Exile's Return (Book 1) (47 page)

As she disappeared down the steps, Finnlay shut the door behind her. With a wave of his hand, he put a warning on it, then turned slowly back to his brother.

However, Micah spoke before Finnlay could say another word. ‘I don’t think I should stay behind, my lord.’ No, definitely not. Especially after the way Robert had behaved since his uncle’s death. This was hardly the time for Micah to let him go off on his own.

Robert’s reply was short, but the hard glint in his eyes had vanished. ‘I need you here, Micah, I’m sorry. Go and spend more time with your father, my friend. Finnlay will keep an eye out for me, won’t you, brother?’

Finnlay swallowed, hardly moving, ‘You’re serious about this?’

‘I am.’ Robert nodded. ‘I meant what I said – I don’t trust you.’

Finnlay’s face creased in a broad smile, ‘For once, dear brother, I can honestly say I’m glad to hear it.’

*

It had felt too easy, Finnlay acknowledged. For just a few minutes there, he’d thought Robert had finally come out of his shell, but after three hard days in the saddle, Robert had hardly spoken. Sure, he mentioned the weather, their path and where they might obtain bread and firewood, but his tone was always eerily cold and empty. By dusk as they reached the edge of a small forest, Finnlay was ready to scream.

‘We’ll go in to the wood,’ Robert spoke suddenly. ‘It’ll be easier to find shelter unobserved than out here in the fields.’

Once he got over the shock of hearing another voice,
Finnlay turned his horse to follow Robert, replying, ‘I don’t see that it makes a difference if we’re seen. What harm can it do?’

‘Surely you can’t be serious, Finn.’ Robert glanced at him. ‘Do you really think Selar would be happy if he thought I was wandering the countryside?’

‘But you’re not doing anything wrong.’

‘You mean apart from trying to find a sorcerer’s symbol of enormous power? Believe me, it wouldn’t take even that much to make them alarmed.’

Finnlay thought for a moment then glanced sideways at Robert. ‘Do you think Mother knows?’

This brought a sharp answering look from his brother. ‘I don’t know.’

‘We can’t keep it hidden from her for ever, you know. I mean, it was all right while she was at Saint Hilary’s, but now she’s returned for good?’

Robert kept his eyes firmly fixed on the path ahead. ‘Hell, Finn, I don’t know. You know how she feels about the Church and everything. How am I supposed to tell her that not only one, but both of her sons are mixed up in sorcery. She’d never understand. We’ll just have to be more careful. I’ll see what I can do about fixing a permanent warning on the door to my study, then make sure we never discuss anything dangerous outside of there. Apart from that, we can only hope.’

They stopped and set up camp in the shelter of an ancient oak, lighting a modest fire to ward off the cool night air and the wolves they could hear howling in the distance. After they’d eaten, Finnlay settled down with his back against his saddle and watched his brother solemnly. This apparent change seemed to last for only short periods. Outside that, Robert continued to withdraw into himself, unwilling to talk about anything. Finnlay decided to take a gamble.

‘I don’t think you should go on blaming yourself over Oliver.’

Robert started and glanced up. ‘What?’

‘It wasn’t your fault. He would have known the danger, but that’s what he chose. You can’t blame yourself for ever.’

‘You think that’s what this is? Guilt?’ Robert laughed, but with a bitter edge. ‘I can assure you, brother, that this has nothing to do with guilt.’

‘But you—’

‘You’ve changed your tune, Finn. A few months ago you were trying to convince me to join Oliver and support him, that it would be my fault if he failed. Well, now he’s dead, do you think I’m going to believe that the blame doesn’t lie with me? Please, brother, try and be consistent, if nothing else. If you don’t mind, I’d rather not discuss it further. Here, let me have another look at that page. I suppose you actually believe we’ll find the Calyx at Omaysis?’

Finnlay sighed and shook his head. Another change of mood. ‘We might. I think it’s worth trying, don’t you? After all, this is the first time we’ve found any trace of where the Calyx was hidden. I’d be a fool if I didn’t make the attempt.’

‘And is that all this was?’

‘No.’ There was no point in denying the truth. Robert had obviously suspected all along. ‘But I didn’t really think we’d be able to find this place – I had no idea where Omaysis was. I just thought it would be another obscure reference we’d never be able to understand. However, I do believe we’ll find the Calyx one day.’

Robert shook his head, reached forward and stirred up the fire. ‘Do you? I don’t.’

‘Oh?’ Finnlay asked, startled. ‘Why not?’

‘I think it was lost deliberately.’ Robert replied, his eyes going dull once more. ‘I think we’ll never find it – because we were never meant to have it.’

*

The ground rose steeply along the path they’d chosen. It was not the easiest road but it was the quickest. They skirted a ridge which brought them eventually to the foot of what they now called Omaysis. The peak rose to a stately height above them, mighty, although not as mighty as many in the Goleth range. Around the base of the mountain were rocky
cliffs separated by burgeoning streams which tumbled down the slope to the valley below. A long blanket of forest wrapped itself around the base of the mountain and followed the streams down, growing stronger and more dense as it gained a hold on the lush valley.

They traversed the mountainside heading for the cliffs. It was tough going and they soon gave up riding the horses, leading them in single file instead.

‘This is ridiculous, you know,’ Robert called over his shoulder. ‘We have no idea what we’re looking for.’

‘Well, you might not,’ Finnlay called back, ‘but I remember hearing something once about caves under those cliffs. Maybe somebody once built a house in there?’

‘Why build a house in a cave?’ Robert threw back with a little of his old humour.

They paused on a rocky outcrop about halfway up the first line of cliffs. Robert frowned up at the massif above, then down at the drop below. In the distance was a small village which lay beside the water course as it hooked and twined its way between the hills.

‘All right then, a dwelling of some kind,’ Finnlay replied.

‘That’s all very well and good, but we’re assuming this house or whatever is still standing. Who’s to say it wasn’t destroyed by later generations? Or swept away in a flood, or burned down – or merely crumbled away over the centuries?’

‘Then why are you here if you think this is so hopeless?’ Finnlay led the way down to where he could see an easy ledge into the cliffs.

‘It doesn’t matter why I’m here. Be content that I am. Careful there.’

They reached the ledge and tied up the horses. Then, with Finnlay leading the way, they edged along the cliff wall, making use of any handhold they would find, even those as little as a stringy root or a fist of clay. Finnlay made his way to a cluster of bushes which clung tenaciously to the side of the cliff. Water came out below them, but its source was not the cliff above. There must be a cave of some sort behind it.

He pressed the branches away from the stone. There,
barely wide enough for a man to get through sideways, was a narrow fissure, seven, maybe eight feet tall.

‘Can you sense anything on the other side?’ Finnlay murmured, barely able to contain his excitement.

‘Yes. It opens out and goes back quite a way.’ Robert glanced at him with a sardonic smile. ‘Not much of a front door, though.’

Taking a careful hold of the bush, Finnlay squeezed himself into the fissure. Rocks and stones pressed hard against his face, but he continued on until with a gasp, he stumbled through and down a short slope. Robert followed behind, almost immediately lighting up his
ayarn.
The cave was just high enough to stand in and sloped down on the left into the darkness. Before them were two more fissures, one which was almost horizontal and barely big enough for a rabbit to squeeze through. The other was quite big enough for a man.

Robert led the way this time, keeping his
ayarn
held out in front of him. Finnlay followed, scraping both hands and knees in his haste to move on. At the end of the second fissure was another cave, this one smaller than the last.

Finnlay looked around for any signs of human passage, but the rocks were swept clean. ‘An old water course,’ he murmured then stopped. ‘Robert, do you think it’s possible, since this place is so close to Elita – could there be any references to it in Jacob’s library?’

Robert continued along the walls, running his hand down the smooth surface in search of the next opening. ‘You should have thought of that before we climbed in here.’

‘But if we don’t find anything it would be a good place to look next. Do you think if we ask him? If we made some plausible excuse …’

Robert stopped in front of another fissure running at an angle away from the sandy floor. He reached up and pulled himself into the opening, taking the light with him. In the sudden darkness, Finnlay caught his answer. ‘You try asking him, Finn. I can’t go near the place. Look, do you think we
can complete one step on this ladder before we leap to the next?’

‘Right, coming,’ Finnlay called and climbed in after him. He continued, ‘Are you sure Jacob won’t receive you? Surely he’s softened a bit since you took Jenn back.’

‘She’s not there, remember? She’s in Marsay,’ Robert’s voice echoed around the next cave, ‘visiting Selar.’

Finnlay jumped down from the fissure and landed beside Robert. ‘I know but …’

‘For the love of the gods, Finn!’ Robert groaned, ‘Will you please, just this once, take no for an answer? I said I can’t go near the place. Isn’t that enough for you?’

Finnlay watched him for a moment, forgetting why they were there. Robert was gazing up at the cave roof, oblivious to his scrutiny. The mood had changed again, without warning, and despite his weary tone, there was an edge to Robert’s voice that hadn’t been there before. Was he worried about what would happen to Jenn in Marsay? Perhaps it was time to tell him.

He took a deep breath and said, ‘You know they sent her a teacher?’

‘Sent who a teacher?’ Robert continued, searching the cave. ‘Am I here on my own? Are you just going to stand there all day?’

‘The Enclave sent Jenn a teacher. Fiona. She left on the first day of spring. Jenn must have learnt something by the time she left for Marsay, Robert. She’ll be all right.’

‘What?’ Robert paused and turned, his body stiff.

Finnlay hastened to explain. ‘Fiona volunteered. She’s a good teacher, really. I don’t think she has anything to prove to you, Robert. Not any more.’

Robert took a step forward. His eyes were alight with burning fury. ‘After all I did to protect Jenn, you and those … those
idiots
deliberately go against her wishes and send her a teacher. I’ve a good mind to—’

‘What?’ Finnlay mumbled, suddenly afraid.

‘Nothing.’ Robert shook his head, the light in his eyes dying. ‘And you wonder why I don’t trust you.’

He turned back to the tunnel and resumed pulling the rocks clear. Finnlay stumbled forward. ‘Robert, please, I’m sorry …’

‘It’s too late for apologies. You swore your oath and now you must keep to it. Look on the bright side, Finn – we’ve finally got something in common.’

Finnlay sank to his knees beside his brother and blindly pulled at the rocks barring their way. All these years he’d been so sure that one day Robert would come around to Enclave thinking, that basically their goals were the same. It would be just a matter of time before Robert would take the oath himself, and then there would be no conflict. But that conflict went so much deeper, and Finnlay had allied himself with the one organization that Robert would never bless. The gulf between them would never close; it would only grow bigger over time.

Right now, Finnlay felt every tiny bit of that divide.

Robert pulled the last of the rocks away and stepped into the narrow opening. Finnlay followed without watching where he was going. He slipped and fell, but as Robert helped him up, his eyes were transfixed by the sight that greeted him. A door. Solid, man-made, and alone on the opposite wall.

Finnlay scrambled to his feet. ‘This is it! It must be.’

‘Wait!’ Robert joined him only inches from the door. ‘If this is the right place, then there may well be some kind of sorcery at play here. Remember what that manuscript said – kept in safekeeping? The Calyx is hardly going to be just sitting here waiting for us to come and collect it.’

Without another word he brought his
ayarn
up and studied the door for a full minute. Then, taking a quick breath, he pressed his palm flat to the surface. The door swung inwards, scraping against the sandy floor. More cautiously now, Finnlay moved forward, raising his own light high in the air. As they crept further into the room, features began to take form and shape. The cave had obviously been a dwelling of some kind.

‘Look, a table and chairs.’

‘Upset, though,’ Robert added, taking the left side of the wide room. ‘If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the place had been vacated in a hurry. But a long time ago – look at the dust.’

Cobwebs were strung across every angle in a thick sticky mess. Along the walls here and there were roots from some determined plants growing through tiny cracks from the rocks outside. Debris both human and natural covered the floor, mats, cooking utensils, rabbit dung and the dry skeleton of a small bird. An ancient mustiness hung in the air; when they stood still, no sound could be heard but their breathing.

‘This is incredible!’ Finnlay whispered. ‘Do you think this might have been a kind of community like the Enclave? And why haven’t we heard about it before? Where did the people go? Could this really have been the place where Thraxis hid the Calyx? Where the Marklord himself once walked?’

‘You know …’ Robert’s voice broke off as he stared down at a broken stool at his feet. ‘Something’s been bothering me about that script. Why would the Marklord have anything to do with the Calyx? And why would he be mentioned in the same document as Amar Thraxis? Unless … unless Thraxis
was
the Marklord.’