cold and heartless and are not liked or trusted because we show little emotion, so we are permitted to inhabit only the most barren regions of these lands. Yet native Bloods die every day in the mines of Hydrargyrum, they die in their thousands whilst mining the ores and minerals destined for the foundries of Aurum. Muds have the most fertile lands, but they are looked down upon and ridiculed as muscle-bound imbeciles, labourers, and farmers. Yet it is they who put food on the plates of the High Councillors and foundry owners of Aurum. If you were us, Rose, how would you change things?”
“I don’t know,” said Rose, “but I would not sell my potens to the Djinn of Erebus in an attempt to reverse the situation. That’s not unification El-on-ah, but merely the exchange of one unjust system, for another.”
A soft rushing sound permeated the silence, intensifying into a hissing roar as they continued forwards. Then the roar became a deafening clatter that rained down on them, pelting the top of the canopy like a hailstorm.
Vega had driven the wagon under the arch of a small waterfall and into an enormous cavern hidden behind its tattered, watery curtain. The water roared and hissed as it fell from the rocky overhang into a deep flat pool below. Its vapour swirled around them, endowing the early morning air with a soft mist that in the diffuse morning light, gave the place an ethereal, magical quality.
Vega jumped from the wagon, unharnessed the horses and led them to the water’s edge. Lyra pulled back the canopy curtain and peeked inside, smiling as she saw the sleeping faces of her children. Lilly’s head rested on Ash’s shoulder and Tau was curled up next to Lee, his arms tightly around Sloley, who licked Tau’s nose in an attempt to encourage the boy to relinquish his grip.
“We should be safe a while now,” said Lyra. “Let them sleep. I’ll make some tea.”
Later as the sun rose in the sky, the others awakened to the smell of wild rice, quails eggs and smoked fish cooking.
“Boy, I must be starving because that smells glorious.” Said Ash softly as he sat up, carefully trying not to disturb Lilly, who was still asleep with her head against his chest.
Gently lowering her to the seat he placed her head on a rolled up piece of sacking and pulled the threadbare blanket up over her shoulders. Lee lifted the practically comatose Tau’s arm, releasing Sloley from the boy’s adoring confinement and was rewarded by a spattering of chirps and clicks from the little loris, who leapt happily onto his shoulder. The sound of fiddle music drifted into the wagon, its merry tune awakening the last of the sleeping group.
“Oh no… what is that noise?” said Tu-nek-ta pulling his hood up and holding his ears “I feel as if I haven’t slept in weeks.”
“I don’t know what it is,” said Ash, “but there’s a good chance that it might be a signal for breakfast, so if you’ll excuse me…”
He jumped down from the wagon, hesitating briefly when Lilly, woken by the music, tiredly rubbed at her eyes and petulantly demanded to be lifted down.
Vega was sitting on a boulder next to the fire playing an old Ferrish fiddle and singing, with a broad smile warming his face. He winked brazenly at Arjan and Auriel as he sang the words.
“The Golds, they’re so pretty, with hair like the sun,
Know the price o’ it all, but the cost of nay one.
So I’d rather be a Twocast, no mines, nor land, nor gold,
Aye... I’d rather be a Twocast, me home... the open road.
The Bloods, they’re nay witty an’ exceedingly glum,
They moan an’ they mutter, ‘cause they’re always outdone.
So I’d rather be a Twocast, no mines, nor land, nor gold,
Aye... I’d rather be a Twocast, me home... the open road.
The Muds they’re so gritty, great hunters, are some,
An’ wrestling with bears, ‘tis what they do for fun!
So I’d rather be a Twocast, no mines, nor land, nor gold,
Aye... I’d rather be a Twocast, me home... the open road. ”
Vega looked across at Rose, realising that he had no verse for the Whytes. He hesitated a moment before grinning impishly in her direction.
“The Whytes had their city, of Magicians an’ Mages,
But nay one has seen them, for ages an’ ages.
So I’d rather be a Twocast, no mines, nor land, nor gold,
Aye... I’d rather be a Twocast, me home... the open road.”
A moment of uncomfortable stillness followed, everyone seemingly waiting for each other to react. Ash stood up, stony-faced, and walked over to the exit of the cave. Wistfully he looked out over the water into the misty, rainbow filled sunlight.
“I wonder if there are bears around here,” he said, “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am in real need of some FUN!”
One by one they dissolved into laughter.
At dusk, Rose and Auriel went to the tarn to fill the water bladders while the others packed the wagon ready to leave.
“Are you alright Rose?” asked Auriel, shaking the cold water from her hands as she lifted a bladder from the water. “You seem to have been very distracted they last few days. Is there something wrong?”
“You mean...” said Rose, with a quirky frown. “Something other than the fact that we are fleeing from the Djinn, about to venture into the Ebony Forest to join the Ferrum resistance and become involved in a full-scale war with a seemingly invincible enemy?”
“Yes,” she said, with a brief laugh, “but there is something else isn’t there? I’ve seen the way you’ve been watching El-on-ah and I know you don’t trust her, but there’s something else, I’m sure. What is it that you are not telling us?”
Rose hesitated for a second, looking searchingly into Auriel’s eyes. Appearing to come to a decision, she turned and looked back towards the others, watching them warily as they loaded the wagon.
“Yes, you’re right Auriel, there is something else,” she said. “I discovered that El-on-ah has an item in her possession, although I don’t believe that she is aware of its significance. It is something that I have to take from her, but I don’t know how to do that without her discovering what it is. Auriel, El-on-ah carries the incantatio.”
“What!” Auriel shrieked, quickly lowering her voice and glancing towards the others. “Are you sure? Have you seen it?”
“Yes and yes again,” said Rose, “ she wears a pendant around her neck, a crescent moon shaped stone. It has a faint green glow that intensifies whenever I approach.”
“I haven’t noticed it. Why don’t you just ask her for it? She is supposed to be allied with us now, isn’t she?”
Rose shook her head and her brow puckered.
“I just don’t believe that she is Auriel and you’re right, I don’t trust her at all. We can’t risk her knowing. If El-on-ah finds out that she carries something that could play a part in defeating Lord Ka, then we could lose the chance of ever being able to use it. The war would be lost. The Afterlands would be lost. Everything would be for nothing.”
“Then we have no choice,” said Auriel “We have to take it from her, and we have to make sure that she does not betray us to Lord Ka.”
“I know,” said Rose despondently, as she secured the stopper to the top of a water bladder. “I came to the same conclusion, which is why I may have seemed so distant. I may not trust El-on-ah, but I do kind of respect her, which is why I don’t want to harm her. I’ve been trying for ages to think of a way to take it without her knowing, but I also wanted to be absolutely sure that it was the right thing to do. I could be very wrong about her.”
“You could,” said Auriel. “So perhaps you’re right, we should try to get it off her without her noticing, maybe when she’s asleep?”
“I did think about that,” said Rose, “but Che hardly ever takes his eyes of
f her, which makes it very difficult. I think that maybe the only way we can do this safely is to involve the others. I need to get El-on-ah on her own, well away from everyone else. I don’t want anyone else getting hurt when we do this.”
Rose pondered for a second as she picked up the bladders and got to her feet. Auriel stood up beside her. They looked over towards the wagon, watching the others as they busied themselves loading the utensils and blankets.
“Perhaps,” said Rose, “ I can persuade El-on-ah to go off alone with me when we stop to water the horses tonight. I’ll talk to Ash and Lee and you speak to Arjan. If Lee and Ash can keep everyone close to the wagon and then you and Arjan can follow me at a safe distance. What do you think?”
“I think,” said Auriel, biting her lip, “that we really don’t have a lot of choice. I’ll speak to Arjan as soon as we get back on the road.”
They were both subdued as they returned to the wagon. Arjan became aware of this immediately. As he helped them into the cart, he pulled Rose close to him.
“Is everything alright?” he asked, with a note of concern.
“Yes,” said Rose “Everything’s fine,” but she gripped his hand hard and her eyes communicated a different message, one that instantly put him on the alert.
“When you get a chance,” she said, softly. “Auriel has something she would like to ask you.”
Quickly they settled into their places.
“If all goes well,” said Vega, urging the horses forward with a slap of the reins. “We’ll be at the edge o’ the Ebony Forest by first light.”
As they drove out, through the water and onto the road, Tau and Lilly
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