by Lari Don
Tangaroa yelled, “Apparently it’s a burn coming down the highest mountain on the north side.”
Rona added, “It’s called Allt Ban, because the waterfalls make it look white from a distance, so it will probably be the burn we see clearest in the moonlight. Please fly up the glen slowly and we’ll look out for it.”
The dragon flew westwards along the glen, as Rona and Tangaroa looked carefully at the mountains on their right.
They both called out at the same time, “There!” when they saw a ribbon of silver against a black mountain. As the dragon landed on the heather, Rona turned round to smile at Tangaroa. He grinned back. She didn’t look so nervous now.
They slid down the dragon’s bumpy side, stretched their stiff arms and legs, then Tangaroa said, “First we need to find the seven waterfalls.”
“There are two here,” said Rona, stepping close to the steep side of the burn, “and I hear more further up. We might be at the right place already.”
She crouched down, unwrapped her sealskin cloak and took out two fist-sized shell lamps.
“Don’t light those!” Tangaora said.
“Why not? I don’t want to sit around in the dark.”
“You’re not scared of the dark, are you?”
Rona shrugged. “I’m used to unlit water in my seal form, but in my human form, I get hairs rising on my arms in the dark. I’m not very brave as a girl.”
“You’re brave enough for me in either form, Sea Herald. Please let me see the location in moonlight, before your lamplight ruins my night-vision.”
He stepped away from the dragon’s bulk, stood on a rock at the side of the burn and looked round.
The glen ran almost directly east to west, which was why it had been chosen. They would see the sun rise earlier here than in most Scottish glens, because there weren’t any high peaks to the east, just a line of distant rounded hills.
They were on the lower slopes of a mountain on the north side of the glen. Tangaroa glanced up at the peaks, then shifted his focus nearer, examining the darker than black blur of a line of trees to the west and a shadowy jumble of large rocks to the east.
He jumped back down, and walked towards the dragon and the selkie. “It’s not a very secure location. There are too many places for enemies to hide.”
“What enemies are you expecting, Tangaroa?” Rona glanced behind her.
He laughed. “I’m not, but we have to be prepared.” He turned to the dragon. “Hey, Nimbus. Do you mind helping with a quick recce, then taking turns with us keeping watch? And while we’re getting the token, could you perch on that rock there as our sentry?”
Rona whispered, “Lavender said the dragons offered to transport us, not to actually help us get the token.”
Tangaroa grinned at the dragon. “We’re all on the same side, aren’t we? You’d get bored waiting to be a taxi. You’ll muck in and help, won’t you?”
The dragon looked at him. Stone-coloured scales, stony hard eyes.
The blue loon wondered if he’d pushed too hard, been too familiar. He wasn’t good at diplomacy.
Then the dragon grinned. “Of course, small blue swimmer. I am glad to help.”
“Great. Thanks,” said Tangaroa. “First we should make sure we aren’t being watched. Rona, you’re the most experienced at quests, so could you go upstream, see if anyone is about, count the waterfalls, check for likely plants and also for any obstructions? Dead sheep or whatever they have up here.”
Rona muttered, “If I find a dead sheep, I’m not touching it. One of you can move it.”
Nimbus laughed. “If you find a dead sheep, I’ll happily move it for you. Into my stomach!”
Tangaroa smiled. “So, Rona will go upstream. I’ll go to that band of trees. If you don’t mind, Nimbus, you could check those rocks. And we can all scan the heather as we go.”
Rona asked, “Can I light my lamp now, and does anyone else want one?”
Nimbus said, “I don’t need one,” and blew a fountain of flame into the night air.
Tangaroa sighed. “Thanks, everyone. Now my night-vision has been blasted away, I’ll take a lamp. What is it? Seal oil?”
Rona shuddered as she lit the lamps. “Of course not. It’s fish oil. I wouldn’t use seal oil!”
“No. Sorry. But seal oil burns better. Smells better too.” He sniffed as he took a lamp and jumped over the burn.
The blue loon walked towards the trees, wondering if the selkie was being such a wet blanket because she was worried about Yann. Tangaroa was worried about Yann too, but he also thought this was an opportunity for adventure in a new and scary environment. Rona just seemed to be seeing the scary and not enjoying the new.
Tangaroa was also a little nervous so far from the sea. He was less experienced than Rona at inland quests, even though he was totally human, because his all-over tribal tattoos made him too eye-catching out of the water.
After a five-minute walk, his lamplight glinted on metal. A high fence, as if someone was trying to stop the tall trees running away. The blue loon smiled. He didn’t know a lot about trees but he did know they only walked in stories.
He tugged at the fence and it wobbled. It was too flimsy to hold back a walking tree or anything else hefty. He moved along the fence to a post, climbed up and jumped over onto the strip of grass before the trees.
As he stepped forward, he was glad of Rona’s lamp. He wouldn’t have been able to see without it, because no moonlight reached under the trees. The blue loon pulled his fishing spear from its holder on his back. Its three barbed prongs should deter most forest animals from attacking.
If he was exploring a kelp forest, a sea cave or an underwater wreck, he would know from the local sounds and smells, from the movement of the water, whether there were any threats.
But in this narrow forest, these small creaks and green scents might be normal, or warning of an attack. He couldn’t tell. This was Sylvie’s environment, not his. They’d picked the wrong quests. She was probably on a clifftop right now, smelling the sea, and he was here, smelling pine bark.
He kicked his foot into a shadow. Nothing there. He couldn’t search every shadow under every tree. Tangaroa turned to go. If anyone was watching them, at least they knew he was armed.
He swung back for one last look, in case something was creeping up behind him. As the lamplight shifted, he saw a shape sway over his right shoulder.
Not at tree height, but lower, the height of a tall man or a bear.
Tangaroa whirled round, aimed his spear, and lifted the lamp higher.
It was a small hillock, and the movement was tall purple flowers on the top, nodding in the moving air. Foxgloves. Purple and beautiful, but their essence could save life or take it.
He’d only learnt basic land-based herb lore, but he didn’t think this plant should be in such heavy bloom at this time of year. The flowers were open all the way up to the top of the stem. Was it left over from last year? Was it a trap? Was it a gift?
He reached out with his gutting knife, and cut the top four blooms off the tallest stem. He would give them to Rona to cheer her up. Perhaps they would bring luck and life to their quest.
With the knife in its sheath, the spear on his back and the flower in his hand, Tangaroa walked out of the trees, and tried to pretend that his deep breath wasn’t a sigh of relief; it was just him enjoying the cool still night air.
Once he was over the fence, he scanned the heather as he returned to the falls, but didn’t see anything threatening.
Nimbus was back already, crouched on the widest rock by the burn, and Rona appeared from downstream, in a circle of warm fishy light, just as Tangaroa sat down.
“I counted seven waterfalls,” she said. “We’re at the third here. There are two above us and four below. I dropped a twig in and it travelled safely down all seven falls. Do we want to camp by the top fall?”
Tangaroa looked around. “No, I think that rock is best for Nimbus, and we can be comfy here on the
heather. What else did you see?”
“There’s a sheltered dip a few dozen steps up from the first fall. It’s got as many flowers as Lavender promised, almost like it’s been planted. There are a couple of birch trees, some alpine flowers already in bloom and a few of last year’s heather blossoms. There are no obstructions between it and the falls. What did you both find?”
“The rocks are secure,” said Nimbus.
Tangaroa nodded. “Nothing in the trees either, except this.” He handed her the foxglove. “I saw it and thought of you.”
Rona frowned. “What? In the wrong place, at the wrong time, and potentially poisonous?”
“Em. No. I didn’t mean that. I just thought you were worried about Yann and it might cheer you up.”
The selkie smiled. “That was a kind thought. I am worried about Yann. But nothing will cheer me up until I’m back at sea. There’s no salt in the air here.” She sighed. “I was daft to volunteer for this quest. I can’t swim as a seal in this shallow water. We’re both out of our element.”
“I thought that too in the trees. But we’re not really out of our element, Rona. We have legs and arms, and we shouldn’t limit ourselves to the sea. This is our Scotland too. Let’s enjoy it.”
He leant back and looked at the stars framed by the mountains. He could learn to find it beautiful. He could just fall asleep here…
But it wasn’t safe for all of them to sleep at the same time. He sat up abruptly. “Nimbus, you’ve done more work than the rest of us tonight. Are you tired?”
The dragon yawned.
“So do you want to sleep first?”
“I need to rest before I fly you back,” the dragon answered, “but I want to sit for a while and relax my wings. Why don’t I take first watch?”
The blue loon nodded. “If Nimbus takes the first watch, Rona could take the second watch and I’ll take the final watch, so I can wake you both up in time for sunrise. We’ll need to check the perimeter again before dawn, then be up at the top waterfall before the sun is up. Let’s split the watches equally.” Tangaroa pointed at the sky. “Nimbus, do you see the star at the bottom of that line of three? When that star touches the peak of that mountain, wake Rona up. And Rona, when the star at the top of the line hits the horizon, wake me up for the last watch. Alright?”
They both stared at him.
“Don’t you tell time by the stars?” he asked.
Rona shook her head. “I tell time by the tides, which is no use here.”
Nimbus shook his head too. “I tell time by how hungry I am. You two little ones go to sleep. I’ll guard the waterfalls until the blue loon’s star hits the edge of the earth.”
Tangaroa and Rona settled down and tried to sleep, with the strange feel of dry heather under their heads.
Chapter 17
Frass sidled up to the Master. The faun was no longer sure of the Master’s invincibility, but he was still afraid of the Master’s anger. It was never safe delivering bad news. “Master?”
The minotaur looked up from the bone puzzle he was polishing. His right eye, hot and orange, stared at Frass. His left eye, cold and drooping, stared into blind space.
“Master, our watchers have reported.” Frass stepped back, nearer the walls of the maze, out of reach of the Master’s fist. “The first two quests failed. The scabbard wasn’t there, and Arthur’s enemies chased the girl and the faery away before they could work out where he is now. Then the white dragon dropped the gems on the way south.”
The Master’s fist crushed the fragile ivory box, but he didn’t lash out at Frass. However, the faun wasn’t safe yet, because that wasn’t the really bad news.
The Master prompted him. “So, there are still two tokens left?”
Frass nodded. “Let’s look on the bright side, sir, I agree. However, there’s been another development. The ancient one, she who takes the long view, has become aware of your interest in the tokens.”
The Master growled. “Is she mobilising her forces?”
“They are already in play, Master.”
“Then you must defend my interests at the third quest, Frass. Given the nature of our opponents, take shields as well as blades. Take the uruisks too. They know the land up there. Don’t return with more bad news, faun, because if I’m forced back to the labyrinth in disgrace, I’ll drag you with me in several soggy little bits.”
*
When Rona shook Tangaroa awake, he stretched and looked at the sky. She’d let him sleep longer than he’d suggested, but even so, it was still a long time until sunrise.
Rona whispered, “Should we go up now?”
“No, Lavender and the elders were quite clear. We need a flower which starts to travel down the seven waterfalls as the sun is actually rising. We don’t have to be at the top waterfall until the sun is just below the horizon. You grab more sleep; I’ll keep watch.”
Tangaroa walked to the burn to wash his face in the stinging cold water, then looked around.
The dragon was asleep on the rock, curled up and looking like a rock himself.
Rona was lying on the heather, her sealskin cloak over her, but not wrapped so tight she would turn into a seal. Her eyelids were flickering, as if she was dreaming or thinking.
Tangaroa looked to the west at the line of trees. He couldn’t see anything in the shadows at the edge. He looked to the east. There would be a better view of the rocks from Nimbus’s perch, but Tangaroa didn’t want to disturb him. The dragon needed his sleep so he could fly them back.
Tangaroa kept glancing around, at the rocks, the trees, the heathery slopes, at the other burns coming down other mountains and joining the narrow river at the bottom of the glen.
The next time he looked at his companions, Rona’s eyes were open, staring at him.
She frowned, then stood up and moved to the burn side. They sat together, watching the white water crash to the bottom of the third waterfall.
“I can’t sleep,” she murmured. “I’m too worried about Yann.”
“Do you want to talk?” Tangaroa asked gently.
She shrugged. “I’ve known Yann all my life. My mother and his father are senior elders, so we’ve met at solstice gatherings and fabled beast councils since we were tiny. Yann had the best ideas for games when we were small and for adventures when we got bigger. He always looked after me, Lavender and Catesby. I don’t think we’d cope without him.”
“You won’t need to. He’ll be fine. There are three quest teams out and we’re probably the unlucky ones.”
Rona looked worried. “Why?”
Tangaroa laughed. “The others were doing their quests by moonlight. They’re probably back already with the scabbard and the gems. We’ll show up with some damp flower mid-morning, and they’ll be having cups of tea and saying, where were you guys? We’ll get no glory for turning up last with the third token.”
She smiled. “I hope you’re right. I’m not in this for the glory. I just want to help Yann.”
“I know you’re not big on glory. I still don’t understand why you resigned as Sea Herald after winning last year.”
The selkie looked down at her feet, then pushed her toes into the water. “Oh! Cold!” She jerked her feet back out. “I don’t mind Arctic waters with my sealskin on, but that’s freezing on my human feet!” Rona waggled her toes. “When do we wake the dragon?”
“In half an hour, so we can do one more recce, then wait for a flower.”
“I’ve been wondering about that, Tangaroa. Are we hoping that a flower falls in at sunrise or can we drop one in ourselves?”
“Didn’t we get advice on that from Lavender?”
Rona shook her head. “We were too busy working out where and when to worry about what.”
“But Lavender told Helen we couldn’t take our own water to a footprint, because that would be cheating.” He saw Rona flinch, as if her toes had touched the water again. “So probably we can’t put our own flower in. Probably we have to hope a flower falls
in as the sun is rising.”
Rona frowned. “But the flower becomes the token when it’s washed by seven falls and new sunlight. Perhaps it doesn’t matter how it gets into the burn.”
They looked at the diamond-sharp water running under their feet.
“The water is completely clear,” Tangaroa said. “No twigs, no leaves. And there’s no wind to knock any blossoms off into the water.”
Rona looked at the glow on the eastern horizon. “How long is the sunrise?”
Tangaroa looked at the low hills to the east and considered his answer carefully. “It’s the morning of the equinox, which is the shortest sunrise of the year. But we can count from when the sun’s rim first appears in that U-shaped glen, until the bottom of the sun moves off that rounded summit. I reckon just over five minutes.”
Rona said, “So let’s watch at the top waterfall for four minutes, and if no flowers come past, drop one in ourselves.”
Tangaroa thought about her suggestion. “So we hope it happens naturally, but if it doesn’t, at the last minute, we cheat?”
“Stop saying cheating!” she snapped. “It’s not cheating! It’s just helping the magic.”
He laughed, “Ok, you’re the boss! So it’s not cheating. Just as well, because Yann wouldn’t want to be saved by cheats.”
Rona didn’t answer, so they sat in silence as the world slowly grew brighter around them.
Tangaroa wasn’t sure if he had offended the selkie. Perhaps he should try to be nicer to her. “What shall we do to pass the time?” he asked. “Make up rhymes? Ask each other riddles?”
“No,” Rona muttered, “I’m not that good at riddles.”
“Yes you are, you’re great at riddles.”
She shook her head. “Helen and Lavender are the riddle-masters in our team.”
“Nonsense, Rona. Don’t give them all the credit. You must have solved the Sea Herald riddle faster than anyone to win by such a margin.”
He smiled at her, still trying to cheer her up. Then he saw the shocked look on her face.
Rona stammered, “Oh, yes, that riddle.”
There was a moment’s silence while Tangaroa considered everything he knew about this selkie, her friends, and the contest he’d lost to her. Then he considered the conversation they’d just had, that look on her face and that shiver in her voice.
