Dameon said pensively, ‘Hannah must have been an astonishingly powerful futureteller to be able to see so far into the future to know that you would need the key, even if she did wrongly see where it would be.’
‘She was powerful,’ I said. ‘But so was Cassandra. She left messages for me in the Land in the form of great heavy carvings that would be unlikely to be moved and were impervious to erosion but she had to make the messages cryptic so I was the only one who would understand them. Somehow she saw enough of my life to be able to do that. I think she got the idea after she made a sculpture to gift to the Reichler Clinic Reception Centre, which Hannah had established in Newrome. She hid the key in the sculpture, and sent it to the Reception Centre. I think in the end the sculpture was a message of commitment to Hannah, as well as a means of getting the key to her, because in a way, I was the subject.’
‘Ye gods! You are speaking of the glass statue that once stood in the Reichler Clinic Reception Centre in drowned Newrome!’ Analivia said, half starting up in her excitement. ‘Fian told me you dived down to see the rest of it after you saw the head that had broken off, because it looked like you!’
I gave a soft laugh. ‘You cannot imagine the strangeness of seeing my own face on a statue carved in the Beforetime.’
‘It would be a queer thing, truly,’ Analivia said.
Swallow said nothing and there was a pensive look on his face that made me wonder if he had guessed yet that Cassandra had become the first D’rekta of the Twentyfamilies. Seeing that Analivia and Dameon were eager for more, I got out Jacob’s journal, suggesting that Analivia read it aloud to the others. As she began to read, I moved a little apart and lay down again, pulling my blanket over me.
The wolves returned at dusk and, making no apology for their tardiness, Rheagor bade us follow them. By the time the moon was directly overhead, we were threading our way along a stony gully running north-east between two mountains streaked with white taint. The stones were speckled with white too, and it seemed to me they glowed slightly, though that might only have been a reflection of the moonlight. Darga had pronounced the gully tainted, but Rheagor had insisted that the taint was very weak. This told me that the wolves did have the ability not just to discern taint but to judge its virulence. It must be this ability that would enable them to lead us safely across the graag. Jak had explained to me once that few Blacklands territories were uniformly poisonous. There were places where the taint was less or had faded and other places where it would be concentrated.
I believed that we would take no great harm from the pale gully, given Rheagor’s assurance, nevertheless it reminded me unpleasantly of the Silent Vale and I was very glad when the wolves led us up a scree slope to a low peak that turned out to be the beginning of a ridgeline connecting a row of peaks that ended in a long spur. This ran eventually to a high saddle between two immense mountains in the east.
A steady chill wind blew all that night as we made our way along the ridgeline. The sound of it whining sullenly through gaps in the rocks was unnerving, especially since occasionally the wind would utter a bloodcurdling shriek that sounded like the cry of a woman. The moon was fattening, and rode in the sky most of the night, clouds flying across its face like tattered black rags. It was a good deal colder, too, for we were higher now, and we were all glad when the pink of dawn stained the sky.
The wind was still blowing hard and I saw great banks of purple to the north that had the look of snow clouds. We were not far from the final ascent to the saddle, which was even longer than it had looked from afar.
Rheagor bade us climb up to the top and wait there until he and the wolves returned. Once more, he gave me no chance to ask questions before leading the pack down the side of the ridge we had just traversed. When I told the others what he had said, Swallow suggested we wait until the sun rose a good bit higher before we tackled the climb, since there was no great haste now the wolves had left us, and this early it was like to be wet and slippery if not sheened in ice.
‘It will be midday before the sun strikes the spur, if it shines long enough,’ I objected, gesturing to the clouds. ‘Better to have the climb over with before they spill whatever is in their belly.’
In the end we decided to rest for at least an hour or two and then make the climb, because Analivia had pointed out that Rasial and Gavyn had again fallen behind. Indeed there was no sign of them anywhere on the ridgeline, which meant they were a good few hours behind us. Ahmedri did manage to light a fire despite the wind, and produce a small mug each of a truly foul tisane, which he said would strengthen us for the climb. He promised to prepare a proper meal once we had got through the pass, and then he and Analivia and Swallow again fell to discussing herbal preparations. I left them to walk a little way back along the ridge.
I was determined to try farseeking Rasial, despite the fact that my senses buzzed with the nearness of tainted ground. Rheagor had said none of it was strong enough to cause us any trouble, and so I might be able to push through it.
Gahltha came after me, nibbling at tufts of lichen that Darga had pronounced free of taint. He insisted that there was no need for me to worry about Rasial or the boy. Maruman had said the same thing but I was too anxious to heed them. I summoned a probe and farsought the ridgeback. To my surprise and relief, Rasial was quite close. She and the boy were not visible because Gavyn had found a ledge path that snaked along the side of the ridgeline.
I saw this much before Rasial ejected me so forcefully from her mind that it made me feel sick.
‘I warned you,’ Maruman sneered, as I returned to the windblown raggedy little fire.
I said nothing, but as soon as they arrived, I insisted that we pack up and make the climb to the saddle, for I was worried about the clouds collecting overhead. They had grown steadily darker and the wind was colder than it had been when we had first arrived. I did not want to wait any longer since it would be a far more difficult climb if we had to do it in the rain. No one objected, for it was not pleasant or restful perched on the bare mountainside with the wind blowing fiercely. Swallow went up first with Dameon roped between him and Analivia. I came behind them with Darga and Maruman, and Ahmedri came last, with Rasial and Gavyn. But the boy was swift and nimble and in no time he had scrambled past the rest of us to take the lead, Rasial in his wake. We had left the horses to come up last, for they would need to get up speed for some of the steeper stretches. It was a hard climb, not so much because occasionally the angle of the spur sharpened, but because of the relentless, harrying wind. Gavyn alone had seemed untroubled by it and he and the she-dog reached the pass and vanished long before the rest of us. I could only hope Rasial would make sure Gavyn did not wander off while we completed the ascent, but I did not make the mistake of trying to farseek her again.
‘Gnawing,’ Maruman observed scornfully, and leapt ahead as well.
Glumly, I stopped to rest, telling myself he was right. Even if Gavyn had not seemed perfectly able to take care of himself, Rasial was devoted to the boy and would not allow anything to harm him. I wondered suddenly if they had been deliberately falling behind to avoid the wolves. Now that I thought about it, I realised that ever since the wolves had joined us, Rasial and Gavyn had lagged well behind in the night and rejoined us after the pack had departed for the day. Then they would stay with us until the wolves returned. It was the ridgeback’s doing, I was sure, because the cubs always appeared to be attracted to Gavyn, and although he did not seek them out he certainly seemed to enjoy their play. The older wolves clearly disapproved. They would snap at the cubs to drive them back from the boy, but they did so without showing any aggression or malice towards Gavyn. It was as if they perceived him to be a danger, but a passive one, such as a frozen lake or a cliff edge. It was different with Rasial. The wolves raised their hackles and bared their teeth whenever the ridgeback chanced to come too close, regardless of the fact that she was female and offered no challenge. Rheagor alone ignored her but then he seemed to ignore m
ost things. I would have assumed the wolves were shunning Rasial because she had aligned herself with funaga, except that they paid little attention to Darga or even to Maruman, who hissed and swore at any wolf that looked sideways at him.
I might have asked Rheagor about it, but he never gave me any opportunity to question him. When I did manage to ask him something before he cut me off, his answer was always terse and utterly uninformative. Clearly he had no intention of altering his stance towards humans, whether or not he had decided to help me in my quest.
It was close to midday before we had all reached the saddle. It was windier than ever at the top for the land fell steeply away on the other side to a tumble of boulders and broken stone far below. But the nearest mountain to the north crumpled sideways as if it wanted to touch foreheads with the mountain forming the southern side of the saddle, leaving an opening that would have looked natural if solid stone had not been shaped into a perfect arched doorway. It was not a doorway such as one might find in a house. It was big enough for a carriage to pass through and deep enough to be a short tunnel, yet beyond this grandiose entrance lay only a small plateau. It was flat, as if it had been shaped by the machines of the Beforetimers, but to what purpose?
We all wondered again at the strangeness of the Beforetimers, as we passed through the archway and went down to the plateau. I was baffled to see that it was raining hard on the other side, but the moment I stepped out onto the plateau, the rain stopped. Only when I turned to look back at it did I see that the rain was a cascade of water running down from above and dropping past the opening. When he came through, I asked Darga if the water was clean and he agreed that it was.
I was relieved because we had passed several rills in the night that Rheagor had rejected, and I had been afraid we might have come to the end of clean water. That I had not worried at the matter told me how differently I saw this journey from any other I had made. I would never have set off on a farseeker expedition without knowing I had enough water and food for myself and my companions, human and beast, or certain knowledge of where more might be acquired. But my quest had always required me to proceed with little or no information and a good deal of faith. In a strange way, I felt the mountains were testing both my resolve and my faith in my quest.
I turned from the weeping archway and gasped, for now I could see that the small plateau offered a truly spectacular view across a great wide chasm, at the bottom of which, far below, glittered the bright thread of a river. High, snow-capped mountains marched northward along the other side of the chasm, snow blowing in long white plumes from their summits. On the eastern side of the chasm, spread out below the plateau, was a great long vale of low peaks. Over it all arched the endless sky, and even the gathering clouds could not detract from the spectacle.
I could not see to the east because the mountain upon which we stood rose up beside the plateau, as did the mountains huddled either side. I could see no obvious descent, save to climb down the cliff below the plateau, and even if we humans could manage it, the horses could not. Most likely the wolves had led us here because it was out of the wind and there was grass for the horses and clean water. But I hoped we would not have to climb back down the spur when night fell.
The others had begun to set up camp in a hollow to the right of the gate, while I stood gazing at the view. Ahmedri was already lighting a fire in readiness for cooking the meal he had promised. It was always the way with expeditions that people would swiftly fall into roles and routines that suited their skills. No one had elected Ahmedri fire lighter, yet he was better at it than anyone else, and he and Swallow cooked most often, because they were better at it than the rest of us. I bestirred myself and went to help Swallow unpack the horses so that they could graze unencumbered.
Gavyn took no part in any preparation of food, although he often had something in his hempen bag that he had found while foraging. Today it was birds’ eggs, Analivia announced with delight when he had carelessly handed a sack to her. I thought the birds whose nests he had raided would be a good deal less delighted, but Maruman had vanished the moment we reached the plateau and I had no doubt he too was seeking eggs and the birds that had laid them. Now the boy was lying asleep on the bare stone, hands outflung, palms facing the sky so that the fingers curled loosely upward. He looked very young and I found myself wishing I had been able to prevent him coming. It was bad enough to bring the others into danger, but they were adults, beast and human, and had chosen to come. Gavyn had chosen only to accompany Rasial. He could not possibly understand the significance of what I had to do, or the dangers inherent in the journey I was undertaking.
‘The boy understands more than you know,’ Darga sent.
I turned to look at the big solemn dog, but Analivia was coming towards me. She looked down at Gavyn and said softly, ‘He is very strange. Do you notice how the wolf cubs quest at him when the adults don’t stop them, as if he were a long lost brother?’
‘I have noticed,’ I said. ‘He has a wild enthralling ability that is probably affecting them. No doubt they can’t block it as the adult wolves can, who strive to keep the young ones away from him.’
We had eaten and cleaned up when sunlight suddenly shafted brilliantly down through a widening gap that had opened up in the darkening clouds which all but covered the sky. I had not realised until then how dark it had become. We all lolled by the fire for a time in companionable silence, enjoying the sun, then Analivia offered to read some more of Jacob’s journal to the others. I left them to it and went up to the weeping archway to fill the water bottles. It was a tedious business because, although the ground about the arch was sodden, the water did not pool anywhere, so I had to catch it falling. I was halfway through the gourd bottles when I heard a shout and turned to see Swallow beckoning urgently. Wondering if they had found something in the journal, I stoppered the bottle I had been filling, gathered the rest, filled and unfilled, and hurried to the hollow.
‘What is it?’ I asked, as Swallow took the bottles from me and handed them to an excited-looking Analivia.
‘I’ll show you,’ he said, and he took my hand and led me firmly to the furthermost northern edge of the plateau. Instead of looking down, Swallow took my shoulders and turned me directly east to face the mountains behind the plateau. Then he pointed to the narrow gap between them.
I gaped, for from this angle I could see that there was a stone bluff jutting out into the gap about halfway up the southern peak. Atop it was a building, the likes of which I had never seen before. It was too high for me to be able to make out much detail, but it had a round roof split through as if some giant with a sharp knife had cut a thin slice through the centre of a pie. The building was so white as to have been made from a block of snow, and with the sun shining directly on it and the dark stormy sky beyond the gap, it shone like a beacon.
‘It is the building Jacob scribed about,’ Analivia said eagerly, having come with the others to join us. ‘The Taillard Observatory. He said he needed to go there to see the dream city. It can’t be an accident that we have stumbled upon it!’
‘I am inclined to agree,’ I said, studying the face of the mountain under the bluff. There was a talus that would be easy enough to surmount, but the rest of the climb would be virtually straight up, unless we could go around the talus to find some easier ascent. I could see now why the Beforetimers had created such a gateway and smoothed the plateau. It was the way to the mysterious Observatory. But what was observed from it, other than mountains, and how had the Beforetimers climbed up to it?
‘I told you she would want to see it!’ Analivia said triumphantly to Swallow.
To my surprise, Dameon opposed the idea of climbing up to it, asking what need we had of seeing the city that was our destination, since the wolves meant to lead us there.
‘Rheagor has no love for us and is miserly with what he tells,’ I told him quietly. ‘He said his ancestor came across the graag to the mountains and I have no reason to doubt that is true
, and that he knows what his ancestor knew. But consider this: was it mere chance or whim that made him bid us wait here instead of telling us to go on if we liked and the wolves would sniff out our trail?’
‘You think he meant you to see it?’ Dameon asked thoughtfully.
‘It is certainly a possibility. He might have seen it when he visioned. The question I would ask is why we need to see it, and the only way to find out is to go up there.’
After some talk, it was decided that Swallow, Ahmedri and I would make the climb. Analivia had pointed out that the tribesman was by far the best climber, other than Gavyn. Ahmedri had not taken part in the discussion and all he said was that we had better begin at once if we wanted to be back down before nightfall.
I was more concerned about the weather than dusk, for the clouds had closed over again and they had a bruised, ominous look.
As we made our preparations, Analivia said cheerfully that at least it would take a good deal less time to come down than to go up.
‘A climb down is sometimes harder than the climb up,’ Swallow warned, but Analivia chided him for being gloomy.
The landslide that had created the talus must have happened some time ago, for lichen grew liberally over the scree and broken stone. I had thought it would be simple to climb and it was, except from the plateau we had not seen what was beyond the mounded talus: a great deep cut between the two mountains. Swallow threw a stone into it and we listened, but did not hear it land. It ought not to have made any difference to us, since there was no need to go anywhere near the abyss, but I could not help picturing it as I climbed.
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