by F M Andrews
#
Zail was frustrated and bored.
He couldn't believe that the twins had simply vanished. How had they kept their thoughts from him? It was a long time since he had been thwarted and he had forgotten how annoying it was. He would have very happily eliminated the whole stinking gathering, and only the chance that these two girls might finally lead him to his long sought enemy stayed his hand, yet this whole situation was becoming very tedious. This place and these people were making him nauseous and the only bright spot had been that, fortunately, it had taken him very little time to track down the stupid couple that had taken the bloody girls in and scour their minds. He still couldn't believe how naive they were. They had swallowed every lie the twins had fed them.
With the information the couple had provided, it was an easy thing to board their boat, find the girls’ possessions and place a simple, undetectable tracking spell upon them. Finding his enemies’ parchment had sent a tingling shock through his heart. This was the first real, tangible evidence that she was alive and that he was closing in on her. Unfortunately he could not break her locking spell and as a consequence he was unable to read what was written there, yet he was sure it would be just some inane platitude anyway, and dismissed it.
The one thing he was certain of though was that she was using a returning spell for the girls; he could smell it, and this meant that they would have to get back to their arrival point for her to be able to retrieve them. What was she playing at? What had she sent the girls here to do, and why did she need them to return to her? A tantalising puzzle to be sure, one he was confident he would solve soon. It was just a simple matter of accessing the clan’s log book to find the exact location he needed.
Once he had accomplished this small task, there was no reason for him to stay in this forsaken place a moment longer and all that was left to do now was to place an alarm spell at the designated rendezvous. This would have a dual purpose. Firstly it would alert him when the twins arrived and secondly it would take them precious time to destroy, time for him to focus his attention on their tracking spell and to prepare to follow it. He permitted himself a small smile, thinking of how it would all play out, and he had to admit that it was quite exquisite really, using ‘Her’ own prodigies as the instrument of her betrayal.
He had done all he could here and a strange trickle of power from a world without magic … what was it called now? ... Earth, yes that was it, had piqued his interest, yet before he left he couldn’t resist wiping the disgusting smiles from the faces of those gathered here. Poisoning the lake would do that nicely. It was an easy method, and it had worked well in the past.
#
Pritt felt refreshed.
The crowd had gathered. There was music and food, laughter and dancing. It was a perfect night. Not a single cloud obscured the bright canopy of stars above nor was there a breath of wind to tug at the tightly furled sails. Everyone was relaxed, enjoying their time together. The winners celebrating and the losers commiserating. All the tensions of the past few days had evaporated, it was time to make the most of their time together, for in a few short days they would have to part ways once more, each clan to follow their own set course.
Pritt was glad that there had been no further ramifications from Zail’s failed attempt to disrupt the gathering, and he knew he had the girls to thank for that. With the lack of evidence of any kind, the only conclusion the gathering could make about the whole situation was that a rogue clan must have stolen the wood. As a consequence, traps were set to prevent it happening again.
Pritt wandered through the excited crowd, wondering why he felt so flat. This should have been the happiest night of his life. Tonight he would receive the golden sail trophy for the fastest youth, one of the most coveted trophies, a goal that he had been striving towards for as long as he could remember. Everywhere he turned, smiling faces greeted him so why did he feel as if he had just lost everything? Maybe it was the loss of the shard that was taking the shine off things he thought, briefly toying with the idea of asking for it back.
‘This is stupid,’ he thought, trying to pull himself out of his funk. ‘You won’t get another night like this for a long time, so stop moping and make the most of it.’ He shook himself to reset his focus, pushed the shard, the twins and Zail to the back of his mind, and threw himself wholeheartedly into the celebrations. As the night wore on, the singing grew more raucous and the dancing wilder. The prize giving ceremony came and went, Pritt relishing his moment of glory and lapping up the clan’s admiration. A pair of familiar, dark eyes had caught his attention as he was descending the awards platform and in no time he found himself dancing, closely, with the girl who owned them. She felt amazing in his arms and for a short while she was all he wanted to think about. She was warm, soft and irresistible. The way she fitted into his body sent shivers through him, and the signals he was getting were all pointing to a very exciting conclusion.
“Did you enjoy the racing today?” he began, almost having to shout in her ear as the music was so loud. She nodded and smiled up at him invitingly. “Would you like to take a ride in my winning yacht?” he asked, daringly. Once again she nodded and smiled. His heart was racing at the thought of what was about to happen. Grabbing her hand he began to lead the way through the jostling pack of dancing bodies toward his pride and joy, only to came face to face with Ralta, annoyingly, reminding him of his promise to get the girls’ things. She looked so upset, asking everyone she saw if they had seen the girls, and he felt rotten. She deserved to know that the twins were all right; however, he couldn’t risk making contact with her. He had to let them know, anonymously, somehow.
Blast those girls. Even when he was not with them they had a way of causing him a huge amount of grief.
“Look, there is something I have to do,” he shouted in the girl's ear. “I will be back in a few moments. I will come and find you when I am finished. Can you wait for me?” he pleaded. This time her nod was not quite as enthusiastic and her smile a little forced and he knew he was running out of chances.
Not wanting to attract attention, he casually strolled towards the Falcon clan’s moorings. He was surprised at how easy it was to board their flagship, enter their leader’s cabin, get what he needed and leave. No one questioned him, basically because there was no one around to do so. This made him even more certain that Zail would have no trouble doing exactly the same thing, and he would now have exactly the same information.
Next he found Ralta and Bhan’s boat and once again met with no resistance. It made him realise what an easy target for Zail they all would be. Quickly he packed the girls’ things, hesitating at the bows but eventually deciding to leave them behind; after all, he reasoned, they belonged to Ralta and Bhan well before they belonged to the twins. Fuelled by the image of Ralta’s sad face he left a short note.
‘Can’t explain, but have to leave. We love you both and hope to see you again someday.’
He smiled ruefully as he reread his handiwork. ‘Getting sentimental in your old age?’ he questioned himself. It was time to go. Zig-zagging his way through the joyous people with the girls’ packs over one shoulder, he dared to think that everything might just turn out okay.
An anguished cry from the night shattered that hope. As one, the crowd turned towards it. Pritt, squinting into the darkness, could just make out a figure of a man carrying a child in his arms. As he staggered up from the lake towards the light Pritt could see that it was Hilit from the Wind clan. Eventually he came close enough for them to be able to make out his words. They were words from Pritt’s own nightmare, words that made his blood freeze.
“Someone help me! Someone save her. I don’t know what to do! I don’t know what is wrong with her,” Hilit cried in despair. “She drank some water from the lake and now she is fitting and frothing. I think she has been poisoned!” he sobbed.
Pritt could not believe what he was hearing. This was impossible. How could the lake suddenly become poisoned? Search
ing for answers presented him with the only one that made sense; the only explanation that fitted was Zail. A horrific thought followed. Zail must have poisoned his brother also! In that split moment of time Pritt’s world changed. No longer could he dismiss Zail as someone else's problem. It was highly likely that this man had killed his brother and ruined his life. This was now personal and it was time to fight back, it was time to find the girls. He was on their side now, and a plan of attack needed to be made.
Climbing down the ladder to the hold, his thoughts were focused on revenge and it took him a few heartbeats to register that it was dark down here. Reaching for the glow lamp, he activated it and wandered down towards the girls hiding place.
“I have your things and we need to …”
He never finished. A loud crack and a sharp pain in his skull were the last things he knew before his legs gave way and his vision faded into darkness.
Chapter Thirty-Five
The twins stared down at Pritt’s sprawling body with concern.
“Didn’t think I hit him that hard,” Ela murmured, a hint of concern in her thoughts.
“You would think that he had a thicker skull, wouldn't you!” Ema agreed. “He is still breathing,” she confirmed, placing a hand on his chest. “I am sure he’ll be fine. Best get going while he is still out to it.”
Their day in hiding had been long and boring and to pass the time they had begun to examine the treasures in the hold. It had been when they found the long wheelbarrow-like contraption, used to bring the birds aboard, that the idea of kidnapping Pritt had formulated and a plan had come into fruition. If they could knock him out, tie him up and lift him onto the cart they might be able to get him to his yacht under the cover of night. There were a lot of ifs and maybes in this plan, but, to the girls, it was worth a try. Errin needed him and his shard.
They had found everything they needed: rope, a gag and even an old tarpaulin. and then they had waited, reminiscing about their time on this world, making them sad to be leaving. They had been showed unconditional love and in return they had learned loyalty. Thinking back to their life in Feld, they could see clearly now that their parents had also loved them yet that they had been too young and selfish to understand that love did not stifle you; instead, if you were mature enough to embrace it, it set you free. This revelation caused them both to feel guilty and a little homesick. It was not their parent’s fault that they lived uninteresting lives.
Pritt stirred and groaned, his eyes flew open and he tensed, then assessing his hopeless situation, he gave another long groan and relaxed into defeat.
“Thought we might take you back with us as a souvenir,” Ela quipped, a cheeky smile playing on her lips and her eyes dancing.
“Look, you don’t have to do this,” he pleaded, hoping that they would listen. “I have had a change of heart.”
“Oh, really. Do tell,” Ema scoffed, hands on hips, sounding extremely sceptical.
“Why don’t you just take a look?” he replied, knowing that they would see all his dark, long-kept secrets but too weary to fight anymore.
“Alright, don’t mind if we do,” Ela was quick to seize the opportunity. To his surprise they were gentle and considerate. They enjoyed the race and were actually excited that he won. They were very grateful for the note he left for Ralta and Bhan and felt sorry for him when they learned about his brother. Slowly their attitude towards him altered until, amazingly, he even detected a small hint of respect creeping into their thoughts. Ironic, really; who would have thought that exposing his shame would lessen its hold on him.
Ela sat back, running a hand through her dark hair. “Whew! You have had one hell of an eventful day, haven’t you? Well, I suppose we can trust you now,” she said, reaching forwards to cut his bonds and release his gag.
Ema had gone to their packs and was searching for Errin’s parchment. Finally locating it she brought it over to the light. “Looks like we have three Feld days left,” she stated, staring at the lines. “Not quite sure how that relates to days here, but the good news is that we still have time. All we need now is to know where we are going, and that is where you come in,” she concluded, looking pointedly at Pritt. He had sat up and was rubbing his wrists, a wince of pain on his face.
“I have it all up here,” he said, tapping his head. “But I seriously think we should get going. The council will be holding a meeting to talk about the poisoned lake, and I am pretty sure the decision will be to call an end to the Gathering. We need to be away before they start getting ready to leave.” He could not hide his unease and sense of urgency and it became infectious.
“Okay, let’s go,” Ema said, picking up her pack as Ela reached down a hand to help Pritt to his feet.
“There are a few personal things I need to get first,” he said, brushing the dust off his pants. Both girls were quick to nod. He was amazed at how much they trusted him now, the real him, not the false face he had always presented to the world. It was a new and pleasant sensation; however, there was no time to dwell on it.
Ema came to stand in front of him and without a word handed him his belt and shard and as his hand touched it, a surge of power swept through his soul. It was part of him. They belonged together, two halves now joined to make him whole again. How could he have ever imagined that he would have survived without it, he wondered? What an idiot!
“Thank you.” These were the only words he could muster as the powerful emotion robbed him of all others. Embarrassed, turned and fled out of the hold. Racing topside, he went straight to his cabin, retrieved his bow and a fist full of arrows, his jacket and helmet and his favourite pair of boots. With a mixture of excitement and sorrow, he took one last look at the only home he had ever known. Spying the blanket his mother had made for him nearly unmanned him again. His leaving would break her heart. He was all she had left. Both her husband and her first born were dead. The right thing to do would be to let her know that he was alright and that he might even come back one day. Quickly he scribbled a note and placed it in an obvious position on top of the blanket. The wrench it caused him to close the door on this part of his life was as unexpected as it was painful and he had to use all his willpower to do it.
By the time he reached his yacht, the twins had completed making her ready to fly and he leapt aboard. With a beautiful, familiar surge of power that he knew now came from the shard, the yacht rose and in one swift motion, swept off into the night.
#
Zail paused.
Standing, shin deep in the pure white snow, surrounded by a ring of dark standing stones, he felt the tracking spell on the twins’ distant world move. He had arrived too late to this world to catch the talent user here. The small echo of the power used was still discernible, but nothing else. It felt old and tired, only briefly blazing into existence. This was another dead end but these little, insignificant clues were all accumulating, and they were all pointing to the fact that ‘She’ was on the move, and now, he thought delightedly, he had the means to find her before she could make the first strike.
He permitted himself a small smile. It was really too wonderful, using that witch’s own people to lead him straight to her. What do they call it on this world? Oh yes, the Judas factor, he recalled. He had fond memories of Judas. ‘One of my more inspired manipulations,’ he mused. Who could have predicted the amount of scrumptious pain and agony that move would create. Sometimes it was the little things that bore the biggest rewards.
He had no way of knowing when the twins would be recalled back to Her and so he had set the trap carefully, ensuring he would be alerted when the girls left their world, and all he had to do then was to follow the tracking spell and let it lead him straight to that bitch. He had not been idle during her absence, scouring the worlds for better and more devastating ways to kill, and he now had weapons he could deploy that she would have no defence against. Salivating in anticipation, he could almost taste the victory now.
He would thank the girls personall
y for all their help in leading him to her, before he executed them excruciatingly slowly.
#
Ema shivered.
It was a beautiful sunrise. All three were freezing, huddled in the speeding yacht, although the beauty of the first rays of light lancing across the rolling hills and gentle valleys, creating stark shadows and contrasts, took their minds off their discomfort for a moment. Pritt’s yacht was fast and he sure knew how to make it fly. If it weren't for the fact that they were fleeing from and racing towards trouble, the girls would have been excited. As it was, they were both itching to have a turn; however, Pritt’s face, staring stonily ahead as he sat in the stern, told them that this was not the time to ask. Ela held the compass, checking it frequently. Disappointedly it did not seem to move much and both the girls understood that, because they were having to tack into the wind, their progress would be slow. By noon they were all exhausted and the decision was made to drop down into a sheltered valley for a rest and a bite of lunch.
“A picnic,” Ela joked.
Ema took out the parchment and to her relief saw that they still had two and a quarter days left. Obviously time travelled a little faster here than on Feld, but not by much. Pritt had been very quiet, and the twins had respected his silence, knowing that he was giving up everything to come with them. Both of them sincerely hoped it would be worth his sacrifice. They still thought he was a jerk, but he was their jerk now, and as a result he seemed less obnoxious. The urgency of the mission tugged at them all incessantly and it wasn’t long before they were airborne again. The yacht sped over the ground below yet because the view never changed, just a constant procession of grass covered, gentle mounds and dips, there was no sense of distance travelled.
