A Twist of the Sands
Page 45
Chapter 42. Within the Shroud
Back across the heather JDC and Amndo had been wandering around for an hour or so, nothing unusual had been found, at least not so far. The moorlands just seemed to stretch to the horizon and beyond in every direction, not that they could see that far around them because of the heavy mists that lay about. They trod through the hardy purple heather, its elastic stems bouncing back into shape as their feet moved on, as if nothing had disturbed it.
“Wait,” shouted Amndo, “that rocky outcrop, there, just visible through the mist” he pointed to the solid looking granite rocks that protruded from the purple haze.
“What of it? Looks the same as any other rock outcrop to me,” responded JDC.
“But that’s just it,” said Amndo, “it is the same, in fact we have passed it several times now, I’m sure of it, for I recognise the shapes made from the lichen growth upon it.”
“You must be mistaken master keeper, for we have been walking a straight line as far as I remember with no deviations. Anyway how can you tell the difference between one pile of lichen covered rocks and another,” laughed JDC.
Amndo walked over to the rocky outcrop. He looked closely at its surface, ran his fingers across and around some unseen shape. He pondered the surface of the rock for some minutes, “no, look closely here, these lichens on this rock, they have grown in the shape of the carving below. This rock has been deliberately carved in this way.” He scrutinised the carving for many minutes. He then stood back and turning to JDC said, “the design I might add looks distinctly like those of your people?
JDC strolled across and inspected the markings on the rock, “hmmm. You may well be right master keeper. These designs are similar to those we used to mark on street corners. Such designs letting those passing by understand what craft or market lay down the street.” He started to look frantically around him. By the Maker is this it? Is this the city? All that is left of it, this cannot be.”
Amndo continued, “I have been looking at all the rock outcrops, other marks have been carved on them also, but this mark is unique to this particular outcrop, I have not seen it anywhere else. Then after a while he stepped back and said, “alright, let us make a little experiment. You wait here, I’ll walk a straight line for exactly four hundred paces and then turn about and walk straight back and we shall see.”
JDC looked at Amndo as if he was crazy, but some warning in his head made him say, “It may not be a good idea to split up, we may get separated in this mist.”
“Amndo called over his shoulder, “it’s alright master Pnook I have a feeling we won’t get any more lost that we already are.”
JDC sighed and watched as Amndo walked away muttering numbers to himself under his breath. He was soon lost to sight in the mist that lay over the area. After some time JDC sat on a rock and started to hum a tune to himself, it had been at least ten minutes since Amndo had wandered off. JDC was starting to feel a little uncomfortable about the situation as a whole. Suddenly he heard a sound behind him, he turned in alarm and saw a figure striding towards him through the mist, it looked like Amndo walking towards him from behind, but how? He squinted trying to make out more detail. Sure enough he sighed with relief as Amndo came back out of the mist and once more stood before JDC a frown etched deep into his forehead and features.
JDC laughed and said, “ok so four hundred paces and you mistakenly went round in a wide circle and came back here, just as you said, right?”
“If only that were correct master Pnook, for by my reckoning I have only walked three hundred and forty-five paces, I did not deviate or turn back, yet I find I am back here at this rock once again.”
JDC knew from the expression on Amndo’s face that he was telling the truth and not attempting to play some kind of joke on him. So he said, “ok my friend we find ourselves in a predicament then, for how are we to find our way out back to the Leviathan?”
Just then they perceived a bright light through the mist, it was moving, swinging to and fro as if it were a lantern being carried along by a person walking. JDC slowly took his ri’fal from his shoulder and held the weapon at the ready.