‘Yes. I’m sure,’ said Edward, not sure what else to say. He felt a stab of pity for her and hoped that, if Bart recovered, he’d realise how lucky he was to have someone who cared about him so much. He realised to his surprise that he was jealous of the bond the twins shared.
He collected some leaves and arranged them into a makeshift pillow, lay down and was soon asleep.
It seemed only minutes later that a hand on his shoulder woke him. He jerked away and cried out, but it was only Dani.
‘Your watch,’ she said.
He pulled himself up and sat with his back against a tree, jerking this way and that every time he heard a noise.
Eventually, he saw the first hint of dawn and woke Dani. She woke Bart and they ate the last of the food. All they had left now was a half-full water-skin. They set off, again walking parallel to the cliff near the edge of the forest. They hadn’t been going long when Dani pointed through the trees. A soarer glided above the cliff’s edge.
‘Hide,’ she whispered. ‘Bart. Get behind a tree.’
Edward concealed himself and then cautiously peeked out. The soarer had moved on. It hadn’t seen them. He scanned the skies and spotted four more, all flying above the edge of the forest.
They proceeded more cautiously, staying deeper within the trees until Edward caught a glimpse of a large structure past the cliff. It was a castle, but it seemed to be floating in the air.
‘Look,’ he said, pointing. They crept closer. The castle was much smaller than the one they had all grown up in, and had only one central tower. From the edge of the cliff a narrow rock bridge led out to a small rock island which rose up from the ground far below. On it stood the castle, its stone walls rising directly from the edges of the rock island. The only way to approach it was along the rock bridge, which was only about a pace wide. It had no handrails or walls, which meant that anyone who stumbled would fall all the way to the bottom of the cliff.
Edward saw a soarer gliding through the skies, and realised that if they crossed the rock bridge they could be easily seen, and attacked.
‘We’re going to have to make a run for it,’ said Dani. ‘But carefully, because that bridge is narrow.’
Edward felt wobbly.
‘We’re going to make it,’ said Dani firmly. ‘You can see an annexe with a roof and walls at the end of the rock bridge. Once we get in there, the soarers won’t be able to get us. If they land on the rock bridge, I can just fire a rock at them with my sling. They’ll only be able to attack us from the time we leave the forest until we reach the end of the bridge. If we run hard, by the time they see us we should be nearly there. Just keep going and don’t look down.’
Edward started to open his mouth to tell Dani to stop, but realised it would have no effect. To preserve what little pride he had left, he stayed silent. He only had two options: to go with them or to stay, and if he stayed then not only would he have failed in his mission, he would also be alone at the top of the cliff with no idea how to get home.
‘Everyone ready?’ said Dani. ‘Right. Bart, when I say “go”, run as fast as you can to the rock bridge and then carefully across it, and don’t look down. Go.’
Bart raced out from the trees, Dani behind him. Edward hesitated and then took off. He sprinted across the clearing, keeping his eyes locked on the rock bridge, forcing himself not to look into the skies. If he saw the soarer, he was sure he would freeze.
Bart reached the rock bridge and, without slowing, ran onto it, Dani just a few steps behind. Edward got to the bridge and slowed. It was only a step wide. He didn’t want to get left behind, but he couldn’t run across it. He slowly took a careful step onto it, and then made himself take another.
Just keep walking, he told himself. Don’t look around. Don’t look down.
He kept going and was nearly halfway across when a gust of wind hit. He whirled his arms and recovered his balance. A bolt of terror ran through him. Where was the soarer? He looked around and saw how high up and unprotected he was. He looked down and the ground was, so, so, so far away.
If I fall . . .
He dropped to his knees and grabbed the bridge.
Dani had made it to the annexe at the end of the bridge with Bart. She looked back. Edward was kneeling on the bridge. Above and to his right, a soarer glided in towards him.
‘Edward. Move!’ she screamed.
Edward slid his hands slowly forward, then, one by one, his knees, and then repeated the sequence.
Dani looked at the soarer. Edward was moving much too slowly to escape it. She pulled out a stone, loaded her sling, and walked carefully back along the
bridge.
When she was about ten steps from Edward, she stopped and swung the sling above her head. The soarer swooped in, heading straight towards the Prince. Dani waited for it to come within range. If she missed, she wouldn’t have time for a second shot and the soarer would knock Edward off the bridge.
Wait, wait, wait . . . Now! Dani flung the stone. The rock hit one of the creature’s wings, causing it to swerve. It looked like it was going to crash into the bridge but then it managed to swoop away in a big circle. Dani ran towards Edward, but stopped a couple of steps in front of him, wary that if he panicked and grabbed her, they might both topple over the edge.
‘Edward. Get up now or you’re dead. The soarer’s going to come back.’
Edward raised terrified eyes. Dani looked around. The soarer had climbed and was now heading back towards them. She tried again. ‘Now. Come on.’
Edward scrambled shakily to his feet.
‘Run,’ she shouted, and turned and did just that. She heard Edward’s footsteps behind her. She reached the annexe, Edward just behind her, and the soarer flew past behind them.
Edward collapsed to the ground, panting with relief. He looked at Dani. ‘Thank you. My legs. I couldn’t, I –’
Dani nodded, feeling a mixture of disgust and pity for him.
They were in an outdoor room with benches along the sides and a large wooden door in the middle of the far wall.
She checked on Bart, staring into his blank eyes. She missed him so much it was almost unbearable. Everything was hard without him, but they had made it. Soon he might come back to her. She walked to the door and banged hard on it. A few moments later it swung open.
‘Bart, follow,’ said Dani, and the three of them walked into a large marble foyer decorated with wall hangings and paintings. Corridors ran off it, and in front of them was a wide staircase leading up. The foyer was empty. The door appeared to have opened on its own. Behind them, it swung shut.
Dani looked around, wondering which way to go, and then heard footsteps. A woman in long purple robes descended the stairs. She was old, with deep wrinkles, and had long, grey hair parted in the middle, pale skin, a strong nose and big, dark eyes. She walked slowly, supporting herself with a stick.
She reached the bottom of the stairs and stopped. ‘To what do I owe this unexpected interruption?’ she said slowly in a deep voice.
‘I, er, Gildarin sent us,’ said Dani.
‘Ah, Gildarin.’ The woman smiled, but it was a sad smile. ‘And you are?’
‘I’m Dani and this is my brother Bart. And Prince Edward of Tintarfell. We . . . Bart has had his brain . . . emptied, and Gildarin said Melindarah may be able to help him.’
The woman raised an eyebrow a fraction. ‘I am Melindarah, but I have retired. I am unwell.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ said Dani. ‘But please. You must help us.’
‘Must? I don’t think so.’
‘Please, at least listen to what I have to say before you decide.’ Dani started to panic. They had come all this way. Suddenly she remembered: ‘Gildarin said to say that she misses you!’
Melindarah hesitated, and then sighed deeply. She turned and started to climb back up the stairs. When she was halfway up she looked over her shoulder. ‘Come, then,’ she said, sounding irritated.
At the top of the stairs was a corridor that led left and right, and in front of them were open double doors, which they passed through into a large sitting room that seemed even bigger because the entire far wall was made of glass. Through the glass they could see almost forever out across the forest they had passed through before they climbed the cliff.
‘Wow,’ said Edward.
‘Sit,’ Melindarah said tiredly, gesturing towards comfortable-looking chairs and sofas.
‘Bart. Sit over there,’ ordered Dani, pointing to a sofa.
Melindarah looked closely at Bart as he walked to the sofa and sat. Dani took a seat next to him.
‘Well,’ said Melindarah.
Dani explained everything that had happened. When she outlined the events at the cottage in the forest, Melindarah asked her to describe the people who had been there in detail. When she had finished Melindarah sat back in her chair and pressed her fingertips together.
‘May I examine Bart?’ she asked eventually.
Dani nodded.
Melindarah sat next to Bart and put her hands on his head, just as Gildarin had done. After a while she removed them. ‘Gildarin was correct. Someone has drained his mind.’
‘She said you might be able to fix him. Can you?’ asked Dani.
‘It would come at a price.’
‘I . . . I don’t have much money,’ said Dani. She looked at Edward, wondering if she could somehow persuade him to promise some of the King’s fortune.
‘Not that sort of price.’
‘What, then?’ Dani asked, confused.
‘His life force has been almost completely removed. The only way to restore it is by using the life force of someone else.’
‘All right. How do we get that?’
‘It must come from another person, who must give it willingly.’
‘I’ll do it,’ said Dani immediately. ‘What would it mean? That I’d be tired for a while afterwards? Because that would be fine. I’ll do it even if it makes me sick for a bit.’
Melindarah raised her hand. ‘The price you would pay is higher than a few days in bed.’
‘Whatever it is, I’ll do it. Anything.’
Melindarah shook her head. ‘You don’t understand. Because there is so little of his mind left, it will take an enormous influx of energy to restore him. Most minds have enough life force to last about a hundred years. Usually, of course, their bodies deteriorate and die before then. If you were to donate some of your life force to him, then it would reduce the amount you had left.’
Dani looked worriedly into Bart’s blank eyes. ‘Does that mean that I’d become like he is now?’ she said slowly.
‘Oh, no,’ said Melindarah.
Dani felt a surge of relief.
‘It would be worse than that,’ continued Melindarah.
Dani frowned. ‘What could be worse than being brain-dead?’
‘Being properly dead. If you gave up much of your life force to help him, then you would run out of it, and therefore out of life, earlier than you otherwise would have. You would die earlier.’
‘Oh,’ said Dani softly. ‘How much earlier?’
‘He is very blank. To restore him would take . . .
hmmm . . . let me see . . .’ She frowned in concentration and pointed at bits of air with her finger, as if doing sums on an invisible piece of paper. ‘If you used your life force to restore him the cost would be, I believe, one thousand days.’
Dani did a quick calculation. One thousand days was a bit less than three years. So, if she helped Bart, and therefore ran out of life force three years earlier than she would have, it would mean she would die at, say, age sixty-seven instead of seventy. That wasn’t so bad. It was a small price to pay to get Bart back. Besides, she might die before that anyway, in which case getting Bart back wouldn’t have cost her anything.
‘If I do this, then he’ll be back to normal?’ she enquired.
‘Yes. Even his powers over animals will be returned.’
‘Three years isn’t so bad,’ she said. ‘I’ll do it.’
Melindarah looked surprised. ‘That was quick.’
Dani spread her hands. ‘What can I say? I’m decisive.’ She could hardly believe it. She was going to get him back.
‘But for such a big sacrifice . . . are you sure you don’t want longer to think about it?’
‘I’m sure. Can we do it now?’
‘You understand? One thousand days.’
‘Yes.’
‘Less than
three years.’
‘Yes.’
‘Dani, how old are you?’
‘Fourteen.’
‘You understand that if you do this, then in just under three years, when you are seventeen, you will die.’
Dani felt like she had been punched. ‘I . . . I thought I had to give him one thousand days of my life.’
‘You misunderstood. You will have one thousand days left, and then you will die. And in those one thousand days you will age. By the time you die at seventeen, you will look like an old woman. It would be a huge sacrifice.’
Dani felt as if she wasn’t really there, as if this wasn’t really happening. ‘I would be giving my life to him,’ she said slowly.
‘Most of it, yes.’
There was a long silence.
‘You need time to think,’ said Melindarah. ‘Of course you do. You must rest. Decide on the morrow.’
‘Is there no other way?’
Melindarah shook her head.
‘Gildarin said that if Bart’s mind was to be restored, it had to be done as soon as possible,’ said Dani.
‘I can hold Bart in the state he is now until tomorrow. He will not deteriorate further.’
‘If I do this,’ said Dani, ‘is there any way I can get the years that I will lose back?’
‘There are ways,’ replied Melindarah.
‘How?’
‘By sacrifice.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘If you do this you will be sacrificing most of your life for him, yes?’
Dani nodded.
‘If Bart later decided to sacrifice his own life for you, then you would regain what you had lost. You would get the rest of your life back. For example, if you were attacked by a lion and Bart stepped between you and the lion to save you, it would return to you the years you had lost. Only a genuine act of self-sacrifice can reverse your loss of life force.’
‘But then he’d be dead. Is there any other way?’
The Twins of Tintarfell Page 12
