by Perry Aylen
Aulf and Ingar looked puzzled.
Elya pursed her lips. ‘The whole purpose of building the light towers is to improve relationships between the islands. Orking Do is the most central canton, and if Orking Do isn’t prepared to cooperate, there’s little point in building anything on Quayven or Pelago. It’s vital to get Orking Do on board, right at the beginning. Gabriel wanted to put a tower on Quayven so he could show it off to Orking Do and hold them to ransom over having one of their own. How would that improve things?’
‘So you said all that to Gabriel?’ There was undisguised awe in Aulf’s voice. ‘Wow! I’m impressed!’
Elya sighed. ‘Well, Gabriel wasn’t. He was fuming. But then...’ she stopped and looked sideways at her brother, and her voice wavered as she went on, ‘he offered Jacob even more money if he would stay on and build the towers without me. And then he stirred up the whole town into a frenzy of panic about how he had consulted the Vajra and I was the evil wizard of the prophecy. The rest, you know.’
Her voice caught as she spoke and tears glistened in her eyes.
Jacob looked sheepish. After a moment’s silence, he said, ‘Look, I know Gabriel went about things clumsily. He shouldn’t have said what he did about you and spread all those lies. And I know that the way I acted must have seemed horrid to you, but I just wanted us to fit in here so people respected us.’ He heaved a heavy sigh and reached out to take Elya’s hand. ‘I’m sorry. I was just being selfish. I really wanted to build those towers.’
Ingar looked thoughtful. ‘Maybe you can.’ She turned to Aulf. ‘You heard Mayor Potts, didn’t you? The last thing she said to us was how she would really like to meet the two of you. And what’s to stop you taking her a proposal for a light tower on Orking Do?’
Chapter 22
By the next morning, everyone felt happier. There was something therapeutic about being at Ma’s house on Jakir Chine, and a good night’s sleep in a warm bed restored Jacob and Elya to a more optimistic frame of mind. Together they accompanied Aulf and Ingar down to the shore to help them load some of the salvaged parts from Gem onto the Aurora. Aulf had mail to deliver to Pelago, but on his return, he planned to call in on Noah and Tomas and deliver the promised boat parts by way of a thank you from the twins. In the meantime, Elya and Jacob would stay with Ma.
Aulf busied himself stowing the extra luggage in a deck locker, while Ingar went in to check the cabin.
‘Stove’s cold,’ she announced, reappearing on deck. ‘I’ll run up to the house and get some smoulder.’
Elya watched her disappear up the track to the house. An idea occurred to her at that very moment.
‘Jacob!’ she exclaimed. ‘I’ve got it! I know what we can do!’
He looked at her in surprise. Even Aulf raised his head from the locker on the deck of the boat.
‘Steels!’ she went on, her cheeks colouring pink with the thrill of inspiration. ‘We can make steel firelighters, and sell them!’
Jacob stared at his sister while his mind raced ahead. His face split into a delighted grin.
‘Brilliant idea, Elya! Magic wizard steels for magical fire lighting!’
Elya’s excitement evaporated instantly. She gave him a strange look.
‘Magical? Why do you say that?’
‘Why not, since everyone already believes we’re wizards and can do all sorts of clever, magical things? This will give them some proper magic to gossip about! If we make steel firelighters, that’s exactly what the people here are going to think they are. We might as well use it to our advantage. And,’ he added, with a wicked grin, ‘it will put us on a level deck with Gabriel. We can play him at his own game.’
Elya turned this over in her mind. Jacob had a point, she knew, but the idea made her uncomfortable.
Aulf interrupted her train of thought. He had jumped down off the boat and was now beside them, eager to hear more of Elya’s plan. He had never even seen a steel firelighter, but since Jacob and Elya had first mentioned one, soon after they first met, he had been intrigued by the concept.
‘Do you know how to make them, then?’ he asked, almost as excited as Elya. ‘How is it done? What will we need?’
‘Well, firstly,’ Elya told him, ‘we’ll need a good blacksmith.’
Ingar appeared from the house, holding a tin of hot smoulder wrapped in a cloth. They called her over and told her Elya’s idea.
‘But we need a good blacksmith,’ Elya went on, once they had explained the idea to Ingar. ‘One we can trust to keep the process a secret. It’ll be no good if everyone finds out how they’re made.’
Ingar gave a squawk that made them all jump, and almost dropped her smoulder tin in her excitement.
‘Ouch!’ she said, as she burnt her fingers. ‘I know who to ask. I know a blacksmith who would be just right. His name’s Grim. Only he isn’t grim at all, really. He’s lovely. I know he’ll help us.’
‘Where does he live?’ asked Aulf.
‘His real name’s Jeremiah Grimwold. He lives on one of the small islands off Pelago. Smithy Island. I can show you how to get there!’
Aulf grinned. ‘What are we waiting for?’ He looked at Jacob and Elya. ‘You’d better fetch your things and let Ma know you won’t be wanting any dinner.’
They were almost ready to depart when Jacob had a sudden thought. ‘Aulf, will you help me bring something from the barn?’ he asked, with a little smile. ‘I’ve had another idea, and a blacksmith would help.’
Chapter 23
They sailed towards Pelago, Ingar at the prow. A nervous excitement made her amber eyes burn almost feverishly bright as she stared intently ahead, making certain of their course. Secretly, she was still finding it hard to believe that the others were trusting her. No one had laughed at the notion of Ingar the Orphan knowing something worthwhile. No one had doubted her judgement for a moment. The knowledge filled her with an indescribable happiness that made her beam to herself as she set the course.
The first of the Pelago islands appeared off their port side, small, wooded humps of land, with jutting rocks and thick clumps of trees. Ingar directed them towards a featureless jetty on an island very like the others. Aulf wasn’t keen to leave his boat unprotected in so exposed a spot, so Jacob and Elya left him on guard duty and followed Ingar up a long, winding path between two hills. Just as they were wondering whether there really was any habitation on this little island, they rounded a slope, and there, nestled into the hillside, was a long, low building. A sudden cacophony of barking and howling broke out from a large pack of ice dogs in a fenced paddock to the side of the house.
The house looked much prettier than any blacksmith’s house had a right to be. Its squat, stone walls were typical of most of the buildings Jacob and Elya had seen on Hexult, but the long turf roof was peppered with little wild flowers in delicate pastel shades. Even more incongruously, so far uphill from the ice, a boat was drawn up beside the house.
Alerted by the raucous row the dogs were making, a big man appeared from beneath the boat, squinting down the path to see who was coming.
Ingar raised both arms and waved, breaking into a run.
The man’s face split into a huge smile. He waved back vigorously. As Ingar raced up to him, he opened his arms and caught her up in a flying hug, spinning her round and laughing. By the time Jacob and Elya arrived at a more sedate pace, he had deposited her back on the ground.
The twins held out their hands in greeting.
‘Grim, this is Jacob and Elya,’ said Ingar. ‘They come from across the Ice Plain. Jacob, Elya, meet Jeremiah Grimwold.’
Jeremiah Grimwold was huge. His face, broad and clean-shaven, was as pock-marked and battered as the iron he wrought. Over his giant torso, he wore a coat of patchwork fur, fastened around his middle with an enormous leather belt. He held out a plate-sized, gnarled hand, first to Elya, took her hand, and bowed gallantly.
‘Across the Plain, eh?’ he said with interest. ‘How’s that then?’
&n
bsp; ‘Wait till you hear. There’s such a lot to tell you,’ Ingar promised him.
Jeremiah shook Jacob’s hand. ‘You’re not from round here, that’s for certain.’ He stared at them in fascination. ‘Come on inside. I’ve got a nice bit of apple cake we can share.’
As he followed the others inside, Jacob looked back at the blacksmith’s boat. It sat on a path made up of logs, set into a frame, leading away into a grove of trees. At this end of the log path, by the house, was a huge winch. He would have liked to linger to examine it more closely, but the others were already inside, and he didn’t want to appear rude.
The room in which they found themselves was as generously proportioned as its owner, with a large iron stove against the far wall, but it seemed to shrink when Jeremiah stood in it. A wide cushioned settle stood in front of the stove, and Jeremiah drew up two other chairs and motioned them to sit down while he took off his patchwork coat and slid the kettle onto the hotplate.
‘So now, Ingar,’ he prompted, ‘tell me the news. Who are these new friends of yours, and what’s all this about the Ice Plain?’
Ingar gave him a brief account of how she and Aulf had met Jacob and Elya, and of the ups and downs since that first meeting. Jeremiah listened, fascinated. He kept glancing at the twins, as though he still couldn’t believe their appearance.
‘All this talk about wizards and towers and strange goings on in Quayven, I don’t know what to make of it!’ he admitted, puffing out his cheeks with amazement as Ingar finished her tale. ‘Nothing much ever happens here on my little island, and there you are, leading such exciting lives!’
Jacob leant forward. ‘We were hoping for your help.’
Jeremiah raised his untidy eyebrows. ‘How can I help? I don’t know anything about the affairs of mayors and wizards.’
‘But you know about iron, don’t you?’ said Elya, and Jeremiah gave her his broad, slow smile.
‘You’re right there, miss. That’s something I do know about.’
‘That’s why we need your help,’ she told him. ‘We want to make a steel.’
He looked doubtful. ‘A what?’
‘A steel,’ she repeated. ‘For lighting a fire.’
Jeremiah looked at Ingar and raised an eyebrow.
‘Trust her, Grim,’ Ingar implored. ‘They really can do magic. Not the kind where they cast spells, with sparks coming out of their fingers or anything like that, but they do make magic things happen. I’ve seen it!’
‘If it’s sparks you want…’ put in Jacob, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
‘Stop it, Jacob!’ Elya looked back at Jeremiah. ‘The thing is, Mr Grimwold, ‘we don’t have any money to pay you up front, but if our idea works, we’ll be able to pay you then.’
Jeremiah looked back at her in wonderment. ‘What do you think?’ he said, turning to Ingar. ‘Is this something you’re involved in too?’
Ingar nodded her head vigorously. ‘I told them they could trust you.’
He laughed. ‘In which case you’d better tell me more. I’m interested to see what a skinny young lad can teach a man of my years and experience.’
Jacob grinned back at him. ‘It’s what a skinny young girl can teach you that’s more important.’
Jeremiah looked with interest at Elya.
‘The best thing, Mr Grimwold,’ she told him, ‘would be for me to show you. We’ll need iron and charcoal.’
‘Just call me Grim,’ said Jeremiah. ‘You’d better come through to the forge.’
In the workshop, Elya took charge. She sent Jacob and Ingar out to source good flint from the rocky crags that protruded all over the island. Meanwhile, she hung her coat on a hook in the wall and rolled up her sleeves.
‘We’re going to need a small length of iron,’ she told the big blacksmith, ‘and a bucket of water.’
He eyed her with a mixture of doubt and amusement.
‘You sound like you know what you’re doing,’ he said, as he fetched iron and a bucket. ‘Was your father a blacksmith?’
Elya took the iron from his hand and shook her head. ‘No, but he had a friend who was. I spent the whole summer last year as his apprentice. My father thought it would be good for me. Are there some tongs?’
Jeremiah pointed to a Grimwold-sized pair hanging from the wall that would have been capable of lifting a large boulder.
‘Oh,’ said Elya, feeling her resolve weaken. ‘Nothing smaller, that I could manage?’
He shook his head apologetically.
‘Never mind,’ she said. ‘I’ll do the bellows. You’ll have to do the iron. I’ll tell you what to do.’
He followed her instructions, putting the iron in the glowing coals until it was cherry red, then turning it and burying it in the charcoal. Secretly, he thought they had made it too hot, that the metal would become brittle and unworkable, but he said nothing, humouring this scrap of a girl, bent so earnestly over the charcoal, her thin arms working the bellows energetically, and two patches of pink deepening on her high, sharp cheekbones from the heat of the forge.
‘Now take it out and drop it in the water,’ she instructed. He did as she said and the iron fizzed and cooled instantly.
‘Now, we have to repeat the process four more times,’ said the girl.
Jeremiah said nothing. He hoped she wouldn’t be too disappointed when the iron became unworkable, which it was bound to do.
After the fifth round of heating and cooling, Elya hooked the metal out of the water and held it up.
‘Steel!’ she announced.
Jeremiah was not impressed. They had used too much charcoal. The lump of iron looked just the same, but after all that heating, it was bound to be utterly useless. He had just made up his mind he would have to say something to that effect, when Jacob and Ingar pushed open the door, letting in a rush of cold air.
‘Is it ready?’ Jacob shrugged off his outer layers, and took the metal from his sister’s hand as she nodded. He held up a piece of flint and struck a glancing blow on the steel. A thick shower of sparks burst out from beneath his hand and rained down brightly on the ground.
‘Sparks from our fingers, did you say?’ He laughed with delight.
Ingar’s mouth fell open. ‘I’ve never seen anything like that!’
Jeremiah, struck momentarily dumb, stepped back in awe, but Jacob beckoned him forwards again, holding out the rod and the stone.
‘Have a go,’ he urged. ‘A blacksmith can’t be afraid of a few sparks, after all.’
Jeremiah stared but did not move. Jacob pushed the flint and steel into the blacksmith’s huge fists. ‘Go on. Strike it.’
Jeremiah struck the flint, almost gingerly. A few small specks spattered out. He struck again, harder, and a bright shower of sparks tumbled into the air. His eyes were wide with amazement. Wizard fire, he thought; he could make wizard fire!
‘It’s incredible! I never would have believed it!’
‘Aulf should see this,’ said Ingar, wide-eyed.
Elya nodded. ‘We can show him back at the boat.
Jeremiah looked up. ‘No, let’s get him up here. This calls for a celebration.’
‘He won’t leave the boat,’ Ingar explained. ‘He’s worried about raiders.’
‘We can bring the boat up here,’ Jeremiah told her. ‘Ingar, go on down and get him to sail on round to the ramp? You know where it is, don’t you? Jacob and Elya can come with me and we’ll meet you there.’
Chapter 24
Alone on his boat, Aulf hummed to himself as he pottered about on the deck. He was happy in the company of the others, but he was equally content on his own. He had no idea how long the other three were likely to be, but imagined it would take a while to convince the blacksmith to help them. Aulf shook his head in mild disbelief as he thought about how much had happened in just a few days. He was no stranger to adventure, but the notion of undertaking this huge project to build towers to talk between islands was frightening in its sheer scale. Left alone on the boat,
he began to have doubts.
A sail appeared on the horizon. Aulf fixed his eyes on it, alert for danger. There was no doubt that it was heading his way. Automatically, he made preparations to sail. It was wise to be cautious. As he shut the starboard locker, he spotted a second sail, closer this time, tacking upwind towards him. There was always the possibility that this was a coincidence, but Aulf was not going to take the chance. As he knew to his recent cost, raider attacks were a very real danger to boats alone on the ice. Throwing off the mooring ropes, he unfurled the jib and dropped the main. The wind smacked the mainsail, tipping the skiff as it pushed it sideways across the smooth surface of the ice. As it turned, he pulled in the main and the boat tilted at an even sharper angle, gathering speed in a long arc away from the land.
Looking back, he could see the two boats closing in fast, altering direction to cut him off. He had a good start and he was confident the Aurora could outrun them, but he was concerned too. On his own, he couldn’t run indefinitely. His best chance, he decided, was to head back to Quayven and the safety of the harbour there. He set his course, using the sun and his own sharp instincts. The raiders were falling in behind him. He had outrun them in the initial chase, but now, as he’d feared, they were settling in to follow and bring him down when he faltered.
He glanced behind again. The raiders were slowing. He frowned, puzzled. Surely they weren’t about to give up so easily? Turning his gaze forward again, he strained his eyes against the glare, but there was only brilliant blue sky and blinding white ice ahead. He raised a hand to shade his goggles against the dazzle, and saw it. A trip line! The raiders had calculated his angle of escape and had stretched a thin, strong rope over posts driven into the ice, at a height calculated to rip his mast away. Instantly he let go of everything else and grabbed a red rope, fixed to the outriggers, tugging it free and hauling on it with all his might.