hung from the wagon’s frame, together with strings of colourful beaded necklaces, baskets, belts and boots.
“Will there be any room for us?” asked Ash as he peered inside, resting his hand on the top of its small hinged gate.
A loud rap cut the air.
“Ouch!” Ash said, snatching his stinging fingers away.
He shook them fiercely in an attempt to lessen the pain as he looked over the gate and into the amused eyes of a Twocast male, who was brandishing a large broom handle. He was a short, burly, man with a straggly beard and mouse coloured hair. His face had seen better times, its mismatched features damaged by scars and bruises, some old and others which seemed to be more recently acquired. His bulbous nose looked as if it had been repeatedly broken and his mouth, with lips that seemed much too full for a male, was crammed with badly stained, broken and crooked teeth. There was a gap at the front where one had evidently been knocked out. His clothes were like his wagon, made up of patches of various different types of material none of which seemed to go together.
“If you’re t’ journey with me, young man,” he said, with a thick Ferrish accent as he waved one stubby little index finger slowly from side to side. “Then you’ll need t’ know that I have me rules and I’ll expect you t’ heed ‘em well, so I will.”
He pointed towards Ash’s throbbing fingers.
“Rule twenty-seven, for example, is that you never touch a thing, unless you’ve been invited to do so that is.” He paused, “is that all fine n’ clear M’ Lord?”
Mockingly, he doffed his thread worn hat, his eyes creasing in amusement. Ash frowned warily, still rubbing his fingers.
“Err, yes, err… perfectly clear, err… sir...” he said backing away from the wagon.
The man raised his brows at Ash’s respectful, if naive, use of the salutation.
“Most folks call me Vega,” he said, unlatching the gate, and stepping out of the wagon, “when they’re nay minded to use a mite more colourful language, that is. Don’t worry yourself, just heed me rules young Mud, an’ we’ll get along just fine.”
“How many of these rules do you have?” asked Lee.
“Umm... well on the last count,” said Vega lifting his hat and scratching his head thoughtfully, “a couple o’ hundred or thereabouts.”
“Do you have a list?” said Lee with a troubled frown.
“No need for a list,” said Vega, chuckling away to himself, “you’ll soon be learning ‘em, or you’ll be having a long walk, so you will.”
“No list...,” said Lee, perplexed, “ surely there has to be a list?”
“I wouldn’t worry about whether or not there’s a list Lee,” said Ash, shaking his head in dismay. “With that many rules we’d better go back and get some thicker gloves because I’ve a sneaking suspicion that we’re expected to learn them by experience and that will be a painful experience.”
Dux walked down the Oratory steps to join them. He was accompanied by Rose, Auriel and an anxious looking El-on-ah with her two servants. They were escorted by six centurion guards who hovered around Rose like bees around a hive.
“Vega, my friend, is all still fine with you?” said Dux smiling warmly and extending his hand which Vega grasped with both of his, shaking it firmly.
“Aye, M’ Lord, we be fine for sure.” said Vega.
“I see you have met Lords Ash and Lee,” said Dux as he glanced curiously at the two novices, who were squirming uncomfortably, their faces glum.
Dux, noticing the wicked twinkle in Vega’s eyes, gave a small chuckle and placed an arm around his shoulder. Dux towered over the tinker who was much shorter.
“I gather you have just introduced them to your sense of humour.” he said, with a slanted smile.
Dux turned suddenly sober and bending his head closer to his friend his voice became hushed.
“I cannot thank you enough for doing this, my friend,” he said, “I am well aware of the danger it puts you and your family in.”
“Aye,” said Vega, his face clouding, “ but from what you tell me, we are none of us safe now are we?”
Dux turned to Rose and taking her hand he led her forward.
“Vega, this is the young ascendant of which I spoke,” said Dux. “Rose, may I introduce you to Vega, a dear friend of mine. He has agreed to take you where you need to go. Under our present circumstances, there is no one I would entrust more with your safety.”
“M’ Lady,” said Vega, his eyes widening as he took in Rose’s strikingly silver-white hair and violet eyes. With a small bow, he removed his ragged hat and waved it before her with a flamboyant flourish.
“You have no need to bend before me sir,” said Rose holding out her hand “it is I that should salute you, for your benevolence and your valour. Thank you for agreeing to help us.”
Vega’s face glowed. He took her hand gently in his.
“M’ Lady,” he said, glancing over his shoulder into the wagon.
He waved his arm frantically at three figures hiding in the shadows.
“Please, Lady Rose,” he said, proudly, “ may I present me family.”
Out from the wagon emerged a shy-looking young woman with long silver white hair and two silver-haired children, a boy and a girl. Their dark violet eyes looked striking against their golden skin and their features, like Roses, were delicate and angular. Rose, taken aback by their appearance turned to Dux, her eyes full of questions.
“They are not Whytes Rose,” he said quietly, reading her thoughts. “Look at their skin colour; it’s much darker than yours, as are their eyes, which if you look closely, you’ll see are tinged with green. They are not like you Rose. They are Twocasts, not Whytes.”
Vega took his wife’s hand and pulled her forward to greet Rose. Reluctantly she complied, though her eyes were lowered and she would not look directly at Rose’s face.
“This is my wife, Lyra,” he said, his face brimming with pride.
Lyra was a beautiful woman, delicately boned and slight framed. She dipped her head and bobbed respectfully. Rose could not take her eyes off the woman’s face. It was true that her skin was darker, but it had been tanned by the sun, and her eyes were strikingly similar to Roses, barely a shade darker and with tiny flecks of green. They could have been sisters.
“Lady Rose, I would also like to introduce you to my children.” He said, looking down at the two small figures attached to his legs, their delicate faces peeping out from a mass of silver white hair.
“Tau and Lilly,” he said, pointing out each one in turn.
Rose pulled her gaze away from Lyra letting it fall on the children. A faint smile flickered on her lips as she crouched down to greet them.
“Well hello Tau and Lilly,” she said, looking into their shy violet eyes. “Are you going to help me learn all about your people, because I would very much like for you to teach me?”
They looked up at their father who nodded and smiled reassuringly. Tau, released from his nervousness, reached out his hand and took hold of Rose’s middle three fingers. He gave them a surprisingly firm tug.
“D’ya wants to see me toad?” he asked excitedly.
Rose nodded and allowed herself to be pulled towards the cart. Two guards followed closely behind her.
“His name’s Bart,” said Tau earnestly, “ ‘cause that’s what noise he makes, baaart, baaart, baaart.”
Dux and Vega watched them as they climbed up into the wagon.
“Have the rest of the supplies been loaded?” asked Dux.
Vega nodded. “Aye, we’ve everything you asked us t’ take, including the wee skep, though I’ve had to hang it beneath the wagon. There’s nay room for a flea inside there now. We’ve everything we need.”
“Good, Then you should go quickly, we do not know how long we have.” Dux turned to the others. “Come, it is time to go. “
When they were all seated in the wagon, Dux leaned in closely to Rose.
“Be saf
e Rose, and remember what I told you.” He said, squeezing her hand.
Then he lifted his head and addressed the others.
“Take care of each other.”
As he spoke the words, his eyes flicked to Rose and they all knew that what he really meant was ‘take care of Rose’. He patted the back of the wagon as it jolted forward and then stood a while, his hand raised in farewell. ‘Nothing is ever going to be the same again’ he thought, watching the wagon trundle through the Oratory gates and slip out of view.
Within an hour, they had left the city far behind them and by noon they were rattling along one of the ancient byroads to Ferrum. Vega had avoided taking the main highway, preferring to take the old road as it was less travelled and likely to be safer.
The track was uneven and broken due lack of use and years of disrepair. Weeds and grasses had pushed their way up through its numerous cracks. Broken branches and fallen trees littered their way like the flotsam washed up from an invisible sea. Consequently, the journey was much slower than it would have been on the main highway. However, the byroad meandered through woods, copses and valleys, affording cover from both land and sky and therefore it was indeed, much safer.
Vega and Lyra sat out on the driver’s board. While the rest of them remained inside the belly of the wagon and hidden from view behind the canopy. At first the mood had been tense and subdued, but Tau’s incessant questions, chattering, and giggles soon relaxed and cheered them. Sloley was a big hit with the young boy. From the moment Tau caught sight of the little loris he did not leave Lee’s
Ascension of the Whyte Page 33
