by Garth Nix
His voice trailed off as Milla stared at him. It was not the Icecarl way to complain, he knew. It was the Chosen way, though. Chosen complained about Underfolk servants, about food quality, about their clothes, about anything.
Anything trivial, Tal thought. Did he really want to be like that?
He looked down at his reflection again and tried to force a smile. It came slowly and for some reason it no longer had that annoying crooked curve on the left side.
"On the other hand," he said slowly, "I have a new Sunstone, which is all I wanted to start with. And a Spiritshadow--"
"That's me," said Adras proudly.
"And we have the Codex hidden up in the Mausoleum," Tal continued. Saying the positive things made him feel a bit better about the whole situation. "So what am I complaining about?"
"I don't know," said Milla. She frowned and added, "You are alive. Be grateful for the gift of life, till you have it no more."
She turned and plowed off through the weed again, faster than before. Tal followed, wincing at the pain in his leg. She was going faster than was comfortable for him, but he didn't complain.
It was hard going, wading through the seaweed. There was a lot more of it than Tal would have thought was healthy for a working fish pond. For that matter, there didn't seem to be any fish. Or eels. Though it was possible they had scared the fish away, or couldn't see them in the dark. Milla had in-sisted that they keep their Sunstones down to dim sparks so they didn't give themselves away. Adras and Odris had complained at first, but seemed to have gotten used to feeling weak from the lack of light.
Tal waded for at least fifteen minutes without a single thought and without being aware of what he was doing. He just pushed through the seaweed, following Milla. He would have mindlessly kept on doing it, too, except she stopped.
"What is it?" he whispered, edging around her. "Look," Milla whispered back.
Tal looked. There was some light ahead. But it wasn't the clear, steady illumination of Sunstones. The light was flickering and fairly weak, changing color quite a bit. A couple of oil lamps, Tal thought--the ones the Underfolk used in the parts of the Castle where there were no fixed Sunstones. Underfolk couldn't use Sunstones, of course, so they had to make do with oil lanterns and similar devices.
In the dim light, Tal could see four… no… five people hard at work. Two were in the water, passing loads of something up, while the others were taking whatever it was and putting it in barrels.
"Underfolk harvesting fish," Tal said, not bothering to keep his voice down. "We can just walk past--"
A cold hand across his mouth cut him off.
"Quiet," Milla whispered fiercely. "They're not normal Underfolk. And they're not harvesting fish."
For a moment Tal was tempted to bite her hand, but the moment passed and Milla took her hand away. Besides, as he squinted at the dock, he realized there was something funny about these Underfolk. They weren't wearing regular white robes, for a start. And they weren't harvesting fish. It was the seaweed they were dragging up, cutting it into lengths on the dock before putting it in the barrels.--
"They have spears," said Milla quietly. Her eyesight was much better than Tal's, particularly in the dark or near-dark. "And one of them has a long knife. Ah."
One of them had stopped exactly where the lantern light fell most brightly. He was a boy not much older than Tal, but taller and more muscular. He wore Underfolk whites, but something had been painted or embroidered on the cloth--some sort of pattern or writing that Tal couldn't make out from the distance. He also wore a strange triangular hat, with the sharpest peak at the front. It had several long black or deep blue feathers stuck to it at a jaunty angle.
He looked vaguely familiar. Tal felt sure he'd seen him somewhere before, but he couldn't work it out where.
Milla could, though.
"It is the one called Crow," she said. "The leader of the people who brought us up from the heatways, when the air went bad."
"Them?" asked Tal. He'd been partially unconscious, or delirious, from the fumes in the heatway tunnels. If they hadn't been rescued they would have died down there. He hadn't had time to think about the people who'd carried them out. Now it was all coming back.
"Yes," said Milla. "We had better be careful. Most of them wanted to kill us. And they hate the Chosen."
"What?" asked Tal. "They're Underfolk! They can't hate the Chosen! It's… it's not allowed."
"They are not normal Underfolk. It is like I said before. They are Outcasts."
Tal stared at the Underfolk. It was true they were wearing very odd clothes. And no Underfolk had any business to be in the heatway tunnels, where they'd rescued Tal and Milla. He had heard that some Underfolk rebelled against the Chosen and lived below the normal levels. But he'd never really believed it.
"There are only five of them," he said finally. "We both have Sunstones, and Adras and Odris."
"But we're weak," said Odris, a plaintive voice in Lie darkness. "I couldn't crush a caveroach the way I feel at the moment."
"I could," Adras chimed in. "I could easily crush a caveroach and maybe something about as big as a Dattu, or, say, a Lowock--"
"I was exaggerating,"
interrupted Odris. "Of course I could crush a caveroach.
But I wouldn't be much use in a proper fight."
"I would be," Adras said proudly. "But if there was more light--"
"Quiet, both of you," Milla ordered.
"We have to get past them," said Tal "There's no other way out of this lake. And the guards will probably find that trapdoor soon."
"We owe them life," said Milla, the words coming out slowly as if she were thinking aloud. "That means we must talk to them first. They may know where to find your greatest uncle Ebbitt."
"Great-uncle, not greatest,"
Tal corrected. "I
doubt it, though. Underfolk don't normally know anything except their jobs. I wonder what they're planning to do with that weed?"
"Adras, Odris, be prepared to defend us if they attack," said Milla. "We'll give you more light. Let's go."
CHAPTER FOUR
They were only a dozen stretches from the dock when the Underfolk noticed them. It was Crow who glanced across the water, alerted by a splash. Shock flicked across his face but it was gone in an instant as he shouted and grabbed his spear.
"Look out! In the water!"
The other two Underfolk on the dock went for their spears as well, while the two in the water splashed in a panic to the steps. Weed went flying through the air as the Underfolk threw it aside in their hasteto get weapons or get out of the water.
"Peace!" shouted Milla. "A truce!"
"Talk!" shouted Tal. "We just want to talk!"
Unfortunately, Adras decided at the same moment that he would help with a thunder shout. It broke across the water with all the strength of real thunder, drowning out everyone's words and momentarily stunning the Underfolk.
As the thunder echoed through the pool, Crow threw his spear straight at Tal. Milla leapt forward and snatched it out of the air.
Tal fell into the water, up to his neck. But he kept his hand and Sunstone ring above the surface. Suddenly angry, all his thoughts focused on bringing forth blinding brilliance.
Light exploded out of the stone, banishing the darkness. Adras and Odris roared with delight, suddenly visible as hard-edged shadows, huge humanlike figures of billowing cloud. They rushed at the other Underfolk, who threw their spears uselessly at the Spiritshadows. Adras and Odris batted them away.
It looked like a full-scale battle was about to develop when Milla shouted, using the voice that she had been trained to use aboard an iceship at the height of a gale.
"Stop! Everybody stop!"
Everybody stopped. They might have started again if Milla hadn't kept on shouting.
"Adras! Odris! Come back here. You Underfolk, stay where you are. We just want to talk! We're not Chosen!"
Tal dragged himself up from
the water, pushing the weed off his shoulders. He kept his Sunstone burning bright, but deflected the light off the distant ceiling so it didn't blind anybody.
"It's them," said one of the Underfolk, a tall blond-haired boy… no… girl who Tal suddenly remembered was called Gill. "The two we dragged up from adit three. I told you we should have killed them."
"Close it," said Crow. He was looking at Tal and Milla, but his eyes kept shooting across at Adras and Odris. He had a knife in his hand, held low at his side.
"We aren't Chosen," repeated Milla. She ignored Tal's furious look at her. She might not be Chosen, but he was and he couldn't see any point in pretending otherwise.
"No?" asked Crow. "You have Sunstones and Spiritshadows."
"I am Milla, an Icecarl, from outside the Castle. Tal… used to be a Chosen but he's not anymore. The Chosen have cast him out. The guards are after him."
Tal opened his mouth to protest, then shut it again. Milla was describing what had happened to him in her terms, but it was still true. He was effectively an Outcast. He hadn't really thought it through before.
Crow listened without changing his expression. Even the news that Milla came from outside the Castle didn't seem to perturb him. The others shifted nervously and looked behind them to the open door and the tunnel beyond.
"We're looking for my great-uncle Ebbitt," said Tal. "An old Chosen. His Spiritshadow has the shape of a maned cat. Have you seen him down here?"
"Maybe," said Crow. Tal noticed that the other Underfolk seemed to recognize Ebbitt's name, and they wouldn't meet his eyes. It was also clear Crow was their leader and they would stand silently while he did the talking.
"Can you take us to him?" asked Milla.
"That depends, doesn't it?" said Crow.
"On what?" Tal asked. He was getting more and more angry. "Why don't you… why don't you just do as you're told?"
Even as the words left his mouth, Tal regretted them. This was exactly how he'd gotten in trouble with the Icecarls. His mind knew better, but it was slower than his tongue.
Crow stared at him, his dark eyes shining with a deep hatred.
"You're still a Chosen, aren't you?" he said, raising his knife. "Do this, do that! We're not your servants down here! We're Freefolk, not Underfolk. And you can wander around down here like little lost light puppets until the guard gets you, as far as I'm concerned!"
Tal raised his Sunstone, his mind concentrating on a Red Ray of Destruction. If Crow sprang at him or tried to throw the knife, he would unleash it.
Crow saw the Red light swirling around the stone, and hesitated. Before either of them decided to break the momentary stalemate, Milla sloshed between them and looked up at the Underfolk on the dock.--
"There should be no fighting between us, when the real enemy is close," she said. "Afterward, when the storm is done, we can settle scores."
Crow stared down at her, the fury still obvious in his face. It looked like he was going to attack anyway, until one of the other Underfolk sidled over and whispered something to him.
"Close it, Clovil!" said Crow, pushing the other boy, hard enough that he fell over a barrel and into a pile of seaweed.
"All right, I'll say it so everyone can hear," shouted Clovil. He was angry now, too, as he clambered out of the seaweed. "We've orders to bring anyone who wants to see Ebbitt to--"
"Close it!" Crow repeated. But he seemed to have lost the heat of his anger, for there was no strength in his words.
"So you do know Ebbitt," said Milla. "And there is someone who gives you orders. Lead us to your Crone."
"Our what?" asked Gill, as Crow frowned and did not answer.
"Whoever is in charge," Tal explained. He'd managed to calm himself down and was remembering his first introduction to Milla and the Icecarls. Obviously these Freefolk weren't normal Underfolk and couldn't be treated like them. He'd have to be more polite. He'd learned at least that out on the Ice.
"I'm sorry about what I said," Tal added, looking at Crow. Crow stared at him, expressionless. There was no knowing what thoughts lay behind those unblinking eyes. Tal didn't know whether his apology was accepted or not.
"Clovil, Ferek," Crow ordered, "lead out. We'll go via forge country and across holding tank four."
"Four?" asked Ferek. He was a small and seemingly nervous boy. He twitched as he spoke. Tal had seen that sort of twitch before. Ferek must have spent time in the Hall of Nightmares.
"I said forge country and holding tank four," snapped Crow. "Do I have to repeat every order?"
"Only the stupid ones," muttered Gill, too soft for anyone but Milla to hear. The Icecarl glanced at the girl, who was surprised to have been heard. She scowled and looked away.
Milla and Tal climbed out of the water and onto the dock, their Spiritshadows rising up close behind them. The Underfolk stepped back, unconsciously forming a line.
"As I said, I am Milla, of the Far-Raiders clan of the Icecarls. What are your names?"
The Underfolk all looked at Crow, who shrugged. Evidently this was permission. Even so, it took a moment before they mumbled their names.
"I'm Gill," said the blond girl. Like all of them, she wore a mixture of Underfolk white robes and odd bits and pieces. In her case, that included the belt from a Blue Brightstar, though the belt was so dirty it could be black instead of blue. She needed it because she was so skinny.
Up close Tal saw that her white Underfolk robes had crude writing on them, as did all the others. He had to crane his head sideways before he could work out that it was the letter
F
from the standard Chosen alphabet repeated over and over.
"It stands for Freefolk," said Clovil, who had seen what Tal was doing. "Free of the Chosen. It shows who we are, to separate us from the Fatalists."
"The Fatalists?" asked Tal. "Uh, that starts with
F, too…"
"But they don't have writing on their robes," Clovil explained.
"You mean the… the regular Underfolk?"
Crow made a cutting movement with his hand and Clovil didn't answer. Tal didn't press it. There was still a lot of tension in the air.
"You are called Clovil?" asked Milla, when no one else introduced themselves.
Clovil nodded. He still had seaweed on his shoulders. He was almost as tall as Crow, and from the way he'd behaved before it looked like he thought he should be in charge. His long sandy hair was held back by a comb made from a large white bone. Possibly a human one, though the Underfolk kept all sorts of livestock for the Chosen's tables so it could easily have come from an animal.
"And you are Ferek," continued Milla, pointing at the twitching, small boy. He nodded and smiled eagerly. Crow frowned at him, and the smile disappeared.
Apart from Crow that left a single, stout girl, who had stood silently by the whole time. Unlike the others, she wore a heavy hide apron over her Underfolk robes and had a large number of pouches hanging from her belt.
"That's Inkie," said Gill.
Inkie nodded to them. There was no explanation of why she didn't talk.
"I am Odris," said Odris, after another momentary pause.
As the Spiritshadow spoke, all the Underfolk even Crow--jumped in surprise and Ferek stepped back, shaking uncontrollably, as if he had a sudden fever.
"What?" asked Odris, looking at Milla and Tal. "All I said was my name!"
"Spiritshadows don't usually talk to anyone but their masters, in private," said Tal. He'd become so used to Adras and Odris talking away that he'd forgotten this was yet another way in which the Storm Shepherds were different from other Spiritshadows.
"Odris and Adras are not normal Chosen Spiritshadows," explained Tal to the Underfolk. "They are… um… friends, I suppose, rather than… er… servants."
Milla didn't say anything. She was looking back across the lake, into the darkness. Lights had flared there, a sudden show of distant flashes and stars. There was also the very faint echo of shouts.
"The
guards," she said urgently. "They've found us. We have to move quickly."
"Right," said Crow. "Like I said--through forge country and then across holding tank four. Clovil, Ferek, you lead."
The two named Underfolk ran along the dock to a door in the cavern wall and slipped through it.
"After you," said Crow to Tal and Milla, gesturing for them to go first.
Milla shook her head.
"No," she said evenly. "We will follow you."
Crow stared for a moment, then shrugged and left, followed by the other Underfolk. On the way, he picked up a long strand of the weed, one with very large nodules, and hung it over his shoulder. Gill and Inkie did the same.
Milla and Tal waited till the Freefolk were well in front before they followed. Nothing was said, but both Milla and Tal didn't want Crow behind them.
CHAPTER FIVE
The Freefolk led Milla, Tal, and the two Spiritshadows through winding, narrow pathways that were carved roughly through the pale yellow stone of the mountain. Every now and then a single, fading Sunstone would show that these ways had once been lit and used by the Chosen. But for the most part they were dark, stained with the smoke from Underfolk lanterns, and the only Sunstones were long dead, nothing more than blackened pits in the ceiling or walls.
Clovil and Ferek kept up a fast pace, which pleased Milla, since she knew the guards or their Spiritshadows would soon work out where they'd gone. It would have pleased Tal, too, if his leg didn't hurt so much. He wanted to use his Sunstone to ease the pain, but they never stopped long enough for him to cast any of the healing glows he'd learned in the Lectorium.
After an hour of traveling through the narrowest, most winding ways, Clovil and Ferek slowed down and stopped a few stretches before the next corner. As the others moved up, Tal and Milla heard strange water noises--or something--gurgling and splashing, almost as if a herd of giant animals were drinking and then spitting.
There was also a strange light spilling into the tunnel--a hot, yellow-and-blue-tinged light that Tal had never seen before. At least, never so intensely. It reminded him of something he couldn't quite place.
