by Emily Rodda
‘Oh well,’ mumbled Conker, climbing hastily from the pool. ‘A Snug bath, you know, Tye. A rare treat – and included in the cabin price.’ Water poured from his clothes, hair and beard and sank into the moss. Tye regarded him in silence.
Bertha tossed her head. ‘There is no need for you to apologise, Conker,’ she said loftily. ‘There’s no law against having a bath, I hope! We had a very tiring day yesterday, and our first interview regarding the disappearance of Wizard Bing is not until later in the morning.’
Tye prowled forward. In the dim green light her black leather garments and her spiky black hair were almost invisible, but the jewelled hilt of the dagger on her hip gleamed, the golden markings on the smooth fur that covered her face seemed to glow, and her eyes were burning. She looked even more dangerous and startling than Leo remembered.
‘I care nothing for the wizard, or your quest to find him, Conker,’ she hissed, ignoring Bertha completely. ‘I came here only because Hal asked me to. We have still had no news of Spoiler. Hal finds this ominous. He wishes me to keep watch over the Langlanders and see they do not come to harm. The Blue Queen would give much to have them in her power, and here in the north you are closer to her domain than Hal thinks wise.’
Leo’s stomach turned over. He caught sight of three blue butterflies flitting in the shadows at the edges of the clearing, and wondered uneasily if they were the same ones he’d noticed near Bliss. It doesn’t matter, he told himself. They can watch us all they like. We might be closer to the queen’s castle here than we were in town, but there’s no way we’re going to let ourselves be kidnapped and taken to her – by Spoiler or anyone else.
‘Leo and I don’t need looking after, Tye!’ Mimi snapped, climbing out of the pool and shaking her wet hair from her eyes. ‘We’re perfectly all right with Conker, Freda and Bertha.’
‘Oh, I see you are,’ Tye said in a silky, sarcastic voice. ‘That is why you play in the bath while in the field the young ones summon the Ancient One.’
Despite the warmth of the water, a chill ran down Leo’s spine. He tore his eyes away from Tye, glanced at Conker and stared, dumbfounded.
Conker was looking crestfallen, but this wasn’t what made Leo gape at him in amazement. Water was still running in sheets from Conker’s trousers into the moss, but the upper half of his body was already completely dry. His hair and beard were crisp masses of gleaming curls. His red shirt was several shades lighter than it had been before, and looked as if it had just been freshly ironed.
Astounded, Leo waded to the pond’s edge. By the time he reached it, Conker’s trousers were dry down to the knees. By the time Leo climbed out, the last of the water was draining from Conker’s heavy socks – which had turned out to be brown instead of black – and the moss around Conker’s feet was covered in a thick layer of sooty flecks, brown dust, hairs, carpet fluff, burrs, one of Freda’s feathers, some bits of dry grass, a few tiny twigs and quite a lot of toast crumbs.
Conker looked down, grunted, and stepped off the moss, leaving behind him a black circle with two grey footprints in the middle.
Tye curled her lip fastidiously.
‘I wasn’t that dirty,’ Conker said defensively. ‘We had a bit of trouble with the fire last night, that’s all.’
‘This is great!’ exclaimed Mimi, looking down at herself with pleasure. She stepped off the moss in her turn, her short hair shining like a brown satin cap, her green and gold jacket and straight black pants looking fresh and new. The damp, dusty circle she left behind her was smaller and fainter than Conker’s, but it still showed clearly on the bright green of the moss.
Water was pouring from Leo’s hair and clothes, streaming down his arms and legs. It was a weird feeling – like standing in a shower, in a way, except that there was no new water beating down on his head. No wonder the pond stays so crystal clear, he thought. We carry our dirt out with us!
He found himself trying to work out the scientific principle that would make this possible. Was the Snug bath water heavier than normal water? Did it contain some substance that had made the dirt and dust cling to his hair and clothes while he was in the pond, but released it as soon as he was standing in the air? Was the moss important in the process?
He wished he could take a sample of the water home – maybe give it to his father to analyse. Then he looked up. He saw Conker tugging at his freshly washed beard, Tye standing very upright and scornful, Bertha clambering from the pond, a haughty expression on her face.
Forget it, Leo, he told himself. This is Rondo. There are lots of things here that just can’t be explained. You just have to accept that they are. Almost guiltily, he felt a little thrill of excitement run through him. It made him feel strangely free not to know, or even be able to predict, what was going to happen next.
He looked down at himself again and realised that he was quite dry. He stepped off the moss and turned to look at the dark circle he had left behind him, the lighter marks of his bare feet clearly visible in the centre. He found this evidence of how dirty he had been a bit embarrassing. It also seemed a shame that the moss had to be marked and spoiled.
Then a thought struck him. Why wasn’t the moss completely covered in grubby circles? There were dozens of guests in the Snug, and all of them probably used the bathhouse.
He was just about to ask Conker about this when he realised that the dark circle was fading rapidly. The flecks of dirt were sinking into the moss. In seconds all that remained of the circle was a spotty patch of scattered grass seeds, some large fragments of ash, a burr or two, and some threads of carpet fringe. Then these too sank below the moss’s surface, leaving no trace behind.
‘Conker,’ Tye said in a soft, dangerous voice. ‘Why did you not mention in your note to Hal that the palace of the Ancient One had appeared in Hobnob, covering Tiger’s Glen?’
‘Well, I don’t know! I didn’t think of it. Why should I have?’ Conker blustered, turning away from her and beginning to pull on his boots. ‘It’s got nothing to do with us, has it?’
‘It very nearly had a great deal to do with me,’ Tye snapped. ‘As it happens, I chose to come here by taking the Gap that leads from Troll’s Bridge to Innes-Trule, and walking the rest of the way. I did not care to visit Tiger’s Glen, where the quicker way – the Flitter Wood Gap – comes to an end. But if I had taken the Flitter Wood Gap, Conker, I would have stepped straight into the cloud palace and been lost in the dreams of the Ancient One, as others of my tribe have been lost in their time.’
Her expression didn’t change, but Leo saw the muscles tensing beneath her skin-tight leather tunic. She’s had a bad shock, he thought suddenly. That’s why she’s so angry. She’s afraid. Tye’s afraid.
Yet even in the Blue Queen’s castle, when she believed that her world was being undone, Tye had not been afraid. Why was she fearful now?
The Ancient One …
‘Oh, my liver and lungs, you can’t blame me for not warning you, Tye!’ roared Conker. ‘I didn’t know you were coming, did I?’
‘Part of your duty is to tell Hal what is happening in Rondo,’ spat Tye. ‘You are supposed to tell him of anything unusual that has occurred, tell him if there is any sign of Spoiler –’
‘There hasn’t been any sign of Spoiler!’ Conker bellowed, slapping his belt on the ground in rage. ‘We haven’t seen hide nor hair of him! No one has, as far as I know, though Leo is as jumpy as a dot, seeing him under every rock and –’
‘Then Leo is wiser than you,’ snapped Tye. ‘Spoiler could be anywhere. For all you know he is watching us at this very moment, waiting his chance to strike. But leaving Spoiler aside, your bringing the Langlanders to a place that has been invaded by the Ancient One is inexcusable, Conker! Hal trusted you, Freda and Bertha to guard them, and yet –’
‘Stop it, Tye,’ Leo cut in, as Conker spluttered and Bertha bridled. ‘It isn’t fair. None of us had any idea the cloud palace was in Hobnob. It arrived just before we did.’
‘
That’s right,’ Mimi said, moving to stand shoulder to shoulder with him. ‘And anyway, we came here to do a job, and I don’t see why the cloud palace should scare us off.’
‘I agree,’ Leo said rashly.
‘Hear, hear!’ boomed Conker, recovering. ‘After all, the palace of the Ancient One is only dangerous if you go inside it.’
Mimi narrowed her eyes. ‘And just because you’re tempted to do that, Tye,’ she said shrewdly, ‘that doesn’t mean we are.’
To Leo’s astonishment Tye froze. There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Then, at last, Tye bowed her head and all her tension seemed suddenly to drain away.
‘It is true that Terlamaines have always been drawn to the idea of the Ancient One,’ she said quietly. ‘The Ancient One is as old as Rondo. It existed before the Terlamaines existed. It remembers the time when only the Artist walked in Old Forest, listening to the silence.’
She scanned their serious faces. ‘For some reason I do not feel its lure at this moment,’ she said. ‘But I must still beware. And you must not forget that the palace of the Ancient One can move where it wills, in the blink of an eye, and enclose the ones who have summoned it whether they feel its lure or not.’
‘But who is it? What is it – the Ancient One?’ Leo burst out.
Tye half-smiled. ‘I only know what I was told, long ago.
It was said among the Terlamaines that the Ancient One was the first creation of the Artist’s brush. One version of the story claimed that it was an error – a smudge or blot. Another version held that it was a test. Whichever it was, it was not – or perhaps it could not be – erased. The Ancient One was covered and hidden as our world grew beneath the Artist’s hand, but still it had life – of a kind.’
The familiar chill was running down Leo’s spine. He felt cold inside. He pulled on his jacket and huddled into it, but it didn’t help.
‘The Ancient One bides in the deepest layers of the sky, where the clouds are thickest, and there are birds who never touch land,’ Tye said. ‘It dreams there, lulled by the music of the clouds, and time passes. Sometimes it wakes and comes closer to us. It becomes curious if it feels strong magic or if someone calls its name, and its curiosity draws it to land. This happens rarely, and according to the legends that is just as well, for if the Ancient One takes you back above the clouds you can never return to the life you knew.’
She looked directly at Mimi. ‘And you would be wise not to deny its fascination, Mimi Langlander. If I am in danger from the Ancient One, then so are you. More so, it seems, because while I do not yet feel its spell, you do. I see it in your eyes, however you try to hide it.’
Mimi didn’t answer. Her face remained stubbornly expressionless.
Tye’s eyes flashed. She swung round to Conker. ‘Did you follow the orders about the Key?’ she snapped.
‘Of course we did,’ Conker grunted. ‘What do you think I am? It’s in a Safe Place in the tavern.’
‘Well, that is something, at least,’ Tye muttered grudgingly.
Mimi’s expression didn’t change. Not by a single flicker did she betray herself.
She’s not going to tell, Leo thought, his heart thudding. I’ll have to do it. I can’t wait any longer. If I don’t speak now, I’ll never be able to do it. It’ll be too late.
But even as the thought crossed his mind he knew it was already too late. He had waited too long. To announce now that Mimi had the Key to Rondo would be to betray Conker, Bertha and Freda as well as Mimi. It would be to expose them to Tye’s anger and withering scorn. And Tye would of course inform Hal at once. Conker, Freda and Bertha would have to face Hal’s fury too. They’d be devastated to think they’d failed him – this man they all loved and admired so much. And they had done nothing, nothing at all to deserve it.
Except to trust us, Leo thought miserably. Resentment surged through him, heavy and sour. How could Mimi have put him in this position? He couldn’t look at her.
‘We must leave the Snug at once,’ Tye said crisply. ‘It is not safe. As you will learn, if you come with me now.’
She turned on her heel and prowled back into the trees.
Chapter
18
Dangerous Game
Now that the friends were away from the still, steamy air of the bathhouse, they could again hear sounds from the clearing – a rhythmic, thudding noise, and children’s voices chanting.
Conker gave a muffled exclamation. Bertha squeaked nervously.
‘There!’ snapped Tye. ‘Do you see?’ She had paused at a gap in the trees, and was frowning out at the field in the centre. Conker, Bertha, Leo and Mimi crowded around her to look.
Several other girls had joined the three with the skipping rope, and a game was in progress at the far end of the field. A girl with a long plait hanging down her back was jumping the rope while two other girls turned it. As the rope turned, rhythmically thudding the ground, all the girls chanted in time. There were so many voices that the companions could hear the words quite plainly.
Dare to call the Strix!
Show the Strix your tricks!
One, two, buckle your shoe,
Who will meet the Strix?
At the third line, the girl with the plait deftly bent and touched her shoe, just straightening in time for the next turn of the rope. The chanting went on, a little more loudly.
Dare to call the Strix!
Show the Strix your tricks!
Three, four, knock on the floor,
Who will meet the Strix?
At the third line, the girl with the plait crouched and knocked on the ground. This time, however, she didn’t manage to get up and regain her balance before the rope came around again. She missed her jump and was out. Laughing in an embarrassed sort of way, she ran to take the place of one of the girls who had been turning the rope, and the game began again with another jumper – one of the twins this time.
Dare to call the Strix!
Show the Strix your tricks!
One, two, buckle your shoe …
‘This is bad,’ said Conker uneasily.
‘This is very bad,’ Bertha mumbled.
‘It is worse than bad,’ Tye hissed. ‘Those young ones will call the Ancient One to them if they do not stop.’
‘No,’ said Mimi, staring at the twin jumping the rope. ‘None of them will be able to stay in till the end of the rhyme. They’re too young. It’s too hard.’
Leo glanced at her nervously. He saw that Tye was looking at her too.
‘What does it matter if no one gets to the end?’ Bertha asked in a high voice. ‘They’re saying the name over and over. Isn’t that enough?’
Mimi shrugged. ‘In a story it wouldn’t be,’ she said. ‘In a story, they’d have to get to the end.’
‘This is not a story!’ Tye hissed.
Mimi shrugged again.
The twin had managed to touch her shoe and knock on the ground without tripping over the rope. As she continued to jump, flushed with triumph, her friends chanted on:
Dare to call the Strix!
Show the Strix your tricks!
Five, six, pick up sticks,
Who will meet the Strix?
At the third line, the jumping twin bent and pretended to pick up objects to the right and then to the left of her feet. She was fast, but not fast enough. The rope thudded into her legs, and she was out. Pouting in annoyance, she stood back as her sister took her place.
‘I told you,’ said Mimi. ‘It’s too hard. They’ll never get to ten.’
Tye glanced at her sharply. ‘Let us move on,’ she said. ‘Freda is waiting.’
When they reached their campsite they found Freda pacing around the flying rug, which was rippling perkily and turning up slightly at the corners. The cooking pot was huddled against one of Bliss’s roots looking very sulky.
‘At last!’ Freda snapped at Conker. ‘Do you hear those children?’
‘Freda was mean to me, Conkie,’ whined the cooking pot.
<
br /> ‘I just made it wash itself,’ said Freda dismissively. ‘I only had to peck it twice.’
‘There was no point in getting it clean,’ growled Conker, shouldering his pack. ‘It’s not coming with us. We’re tying it up and leaving it here.’
The cooking pot began to wail and drum its heels on the ground. Bliss’s leaves rustled anxiously.
‘Make it stop!’ Tye hissed at Conker. ‘We cannot afford to attract unwelcome attention.’
Scowling, Conker strode to the pot and picked it up. The pot stopped wailing and snuggled into his chest, making metallic purring sounds.
Freda snapped her beak at it. ‘No sign of Scribble,’ she told Conker. ‘He must be sleeping in.’
‘He was probably up all night writing his lying story and sending it to the Rambler page by page,’ Conker said sourly. ‘Still, we’d better sneak out of the Snug through the trees instead of taking off in the field. It will take longer, but if Scribble wakes up and sees us leaving he’ll try to follow. How can we make discreet enquiries with a slimy reporter tagging along wherever we go?’
Tye nodded agreement. ‘I would also prefer not to be seen,’ she said. ‘There are too many children here.’
‘Why –’ The question died on Leo’s lips and his face grew hot as Tye looked at him impassively. Of course Tye didn’t want to attract attention in the Snug. Many people in Rondo feared and distrusted Terlamaines, and parents might react violently if they saw Tye near their children.
‘Right,’ said Conker. ‘Rug, roll yourself tidily and –’
‘Wait a minute!’ cried Bertha. ‘I’m not dressed. Mimi, can you get my hat?’
Conker stamped impatiently, Freda muttered something rude under her breath and Tye stood frozen-faced as Mimi took the flowery hat from the pink bag and helped Bertha to put it on.
‘I thought you were worried about being recognised,’ Conker growled.