by Linda McNabb
“How long do you think that will give us?” Maata asked, trying desperately to control the horses.
“I don’t know. I’m surprised it worked at all,” Zaine replied, scrubbing one of the runes out with his bare foot.
The horses finally tugged free and bolted back the way they had come. Zaine briefly considered chasing them, but knew he had no chance of catching them.
“I guess we walk from here,” Maata said with a resigned tone of voice. “If we follow the stream over there it will lead us to Land’s End.”
They walked for hours, and still there was no sign of the castle. Zaine began to wonder if they were even going in the right direction. His bare feet were sore from walking on the rough ground next to the stream, and several cuts stung as he stepped in a small puddle of water.
A stiff, cold breeze brushed across Zaine’s face, but he resisted the urge to look up at the sky and see if the storm dragons had found them again. He couldn’t stop himself from straining for any sounds of them, though. A few seconds later he sighed audibly with relief – the only sound was the sweet bubbling of water as the wide stream tumbled over rocks beside them. The stream had become much wider as they travelled, and now it was so wide that Zaine would not want to try crossing it as he had never learnt to swim.
“It’s not far now,” Maata said reassuringly as she noticed his unease.
He had never felt this tired, and it was all he could do to put one foot in front of the other and keep plodding on after Maata. The cold wind stung his cheeks and the soles of his bare feet had started to go numb. He paused to scoop up some water and splash it on his face, hoping the icy water would revive him. Time seemed to slip into a blur as he focused on forcing his legs to keep moving.
“The Summer Castle is just up ahead,” Maata said a while later, and he looked up, searching for the castle. “We’re at Land’s End.”
The castle came into view as they came around a copse of trees, but it was not what Zaine had been expecting. Instead of a white, sparkling castle like Willow Castle, it was old and grey and appeared to have been abandoned for a very long time. Most of the windows on the huge stone castle were boarded up, and weeds and bushes grew so high that they reached most of the first-floor windows.
“Nobody has lived here in hundreds of years,” Maata said, shaking her head at the unkempt condition the castle was in. “I don’t know why, but it was forbidden to come here. Father brought me here just once a few years ago and told me that when I became queen I was to make sure nobody came here.”
Zaine stared at the old castle and frowned. What could be so bad about the place? Sure, it looked old and run-down, but there was nothing unusual about it. “Why is it called Lands’ End?”
“Keep following the stream and you’ll see,” Maata told him.
They walked on, past the derelict castle, and a roaring sound made Zaine spin and look skywards with fear.
“It’s not the storm,” Maata assured him. She dragged him downstream for a few minutes – and he blinked as the ground suddenly stopped and there was nothing beyond it.
CHAPTER FIVE - LAND’S END
Zaine hadn’t been sure what to expect, but what lay before him was truly breath-taking. He knew that the land didn’t end here – everyone knew that – so he had always wondered why someone would name a place Land’s End. Now he knew.
They were looking down into a canyon, but Zaine could see neither the bottom nor the other side. Everything was masked by the water spray that rose from the waterfall as it cascaded over the side of the canyon a few dozen paces from where they stood. The crashing roar of the water was loud enough to drown out everything else.
“Where does the waterfall go?” Zaine leaned close to Maata’s ear so she could hear.
“I don’t know,” she replied with a shake of her head. “I wasn’t here long enough to find out, and father wouldn’t tell me.”
“Well, it must lead somewhere if Aldren is right. Remember, he said Guyan lived beyond Land’s End. That means there’s only one way to go; down. Let’s hope Guyan is still there.” Zaine couldn’t help a nervous look back at the sky behind them. There was no sign of the storm dragons, and he wondered how long it would take them to realise they were chasing after something that didn’t exist. He hadn’t expected the trick to work for this long.
“So how do we get down there?” Maata mused as she walked back and forth along the edge of the cliff, staring down into the mist that rose from the thundering waterfall. “I don’t see a path.”
Zaine followed her, looking as well, but neither of them could see a way down beyond the waterfall. After a dozen passes along the edge, they retreated to the courtyard behind the castle and sat on a stone bench that looked out over the cliff.
“It really does look like the end of the world,” Zaine said, staring at the view for a few seconds before bringing his mind back to the task at hand. He drew one leg up onto the stone bench and rested his chin on it. “I guess the way down is hidden.”
“I don’t think we’ll be finding any hidden path in the dark,” Maata said, pointing at the quickly setting sun.
Zaine knew she was right, but he didn’t want the storm dragons to catch up with them either. He walked over to the edge of the cliff again and looked down into the darkening chasm below.
“I think we should wait. It won’t help matters if we fall down there. I could make some light, but I’m already exhausted.” Zaine kicked at the overgrown cobbles as he walked away from the edge.
“We can stay in the Summer Castle,” Maata suggested. “It was fully furnished when I visited last.”
They kicked down the wood that blocked the main front door and entered the dusty castle just as the last of the light faded. Maata lit several lamps, which cast a dull yellow glow around the disused and dusty reception room. Everything was covered in big white sheets, and the sheets were covered in dust.
“This will do,” Zaine said, flicking off one of the sheets to uncover a long sofa. He coughed at the dust that rose up, and then removed a cover from another sofa more slowly. “I don’t suppose there’s any food here is there?”
“I don’t think so,” Maata replied. “But when you were busy with the fire I put some food from Davyn’s cottage into your pack. I thought we might need it.”
“Really?” Zaine asked, impressed that she had thought of it. All he had thought of was running away from the storm. He hadn’t even noticed that the pack was heavier.
After a brief meal, they collapsed on the sofas and were asleep within minutes. Zaine’s dreams were full of storms and shoes that ran by themselves. By the time morning came, he was more than ready to get up and keep moving.
They made their way back out into the courtyard and stood looking over the cascading waterfall. Maata strapped on the pack and placed her cloak over it.
“Perhaps we’re in the wrong place?” Zaine walked the length of the cliff again, and then came to sit back on a stone bench.
“There is only one Land’s End and we’re going to have to find the path soon. That storm will catch up with us eventually, and I doubt it will fall for the same trick twice. Besides we don’t have any more shoes,” Maata said, attempting to lighten the mood with a joke. She got up and kicked at a clump of grass that grew between two of the cobbles in the courtyard.
Zaine stared at the cobbles as she continued to scuff at the clumps of grass, and then something made him frown. He leapt off the stone bench and stared at the cobbles. He walked over to Maata and knelt down where she had uprooted the grass.
“What is it?” Maata asked, bending down and pushing her long black hair out of the way so she could see what he was doing.
“It’s a rune,” Zaine muttered as he swept at the cobble with his bare hand. He grabbed the clump of grass and used it to clean off years of dirt from the cobble, then stood up. At his feet was a clearly chiselled rune. The cobble it was on was tinted red, unlike the rest which were a faded grey colour.
“That’s like the one on the front of all the runebooks,” Maata commented. Then she kicked at other cobbles nearby and looked up in confusion. “But there aren’t any others. I thought all runes had to be done in a circle.”
“Most do,” Zaine replied, deep in thought as he continued to stare at the rune. He knelt back down and placed his finger on the design.
Slowly and firmly he traced the rune and stood up again. He thought he heard a slight scraping sound, but with the roar of the waterfall a short way off it was hard to be certain. “Did anything change?”
“What were you expecting?” Maata asked, looking around with a confused expression.
“I don’t know,” Zaine admitted. He walked across the courtyard, towards the cliff, stopped, and then grinned as he turned back to Maata. “Over this way!”
Maata followed him to where part of the courtyard had sunk away, right next to the cliff edge. It had formed a set of steps, which led off the side of the cliff.
“I guess only a runeweaver would ever be able to open up the path,” Maata said, looking pleased but a little concerned. “Do you think the steps are safe?”
Zaine went over and tested his weight on the steps as they came closer to the edge of the cliff. There seemed to be nothing they could hold onto as they went over the edge of the cliff. The cobbles looked very old and not terribly safe. If they crumbled or moved, anyone on them would tumble down the cliff to a certain death.
“We don’t really have much of a choice but to hope they are,” Zaine said, grabbing Maata’s hand and stepping forward. “I don’t plan on sitting here waiting for the storm dragons to come and find us.”
With far more bravery than he actually felt, Zaine led the way slowly over the cliff edge. He held his breath as he stepped over the edge and down the side of the cliff. Relief flooded through him when the step supported his weight easily, and he stepped down again, leading Maata around the steep curve the steps formed as they veered back in towards the cliff face. After a dozen steps they reached a rock ledge, which widened out into a path that zigzagged down into the mist.
Just as they stepped onto the ledge, Zaine saw another red cobble, set into the rock of the ledge. There was no other way past it but to step onto it. This one did not have a rune on it, but as Zaine placed his foot on it the cobbles above them began to grind slowly together as they moved back into their original position. The path back up to the Summer Castle was gone and their only choice now was to continue down the cliff.
The path was not wide and they were forced to go down it in single file. It wasn’t a steep or difficult path to follow, but still their progress was slow. Zaine couldn’t help but keep looking at the long drop only a step to his right.
They descended right into the mist from the waterfall, and the path became slippery, which slowed them down even more. The view of the misty valley had disappeared completely and Zaine felt like he was walking through a cloud. It seemed to go on forever, and Zaine was beginning to doubt that this was leading anywhere at all.
“The mist is clearing,” Maata said, pointing ahead of them an hour later.
Zaine pushed wet hair out of his eyes for about the tenth time, and paused so he could look where she was pointing. The mist was indeed clearing, and ahead he could see a valley stretching out. It would take days to walk across what they could see, and most of it was forest and grasslands. He couldn’t see a single village or house, or even a road.
“I wonder where we start looking.” Zaine scanned the large valley for any signs of life.
“We have to get down there first,” Maata said. She didn’t sound very confident of their ability to do so. “Look what’s up ahead.”
Zaine pulled his attention from the huge area they would have to search and brought it back to the path. It had dried out a lot now that they were not directly in the mist from the waterfall, and it had levelled out as well. Surely the path would be easy to follow down to the bottom of the valley now? He couldn’t see why Maata was being so negative, but as his eyes followed the grey path down further he felt his shoulders sag with disappointment. Not far down the path there was a huge gap where the rock face had crumbled away and taken the path with it.
“It may not be as bad as it looks,” Zaine said, trying to sound confident and not worried, but failing miserably. They slowly worked their way down the path, still keeping their distance from the steep fall off the side of the cliff.
When they reached the missing chunk of the path, they stopped several steps back and surveyed the damage. The gap was far too large to jump across, and they were still far too high off the floor of the valley to risk the fall.
“Even if we could get across, the path doesn’t look very safe,” Maata said, and looked back up the cliff face. “We can’t go back up that way, so we have to find a way to go down.”
Zaine leaned against the cliff face and slid down to sit on the path. Surely his runeweaving should be able to help them get across? It had saved both himself and Maata when they were in the Circle of Dreams. This seemed different somehow, though. He would be asking Maata to step from the safety of the path and trust him completely.
What if the story about the runes failing was true? They might fail when Maata was halfway across the chasm. Maata’s opinion of the rest of the path worried him as well. Could he stop them from falling if he had to? He ran through the possible runes he could use, and then stood up and kicked at a small rock in frustration. He wasn’t sure enough that the runes would work to risk Maata’s life on it. His life-reading said that he would hold the royal line in the balance – he did not want to prove his mother right by harming Maata.
He kicked at another rock and watched it skid off the path and into the canyon. As he watched, he saw something that made him step closer to the edge.
“What are you looking at?” Maata came to stand next to him and peered down as well.
“There’s a path down there,” Zaine said, pointing to a narrow path through a rocky outcrop that rose from the base of the valley. The rocks formed a small canyon, and tall trees stretched to find the light above the rocks.
“We need to find a way to get down there. You could make a bridge or maybe a ladder of some sort.” Maata’s totally confident tone said she thought it the perfect solution.
Zaine was about to remind her of the runes failing when he had a thought. Maybe the path was supposed to stop here. Somehow they were supposed to get down to the path below, and he doubted it would require any fancy runeweaving. The rune that had opened up the path down the cliff had been so simple that he had come to the conclusion that it was meant for those who had limited or no knowledge of runes. Why, then, would the next test require a complicated use of runes?
“I think there is a simpler solution,” Zaine replied as he racked his brain for what it could be. “This looks like another test to make sure only runeweavers go into the valley.”
“Maybe there is another rune like the one up in the courtyard?” Maata suggested.
Zaine scuffed at the hard grey rock of the ledge with his foot, looking for a rune to unlock the next part of the path. After several long minutes of searching up and down the last part of the path, he finally came across a red cobble set into the wall of the cliff. It was the same as the first one, but still he hesitated for a second before tracing it.
A loud rumbling sound made him step back and pull Maata with him. He was a little puzzled to see the cliff behind them sink away to form steps leading back up to the castle. He stepped closer when the rumbling subsided and examined them closely.
“Why are they going back up the way we came?” Maata voiced the question he was thinking.
He couldn’t help but frown as he tried to work out what he had done wrong. He looked back down to the path in the canyon below. His eyes narrowed as he saw that a slim slice of rock had appeared just below the path, seeming to hang in the air. Another slice of rock was a short distance below it, and it was floating too. The rocks continued down in a
spiralling pattern to the path below.
“I think it’s a choice we have to make,” Zaine said slowly. He looked back at the solid, safe steps that led back up to the castle, and then at the ones hanging in the air. “It’s a test to see if we have to courage to carry on.”
“The steps don’t look very big,” Maata said as she examined the floating rocks. “We’ll have to go one at a time.”
Zaine was impressed that she hadn’t even hesitated in her decision and there wasn’t a hint of doubt in her eyes. He took a deep breath and walked to the edge of the path. His heart was beating so fast and so loud that it was pulsing in his ears and blocking out almost everything else. The rock was too far out to leave one foot on the safety of the ledge, and it was all he could do to stop himself shutting his eyes as he made the leap of faith to the first step.
A shiver of relief ran through him as the rock supported him easily. He did not want to look down, but he had to in order to see the next step. Even so, it was several seconds before he could convince himself to take that next step. He wasn’t normally this nervous – but he had never stood on a rock in thin air before either. Finally the thought that the rocks may stay there for only a short time made him unglue his feet from the rock and step down.
Maata followed with a slightly hesitant step, which made Zaine feel a lot better about his own nervousness. It was slow-going as he forced himself to keep stepping further out into the chasm, and he was sweating by the time he finally stepped onto the safety of the rocky outcrop. His legs began to wobble, and he was forced to sit down suddenly so he didn’t embarrass himself by falling over. The strength in his legs seemed to have vanished, and he was relieved to see Maata take the last step and tumble to the ground beside him.
“That was as bad as the Circle of Dreams,” Maata muttered as she glared back up at the rock steps. Zaine nodded in agreement and watched as the rocks suddenly faded from sight. His heart skipped a beat as he wondered whether it was just a limited time that had passed or whether the rocks – or someone – knew that they had reached the bottom. Back up on the path, he heard the steps up the cliff grinding out of sight.