Emerald Child (Kalika Magic Book 1)

by Karen Hughes

  Indie stared at Canto.

  ‘Canto is the fastest horse in Gort, isn't he?’ she called across the field. She had climbed the fence and was now sitting on the top rung. Canto whinnied and moved a little closer.

  ‘Aye, lass, that he is,’ he said. ‘I'd get down from there if I were you. He's liable to push ye off.’

  ‘Has the sorcerer left the castle yet?’ Her voice was rising.

  ‘They're just riding out now. The sun'll be up soon. Guards runnin' about everywhere like usual. I'd be getting' back to your folks, if ye know what's good fer ye.’

  Canto whinnied again, softly, and took a few more steps. ‘Hello boy,’ Indie whispered. ‘Do you remember me?’

  Canto's head lifted and he came right over to the fence. Indie looked into his eyes and remembered sunny days long ago when she would sit proudly on his back, her legs dangling high above the stirrups. She remembered she had loved Canto, and she saw by the recognition in his eyes that Canto remembered it too. Taking a deep breath, she leaned out and threw herself onto the horse's back.

  ‘Come on, Canto,’ she said. ‘Show me how fast you can go.’

  Canto felt the girl's slight weight and knew the connection between them, with that deep understanding horses have. He had loved the father and, instinctively, he would protect the child. He spun and cantered toward the fence, leaping high over the railing as the old man yelled in protest.

  But he was too far away to stop them. Indie clung to Canto’s mane, as they careered down the street.

  ‘To the forest!’ she cried, without the faintest idea whether she was going the right way. In the end she just held on as tightly as she could and hoped Canto knew where he was going.

  She could see the first rays of sunlight breaking through the trees as they came over the brown hills. There, stretching out before her, was the dim cool underworld of the forest.

  It seemed only moments later that she reached the fringe of the trees, and slumping to the ground she lay there for a moment, stunned at the ease of her escape. She’d felt the rhythm of the horse beneath her, matched her breathing and her thoughts to Canto's, and felt like she belonged there, as if she and the horse were one.

  Canto leaned down and rubbed his nose against her cheek.

  ‘Thank you,’ Indie said, reaching out to pat him. ‘I'll be okay now. I don't think you want to come in here with me, do you?’

  She jumped to her feet and looked into the tangle of trees and vines. Fee fi fo fum …

  ‘I'll come back as I soon as I can,’ she whispered.

  Canto whinnied softly and turned away.

  Indie clenched her fists. I can do this, she thought. I am not afraid.

  It was rough going, pushing her way through the vines and creepers. The trees towered over her, pressing in around her. There was no pathway, no trail, not even a stream to follow. No, this was nothing like the island she knew.

  She didn't even know which way to go to find the fabled hiding place the sorcerer was going to attack. And there was the real problem: if it was such a good hiding place – a place that no one had found – how was she supposed to find it?

  After a while she stopped, discouraged and tired, and sat down on a mossy log. The sun was shining now, its light trickling through the forest canopy, and she could hear the crashing and swearing of the sorcerer's army as they tried to make their way through the trees.

  Snap. A twig cracked right behind her.

  A hand clamped over her mouth.

  ‘Shhh,’ said a voice, close to her ear. ‘Don't make a sound.’

  She turned. Behind her were six men, brown-skinned and blue-eyed, dressed in the same soft brown as Dargan.

  ‘I am Brek of the Kalika,’ whispered the smallest of the men, the one who had put his hand over her mouth. ‘It’s not safe for you here. You must come with me.’

  She didn’t see where the other men went; they blended quietly back into the trees. Brek beckoned her to follow, moving ahead so lightly that his footsteps made no sound as he plunged further into the forest. And then he stopped, in front of an enormous tree. He gestured in the direction of what looked to Indie like a green curtain of vines. ‘Through there,’ he said. ‘You’ll find your brother in the furthest hut. The little one on the right, closest to the coneflowers.’

  ‘But where are you going?’ Indie asked.

  ‘Ah,’ he said, with a mischievous grin. ‘Tenzel's men are already a little afraid of us from the stories he has told them. It’s time to rattle them a bit more. We don’t have enough men to fight, and it’s not our way to kill people. We have blow darts tipped with sleeping herbs and powders that make you itch so much you think you might die. We know the secret paths of the forest, the hidden tunnels and the hollow trees. We will sneak up on them when they least expect it and, at the very least, we will slow them down as they keep looking over their shoulders for the next threat.’

  He winked at Indie and turned to disappear. ‘Wait,’ Indie said. ‘The king. He’s coming with three hundred men. He can't be too far away. How can I let him know where you’ll be?’

  Brek's face lit up. ‘There’s always hope,’ he mused, ‘even when things seem impossible. Be strong, princess, this will all be over soon.’

  He turned and vanished into the trees.

  Indie lifted the curtain of vines and found that she was at the mouth of a long green tunnel. It was completely camouflaged – she would never have found it on her own.

  She stepped out into a clearing, and knew she was in the right place. A group of huts stood within a circle of faded coneflowers, just as she’d seen in the locket. All was quiet. There was no sign of life. But as she crossed the clearing, she glimpsed faces at the windows of the huts and shadows dancing in the firelight.

  Chapter 18

  Grandma Helki

  the candle flickered, once, twice and then went out. Kai sat in the shadows, listening.

  ‘You mustn’t be afraid, Kai,’ Grandma Helki said softly. ‘Fear is Tenzel's only real weapon. If you are frightened of him, he will win.’

  ‘But I am frightened of him,’ Kai said. ‘I don't know what I’m supposed to do. The coneflowers – ’

  ‘The coneflowers are gone.’ The old woman began to cough. Kai waited until she could speak again. ‘You do not need flowers, child; your powers lie far deeper. You must touch the spirit of the living earth.’

  Kai looked at Chief Wicasa's book, lying half-forgotten at his feet. A breeze ruffled the pages; they turned one after another, and then stopped.

  ‘Read it,’ whispered Grandma Helki.

  Kai picked up the book and began to read.

  Air, Fire, Water, Earth.

  Be not afraid to call upon the spirits of land and sea. Be not afraid to work with the four forces. They are part of you, and you are part of them.

  Follow the path of the great chiefs.

  Take courage.

  Remember who you are.

  ‘It’s a different kind of magic,’ Grandma Helki said. ‘I have never used it – I don't know if I could. But you, Kai … I see such power in you.’ She stopped and caught her breath. ‘You must find your sister. You will have … more strength if she is with you … Two of you must stand together …’

  Her eyes closed.

  Kai pressed his cheek against her withered hands; then he walked to the door, clutching the book. Outside the forest was silent. The first rays of the sun were sneaking through the trees.

  I can’t do this by myself, he thought.

  Voices hummed around him. ‘Everything happens for a reason. Everything is as it should be.’ But it didn’t look that way to him.

  He was about to tiptoe out of the hut when Grandma Helki spoke again. ‘Wait. There is one more thing you must know.’

  He hurried to the bed and held her hand.

  ‘I watched your Aunt Sofia growing up. Always fighting with poor Tala, always wanting what she had. I tried to teach Sofia … tried to help her. She was so smart, so gifted
. She learned so quickly.’

  ‘When your mother married Eamon, Sofia ran away to the mountains. There is an evil man there, a shaman who mixes poisons and practises black magic. I should have known ... I should have suspected Sofia would look for him. I didn’t want to believe it.’

  Her voice was cracked, her breathing harsh. ‘You must understand, Kai. Every time Sofia uses the shaman’s magic, she loses part of herself. You will defeat Tenzel – he is a weak man, a coward – but Sofia … Sofia …’

  A tear rolled down her cheek and she turned her face away.

  Kai walked away from the bed, his heart tight in his chest. He wanted to cry, to curl up in a corner and hide until it was all over; but he couldn't. Grandma Helki needed him. The Kalika – his people – needed him. He rubbed his hand across his eyes; then he squared his shoulders and opened the door.

  Standing on the other side, her clothes filthy and her hair full of leaves, was the last person he had ever expected to see.

  ‘Indie!’ he cried, throwing both arms around her. ‘But how …?’

  Indie grinned. ‘It’s a long story,’ she said.

  *

  Indie looked at the boy standing before her. He was smiling. His dark hair danced in curls and spikes across his head, as if he’d never brushed it in his life. Scratches and scrapes covered his arms and legs.

  He’s my brother, she thought. My brother.

  And, for a moment, nothing else mattered.

  ‘I’m sorry –’ he began.

  ‘I’m sorry, too,’ she said.

  *

  ‘Well about time, young lady,’ said a familiar voice. ‘We've been waiting for you.’

  Indie almost fell over: Aunty Mai was standing right behind her.

  ‘Come along Kai,’ her aunt was saying. She bustled him outside, whispering to Indie as she left. ‘Your great grandmother wants to see you. Hurry now, just a quick hello.’

  Indie stared at the frail old lady on the bed. ‘Grandma Helki?’ she whispered, moving closer.

  ‘My beautiful child.’ The old woman’s lips were white. She spoke in slips of sound. ‘My Indie … my little one …’

  Her hands fell slack against the sheets. ‘Ki-somma,’ she whispered. ‘Kokomi ki-somma.’

  After a moment, Aunty Mai led Indie to the door.

  ‘Kai needs you,’ she said softly. ‘We all do.’ She gave the girl a gentle push. ‘I’ll be here with Grandma. Go now. He’s waiting.’

  Indie found Kai outside, stoking a small fire, Chief Wicasa’s book open on the ground beside him.

  ‘Are you ready?’ he said.

  Indie sat down. She watched the flames dance. ‘I know who you are,’ she said.

  Kai stared into the fire.

  Indie picked up a stick. She scratched in the dirt. She stood up and sat down again. ‘I found the king,’ she said.

  There was still no answer.

  ‘Are you listening to me? I found the king … King Eamon … our father, Kai.’

  Kai didn’t even blink. She might have been talking to a rock.

  ‘The sorcerer is here,’ Indie said, standing again. ‘He has hundreds … no, thousands of men. The Kalika are trying to weaken his army, but it won't be enough.’

  Kai pressed his palms together and bowed his head.

  ‘The king is riding in with three hundred soldiers,’ Indie went on, her voice rising. ‘But I don't think that’ll be enough either.

  ‘I know what the sorcerer does to his prisoners.’ Her face was pale, her eyes a brilliant green. ‘I’ve seen the castle gardens. There's a terrible magic there. Aunt Sofia has locked people inside the trees. She’s locked them in the grass, even in the flowers. They’ll die, Kai. They’re all going to die!’

  She hit him then. On the shoulder. Hard.

  ‘Kai!’

  ‘Kai! Why won’t you speak to me?’

  ‘It’s okay, Indie.’ Kai said, looking up at last. ‘I’m scared too, but it’s going to be okay.’ He picked up the book. ‘Sit next to me and close your eyes.’

  ‘But I don’t – ’

  ‘Just close your eyes.’

  Spirits of the earth and sky,

  Of thunder, lightening, wind and snow,

  Of night-time black and forest green,

  Of cloud on high and field below,

  Protect us now.

  ‘Are you going to spin like last time?’ Indie whispered.

  ‘Shhh,’ said Kai. ‘I'm trying to concentrate.’

  *

  There was a great stomping and crashing near the entrance to the green tunnel.

  ‘I know it’s here somewhere,’ said a voice.

  ‘Keep searching, you fools.’

  ‘Aaaah, I'm so itchy my arms are fallin' orf.’

  ‘Help me, will you? Frego has passed out.’

  ‘Is he dead?’

  ‘No, snorin' like the others.’

  ‘It's witchcraft, that's what it is.’

  The voices were getting closer.

  Indie looked at Kai: his face was pale and his hands trembled. She sat beside him and closed her eyes.

  ‘I'm ready,’ she whispered.

  Chapter 19

  Air and Fire

  Air,

  Element of the East,

  Breath of the rising sun.

  The words swirled around Indie, until she was conscious only of the breeze about her body and the wind against her face.

  Moving, changing, growing Wind,

  We acknowledge your strength,

  We ask you to help us.

  Kai's voice was rising, soaring into the air to become one with the element he called. The breeze, which had caressed Indie's skin and ruffled her hair, was growing stronger. High over their heads it became a wind, tossing the treetops as if they were twigs.

  The wind slammed through the spaces between the trees, shrieking and howling, battering all in its path. It thundered through the forest, making the whole world shake.

  Indie felt a rush inside her. She waited for the blast she was sure would knock her off her feet, but the clearing remained still. The fire burned with barely a flicker. It was as if they were sitting in the eye of a hurricane.

  *

  Tenzel's men were not so lucky. The wind tore their shields and swords from their grasp, whipping at their clothing, wrapping their hair and beards around their eyes so they couldn’t see. It churned up dust, leaves and twigs from the forest floor and threw it into their faces. When they opened their mouths to scream, the wind snatched the breath from their lungs and filled their throats with dirt.

  This was not an enemy they could fight. It picked them up and dashed them against tree trunks. It threw them like sticks into the bushes. When they clawed their way free of the thorny undergrowth, they were so shaken they could barely stand up.

  ‘Stay together,’ Tenzel cried. ‘It’s a trick!’

  The journey had been full of tricks. First, tiny arrows flying out of nowhere, then the terrible itching and the clatter of arms as the men tumbled to the ground asleep, and now this. He clung with both his arms and legs to the base of a tree, watching as his army was scattered.

  The tempest passed. The howling died away. Each man was filled with a sense of dread he could not describe, a sense that time had stopped.

  Tenzel stood up, his robes twisted and torn. He tried to brush off the dirt. ‘What are you waiting for, you fools?’ he said. ‘Are you scared of a little wind?’

  There was silence. The men looked warily at each other.

  ‘Keep searching!’ the sorcerer screamed, waving his hands in the air. His eyes were wild; his hair tangled with leaves and twigs.

  ‘But we've lost our swords, General Tenzel, Sir.’ Pem limped up beside him, his gold tooth missing.

  ‘Then find them,’ Tenzel growled. ‘And find those miserable forest people.’

  *

  Indie couldn’t contain herself; she got up and danced around the fire. ‘That was amazing!’ she said.
/>   Kai sat quietly, the book in his hands. ‘It’s not over yet,’ he whispered.

  He began to read.

  Fire,

  Element of the West,

  Force of rage, passion and courage.

  Indie sat once again beside him. Waves of heat passed through her body. She felt flames spiralling into her chest, making her head spin.

  Kai had his hands on the ground, as if he was trying to stay there.

  ‘Can you feel it?’ he said. ‘It feels like it’s going to carry me away.’

  ‘Me, too.’ Indie was elated. ‘It feels like I'm flying already.’

  ‘Steady now.’ The women from the island were quietly making a ring around the fire.

  ‘Ready girls,’ Aunty Mai said crisply. ‘One for each direction and hold the circle strong.’

  The women sat down. They bowed their heads and began to mumble.

  ‘What are they doing?’ Indie asked. She was being pulled back to earth at an alarming speed.

  ‘Grounding us,’ Kai was breathing heavily. ‘Keeping us strong. Ready? Brace yourself.’

  *

  Pem turned to the sorcerer. ‘Er, General Tenzel … Sir … I think I can smell smoke.’

  A tower of fire burst from the ground. Green and purple flames shot into the sky, surrounding the sorcerer’s men. Some yelled wildly and beat at the flames with their hands; others, including the sorcerer, cowered at the centre, crouching and whimpering with their few remaining shields protecting their heads.

  Beyond the fire, a strange group was gathering. It looked as if the smaller trees had picked themselves up and were walking towards the flames – trees with arms and legs, and streaks of brown across their faces.

  A spindly tree in the front signalled to a tree with grey leaves on the other side. ‘Hssst … It’s Brek. We've covered half the trees in sticksap – should slow them down a bit as they pass them on the way home.’

  The grey-leafed tree grinned. ‘We've been dragging the sleepers to the far side of the forest.’

  ‘And the itchers?’

  ‘Still scratching as they ran back to Ballyndor.’