by Julia Gray
'She always put others before herself,' he said, as if he'd only just realized this. 'Me, the boys . . .'
'Even me,' Terrel added. 'And I was a stranger.'
'Not any more. You . . .' Kerin hesitated, evidently feeling uncomfortable about finishing the thought. 'You will stay and help me look after her, won't you?' he asked instead.
'I'll stay as long as I can. But the main reason I want to get back to Vadanis is so I can go to my friend, to try to help her.'
Kerin nodded reluctantly, acknowledging the prior claim on Terrel's loyalties.
'Besides,' the boy added, 'this is beyond my healing. You'll be able to do as much for her as I can.'
'I won't let them put her in the caves,' Kerin declared abruptly.
This possibility hadn't even occurred to Terrel, but he was not familiar with all the customs and superstitions of Macul.
'I'm sure it won't come to that,' he said, hoping this was true.
'Maybe these forces will let her wake up soon anyway.'
Terrel said nothing to dash this optimism, even though he did not share it. He thought that, in his heart of hearts, Kerin probably didn't believe it either.
'I still don't understand what happened to the water,' Kerin said, changing the subject again. 'Did you have anything to do with that?'
'Me?' Terrel was taken aback by the question, but then he recalled some of the whispering he'd heard as they made their way back to the hut. 'No. I'm not a sorcerer or a sharakan. I don't even know where my healing comes from.' He could see now that, faced with inexplicable events, the villagers might have wondered about the only person in Fenduca who had demonstrated arcane powers of any kind - but the idea that he might be capable of such a feat was ludicrous, and he was surprised that Kerin had even considered it.
'But something happened,' Kerin said.
'I think it was the same forces.' Terrel recalled the elemental's panic -
which had bordered on madness -when it had been threatened by a deluge of water. It was another reason for him to believe it must have been involved in Ysatel's fate. 'They react violently to water,' he went on, picking his words carefully, 'and emptying the pool was the only way of saving Ysy from drowning.'
'I've never seen anything like it.'
'I don't suppose many people have,' Terrel commented, remembering the stream flowing uphill in Betancuria. Although the water here had been flung aside as if propelled by an incredible explosion, the two events had defied both nature and logic. Perhaps finding the person it was trying to protect surrounded by what it thought of as a magical substance had confused the elemental and caused it to react so wildly.
'And it was so quiet!' Kerin exclaimed. 'You couldn't believe what was happening.'
That had indeed been the eeriest aspect of the whole scene. But what had amazed Terrel more than anything was the fact that the power that hurled the water into the sky had not only left Ysatel perfectly dry, but had also done not the slightest damage to her body or even her clothes. The forces involved had been precisely controlled - at odds with the apparent violence of their action.
As Terrel was preoccupied with these thoughts, he was startled by a sudden bark of laughter from Kerin. It was not a happy sound.
'I don't know whether the Dark Moon's listening or not,' he remarked bitterly.
'Did it hear our prayer or reject it?'
Terrel had no answer to that.
Kerin was not the only one who was distraught after the events of that afternoon. Frasu and Erena were also in a terrible state. Terrel went to see them as soon as he felt able to leave Ysatel's bedside, and he found Davi's parents close to breaking point. Although Erena had recovered from the janizar's blow with nothing worse than a lump above her right ear and a nasty headache, the loss of their only child was utterly devastating. They had no idea when - or even if- they'd ever see Davi again. In Frasu's case at least, their anguish was combined with pent-up rage and guilt that manifested itself in an inability to keep still. While his wife lay propped up in bed, trying to move her head as little as possible, he paced around the hut, muttering to himself.
Terrel's first concern when he arrived was to see that Erena was all right physically, and his healing instincts soon confirmed that she had suffered no lasting damage and helped her to deal with the lingering pain. After that there wasn't much he could do to console them, but he felt he ought to say something. As he considered various alternatives, he wondered if they were blaming him for not going to Cardos's aid himself, but he soon found that their main complaint was directed at Talker instead.
'We knew something bad would come of Davi being with that man,' Erena said quietly.
'The two of them did a lot of good, though,' Terrel pointed out.
'And look where it led!'
Terrel tried to convince Davi's parents that they were laying the blame at the wrong door, that it was Yahn and the soldiers who had been responsible for the terrible events.
'But none of this would have happened if Davi hadn't been with Talker in the first place, would it?' Frasu said.
Once again, Terrel had no answer.
It was only when Terrel returned to the Mirana household and checked on Ysatel's progress that he recalled
Farazin's advice to take note of his dreams that night.
Some people were not going to dream at all; Kerin was intent on sitting up all night with his wife, even though Terrel tried to persuade him to get some rest. The boy would have liked to keep the vigil too, but his healing efforts that day had left him close to exhaustion, and he knew he would have to sleep at some point. Even so, it felt very strange to be alone in the larger of the two rooms - Olandis and Aylen had still not returned - and he lay awake in the unfamiliar bed long into the night, replaying the events of the day in his head.
The abduction of Talker and Davi was yet another sign of injustice in a land where those who held any sort of power - whether it was the king and his soldiers, or the sharaken — seemed to have little or no regard for the welfare of the common people. That was bad enough, but it was Ysatel's fate that occupied most of his thoughts.
He told himself that it was possible that something else, and not the elemental, had been responsible - but all his instincts rejected that idea.
The parallels with what had happened to Alyssa — potentially fatal danger averted by extreme, supernatural phenomena, but at the cost of becoming a sleeper — were too obvious to ignore. And Alyssa was convinced that whatever had protected her -and protected her still — originated from the elemental.
Terrel was more familiar with that strange creature than anyone else alive, but even he had no idea how or why it did such things. What made Ysatel — and Alyssa before her - worthy of its guardianship?
That word rang alarm bells in Terrel's head. Was it possible that the elemental was the Guardian of the Tindaya Code? This was a question he was not remotely
qualified to answer, and once again he hoped that Alyssa and the ghosts would return soon so that he could discuss it with them.
Setting that disturbing train of thought aside, he returned to the possible similarities between the two women. Was it something intrinsic to their minds?
Perhaps even a type of madness? Ysatel had been completely sane, as far as he knew. There had been some uncharacteristically eccentric behaviour since she'd become pregnant, but that was hardly the same as Alyssa's peculiarities.
Talker had seemed much more like Alyssa at times, but he had not become a sleeper. In fact, only a very few people were chosen — if indeed the process was as deliberate as that - and both men and women had fallen into comas.
Apart from Ysatel and Alyssa, the only ones Terrel knew about were Lathan and the trio in the caves, but he thought now that there must be more elsewhere.
What did they all have in common?
The only link he could think of between Ysatel, Alyssa and Lathan was that he himself had been there when they'd fallen asleep - although in Lathan's case he
had not known this at the time - but he had been many miles away and little more than an infant when the three prospectors had succumbed on the black mountain, and this seemed to rule out his being a direct influence.
Even so, he could not help brooding on his own role in events, thinking of the similarities between what had happened to Ysatel and Alyssa, and wondering if his presence had been partly instrumental in their fates. And if so, had he been a curse or a blessing? Were all the people he came to love doomed to become sleepers? Or was it possible that they'd have died if he hadn't been there?
Could it be that his presence had made the elemental notice the two women? No matter where the protection came from, it had to be directed somehow. After all, most people in deadly peril were not saved in this manner - if 'saved'
was the right word. And if the elemental was going to be influenced by anyone, Terrel knew it was likely to be him.
Flummoxed by another set of questions he couldn't answer, Terrel yearned again for Alyssa and her entourage. After all, he thought, they really ought to come now. If what had happened was not another step along the unknown road, then what was it?
Just before he finally fell asleep, Terrel remembered that he'd received dream-messages from Alyssa soon after she'd become a sleeper — messages that had reassured him that she was all right, and would wait for him. He'd found this enormously comforting. Would the same thing happen with Ysatel? Or would her messages - if she was able to send any - be directed to Kerin? And if so, would he need a link to her, like Alyssa's ring?
Terrel was determined to explore every possibility -both while he was awake and while he was asleep. He let himself drift into the world of dreams, his heart filled with a mixture of hope and fear.
Far above, the invisible shadow that was the Dark Moon passed silently across the slumbering sky.
Chapter Twenty-One
It began with an image that could only make sense in a dream. A group of people were flying up into the air from a mountaintop, because there was a hole in the sky and they were needed to weave the cloth that was to patch it.
After that it got really strange.
Terrel was one of the flying people, but suddenly he was alone, and instead of looking up to find the elusive hole, he was gazing down. The land spread out below him like a map - but a map designed by an insane cartographer. Rivers ran as straight as the flight of arrows, ignoring the contours of the terrain.
Mountains were revealed as hollow, collapsing in on themselves as they melted, so that rock bubbled and spat like stew in a cauldron. Towns and villages were mere patches of pestilence, black markers of a plague that infected the earth itself. There was just one place that was different, that glittered and shone like a bright jewel cast into a pigsty.
There was an extra darkness moving within this unreal night. At first Terrel thought it was the shadow of the Dark Moon, but he soon realized that this was impossible. Looking at it made him feel cold. He was touched by an inexplicable fear, and a sense of separation that was wrong. He tried to warm himself, to guide the darkness to safety, but he was enveloped by swirling clouds and felt rain lash down below him, driven forward on a new wind. Blind now, he was assailed by new torments - a familiar, childlike panic, a malicious sense of amusement, and then a searing pain in his chest that left him gasping for breath.
He awoke, bathed in a cold sweat, with the mocking words of the enchanter still sounding in his ears.
Still alive, I see. It's a pity such resilience should have been wasted on you. Not that it matters. I have other things to amuse me now. Enjoy your travels, Terrel.
He was not able to answer, rendered mute as he had been so many times before, but this time it was different. He knew a little about the enchanter now. He had a sense of him, some knowledge - though incomplete - of his motives and abilities. Terrel knew his enemy's status, his heritage and title. And his name.
By the time Terrel staggered from his bed, he had decided that he would not tell Farazin about his dream. It seemed much too vague and ominous to mean anything to the sky-watcher - and in any case, it had had nothing to do with the Dark Moon. Besides, he told himself, I've got more important things to think about.
He stumbled over to the connecting doorway, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and saw that Ysatel had not moved. He hadn't expected anything else, but was still
disappointed. Kerin had finally fallen asleep where he sat, his mouth open and his neck bent at an awkward angle. He would be stiff when he woke, but Terrel decided not to disturb him. He would need as much rest as possible to help him through the next few days. Instead, the boy pulled on some clothes and went out into the cool air of dawn.
Does knowing his name help?
Terrel spun round, and saw a seagull alight on the roof of the hut.
Alyssa!
The bird's glinting eyes were fixed upon a point above Terrel's head, and he knew that she was 'seeing' remnants of his dream - the after-images that hung there like clouds, and which were visible only to Alyssa, until they dispersed and blew away upon the wind of a new day.
I'm glad you're here, he said, not wanting to talk about dreams.
You did your best, she told him. It wasn't the right time.
What? Terrel was confused. Was Alyssa still talking about the dream, or was she referring to his efforts to revive Ysatel? But he didn't get the chance to ask her, because at that moment Elam walked out through the wall of the hut.
So you got your sleeper after all, the ghost remarked.
Looks like it, Terrel replied, then glanced up at the bird.
Her spirit is wandering, Alyssa confirmed.
Is there any way of telling when she'll wake up?
No.
Terrel hadn't really expected anything else.
Can she do what you do? he asked. Borrow the body of an animal, I mean?
I don't know.
Could you teach her?Terrel asked Elam. Like you taught Lathan?
I'd have to find her first, Elam replied.
For a moment, Terrel didn't understand what his friend meant, then realized that Elam was referring to Ysatel's spirit, not her physical form.
You found Lathan, he pointed out.
He came to me. Or rather, he was brought to me. Anyway, why d'you want her to come back as an animal?
I'd like to talk to her. And so would her husband.
I think we'd need more of a reason than that, Elam said doubtfully.
She could be important, Terrel claimed.
What makes you think so?
This 'voice' had come from behind him, and Terrel turned to see that Muzeni and Shahan had materialized next to the turf-banked fire.
Because of the way she became a sleeper, he said.
Tell us more, Shahan demanded.
Terrel told them what had happened, in as much detail as he could remember, and - for once - none of them interrupted him. When he finished there was a thoughtful silence, and then Muzeni made the obvious comment.
It does bear a remarkable similarity to what happened to you, my dear.
Only in some respects, Alyssa replied.
The reaction to water is interesting, Shahan said.
Did anything happen on Vadanis? Terrel asked. I mean, if the elemental was directly responsible for this, there might have been some effect there, don't you think?
Not that we're aware of, Shahan answered, but then now that the islands are back on a safe course, no one is paying much attention to such matters.
Most people are trying to pretend the elemental doesn 't exist, Elam commented. And that nothing happened.
You can't blame people for wanting to return to their ordinary lives, Muzeni remarked. Some of us don't have that choice.
Elam laughed.
That's an odd thing for a ghost to say, don't you think? he remarked.
Would any other ghosts have a connection with Ysatel? Terrel asked. One of her own family, perhaps? Might she be able to make contact that way?
&
nbsp; This means a lot to you, doesn't it? Elam said.
Yes.
We'll see what we can find out, Shahan promised.
Thank you.
Terrel had sat down, leaning against the wall of the hut, when he had begun his tale, and the seagull had flown down to settle on the ground nearby. The ghosts were ranged about them, both seers still standing, Elam - typically -
lying full length on the dew-damp grass. With his head resting on his hands, he seemed at ease and content, and Terrel envied him his composure.
You look relaxed.
Being dead helps.
Not all of us can afford to be so idle, Muzeni commented acidly.
That's right. Elam replied calmly. Only those with a clear conscience.
Why have you all come? Terrel asked quickly, wanting to forestall any quarrel.
Do you have something to tell me?
There have been several new developments in reinterpreting the Tindaya Code, Shahan answered.
Is it possible that the elemental is the Guardian? Terrel asked.
You see, Elam put in. I told you he's not as stupid as he looks.
That is one of the theories being whispered about in Makhaya, Shahan said. You can imagine how it's being received by Jax and his mother.
My mother, Terrel thought, but didn't say anything. It still seemed too incredible, too remote.
Adina's claim to be the Mentor was always feeble at best, Muzeni added, but she's a dangerous woman. Most of the clowns at court wouldn 't dare annoy her.
Which makes it all the more remarkable that these theories are being voiced abroad at all, Shahan went on. Of course, the official line is still that the prince is the Guardian, but in private even Kamin is taking some of the new ideas seriously.
What made them change their minds? Terrel asked.
The Dark Moon's antics have increased the confusion over certain sections of the Code — parts which seem to indicate that the Guardian isn't human, Muzeni said. Which attribute divine powers to him.
Or her, Alyssa said.
Muzeni gave her a long-suffering look.
I doubt we need to worry about the sex of the elemental, he told her.