stick, shading and shadowing with deft flicks of his thumb to give depth. When he came to
the eyes, he chuckled. "You are quick and clever, Karay, with a swift temper. Everything you
see that you want must become yours. You are a rogue and a thief, but a pretty one."
The girl snatched the knife from Ben's belt and pointed it. "Who do you think you are, talking
about me like that?"
The artist held up the picture, with the eyes completed. "See!"
Karay gasped with shock—it was all there. Her beauty and wildness were captured perfectly,
along with the furtive slyness of a thief shining from her eyes. Her cheeks reddened as she
grabbed the bark portrait and hid it beneath her shawl.
"This is mine now. I'll pay you for it when I make some money. Now 'tis your turn, Ben. Go
on, draw him, Dominic!"
For a moment Dominic locked eyes with Ben, gazing hard. Then he shook his head and began
putting his materials back into the satchel. "No, no, I cannot draw Ben!"
Karay teased him. "What's the matter, haven't you got the skill? Or are you just scared to, eh?
"
Ben looked away from Dominic, for he knew what the artist had seen. Over half a century in a
boy's eyes, the wild seas, Vanderdecken and the Flying Dutchman, roaring oceans, thundering
cannon, Captain Thuron lying dead beneath deep fathoms in a sunken ship. That and a
thousand other things, things not of this earth. Like the terrifying beauty of an angel damning
a ship and its crew to eternity.
Ben took the knife gently from the girl. "Let him be, Karay. How can he draw bad dreams
and nightmares—there have been enough of those in my life, eh, Dominic?"
The artist agreed. "Too many for a simple facemaker."
Karay snapped her fingers together. "You're the Facemaker of Sabada! I've heard of you
before. Hah, I expected you to look like some kind of terrifying wizard. Weren't you the one
who was locked in the pillory in the town of Somador for the picture you made of the
magistrate's wife?"
Dominic nodded. "Aye, that was me, though I didn't want to sketch the woman in the first
place. Her husband, the magistrate, he insisted on my doing the portrait—he said that I was to
make her look beautiful and gracious."
Ben handed the facemaker's knife back to him. "And did you?"
Dominic chuckled. "I tried to, but she came out looking as she really was, a glutton and a
miser." His face hardened. "For that, the magistrate had me beaten and locked by my head and
arms in the pillory for three days and nights. So, you see, this talent of mine can sometimes be
a millstone about my neck."
They sat in silence for a while. Karay began to feel sorry about her treatment of Dominic. She
saw him cast a brief glance at the crust of bread in her hand. "Do you have any food in your
satchel, Facemaker?"
He smiled ruefully. "Alas, no, just drawing materials and an empty flagon I use for drinking
water."
The girl peered into the darkness. "If there were a stream or a lake near here, I could have got
us some fish."
Ned's ears perked up as he sent a message to Ben. "Tell her I'll find water. There's always
some about in woodlands. Hope there's fish, too. I'm starving!"
Ben answered the thought. "Right, then, we'll have to start playing silly little games for our
friends' benefit." He took the flagon from Dominic's satchel and let the dog sniff it as he
spoke to Karay. "Watch this. Here Ned, good dog! Water, where's the water, boy?"
The black Labrador chuckled inwardly. "As if I didn't know, eh? The things I have to do to
impress folk!" He wandered off slowly, sniffing the ground and the air.
Ben turned to Karay. "Go with him, he'll find water for you."
The girl was delighted. "Good old Neddy ... I mean Ned. Sorry."
Together they took off into the night.
Ben looked across the fire at Dominic. "I'm glad you didn't try to sketch me. What did you
really see?"
The Facemaker of Sabada averted his eyes. "Too much, my friend, far too much. I have
enough problems of my own without adding your burden to my mind. How has one of your
age lived through such perils ? I saw things in your eyes I have never seen, even in dreams.
Somebody my own age who has had the experiences of so many years. No, Ben, it is too
much for me to understand, let's not talk about it. Your secret shall remain with you, and Ned,
too, I think. Trust me, I will be a true friend to you both."
Ben shook the artist's outstretched hand gratefully. "Thank you, Dominic, I know you'll be a
rare and good pal. There, that's that! I hope Karay and Ned find water soon. Tomorrow we'll
travel together, all four of us, to the fair at Veron. But, for now, let's enjoy a bit of peace and
quiet without our fierce girlfriend."
Dominic smiled. "Oh, she's fierce and quick-tempered alright, but Karay has a good heart, I
know it."
Still feeling the odd drops of rain, they sat back and relaxed, the fireglow creating a small
cavern of light and warmth in a dark forest night.
Both the lads had dozed off for the better part of an hour when they were roused by Karay
and Ned returning. Boisterously the dog and the girl romped in, emptying their spoils onto a
flat chunk of rock. Karay was wet but triumphant, and Ned shook water from his coat,
woofing softly as he gave out thoughts to Ben. "Fish! Look at those beauties, I caught one of
'em!"
Karay busied herself with the four fat rudd, strung through their gills on a thick reed. "Pass me
your knife, Facemaker. Your Ned's a good fisherdog, Ben, he caught this big one!"
She chattered away animatedly whilst cleaning the fish. "Ned found a stream, quite slow
runnin' and clear. I tickled the rudd out from under the bank, an' Ned trapped one in the
shallows. Found watercress too, see? Got some wood sorrel, dandelion roots an' raspberries.
You just watch me, I'll make a meal for us, fit for a king ..."
While Karay rattled on, Ned communicated with Ben. "You should've seen her, mate, she let
those fish swim into her hand, tickled them a bit, then slung 'em out onto the bank. A body
would never be hungry long with Karay as a pal!"
The girl was as good as her word. They dined on roast fish with chopped herbs and toasted
bread. The raspberries provided a dessert.
Karay sucked on a fish bone. "That's the last of the bread— how far is it to Veron?"
"About six hours' steady walking," Dominic replied.
Karay piled more wood on the fire. "Good! If we set off at dawn we should make it about
midday. Get some sleep now."
Ben saluted her. "Aye aye, marm, right away!"
Ned stretched out and sighed. "Bit bossy, but a good cook!" Ben was surprised when Karay
lay back and began singing. Her voice had the husky sweetness of a Spanish lady he had
heard singing on the quay at Cartagena, soothing and melodic.
"I will search the wide world over,
By the sea or by land,
Like a dove I'll soar the seasons,
'Til I touch his hand.
Through the towns where folk gather,
O'er lone windswept hills,
I will never cease roaming 'til
My dreams he fulfills.
And I'll cry to the moon above,
Where oh where bides my true love?
Will I see his face at dawning,
In some purple-shaded valley,
Will he be waiting there?
In the still silent waters,
Will his fond face I see?
Ever smiling, eyes beguiling,
And he'll love only me.
Then I'll cry to the moon above
Here oh here is my true love."
Ben slept more peacefully than he had in many a long night, with the embers warming him
and Ned stretched by his side, surrounded by the tranquillity and silence of enveloping
woodland darkness. No nightmares of Vanderdecken steering the heaven-cursed Flying
Dutchman across storm-torn seas of eternal damnation marred his dreams. Rose-hued mists
tinted the boy's slumber. From afar the angel spoke, soft, clear, but insistent.
"A man who has not children
Will name you as his son.
In that hour, you must be gone!
Turn your face back to the sea,
You will meet another one,
A father with no children,
Before you travel on. Help him to help his children,
As his kinsman would have done."
All night the words echoed through Ben's mind. He did not puzzle over them, knowing that he
was unable to resist any destiny that heaven had already planned.
17
A FINE SUNNY MORNING reigned over all as they left the woodlands, emerging onto a
hilltop. Ben stopped a moment to take in the pleasant panorama. Dominic explained where
they were and whither they were bound. "We're travelling south—those mountains you see
ahead are the Pyrenees. It's uphill and down dale from here. That third hilltop, 'twixt here and
the mountains, that's Veron. Perhaps we can save a bit of climbing by following that stream
around the hills and through the valleys."
Karay set off, calling back to them as she ran alongside Ned, "Come on then, we'll race you
there!"
Ben watched them dashing downhill. "Let them go. She'll get tired of running before Ned
does. Come on, mate, we'll walk like ordinary, sensible folk."
He and Dominic set out at a leisurely pace. They found the girl sitting panting on a stream
bank at the foot of the next hill. Ned was tugging at the hem of her dress. He looked up at Ben
approaching and sent him a message. "Weak, fickle things human beings are. Look, she's out
of breath already—a puppy'd have more stamina than this girl!"
Dominic winked at Ben, remarking to Karay as they strolled past her, "Good morning, marm.
If you sit there all day you'll miss the fair at Veron. I'm told 'tis a good one!"
Both boys ducked as the girl splashed stream water at them. "Wait for me, you villains!" She
had to run to catch up with them.
Veron was classed as a town, albeit a rather small one. It sat atop a gently sloping hill, with a
meandering path leading up to its gates. Veron must once have been a fortress, for it was
enclosed by stone walls, ancient but thick and solid. The fair was little more than a weekend
market held once each month from a Friday midday to a Monday late noon.
Ben and his friends arrived early, taking their place behind a line of country folk waiting to be
allowed through the town gates by the wall guards. They shuffled along with the motley
crowd, their eyes roving with interest over the colourful scene. Carts piled high with fruit,
vegetables and rural produce jostled behind rustic smocked drovers herding cattle, sheep,
goats and horses. Wagons bearing disassembled stalls of painted wood and dyed canvas
trundled uphill, hauled and pushed by entire families. Ducks and geese flapped between the
wheels, honking and quacking, adding to the noisy cavalcade as the fairgoers, chiding
youngsters and discussing prospects, all shuffled forward, eager to be inside the gates.
As they got closer to the entrance, Ned sent a thought to Ben. "Look, people are having to pay
a toll to get in."
Ben turned to Karay and Dominic. "Looks like it's been a waste of time coming here. We've
got to pay the guards to get in. I don't have any money—do either of you?"
Dominic's face fell. "I didn't know you had to pay admission. I haven't got a single centime on
me!"
Karay shook her head, stifling a scornful giggle. "What a pair of bumpkins! Money, huh!
Who needs money to get past those gates? Leave this to me. You two just hang about and
look as you do now, a real pair of yokels. I'll do all the talking."
Ben shrugged. "As you say, marm, we'll follow the leader!"
The two wall guards were only ordinary town watchmen, each sporting a crested armband and
a helmet that had seen better days. They carried long, antiquated pikes and barred the gates
after each entrant in an overblown manner of importance.
Ben communicated an uneasy thought to his dog. "I hope she knows what she's doing—that's
a long hill to be kicked down."
The black Labrador nuzzled his hand. "Trust Karay, m'boy, she looks as if she's done this
before a few times!"
As the four of them approached, both guards lowered their pikes, barring the entrance. The
bigger of the two held out his hand. "Two centimes each, an' one for the dog. That's, er ..."
"Seven centimes," the smaller guard said.
Karay looked puzzled. She directed her attention to the big guard, letting her hand rest on his
arm. "But, Captain, didn't our mother or father pay you?"
Being addressed as captain made the guard puff out his chest. He gazed down officiously into
the pretty girl's eyes. "I don't know your parents, miss, and no one's paid me extra to allow
others in today!"
Karay fluttered her eyes and grasped the guard's arm. "Oh, Captain, you surely must know
them. Emile and Agnes? Our family has the pancake and honey stall. They left home hours
before we did."
The guard saw Karay's lip quiver. He patted her hand gently. "Well, they mustn't have arrived
yet, miss. You an' your brothers stand to one side now an' wait for them, eh."
Ben was amazed to see a tear spring unbidden to the girl's eye. Karay was clinging to the
guard's arm now, gazing imploringly up at him, her voice all atremble. "Oh please, Captain,
you must let us in. If our parents are not there, our stall space will be taken by someone else. I
think the wheel must have come off the cart again. Father will be fixing it—they'll be along
any minute now, expecting to find us watching their stall space. We're a poor family, Captain,
but we're honest. I'll bring the money straight out to you, as soon as the stall is set up and
we're selling our wares."
The guard began to soften. He murmured to his partner. "What d'you think?"
The smaller guard shrugged. " 'Tis up to you, Giles," he whispered.
Karay suddenly brightened up. "Giles—that's him, isn't it?" Ben and Dominic nodded eagerly
as the girl pressed her point. "Mother said she'd pay you, Captain, she told us to ask for the
tall, good-looking one. Giles, she said!"
Most of the people behind them were getting impatient and calling out for Karay to move
aside so they could get in. Giles shook his pike and bellowed. "Silence, or none of you will
enter the fair. I'll say who gets in!"
Karay continued with her pleading. "I promise, Captain, I'll bring the money out as soon as
possible. I'll bring you a pancake each, too, with butter and honey on it, piping hot!"
That settle
d the matter. Giles lowered his pike. "In you go, quick now! Oh, and could you
manage a squeeze of lemon juice on those pancakes?"
Karay pushed Ben and Dominic in front of her through the gateway. Ned stood by her side as
she replied, "I'll make them myself, with plenty of lemon juice. See you later, Captain. Come
on, boy, before our space gets taken!"
The guard watched them hurry inside and winked at his companion. "Good manners, that girl
—pretty, too!"
Inside Veron's main square there was a real bustle of festive atmosphere. Stalls were packed
together so tightly that folk had to push and jostle to negotiate the narrow aisle spaces. The
friends sat together on a broad flight of steps that fronted a grand manor house with a
southern exposure.
Dominic chided Karay humorously. "No sign of Emile or Agnes yet. Oh dear, I wonder where
Mother and Father have got to. You're a great liar, Karay!"
The girl slapped his arm lightly. "Well, at least I got us into the fair, didn't I, my slow-witted
yokel brother."
Ben chuckled as he ruffled Ned's ears. "Don't forget now, you owe those guards seven
centimes and two hot pancakes."
Ned's thought chimed in on Ben. "Mmm, thick with butter and honey. No lemon for me,
thanks."
Karay's eyes twinkled. "Pancakes, that's what we need, I'm famished!"
She rose swiftly and cut off toward the stalls.
Ned pawed at Ben's leg. "We'd best go after her. There's no telling what that young madam
will be up to next!"
"You're right, mate." Ben returned Ned's thought. He pulled Dominic up from the step. "Come
on, Dom, it's a bit risky letting that little thief wander off alone."
Karay had found herself a pancake stall where there was only a middle-aged lady attending to
it. The girl stood back, watching everything closely.
"Thinking of stealing pancakes now, are we?"
She turned to see Ben, Dominic and Ned behind her. Karay hissed at them angrily. "I'm not
stealing anything—she'll give me some pancakes gladly. Now be quiet and let me study that
stall. I'll get us some food!"
Ned nudged his head against Ben's leg. "I'd do as Karay says if I were you. Give her a
chance."
After a while Karay sauntered over to the stall, where she waited until the woman was not
busy serving. Passing a forearm across her brow, the woman sighed. "Pancakes are two
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