by June Wilson
MIDDENGARD
Chapter 12
Orla left Carl with the Yeoman at High Fell, who promised to take him home the next day along with the other boys from Soren’s village. Carl’s friends had hidden themselves away in the old barn, just as Carl said they would, but their need for food had outweighed their fear of the Lady. By the time Orla and the twins arrived, they were being fussed over by a group of women in the village square.
It was a happy ending to the strange tale, but rumours concerning the Lady were rife. No one knew why she was haunting the local villages and the tales were getting more outrageous: she was a demon who fed on the blood of children; she was an envoy of the Goddess Hel, sent to take the take the young into her domain of death. All nonsense of course – or so Orla tried to tell herself. But it was clear that the Lady, whoever she was, was no normal woman. Was she connected to the disturbance in the earth power? Possibly. Orla wished she could talk to Isolde, but there was no point wishing for what you couldn’t have.
As they left the village behind, Orla consoled herself with the thought they would be reunited with Ellie before the day was out – sooner rather than later, if the twins had anything to do with it. Daisy was driving at breakneck pace, heading for the agreed rendezvous of Odin’s Well, a deep pool that marked the entrance to the Vale. The Well featured in many stories of the Gods and the twins were excitedly discussing giants and trolls and other creatures of legend.
“Look – look – a troll’s footprint!” Daisy shouted, slowing the wagon and pointing to a patch of churned mud at the side of the road. “Do you think it’s safe to go on?”
“Don’t be silly,” Rose said. “It’s a goat – you can tell by the cleft in the hoof. Nowhere near big enough for a troll.”
“Oh.” Daisy’s face fell. Orla suspected she would quite like to see a troll, no matter how scared she pretended to be. But no one had seen one for centuries and Orla hoped they wouldn’t make an appearance now.
Another few minutes brought them to the pool. It lay beneath a rocky overhang, screened from the road by leafy oaks. The water was still and clear and coloured insects skimmed the surface. It was a pretty place but eerie too. Orla found herself wishing that Ellie were there already, so they could keep going. But there was no sign of her, so they had no choice but to wait.
“Do you think Lady Eleanor will be long?” Rose said, as Daisy tied up the horses.
“I don’t know. I hope not.” Orla shivered. It wasn’t cold but she felt uneasy.
“Are you hungry? I can make something to eat,” Rose said, peering into their sack of provisions. “Oh dear – there’s not much left.”
She was right: a loaf of black bread, half a leg of cured ham and a wheel of cheese. It wouldn’t last more than a day and there were no more villages en route. They should have restocked at High Fell, but in all the excitement Orla had completely forgotten.
“Is that it? I’m starving.” Daisy stared at the meager supplies in dismay. “Let’s go hunt some rabbits. Or maybe there are fish in the pool?”
“You can’t take fish from Odin’s Well!” Rose looked horrified. “It would bring bad luck.”
“But Odin wouldn’t want us to starve, would he?” Daisy ventured to the edge of the water. “Look – there’s plenty of trout in there. What do you think Orla?”
It was true: beautiful speckled trout were swimming close to the surface, fat and lustrous. The thought of them cooked over an open fire was tempting, but the Gods dealt harshly with those who stole from them. “No,” she said firmly. “See if you can get a rabbit and some tea rose berries as well.”
She took a seat by the edge of the pool whilst the twins rushed off, still squabbling about the fish. She was more tired than she cared to admit and a little lonely too. The twins had each other and whilst Ellie had been very kind to her, she was still Lady Eleanor, a daughter of the Gods. Would her life always be like this – the life of an outsider, with no one to share her thoughts and feelings with?
She sighed and brushed away the tears that had sprung all too readily to her eyes. There was something about the stillness of the pool that spoke to her of sadness. She knew she was feeling sorry for herself but it was more than that – as if there was some unspoken longing about this place that was assailing her senses, freeing her from her physical body…
Orla gasped and woke as if from a trance. She was waist deep in water and the current was deceptively strong, pulling her towards the centre of the pool. She couldn’t swim and her feet were slipping on the rocky bottom.
“Help! Please – someone!” She scrabbled for purchase but it was no good. The unrelenting current was tugging at her. Only a few more inches and her head would be submerged. The earth power was her only hope and she closed her eyes, calling out to the trees and rocks to help her. If she could channel the energy the way Lord Cael had taught her, she would be buoyed safely to shore.
Deeper and deeper inside herself she went, calling on all living things. But all she could see was darkness never ending, where no animal stirred nor plant grew, where the air was barely air at all, but some chill and awful fog. And then she heard a woman’s laughter, quiet at first but growing ever louder, until Orla felt her head might burst with the sound of it.
“It’s alright Orla – I’m here! Keep your head up if you can!”
Orla felt a flood or relief – Ellie had arrived at last. She did as she was bidden, but the more she struggled to keep her head above water, the more her unseen foe seemed intent on dragging her down. She felt a tug on her ankles - something stronger than the current. Down she went, down, down, her lungs fighting for air, and a great rushing noise filled her ears.
And then strong arms were round her and she was being dragged ashore. Her head was spinning, filled with the memory of a strange half-light. A woman’s face had appeared in the gloomy water, distorted and unlike anything she’d ever seen before…
“Orla! Orla – wake up!”
She opened her eyes to see that Ellie was bending over her, her face anxious. She had rid herself of her old woman’s disguise and was soaking wet.
“What happened? Did you slip? I didn’t think you could swim.”
“I can’t,” Orla said. “I’ve no idea how I got into the water. I was sitting by the edge and then suddenly I was in the middle of the pool. The current was so strong…and then someone grabbed me. They tried to drown me, I’m sure of it.” She shuddered and coughed up some water. “And the awful thing was, the really awful thing…” She broke off, trying to put her thoughts in order.
“Yes,” Ellie prompted gently, putting an arm round her shoulders. “What was so awful? Besides nearly drowning of course.”
Orla knew Ellie was trying to make her feel better, but she felt numb inside. As if something had been taken away from her, something precious. “The earth power,” she whispered. “I called on it – and I couldn’t reach it. I tried so hard, but there was nothing. It was as if everything around me had died – the trees, grass, birds, insects, even the heart within the rocks themselves – all gone. What does it mean?”
Ellie scanned their surroundings. “I don’t know. But there’s something evil about this place, despite its name. It may have belonged to Odin once, but I fear that was long ago. Where are the twins? We need to leave.”
As if on cue, Daisy and Rose emerged from the undergrowth. They were carrying two rabbits and a sack full of blackberries.
“We were in luck,” Daisy shouted. “The rabbits were too busy eating to notice us coming. They’re nice and fat too.” She threw them at their feet with a smile of satisfaction. “Shall I light a fire? It won’t take long to skin them.”
Rose on the other hand had lost all interest in the rabbits and was staring at Orla. “What happened? You’re soaking wet – both of you.”
“Orla went for a swim and got out of her depth,” Ellie said hurriedly. “Luckily I got here just in time.”
“Really?” Rose looked at Orla doubtfully.
“You can’t swim, can you?”
Orla thought fast. She felt hollow inside but Ellie was right not to worry the twins.
“No, but I was hot and sticky and I wanted to cool down. The current was too strong for me,” she said, “Silly, I know.”
Daisy whistled. “Lucky escape then. And you look really pale - you must be hungry. I’ll start that fire.”
“No,” Ellie cut in. “We should move on, before it gets too dark. We’ve already lost a day – I was foolish to think we could stay here.”
“But it’s Odin’s Well!” Daisy protested. “Protected by the Aetheling! Why would we move – ouch, what was that for Rose?” Daisy rubbed her shin and gave her sister a hurt look. It was clear Rose was better at taking a hint.
“Let’s pack the wagon,” Rose said. “We can eat the rabbits later – they won’t go to waste.” She gave Orla a quick smile and slung them into the cart. “We’ve probably got another two hours of daylight. We’ll keep heading west, towards the Vale I suppose?”
“Towards the Vale,” Ellie confirmed, as Orla climbed into the wagon. Her legs still felt like jelly and she had a splitting headache. Ellie was right – there was evil at Odin’s Well – an unknown evil that would haunt her dreams for long nights to come.
*
Ellie put as much distance as she could between them and whatever had attacked Orla at Odin’s Well. It was well past dusk when she instructed the twins to pull off the side of the road. The road had been flat and monotonous for the last hour’s riding, with only low-lying skalte grass by way of vegetation. But a long-abandoned cottage had appeared on the horizon and in the absence of any other shelter it seemed to be their best option for the night.
“I’m so tired,” she heard Daisy grumble. “I feel like we’ve been on this road forever.”
“Ssh! Stop complaining. I’m glad we’re away from the Well. There must have been a monster there after all – a water monster.” Rose giggled. She didn’t sound frightened at all and it made Ellie smile. The twins were strong and not short on courage but they were so young. Everything was still exciting to them. She’d been like that when she was their age. They all had: she, Jonas and Geraint. They’d fought many imaginary battles in the woods outside Haevstor. Long ago, when they were inseparable.
Ellie shivered suddenly. Why was she thinking about the past? Those memories were pointless – they only made her unhappy. And she needed to make sure Orla was suffering no repercussions from her near drowning. She’d hardly said a word since they’d left the Well. Not surprising, given her ordeal, but Ellie could tell there was something else troubling her – something Ellie now intuited she’d been at pains to conceal from her. Which was interesting, because she knew that Orla would never do such a thing unless someone had instructed her to do so. And there was only one person who could have done that - the same person Orla revered more than anyone in Middengard. So what was Isolde’s game?
“How are you feeling?” she asked, helping Orla from the wagon. The novice was wrapped in a homespun blanket, embroidered at the edges with scenes from history. “That’s beautiful work. A present, I’m guessing?”
Orla gave a weak smile. “From my grandmother. I wasn’t going to bring it. I’m glad I did now.”
“It’s good to have something to remind you of those you love, when you’ve been near death. When I was in prison, I had a lock of Alice’s hair. I kept it well hidden of course. Fingal would never have allowed such a keepsake, had he known.” Ellie rarely spoke about her time in Niflheim. It had taken all her strength to survive. But a confidence would go a long way to earning Orla’s complete trust.
“It must have been awful for you,” Orla murmured. “I can’t even imagine.”
“It was. But I had Tom and I had Alice and I knew they would never forsake me. We have to trust others don’t we? Especially those we love.”
Orla’s fingers tightened on the blanket. “Yes, but it’s hard sometimes,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Hard how?” Ellie said gently. She didn’t want to push her but she sensed she was getting close to whatever it was that Orla was hiding.
“I would have drowned, if you hadn’t come in time. The earth power deserted me and I’ve never felt so lonely in all my life. It’s my punishment for keeping a secret from you - I know it is.”
“I don’t think that’s what happened Orla.” Ellie pulled her close. The poor girl was shaking. “But if you do know something, something that might help us, I think you should tell me.”
“Are you sure? Isolde made me promise. She said it was for your own good.”
Did she indeed? Ellie felt like saying. Honestly, sometimes Isolde went too far in her presumptions. But she didn’t want to frighten Orla so all she said was, “I am. You won’t be in any trouble. Isolde will understand, given what’s happened.”
Orla’s eyes flitted to the twins and then back again. The two girls were out of earshot, chattering away happily as they built a fire. But she lowered her voice anyway and said, “She told me about her vision – the one you asked her about. It wasn’t Hel she saw. It was Jonas, a long time ago. He was with a girl. But then she told me she thought the vision was wrong, because she’d been so ill. She said that happens sometimes.”
Ellie nodded, biting back her immediate response. Isolde had never mistaken the past in her life. The future offered alternatives, but never the past. So she’d seen Jonas in connection with the breach, had she? Interesting.
“She didn’t want to tell you about Jonas,” Orla said, looking at her anxiously. “She didn’t want to remind you of – of that time.”
“Yes – I see that.” Ellie tried to keep the edge from her voice. Isolde was a lot of things, but she wasn’t sentimental. There was more to this. “What about the girl? Did she recognize her?”
Orla looked across to the twins again and then shook her head. “No. But Lady Eleanor - what about Jonas? Do you think he’s got something to do with what’s happening now?”
“I don’t think so.” Ellie had spent all her formative years with Jonas. They’d been virtually inseparable until their fight over the Doom Stone and there was nothing in his past she didn’t know about. “Jonas has gone for ever – he can’t hurt us or Middengard any more,” she said firmly.
Orla looked relieved and made no further comment. Yet Ellie had the feeling she was still keeping something back. It would wait for another time. What the girl needed now was reassurance.
“The earth power didn’t desert you Orla,” she said gently. “Someone or something took it from you - someone very powerful indeed. Whether it was the Lady the villagers are so afraid of or someone else remains to be seen. But the last thing I want you to do is to blame yourself – it wasn’t your fault. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Orla said. “I understand.”
A new note of firmness had entered the novice’s voice. Which was good , for the last thing they needed was for Orla to lose confidence in her abilities. If there was one thing Ellie knew amidst so much uncertainty, it was that she couldn’t stand against this new enemy alone.
ENGLAND – 1856
Chapter 13
It was early Saturday morning. Martha had gone to the mill to work an extra shift and Toby and Josh were still asleep. Alice had made herself some breakfast and was taking stock of what they knew so far.
Toby had had no further luck with Will. The boy had clammed up and spent the last two days going about his work with hardly a word to anyone. Even Joe Laidlaw had noticed, going so far as to send him home early without docking his pay. It seemed everyone looked out for Will, so they had to tread carefully.
As for Martha, Alice had managed to find out that she didn’t talk to her sister because the man she’d run off with was a drunk and a bully. The couple had left Yorkshire and no one had heard from them in years. It was a dead end as far as Will’s story about a guardian was concerned, but at least it explained why Martha seemed to be hiding something. It se
emed everyone had family secrets they didn’t like to talk about.
So that left Molly. Alice felt sure she must know something about Will’s odd behaviour. The trouble was Alice had barely had more than five minutes conversation with her. The breaks were so short and the women so busy talking amongst themselves, it was hard to get her attention. She was just trying to work out how she could do that when there was a knock at the door.
Alice hesitated, not sure she should answer. Martha said she wasn’t in the habit of having visitors and Alice didn’t fancy having to explain the whole relatives from down south thing if it was someone the Guardian knew. If she ignored them, whoever it was would go away.
No such luck. The knocking only got louder. Alice swung the door open, ready with her cover story. Then stared as she saw who it was. It was as if she’d conjured her up just by thinking about her.
“Molly! What are you doing here?”
Molly Watson took a quick look over her shoulder. “Got a favour to ask, haven’t I?” she said, with a hint of defiance.
“Okay – do you want to come in?”
“No thanks. Just want to ask and then I’ll be off.” Molly fiddled with her coat sleeve. There was a long pause and Alice wondered if she’d changed her mind. She could tell Molly was proud and not in the habit of asking favours.
“Thing is see,” Molly said eventually, “I’m thinking you can read and write proper – you being a governess an’ all.”
“Um, yes – I can.” She hoped Molly wasn’t going to ask any difficult questions, because she hadn’t thought to embellish that particular aspect of her story.
“Thought so.” Molly chewed her lip. “Could you teach me? I can’t pay you mind.”
