The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure (45 page)

‘It’s like this,’ Leef said. ‘Fairy stories have happy endings, right?’

He waited for a response, so Flick said, ‘I suppose.’

‘Well, after the happy ending, life carries on. It has carried on. End of story, or rather next instalment of story.’

‘That tells me nothing. Anyway, nohar from Immanion could reach us in time. Or are there Gelaming warriors nearby?’

‘Flick, hara from Immanion could be here in seconds,’ Leef said. ‘They don’t use conventional methods of travel. They have unusual horses that perhaps aren’t animals at all. They can travel through space and time.’

‘What?’

‘Don’t even think of questioning it. It’s true.’

Flick frowned. ‘I believe you. I think… I think I’ve heard about it before.’ Vague memories surfaced in his mind, memories of what Itzama had once told him about gates and horses that could fly through them.

‘We need to immerse ourselves in the landscape,’ Leef said. ‘Let the Zigane use her witch powers to hide us.’

‘A woman can do that? Hide us from the Gelaming?’

‘I believe she can,’ Leef said. Once again, he turned his horse and rode back along the path.

Mima was riding just ahead of Flick and now she urged her mount to the side of the path and gestured for Flick to squeeze his own horse in beside her own. ‘I want to ask you something,’ she said, in a low voice.

Flick could guess what it was. ‘You want to know why I wouldn’t go to Immanion, don’t you?’

‘Well, as the plan has always been to find out the truth about Pell, I am a little confused as to why we’re not
all
going to Immanion now. Ulaume told me what happened with Seel. Please don’t tell me I’m not going to be reunited with my brother because of your problems with an old flame.’

‘It’s more complicated than that.’

‘Why are we running from the Gelaming? How are they a threat to us? They are Pell’s hara. Are you afraid of him?’

Tel-an-Kaa must have been eavesdropping. Now, she turned in her saddle and said, ‘Mima, it is out of the question for you and Lileem to go to the Gelaming.’

‘Why?’

‘It just is, and soon I’ll explain why. You should be afraid of them.’

‘But what about
you
, Flick?’ Mima said. ‘There’s no reason for you to fear them, is there? Don’t you want to meet the Tigron?’

‘I’m staying with you, Ulaume and Lee,’ Flick replied. ‘And I don’t like anyhar trying to push me around. I’ve had my fill of that.’

In the grey moments before dawn, they emerged into a clearing surrounded by cliffs on three sides. To the left a treacherous narrow path led up through the rocks. The thick trees and the darkness had hidden the bones of the land from view. The path had grown steeper for some time, but now, Flick could see clearly that the landscape was more mountainous, the air more rarefied. Clouds were caught in the high branches of tall sentinel pines and carrion birds called hoarsely. As the light grew stronger, so their charnel song became a cacophony. The trees were robed in moss, and it felt as if no one, human or har, had visited this area before. Flick felt unnerved. He didn’t like being out in the open.

Chelone passed round water and food, the latter being hunks of meat and some greasy bread he must have grabbed from the remains of the ritual feast. Lileem looked exhausted, no doubt held in the grip of a savage hangover and Mima was sullen and silent, remaining on the edge of the group. Chelone made no attempt to speak to her.

Tel-an-Kaa stood in the centre of the clearing, hands on hip, scanning the sky. ‘The wind has dropped,’ she said to Leef.

‘Some of it remains, circling high,’ said Chelone. ‘We should not stay here.’

Ulaume went to sit next to Flick. ‘Some party that turned out to be,’ he said. He was still wrapped in the fur coat Cobweb had given to him.

‘Everything has changed,’ Flick said. ‘Again. Will we ever find peace?’

Tel-an-Kaa again did not attempt to hide the fact she’d been listening to them. ‘I will take you to a safe place,’ she said. ‘There, you will find the peace you crave.’

‘Where?’ Flick asked.

‘It’s a long journey,’ she replied. ‘We must cross the ocean. Our journey’s end lies on the other side of the world.’

‘How long will that take?’ Ulaume asked.

‘Some time,’ she said.

Leef came to join them. ‘Chelone and I will ride with you to the coast,’ he said. ‘From there, you are in Tel-an-Kaa’s hands.’

‘You won’t get into serious trouble for this, will you?’ Flick asked.

Leef smiled rather grimly. ‘Swift was taken from us,’ he said and then walked away to confer with Chelone at the edge of the clearing.

‘Well, that makes a lot of sense,’ Ulaume said scornfully.

‘They are still Varrs,’ Flick said softly. ‘
That’s
what it is. They resent the Gelaming.’

After only half an hour or so, Chelone told them they must continue their journey. ‘We must proceed to the safe house. It is not far now, only an hour or so’s ride away.’

Lileem was so tired and sick, she was on the verge of tears. Flick could tell it took every ounce of strength she still possessed to haul herself back into the saddle. ‘There are no voices in my head now,’ she said mournfully to Flick, ‘but I just can’t enjoy it, because I feel so bad.’

‘You’re probably still too drunk to hear the voices,’ Flick said.

Lileem frowned. ‘No. Don’t you know? Tel-an-Kaa made the call to me. She came to find me.’

‘Why?’ Flick asked.

‘I don’t know,’ Lileem replied. ‘There’s been no time to discuss it. But I don’t feel worried about it inside, so it must be OK.’

‘Hmm,’ Flick murmured. ‘What interest does a Zigane have in you, how did she know about you and how did she manage to call you? There are a lot of questions here, Lee.’

‘I know, but all I can care about at the moment is lying down and going to sleep.’

The safe house was little more than a sprawling shack high in the mountains, surrounded by ancient trees. At one time, it might have been a logger’s cabin. Leef said that Varrish patrols used to scour these mountain forests for refugee humans. He didn’t relate the fate of those unfortunate captives.

The cabin had fallen into disrepair somewhat, but there were still bunks and blankets within, running water, and chopped logs stacked outside for firewood. Leef and Chelone didn’t appear at all tired and set about lighting a fire. Lileem went straight to the nearest bunk, threw herself onto it face down and was snoring in minutes. Four beds were in one room, a further six in another, more than enough for a competent Varrish patrol. Ulaume and Flick went into the other room and pushed two of the narrow bunks together so they could sleep wrapped in each other’s warmth. There was no way either of them wanted to undress: the beds looked gritty and mouldy.

‘Is it safe to sleep?’ Flick wondered aloud.

Ulaume sniffed in distaste at the damp mildewy blankets. ‘If the Parsics think so, then yes,’ he said. ‘You can tell they’re antsy about pursuit, but they obviously feel safe here.’

The Parsics allowed them to sleep for only five hours. Flick and Ulaume must have dropped off straight away, because they hadn’t heard Leef and Chelone come into the room and lie down on two of the other bunks.

Lileem had recovered considerably and went outside with Mima to hunt for breakfast. Leef went to prepare the horses and Chelone left the cabin to bring in more wood for the fire. Flick and Ulaume used this time to corner Tel-an-Kaa. They wanted to know about her connection with Lileem.

‘I can’t tell you yet,’ she replied to their low-voiced questions. ‘The Parsics are too close. Know only I have Lileem’s best interests at heart, and yours also. Mima falls under my protection as well.’

‘Mima did not hear a call like Lileem did,’ Ulaume said.

‘No,’ said Tel-an-Kaa, ‘and that is unusual, but she is still what she is.’

‘That being?’ Ulaume asked.

Tel-an-Kaa smiled. ‘Once we are free of the Parsics, I will explain everything to you all. Once we are at sea.’

And unable to get away from you,
Flick couldn’t help thinking. He liked Tel-an-Kaa, and did not feel particularly uncomfortable around her, but there was something nebulous he felt unsure about and he sensed Ulaume felt the same. It was almost as if she wasn’t quite real, that at any moment the illusion might shatter and reveal something entirely different. Also, Flick didn’t like the way the Zigane seemed to think Lileem, and Mima too, were now her responsibility. He wondered how much of the truth they would eventually get and couldn’t help wondering whether the influence of Immanion was somehow, deep down, at work here too.

‘Are you human?’ Ulaume demanded unexpectedly

Flick noticed Tel-an-Kaa wince a little. ‘What do you see?’ she asked.

‘Someone who won’t answer my question,’ Ulaume said. ‘Well?’

She hesitated, then said, ‘Not exactly. I will explain. You have my word.’

Leef came back into the cabin, which curtailed any further exchanges. It was apparent to Flick that the Zigane was relieved about that.

‘If we can reach the eastern boundary of the forest by nightfall, there is another cabin we can use,’ Leef said. ‘It isn’t that far. From there, we could take the eastern road to the coast. It’s about a week’s ride.’

‘Shouldn’t we keep off well-used roads?’ Flick asked.

‘My guess is that if the Gelaming are looking for you, they’ll begin their search to the west,’ Leef said. ‘They won’t imagine you’ll head east, especially across the ocean, because that is where Almagabra lies. They’ll think you’ll want to melt back into the Unneah wilderness.’

‘I hope you’re right,’ Flick said. ‘I can’t help thinking that if Thiede’s involved, we can’t hide anywhere.’

Leef smiled mordantly. ‘Look on the bright side,’ he said in a sarcastic tone. ‘I would.’

For the rest of the day they rode up steep hills and down into plunging valleys. The Parsic horses seemed tireless, even though they must have covered three times as much ground than if they’d been travelling across a level landscape. By sundown, the cabin Leef had spoken of had not yet materialised, and Flick was beginning to worry they’d have to spend the night outdoors, but the Parsics insisted they keep travelling and about three hours after the sun set, they rode into the tiny clearing where the cabin lay. This place appeared to have been used more regularly than the last one, and Chelone explained that hunters from tribes on the lower plains no doubt used it all the time. Thankfully, it was not occupied at the moment.

The most fortunate discovery inside the cabin was a stock of home made sheh, which must belong to the hara who used the place regularly. Leef and Chelone obviously now felt they were not in danger of capture by Gelaming, because they joked about how tonight, the harish hunters would be stripped of some of their moonshine liquor. Flick felt compelled to leave some of the currency Swift had given him in its place.

There was indeed a faint but definite celebratory air to the late evening meal. They cooked three rabbits that Mima and Lileem had caught earlier in the day and Ulaume found a barrel full of old potatoes, sprouting but still edible, in a shed behind the cabin. Flick saw to the meal, which conjured back a comforting sense of familiarity. In the cabin’s main room, there was a blackened old pot-bellied stove. Leef helped Flick build a fire within it. ‘This reminds me of old times,’ Leef said, ‘when I travelled with Swift and Cal.’

‘Oh? You travelled together?’

‘Yes,’ Leef said bitterly. ‘We were looking for Terzian, who had vanished, but instead we delivered Cal into the hands of his enemies.’

‘You were a friend of Cal’s then,’ Flick said. ‘A rare creature.’

‘Cal had friends among the Varrs,’ Leef said. ‘I hated him for a time, because he took something special from me, but you get to know a har really well when you’re on the road with him. We all became very close.’

‘Who did he take from you?’ Flick asked, knowing full well it wouldn’t be a ‘what’, not if Cal had been involved.

Leef glanced at him, then fed more twigs into the fledgling fire. ‘Swift,’ he said.

‘That’s a big ‘who’!’

Leef shrugged. ‘I was chosen for Swift’s feybraiha, it was all organised, but then… well, you know Cal, so I don’t think I have to explain.’

‘No,’ Flick said. ‘I can imagine.’

‘I wasn’t Swift’s first, as I’d longed to be,’ Leef said, ‘but it wasn’t really Cal’s fault. He just has this effect on hara. Anyway, ultimately, it didn’t matter, not until we went to the Gelaming camp of Imbrilim and the Incomparable Seel came into the picture. He played with Swift like a cat with its prey. He was vicious, in my opinion.’

‘Go on,’ Flick said, eager for details.

‘Thiede made Seel take a special kind of aruna with Swift. He wanted them to conceive a harling, and they did. Swift was smitten from the start, and eventually it seemed Seel reciprocated his feelings. Who can tell? He is prominent in both the House of Parasiel and Immanion now. He hasn’t come out of it badly at all.’

‘You know I lived with him once?’