“How long will it take us to get to Dundee?” she asked Finn, now that he seemed to have put his anger behind him.
“If we get through the forest before nightfall, we should reach the door by afternoon.”
Jess reached a hand down to Freya and pulled her up as Magnus walked past them, grim-faced. Jess caught his arm as he went by.
“We’ll get there in time, Magnus. I know we will.”
He looked at her wordlessly, gave her the hint of a smile and went on.
They stared around them as they passed into the forest. All the trees were the same type, their grey bark ghostly pale, thin limbs curving towards the sky. They had long, narrow leaves the length of Jess’s palm, shaped like scythe blades. Many of the leaves had already fallen, as though it were autumn here, and those still on the trees were turning from green to a translucent pinkish red.
Once again, Finn followed no path that the others could see, but chose his way without hesitation, although he seemed uneasy, constantly glancing round. The moss underfoot cushioned their steps and deadened sound as well, so that they moved in something close to silence.
Jess found her eyes starting to play tricks on her. The confusion of trunks and branches and lichen, together with the disconcerting shimmer of the Nykur world’s air, began to look like bearded faces from the corner of her eye, as if the trees were watching her. She saw Freya, ahead of her, glance round suddenly a few times.
“Seeing things?” she asked.
“I hope so,” Freya replied. “This doesn’t feel like a friendly place, does it? I suppose Finn would have mentioned it if there were wolves in here?”
“Not friendly at all… I wonder how much further it is?”
“It can’t be far. The light’s starting to go and Finn said we’d be out of the forest by nightfall.”
“He hoped we’d be out of it by nightfall,” Jess corrected her.
“Then let’s make sure we are,” said Freya, speeding up.
As the light faded around them, Finn waited for the others to catch up.
“We’d better stay together now,” he said. “It would be easy for you to get lost.”
“Are there wolves in this forest?” Freya asked.
“No. No, not here. They don’t like this forest any more than the Nykur do.”
Just then, something fluttered between the trees just in front of them.
“I thought there weren’t any birds?” said Magnus.
“There aren’t. That was a bat. Come on, we need to hurry now. This is the bats’ territory, and they’ll defend it after dark.”
“What exactly does that mean?” asked Jess, quickening her pace.
“Have you ever been bitten by a bat?” Finn looked at her. Jess shook her head.
“We’re not in any danger from them, but – well, it’s not pleasant. They’ve got sharp teeth, and if there are a lot of them…” He gave an involuntary shudder. “I’ve been caught in here once after nightfall; I’d rather not do it again.”
There was hardly enough light to see where they were stepping now, and bats swooped, chittering, around their heads.
Jess gritted her teeth, determined not to yelp as another one zipped past her face. How long before they started to attack?
At that moment, the trees thinned in front of them and Finn gave a shout.
“That’s it – we’re out.”
They emerged onto a bare hillside under the stars. The land rolled away beneath them into indistinct shadows.
“I suppose we have to wait until it gets light before we go on?” said Magnus gloomily.
“No. There’s enough light for me to see,” Finn replied.
“So, what now? We all hold hands and you lead us down the hill?” Magnus couldn’t keep the frustration out of his voice.
“No. Now I take horse form, and you ride.”
“But we can’t leave the girls here,” Magnus objected.
“That’s not what I meant. You ride – all of you.”
“You can’t carry three of us, Finn,” Jess protested.
There was just enough light to see the grin he flashed her.
“Not in your world, but here I can. Horse form is difficult for a half-blood in your world, but here it’s easier, and much stronger.”
Jess found it hard to believe he could really do this, but he sounded confident.
“Well, get on and change then,” Freya commanded him.
Finn grew still as he had done when Jess had watched him change before. He closed his eyes and let his breath go…
… and the dark horse was there.
“We’re never all going to fit,” said Magnus.
The horse moved across to a boulder to make it easier for them to mount. Freya climbed up first, then Jess behind her. Magnus looked at them doubtfully.
“This isn’t going to work.”
“Just climb up, Magnus,” Jess urged him, “And we’ll soon see.”
A few seconds later, Magnus was behind her, his hands on her waist.
“This shouldn’t be possible,” he muttered, and Jess couldn’t help but laugh.
Finn tossed his head and moved off.
As long as she lived, Jess remembered that ride. Finn moved at a smooth pace across heather moor and meadowland, through patches of woodland and across streams. Although it was too dark to see much, Jess could smell the difference between the landscapes, sense it in the way Finn ran. Freya’s hair blew in Jess’s face, and Magnus’s arms were around her waist. There was no need to hold on; it would have been impossible to fall off. She remembered the sensation of almost becoming part of the horse from her other brief rides.
The stars seemed to stream past them. Once or twice Freya turned to Jess with a delighted smile. When Jess twisted to look at Magnus, there was an expression of baffled wonder on his face.
Dawn streaked the sky, turning the clouds shell-pink and apple-green before Finn slowed and came to a halt. Magnus, Jess and Freya slid down from his back and watched as the horse became Finn again.
He looked at Magnus and raised his eyebrows.
“I apologise,” said Magnus. “That was…”
“Incredible,” supplied Freya.
Finn turned to Jess and for a second, their gazes caught. She smiled at him.
“Amazing,” she said. “And much better without wolves chasing us.”
She realised just too late that it was the wrong thing to say, as she saw Magnus’s expression change, and Finn’s in turn grow serious.
“If we all walk for a bit just now, I can carry you again in a while,” he said.
They walked into the rising sun, each wrapped in their own thoughts. Broad swathes of grassland stretched ahead of them, utterly empty, moving like a sea as the wind ruffled across it.
Finn called a halt and they sat down by a stream and watched the sun come properly up. Jess drank deeply, hoping the cold water would fill the empty place in her stomach. She couldn’t work out how long it must be since they’d last eaten.
“Aren’t there any towns nearby, Finn?” asked Freya. “We haven’t even passed another house. Where does everyone live?”
Finn sat up slowly.
“There aren’t many of us left around here. We never had towns – remember, when you’re not here we spend a lot of time in horse shape – and we won’t be passing any of the other houses the way we’re going. Not until we get to the gateway.”
“Don’t you get lonely?” Freya asked, frowning.
For a few seconds she didn’t think he would answer, then he seemed to relent.
“Yes. Of course. It must have been so different here long ago, when there were lots of Nykur. I’ve never known what it was like to run with a big herd, to have lots of my own people around me.”
Jess’s heart went out to him, hearing how sad he sounded.
“Come on,” he said, getting up. “That’s enough of trailing along at human speed.”
They rode for another four hours or so, the grass flowi
ng under Finn’s hooves, then the ground rising again until they crested a hill and he stopped. Before them was a bowl-shaped valley, cupping a small loch of intensely blue water. Beyond it the hills rose steeply again, tree-clad and wild. On the nearest side of the loch, small figures moved, horses and human, close to another Nykur house. Like Finn’s, it overhung the water and was a series of linked buildings, but it looked much older, the wood faded silvery pale on walls and roof.
Jess, Freya and Magnus climbed down, peering into the distance to try and make out more of the people beside the loch.
“At least there don’t seem to be any wolves around yet,” said Freya.
Changed back, Finn spoke.
“I doubt that’s good news.” He pointed at the loch. “That’s the gateway to Dundee. They must have gone through already. He took a deep breath, looking at the figures at the lochside. “My family, and the rest of the Nykur are down there. We’re in time to help.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
They stood looking down at the figures on the loch shore.
Jess turned to Finn. He had sounded nervous when he spoke; his face now was paler than usual.
“It’ll be all right. Remember what Rowan’s letter said. As soon as they see you, it’ll be all right.” She searched his eyes. “You should go down alone.”
Finn shook his head.
“No, let’s get it all over at once,” he said. “But don’t say anything until we see what sort of reception we get.”
They began the long, exposed walk down the hillside, Finn a little way in front. Jess counted the people and horses by the loch as she walked. Fifteen.
“When will the rest of the Nykur get here?” she asked, raising her voice so that Finn would hear her.
“The rest? Everyone’s here already,” he said, without looking round.
“Fifteen? That’s all of you?” Jess was shocked.
This time he stopped and turned.
“That’s all of us now. And two of the people down there are the boys who used to live in your world.”
“But there must be others,” Freya insisted.
Finn stared at the three of them.
“You really don’t understand, do you? These fifteen are the only people I have ever known in the Nykur world. There’s no one else for over a hundred miles. Now perhaps you realise why I came to your world so often.”
He turned and walked on without another word, leaving the others gaping in his wake.
Jess watched his straight back and started after him, her mind in a whirl. Fifteen. It was almost impossible to believe. And these Nykur were living by some agreement that no one in her world even knew about, risking themselves to protect the unthinking populations of Kirriemuir and Dundee from these terrible wolves.
The Nykur by the loch had noticed them now. Activity had come to a halt and Jess felt their eyes on her and the others as they came down the hill. At that moment she was very tempted to turn and run back up the slope. Glancing at Freya and Magnus’s faces, she guessed that they felt the same.
One figure detached itself from the group of Nykur and began moving towards them: a girl, slim and dark haired. A few seconds later she broke into a run, and then so did Finn.
“It’s Rowan,” Freya breathed beside Jess, her face lighting up.
Finn and his sister reached each other and she threw her arms round him, sobbing. The others stopped, not wanting to intrude.
“Finn, Finn! I knew you would come back. I knew! I wished for it every night and every morning.” She drew back to look at him properly. “Did you find my letter?”
“How else would I have known to come here?” Finn said with a smile.
Rowan seemed to see the others properly for the first time.
“Freya?” she said uncertainly. “And you!” She looked at Jess. “Why have you brought them here, Finn?”
“I’ll explain later, Rowan. I have to talk to Mother and Father now.” He took a deep breath.
Rowan took his hand. “They want you back, Finn. Don’t forget that, whatever Mother says to you.” And, ignoring the others, she turned and pulled Finn towards the rest of the Nykur.
Jess, Freya and Magnus hung back in spite of what Finn had said before.
Finn stopped abruptly, bringing Rowan to a halt beside him, and waited as his parents walked forward. They stopped a few paces away from him.
“I banished you,” said Gudrun, “And yet, you have returned.”
“And you have brought people from the Upper World,” added Euan.
“Why have you defied me?” asked Gudrun, her eyes fixed on Finn’s face.
“Because you are my family, and I am Nykur,” said Finn so softly she could only just hear him. “And because I love you, and I cannot bear to live alone in the Upper World.”
For perhaps ten seconds no one moved, then Gudrun threw her arms wide, and in a heartbeat Finn was embracing her. A second later the embrace included Euan and Rowan too.
Jess could see Gudrun speaking to Finn, but much too softly for her to make out the words. She saw him nod, his face buried in his mother’s shoulder. After a moment, Finn raised his head and swiped a hand across his eyes.
Gudrun’s gaze shifted to them and a frown appeared and deepened.
“Why have you brought them here, Finn? Surely there has been enough trouble already?”
“There has, but now I know why.” He looked at Jess, then back at his family. “The others will need to hear this too, later.” He took a breath.
“The people in the Upper World don’t know about the agreement. The men who made it were so ashamed that they had agreed to trade their children for their safety that they told no one. Humans now didn’t know anything about the Nykur or the wolves, or that we’ve been protecting them all these years.”
Gudrun, Euan and Rowan stared at Finn in astonishment. It was Euan who broke the silence.
“Is this true?”
Magnus answered.
“It’s true. We knew nothing about this, until a couple of days ago. Now a few people understand. And the wolves… Some of them came out of Roseroot Pool. Your son saved us all from them.” He lapsed into silence.
“The barrier at the pool needed repairing,” Finn said to his mother. “I did what I could when we came through.”
For the first time, Gudrun spoke to them directly.
“You truly did not know? So when you came,” – she fixed her gaze on Jess, “to take Freya back, you all thought we were wicked creatures who stole your children for our own amusement?”
Jess swallowed. “Not exactly. No one except my grandmother even believed you were real.” She turned to Euan. “My grandmother was your cousin Ellen in the Upper World. Do you remember her?”
Euan shook his head slowly.
“She remembers you. She spent most of her life wondering what had really happened to you. It made her happy to find that you had a family.” She risked a smile and found it hesitantly returned.
“I brought them to our world so that Freya could remember properly what had happened to her,” Finn said to his family. “I thought I owed her that. Then I found Rowan’s letter. Magnus’s family live in Dundee. He wants to warn them, and this was the fastest way to get him there. I said I would take him through this gateway.”
His parents looked at each other and, after a pause, Gudrun spoke.
“We must ask the others. This is not a decision for us to make alone. It concerns all the Nykur. Rowan, find them some food while they wait.”
They were left alone with Rowan.
“Come on, I’ll get you something to eat.”
She led them towards the Nykur house that overhung the loch. As they got closer, Jess noticed signs of disrepair: missing shingles on the roof and cracked boards on the walls.
Inside there were signs that the place was being used as a makeshift camp by the Nykur who were human: bedrolls in several of the rooms, traces of hasty repair here and there. Rowan led them into the kitchen, rummaged in a
cupboard with a door hanging drunkenly from one hinge, and produced bread and apples.
It was a long time since they had last eaten. There was silence as they chewed. Rowan sat next to Finn, watching his every move as though he might suddenly disappear again.
Magnus turned impatiently to Finn.
“When can we go? What’s happening?”
“I don’t know. For now, you must be patient. We can’t do anything unless the others agree.”
When they finished eating, they went outside and watched from a distance as the discussions continued, until at last Gudrun waved them over.
The Nykur, all in human form now, waited silently, watching the strangers who had delivered such shocking news. They were all tall, long limbed and blue eyed, whatever colour their hair. Their silent regard was disconcerting.
Gudrun spoke without preamble, her voice tight.
“Finn, the clan has set you a test if you are to be accepted as Nykur again. There are almost two-hundred wolves massed on the other side of the gateway. You must draw them back here so we can destroy them. They have been waiting for this night before they attack the town.”
“Why?” Magnus interrupted.
“You have hunted your own wolves out of the hills round Dundee. The black wolves want vengeance. The full moon rises tonight. They will attack then.”
“What do I have to do? How do I get them back here?” asked Finn.
“What? Finn, no, you can’t do it,” Jess exclaimed.
“He must,” said Euan. “That is the test.”
“You can take the boy with you,” Gudrun said to Finn. “He can warn the town if he can get there. But your job is to take this.” A black-haired man handed something to Gudrun. “This has taken us two days. We have poured all our power into it.”
She held up her hand. From a leather thong hung a stone about the size of a walnut, smooth and dully gleaming, dark as a piece of midnight sky, speckled with tiny crystalline points of light.
Finn took it, handling it carefully. His eyes widened and Jess watched as understanding dawned on his face.
“The full moon,” he said wonderingly.
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