by Julia Gray
But I thought the Guardian was supposed to be born on the night of a four-moon conjunction, Terrel objected. The Ancient's been around for much longer than that.
So everyone believed, Shahan conceded, which is why many are still upholding Jax's claim.
And why you come into the picture, Muzeni added.
But the theory goes that the creature might have been awoken that same night, Shahan explained, after being inert for however long it's been down there.
As if it were a sleeper, Terrel said quietly.
Alternatively, it's being argued that the references to the confluences are about the Mentor, not the Guardian, Muzeni said. I'm not convinced, but as a rationalization it's attractive enough for facile minds.
And it does at least fit with your role in averting the islands' crisis, Shahan went on. You were the one who acted as go-between, advising both the elemental and the seers about what needed to be done.
You think I'm the Mentor? Terrel asked incredulously.
It's one possibility, Muzeni replied.
To Terrel, that sounded even worse than being the Guardian. Being expected to be a hero was one thing; at least you got told what to do. Being responsible for prompting another's heroic actions was a very different matter.
Of course, as far as Vadanis is concerned, it was Jax, not you, who communicated with the Ancient, Shahan reminded him.
But no one's really sure about anything, Elam commented, summing up the entire situation in one
sentence. They can't even agree among themselves on how many Mentors there are supposed to be!
There may be more than one? Terrel exclaimed hopefully. If this was true, then he might not have to work alone after all.
Some passages do seem to be contradictory, Muzeni admitted. His tone dampened whatever optimism the boy-had been feeling.
Wonderful, Terrel muttered. So what does all this mean for me? Do you have any more idea about what I'm supposed to do?
Not yet, Shahan replied. But, as we told you before, it seems clear that your participation is not yet over.
Terrel was about to restate his determination to return to Vadanis as soon as possible, but he was distracted when he saw Kerin emerge from the hut. He was stretching and groaning softly in between yawns, and didn't see Terrel at first. He clearly had no idea that there were three ghosts only a few paces away. In fact, it was the seagull that first caught his eye, and he glanced at the large bird in surprise before noticing the boy and nodding in understanding.
'Another new friend?'
'You could put it that way,' Terrel replied, hoping Alyssa wouldn't fly away.
There was a great deal he still wanted to discuss.
'Ysy's just the same,' Kerin said. 'She hasn't moved at all.'
'I know.'
'It's a nightmare.'
Not really a nightmare, Alyssa commented, obviously taking the prospector's remark out of context. He dreamt
about fish with long whiskers flying in the air.
'I had the strangest dream last night,' Kerin remarked.
Terrel almost responded that he knew about it already, but managed to hold his tongue.
'Perhaps you should tell Farazin,' he said, seeing the old man coming down the path towards them. 'He's on his way here now.'
The new arrival proved too much for the seagull and, much to Terrel's dismay, the bird flew away. The ghosts faded from sight, Elam waving in silent farewell.
'Any change?' Farazin asked.
Kerin shook his head.
'And you're certain she's become a sleeper?' the sky-watcher asked Terrel.
'Yes. I'm sure.'
Farazin nodded.
'These are strange times we live in, old friend,' he said, putting a consoling hand on Kerin's shoulder. 'Strange times.'
As the two men went inside to look at Ysatel again, Terrel remained where he was. He was suddenly very tired, his entire body feeling heavy and lethargic.
His life had indeed become stranger than he could ever have imagined - and nothing the ghosts had just told him made it any easier to cope with.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Terrel never found out whether Kerin told Farazin about his dream of the flying fish. He didn't tell the sky-watcher about his own nightmare, but he was aware that many villagers visited Farazin during the day.
At dusk, when Kerin and Terrel were sitting down to a cheerless meal together, the old man approached them. He enquired about Ysatel, nodding sadly when told that there had been no change, then asked to speak to Terrel alone.
'I'll go and sit with Ysy,' Kerin said immediately. He took his bowl into the hut, while Terrel waited, wondering about the ominous tone of Farazin's request. A few moments later, they heard the low murmur of Kerin's voice.
'He talks to her,' Terrel explained.
'She may be able to hear him,' Farazin commented, 'even if she's unable to respond.'
'It'd be nice to think so. What do you want to speak to me about?'
The sky-watcher sat down beside the fire, wincing at the protest of his elderly joints.
'Did you dream of anything last night?' he asked once he was settled.
'Nothing of consequence.'
Farazin paused, apparently wondering whether to accept the boy's answer at face value, then decided not to press the point.
'Would it surprise you to learn that almost everyone in Fenduca dreamt about you last night?'
'Me?' Terrel was astonished.
'That in itself is not really so surprising,' the old man went on. 'You've become a significant figure in our lives, after all, and given your role in yesterday's events, it's not hard to see why you should've been on most people's minds. The interesting thing is that more than half of them dreamt about your leaving us.'
'I've never hidden the fact that I want to go back to my own homeland,' Terrel said, feeling slightly defensive.
Farazin did not respond, and his silence was worrying.
'What?' Terrel asked nervously. 'What is it?'
'Have you ever considered that your journeying might not be over yet?' the sky-watcher said.
Not you too, Terrel thought dismally. The hints dropped by Shahan and Muzeni had been bad enough, but when his new neighbours added their voices to the argument, even his own faith began to waver.
'I see that the possibility has occurred to you, at least,' Farazin said, noting the boy's stricken expression.
'Did the dreams tell you where I'm supposed to be going?' Terrel asked.
'No, nothing specific. The only common thread was that you were heading inland.'
'But they're just dreams,' Terrel objected. 'They don't mean anything.'
'We can't trade as the sharaken do,' Farazin admitted, 'but when conditions are favourable, even people of no appreciable talent are able to share elements of the greater vision. As to the meaning of dreams, we each have to seek out our own.'
Terrel understood little of what the sky-watcher was saying, but the implications of his words were clear - and unwelcome.
'It's surely significant,' the old man went on, 'that our dreams should have been linked on this particular night. It would seem that your fate is somehow connected to the Dark Moon.'
'How is that possible?' Terrel asked, his mind recoiling from the idea.
'The moons affect us all.'
'Of course, but surely only in a general sense.'
Farazin considered this for a time before responding.
'It'd be my guess,' he said eventually, 'that destiny has already touched your life, Terrel. You wouldn't be here if it had not. You wouldn't be a healer. I won't pry into your secrets, but ask yourself this. Is it possible that there is something else you must do before you can go home?'
Terrel said nothing for a while, wishing he could have denied the possibility outright. He was disheartened by the fact that he could not.
'Why must I do anything?' he said eventually.
'Men have been asking themselves that question down
all the centuries,' Farazin replied. 'It's one of the things that makes us what we are.'
In the silence that followed this philosophical observation, Terrel heard Kerin speaking again. His voice was too low for his words to be understood, but the love and hope and sadness they contained humbled Terrel. He was not the only one who had a quarrel with fate.
'Did the dreams tell you when I might be leaving?'
Farazin shook his head.
'Time doesn't mean much in the dream-world.'
The boy sighed, realizing that a part of him did not want to leave Fenduca. He had found an acceptance here he'd never really known before. He'd become part of a family. If it hadn't been for Alyssa - and his promise to her - he might even have been content to stay. The idea of his leaving the village for any other reason seemed stupid and hurtful.
'I can't leave now,' he muttered. 'Not with Ysatel. . .'
'What happened with Ysatel might have been a sign,' Farazin said. 'And you said yourself you can't do anything for her here.'
A sign, Terrel thought. How could it be a sign? And then the rest of what the sky-watcher had said registered, and he looked up.
'You think that by going somewhere else I might be able to help Ysy?'
'I can't be sure, but . . . it's . . .'
It was not lost on Terrel that if he was able to help one sleeper, then he might be able to help others -including Alyssa. And Farazin's hesitancy made the boy jump to another conclusion.
'Did you dream anything?'
'Yes. But on its own it probably means nothing.' 'Tell me anyway.'
'I saw you travelling into the mountains of the interior,' Farazin replied.
'To join the sharaken.'
Terrel sat alone for some time after Farazin had gone, thinking about the old man's words. His first reaction had been that the idea of his attempting to join the sharaken was ridiculous, and would serve no purpose - even in the unlikely event of his succeeding. The Collector had shown no interest in the sleepers, so why should the addition of one more make any difference? And then he had told himself that not even Farazin had been sure about the interpretation of his dream; it might just have been a selection of random, meaningless images from the sky-watcher's own mind. However, the correlation between the dreams of the other villagers was harder to set aside, and Terrel couldn't dismiss them out of hand - especially as many of the locals had only just become aware of the existence of the sleepers in the cave. But Terrel did not see why this should have led so many of them to dream about him. There had to be a link somewhere.
Once again he hoped that Alyssa and the ghosts would return, so that he could confront them with this new evidence and see what they made of it. But that was something else he had no control over.
Olandis and Aylen looked down at the half-full pool, and frowned.
'What happened here?' Olandis wondered aloud.
'Is it all right?' his brother asked.
Even in the pale light of dawn, it was obvious to the two young men that the pool had recently been emptied. However, there was no sign of why or how this had been done. It seemed as if the small stream that fed it was slowly filling it again, but they were reluctant to trust their precious cargo to the water if there was any chance that they'd be left high and dry again later. It had taken the young men several days to capture just two wolf-fish, and the last part of their journey — carrying one each in heavy, water-filled jars - had been made even more difficult by the fact that they'd been travelling by moonlight. Having reached Fenduca at last, they'd gone straight to the pool rather than to their own hut, in order to release the fish into their new home.
'Looks fine as far as I can tell,' Olandis said, peering at the rock. 'No cracks or sink-holes.'
'The level's rising again,' Aylen added. 'Shall we put them in?'
Olandis looked around to see if there was anyone nearby who might be able to give them some advice but, unusually, no one was yet stirring.
'Yes,' he decided. 'They need fresh water, and it'll be easy enough to catch them again if we have to move them.'
Once released from their confinement, the wolf-fish began to explore their new domain, their antennae bristling with curiosity. The brothers watched for a few moments, then turned away and headed down the hill.
'Gate'll know what happened,' Aylen said. 'He'll do whatever's necessary.'
Olandis nodded wearily.
'We've done our bit,' he said. 'All I want to do now is sleep for about two days.'
*
'How could you let this happen?' Olandis cried.
When confronted with the disaster that had befallen their stepmother, the two brothers had reacted in markedly different ways. Aylen had become silent and withdrawn, apparently unable to speak, and barely reacting even when told of the bizarre circumstances of Ysatel's fall. Olandis, on the other hand, seemed to have been seized by a terrible fury.
'You know what she's like,' Kerin said. 'I tried—'
'Not hard enough,' his son cut in. 'You're her husband. You're supposed to protect her.'
'It wasn't his fault,' Terrel protested. 'If anyone was to blame it was me.'
He had been listening to the argument between father and son with a growing sense of guilty despair.
Olandis turned to glance at him.
'Keep out of this,' he said dismissively. 'This is family business.'
With those few thoughtless words, Olandis cut away the temporary foundations of Terrel's life, and his belief that he had become part of the Mirana family was exposed as mere wishful thinking. When it came to a crisis, he was an outsider once more. He did not try to interrupt again, knowing that anything he said now would be useless.
'Well?' Olandis demanded, glaring at his father.
'I could no more turn Ysy into a caged bird than I could fly to the moons,'
Kerin replied. 'You know—'
'What I know is that she was pregnant.'
'And she still is! She's going to wake up sooner or later.'
'How can you know that?' Olandis asked. 'My mother didn't.'
The moment of absolute stillness that followed this outburst seemed to last for ever. The accusation implicit in Olandis's words drained the colour from Kerin's face, and when he finally spoke his voice was small and tortured.
'That was different.'
'How would you know?' Olandis muttered. Even he seemed shocked by his own declaration, but he was still burning with righteous indignation. 'You weren't even there.'
'Olandis?' Aylen said in a quiet, warning tone, but this was not enough to deter his brother. A dam had burst somewhere deep inside him, and he was helpless to stop the deluge now.
'I watched her fading away,' he said, 'wondering all the time where my father was, why he didn't come home and make everything all right again. And after she died and the elders wouldn't let us go and see her any more, I held the baby in my arms and told her that we'd look after her. Then she stopped breathing too, and I couldn't help. I didn't understand what I'd done wrong. I didn't understand anything. I was seven years old. Seven.""
Terrel was appalled to see tears running silently down Kerin's face, tears that he made no attempt to hide or wipe away.
'That's enough,' Aylen pleaded softly, but once again Olandis ignored him.
'Didn't you learn anything from what happened to Aryel?' he asked, seemingly intent on twisting the knife now that he'd driven it into his father's heart.
'Is this how you honour her memory? By repeating the whole thing?'
Terrel would not have believed Olandis capable of such cruelty and - even after hearing about the traumatic events of his childhood -
could not understand why the sorrow he had expected should have turned to such vicious rage. In the end it was to that rage, and not to the injustice of Olandis's claims, that Kerin responded.
'Get out,' he grated, in a cracked and bitter voice. 'Get out of my house.'
'Oh, I'm going,' Olandis replied with equal fervour and disdain. '
You think I want to stay here?'
So saying, he turned on his heels and strode from the hut into the incongruous sunlight of a new day. A moment later, before either of the others had had a chance to say anything, Kerin also turned away and went back to his vigil at Ysatel's bedside.
Aylen and Terrel were left numb with horror, each seeing his own shock reflected in the other's eyes.
Chapter Twenty-Three
'You're both as stubborn as each other!' Aylen was trapped halfway between anger and dejection.
'Just leave it, Chute,' Kerin said. 'This is between me and your brother. I know you mean well, but it won't help. Olandis will come to his senses in his own time.'
'Will he? One of you has got to make the first move. Or maybe you'll just never speak to each other again. Is that what you want?'
'I told you to leave it, boy.'
'He'll probably end up marrying Elyce.'
'If that's what he wants,' Kerin stated coldly.
'You know it isn't!' Aylen exclaimed. 'But he's got to live somewhere, and he's quite capable of doing it just to spite you.'
Pain flashed in Kerin's eyes, but he just shrugged, as though the actions of his elder son were of no interest to him.
Several days had passed since the argument between Olandis and his father and, true to his word, Olandis had not returned home. He was now living with his would-be sweetheart and her family, an arrangement that would normally make their eventual marriage a foregone conclusion. Elyce had been delighted by his apparent change of heart, caring little for his reasons. Even though Olandis was clearly unhappy most of the time, and had been treating her with little consideration — and at times almost with contempt — she was quick to display their new attachment to all and sundry. Her sometimes thoughtless comments had done nothing to heal the rift between Olandis and his father.
Terrel was dismayed by this state of affairs, but — heeding Olandis's warning that this was family business — he had made no attempt to mediate between the two warring parties. Instead, as on this occasion, he had merely been a silent onlooker as Aylen tried to bring what was left of his family back together.
'He doesn't even love her,' Aylen said now. 'That's obvious to everyone except Elyce. He's being cruel to her too, and that's not like him, is it?'