Pale Peak Burning

by Paula Harrison

  The voice that Laney recognised finished her song. Laney held her breath. Had she just used Mist magic to move those water drops? It had been so long since she’d managed to make a Mist spell work. She glanced along the rocky valley. She didn’t want the other Blaze kids to spot her using water magic, but they were too far away to have seen anything.

  “Goodbye,” Laney whispered to the ring. She promised herself that she’d return as soon as she could.

  When Laney got back to Pebblenook Cottage, Claudia’s mum’s car was parked outside.

  Claudia opened the cottage door. “I was starting to think I’d have to come and find you.”

  “It’s so great to see you!” Laney hugged her.

  Claudia grinned. “Are you missing Skellmore? I persuaded my mum that we should come and visit. She and Kim are in the back garden. Come and tell me what’s been going on.”

  Laney took off her coat and followed Claudia inside. “Is that the whole reason you’re here?” She checked Toby and Kim weren’t within earshot before adding, “Or is it partly because of the Myricals and the Shadow?”

  “Sort of. Some of our Elders came to talk to the northern tribes.”

  “I bet the Blazes said they didn’t want any help finding the Sparkstone.”

  Claudia nodded. “That’s what my mum told me. I think they were pretty fierce about it. Anyway, my mum’s thinking of sending me to stay at my aunt’s house in Kirkfield for a while. She thinks the Skellmore tribes will go to war against each other. There’s already a curfew and no one except the Elders are allowed out after dark.”

  “Really? That’s great!” Laney’s eyes lit up. “Obviously not about the tribes, but I’d love you to stay in Kirkfield. When will your mum decide?”

  “In the next couple of weeks,” Claudia told her. “Then if I come here I’d start at the school in Kirkfield after half-term. So do you like it here so far?”

  “I found out that my uncle and his family live here,” Laney said. “But I’m not sure I like the other Blaze kids.” Laney told Claudia about what had happened with Tyler at Beggar’s Chasm and the man in the green anorak.

  “Seriously, chasm jumping?” Claudia raised her eyebrows. “I’ve heard that the Blaze faeries can be daredevils, but you’re not like that.”

  Secretly, Laney was worried that was exactly her problem – she wasn’t like the Blaze kids at all. She hadn’t told Claudia what had happened at the faerie ring with the water drops. It was too weird to even try to explain. She shifted the conversation back to the man in the green anorak. “They said he had parents from different tribes and they called him a Tainted.” She felt her palms growing hotter.

  “I’ve heard that name before and it really sucks.” Claudia looked sympathetic. “But I guess a lot of faeries think that way. Hardly anyone marries outside their tribe.”

  “Some people do! My mum and dad did.”

  “Have you told them that yet? You should, you know.”

  Laney folded her arms. “I know! It’s just—”

  “Claudia, time to go.” Mrs Lionhart called from the garden.

  Laney said goodbye. Going up to her room, she watched from her window as Claudia and her mum drove away. She hoped Mrs Lionhart would decide that Claudia should stay with her aunt in Kirkfield. It wouldn’t be so lonely with Claudia around.

  On the roof above, she heard the chattering cry of a magpie. She pulled the curtains closed and sat on her bed. Turning her palm upwards, she lit a flame by feeling the fire inside her just as Tyler had said. The flame burned steadily – a blaze of orange with a bright golden centre. She wouldn’t let anyone say she wasn’t a proper Blaze, she told herself fiercely. She had fire magic and she was determined to get better at using it.

  Laney started her new school on Monday. It was in the town of Kirkfield not far from the hospital, and was smaller than the one she had gone to in Skellmore. On the first day she passed Briana and the other Blaze kids going into the cafeteria but they didn’t speak to her. She guessed they’d heard by now that she had parents from different tribes and that was why they were keeping away. After their argument, Tyler didn’t seek her out either. She longed for Claudia to move to her aunt’s but there was no message from her friend and she started to wonder if Claudia’s mum had changed her mind.

  Every Friday, Laney visited the hospital after school. After three weeks the school broke up for half-term. As she hurried down the hospital corridor that afternoon she wondered if she’d hear any news from Claudia soon. She had no idea what was going on in Skellmore these days or how Fletcher and the other Thorns were.

  Sitting down by her dad’s bed, she listened to the beep of the heart-rate monitor and watched the numbers on the machine going up and down. Careful not to knock the drip, she held her dad’s hand and searched his face for a sign that he knew she was there. She told him about their cottage in Little Shackle and the circle of hills around the village. She talked about Kim and Toby, and how Simon was looking after their business back in Skellmore.

  She even told him how she’d been back to Beggar’s Chasm a second time to speak to the voice she recognised inside the faerie ring. This time, the voice had seemed clearer and she had realised it was a young voice, so maybe it didn’t belong to her mum after all. It was difficult to pick out the words with so many other voices singing.

  Running out of things to say to her dad, she clasped his hand tighter. At first he’d seemed better in this new place but now his skin was so pale and crumpled. Her eyes filled with tears and she gathered up her school bag. She wanted to hope but each time she came here she felt like her heart was being squeezed. She hurried out into the cold evening air and caught the bus back to Little Shackle.

  Walking up the lane from the bus stop, she saw someone leaning against the garden wall. Darkness was gathering and the figure was holding a small flame which flickered red then white then gold.

  It had to be Tyler.

  As she got closer he lifted the flame, turning his skin gold and his eyes glittering black. “Hey! I’m starting to think you’re avoiding me.”

  “No, you’re avoiding me.” Laney walked past him to the gate.

  “We just had an argument – no big deal,” he said, grinning. “What happened to being cousins? Don’t you like me any more?”

  Laney wasn’t in the mood for this. “Did your parents make you come here? Look, I’m fine by myself. You know you don’t really want to hang out with me and you can’t use Blaze power outside our house. Our neighbour might see.”

  Tyler’s flame vanished into smoke. “I do want to hang out with you.”

  “I don’t believe you.” Laney banged the gate behind her. “You didn’t want your friends to find out what I am and that proves you’re bothered.”

  “So now you’re telling me I’m a liar. Thanks a lot.”

  “What did you expect?” Laney snapped. A flame burst to life in her hand and she let go of the gate quickly so she didn’t burn it. “I saw the way you all treated that ‘Chips’ guy.”

  “Leave him out of it,” Tyler snapped. “Believe it or not I actually came to say I’d teach you Blaze skills. The Kindling’s on May the first and that’s only a few weeks away. It’s a big thing for us Blazes. We go up into the hills and light the Bale Fire. If you want to join in you need to learn to control your power and you need to know what to do. So it’s up to you: do you want to be a proper Blaze or not?” He clicked his fingers, showering the path with sparks, and walked off without waiting for an answer.

  Laney went in, slamming the front door behind her. Why did Tyler always make her so cross? It felt strange to have this hot temper bubbling inside her. What made it even stranger was that she knew she actually really liked Tyler – when he wasn’t being annoying. She sighed. She should’ve accepted his offer of help. Now she’d have to go and apologise. She suddenly realised that the cottage was dark and silent.

  “Kim, are you here?” She switched the light on and went into the kitchen. There wa
s a note lying on the table.

  Hi Laney, Simon drove up from Skellmore to see us and he’s going to take us to the hospital to see your dad. We’ll be back later and I’ll bring a takeaway for dinner. See you soon, love Kim.

  Laney put down the note. Making a quick decision, she dumped her school bag and headed back down the road to the village. The last patches of daylight were fading behind the hills. She could just about make out Groaning Tor, the tallest peak. Flickers of orange burst from the summit, making her catch her breath. It had to be Blaze magic, only visible to faerie eyes. Tyler had told her the peak was important to the Blaze tribe, she remembered.

  There was a light on inside the bakery and Laney breathed in the warm smell of baking bread. She carried on walking till she reached her uncle’s repair shop. Stopping outside, she stared at the Embers name written on the window. She should go over to her uncle’s house and apologise to Tyler. Then she should tell him how much she wanted to learn more Blaze skills.

  She frowned. It was true – she did want to learn fire spells – but she felt like something else was drawing her on. What was it? She walked on, trying to make sense of the spinning thoughts inside her head. Why had she come all the way here in the dark? What was she looking for?

  Halfway along the street she came to a stop. She was standing outside the house with the high walls and the big iron gate that she’d noticed before. From what Tyler had said, she was pretty sure that Chips Delaney lived here. He was the man whose parents had come from different tribes. The man they called a Tainted.

  That was why she was here. She wanted to see him.

  She tried to open the gate but it was padlocked. A blinding light flicked on overhead and a dog started barking.

  “Mr Delaney?” Laney called out. “Sorry to bother you. Can I talk to you, just for a minute?”

  The barking got louder and a great black dog bounded down the drive and threw itself at the gate, snarling and snapping. Laney fell back. This was stupid. Why would he agree to talk to her anyway?

  “Get away from my gate or I’ll set Gutter on you!” A dark figure with a torch rounded the corner of the drive and came right up to the gate.

  Laney couldn’t see past the glare of the overhead light but she knew it must be Chips Delaney. “I’m sorry, I just—”

  “You can shout abuse and throw rotten stuff over my walls,” he growled. “But if you set one foot on my property my dog will tear you to shreds.”

  Seeing the dog’s jagged white teeth, Laney could totally believe it. “I haven’t come to throw stuff. I just wanted to ask you something.” She knew it sounded lame.

  “Ha, that’s a good one!” A torch beam fixed on her – blinding her even more. “You’re the girl I saw at Beggar’s Chasm with those Blaze kids. So why would I believe a word you say?”

  Laney backed away. “Fine, I’ll go. I only came because I’m like you – my parents were from different tribes – and I wanted to talk to you about it.”

  “Wait!” There was a clanking as a key turned in the padlock and Chips Delaney opened the gate. Laney tensed, waiting for the animal to spring at her but on a gruff word from its owner, the dog sat down and wagged its tail. Mr Delaney towered over Laney, his thin face caught in the security light. “You’re not from around here, are you? Who are you? Why are you running with the Blaze crowd if you’re not like them?”

  Laney swallowed. “I have Blaze powers because my mum was a Blaze. But my dad’s a Mist.” Mr Delaney didn’t answer and Laney hurried to fill the silence. “I’m Laney Rivers.”

  “What do you mean your mum was a Blaze?” interrupted Delaney. “What happened to her?”

  “She got ill and died when I was little. Her name was Cordelia Embers.”

  Delaney swore under his breath. He hesitated before opening the gate wider. “You’d better come in.” He closed the gate and fastened the padlock behind her. The security light pinged off as they walked up the drive. In the faint light over the front door, Laney could see a run-down garden, covered with brambles and broken pots. The house was huge and square and had shutters over the windows.

  Mr Delaney bounded up the steps to the door and glanced back as Laney hesitated. “You’re quite safe, I promise you,” he said. “Just ask Gutter.”

  Laney jumped as the shaggy black dog licked her hand before trotting into the house. The change from terrifying guard dog to soppy pet was strange but reassuring and Laney followed them in, shutting the door behind her. The house and the things in it looked like something out of a museum – tarnished brass candlesticks and black-and-white photos. There was even a wooden spinning wheel in the corner. A brown-leaved cactus stood on the mantelpiece.

  Delaney had collapsed in a tattered armchair with Gutter lying across his feet, tail thumping. He leaned down to pat the dog and then stared into the empty fireplace. Laney realised he wasn’t as old as she’d first thought but his deep eyes and thin face made him look sad. “So you’re Cordelia’s daughter,” he said. “I didn’t know she’d married a Mist – not that I ever get told the news around here. That must have been an upset at the time.”

  Laney twisted her jumper sleeve. “Did you know my mum?”

  “Only a little. She was a few years older than me. There is something of you about her.” He shot her a curious look. “A Blaze marrying a Mist, that’s something that doesn’t happen every day. Which power do you have – water?”

  “No, fire.” Laney opened her hand and focused on lighting a flame the way Tyler had taught her. It worked beautifully. A dark look flickered across Delaney’s eyes – a hunger mixed with despair. It shocked Laney and she quickly closed her hand to put the flame out.

  “So what did the brave and noble Blazes tell you about me?” Delaney asked shortly. “That I’m abnormal – a freak and a Tainted?”

  “They said one of your parents was a Blaze and the other a Thorn.”

  “Yeah, I bet that’s not all they said about me.” He gave a bitter laugh.

  Laney shifted awkwardly on the armchair. This man wasn’t exactly easy to talk to, but she needed to find out what was going on with her powers and he was the only one who might know.

  She took a deep breath. A question had lurked at the back of her mind like a rat in the dark ever since Beggar’s Chasm. “Has your magic ever got mixed up? I’m a Blaze but this one time I used water magic without even meaning to and I wondered if you’d ever had that happen too.”

  Delaney sprang up, jerking the dog off his feet. “I have NO power! Didn’t they tell you that, girl?”

  “I’m sorry! I just thought…”

  “You thought I’d be a Blaze or a Thorn and I should be! But they took my power away. Hasn’t your Mist father told you the stories? Don’t you know what they did to the mixed-tribe children?”

  Laney met his gaze. “My dad’s unconscious in hospital. He’s been like that ever since he tried to protect me from the Shadow faerie.”

  The fierce look faded from Delaney’s face and he sat down again. “You’re from the south then? I heard there was trouble there. I’m sorry. We should start again.” He looked at her for a minute. “I’ll make us some tea.” He went next door and came back with two steaming mugs of tea. Then he knelt down by the fireplace and struggled with some matches and sheets of newspaper. Finally he got the fire burning. Then he took a large swig of tea and Gutter settled down on his feet again.

  “About your magic,” he said at last. “If your parents come from different tribes then you only take after one of them. You can’t have both powers – it’s impossible. When I was young there were a few mixed-tribe children living in Little Shackle and as they grew up each developed the same power as one parent. That’s the way it goes. Nature picks for us, I suppose. You must have been mistaken about what you managed to do.”

  Laney stared into her mug of tea. Her uncle had said the same thing – that faeries only had one kind of power even if their parents came from different tribes. But how had she worked magic on t
he water that day at Beggar’s Chasm? It made no sense. “Where are those other mixed-tribe faeries now?” she asked. “Do they still live nearby?”

  Delaney’s shoulders stiffened. “Most of them left when it began. I don’t know where they went or how long they stayed in hiding.” He struggled for words. “A Shadow rose here in the north and no one had the strength to go against him. The Elders believed he came from mixed-tribe parents – I don’t know why. So they put their plan into action. Everyone that was mixed tribe was rounded up – all of us who had Awakened, that is.”

  “So you’d Awakened by then?”

  “Yes. One Sunday night when I was eight, I produced a flame – a tiny one. My father was so proud. I think he really wanted me to be a Blaze like him. But by the next morning they were knocking on the door. They must have been watching the house.” His jaw clenched. “They called it The Purge. They suspended me from a tree above a fairy ring until all magic power was sucked out of me. Then they cut me down and left me. It was terrifying … and very painful.”

  Laney looked away. Her hands shook and a little tea slopped over the edge of her mug.

  “My parents told me it didn’t matter about losing my magic – that I was safe. But I didn’t feel safe and I never have since that day.” He gave a bitter smile. “I hoped for a while that my Blaze power would return or that in its absence, I would find a little of my mother’s Thorn magic, but it wasn’t to be. I still keep the same herbs that she did but they don’t always grow very well.” He glanced at the brown cactus. “I’m afraid plants don’t like me any more than people do.”

  Laney felt sorry for him. How could the other faeries have done something so awful to a child? “But why is everyone here so mean to you?”