The Jasper Forest

by Julia Gray

  Terrel realized that the most curious aspect had been the ability of someone other than the enchanter to invade his thoughts. The stranger's presence had clearly antagonized Jax, and the most likely explanation was that the outsider had been using the link between the twin brothers to pass on a message of his own. Which meant that the message probably came from Vadanis.

  Thinking back over what he'd heard, Terrel guessed that the reference to

  'another test' - if this did indeed apply to him - had probably come from the seers. After all, they'd tested him on previous occasions, in order — he presumed - to assess his suitability for his role as the Mentor. The challenge this time must surely be the plight of the valley women and their babies. It didn't

  seem fair that he had to keep proving himself time and time again but, thinking back over all his journeyings, it was obvious that he'd only ever been able to move on once he'd healed certain ills - Kativa's misery, the Ancient's threat to the islands, the rift between Kerin and Olandis - and if that was the case, he would have to solve the problem here before he'd be allowed to leave. The events of the previous night fitted with that theory precisely — which was dispiriting, because Terrel still had no idea how to go about his latest task. What was more, it also appeared that this was a task he would have to complete alone.

  For the first time, the boy realized that he had not seen a single animal in the valley - which meant that he was effectively cut off from Alyssa and the ghosts. There was still the possibility that Alyssa would be able to bring some creature in from the outside, but her aversion to water in all its forms would make her reluctant to enter the cloud. Because of this, it made sense that his friends might have tried to contact him in another manner.

  That led him to think about what exactly they'd been trying to tell him and, a moment later, Terrel was sitting up in bed, his weariness forgotten as the significance of what he'd seen became crystal clear. He had been shown the precise alignments of all four moons at the time of the earthquake, and —

  while such a combination might not be unique — the chances were that it would occur only once in the next year or so. If he could calculate when that would be, he would know exactly when the catastrophe was due to take place — and thus be aware of how long he had to try to prevent it!

  Almost as soon as he reached this conclusion, Terrel's sudden feeling of exhilaration began to fade. He was stuck in this shadowed valley, where even true daylight was a half-forgotten memory. He had not seen the sky — day or night - for three days now, and wasn't likely to for some time to come. Nor could he even recall what the phases of the moons had been before he'd walked down into the cloud.

  Terrel sank back onto his pallet, feeling cheated and depressed again. It was even more urgent now that he fulfil his obligations as a healer - and as the Messenger - so that he would be able to leave this cursed place. His dream had given him no help with that - rather the reverse, in fact. It had simply confirmed that he was on his own and could expect no help.

  The boy felt incredibly frustrated now — especially when he realized that he knew whose voice had told him to look up. Although Terrel did not understand how his friend had managed it, he was in no doubt that the message had come from Elam.

  'So what do you want to do today?' Amie asked.

  'Nothing.'

  'You're not thinking of trying to leave us, then?'

  'No.' Terrel chose not to elaborate, and his visitor did not pursue the matter.

  'Your arrival gave us new hope,' she said. 'I didn't think you'd let us down.'

  Amie had come to see him much earlier than usual, and Terrel was still lying on his bed, staring morosely at the ceiling. When he did not respond to her comment, she tried again.

  'You're a healer. Don't you think you owe it to—'

  'Don't lecture me,' he cut in. 'I'm aware of my responsibilities.'

  'Are you?'

  Terrel was saved from having to answer this by the appearance of Imana in the doorway, rubbing at her eyes.

  'I'm sorry,' she said, yawning massively. 'Do you want some breakfast?'

  'No, thanks.'

  'You slept late,' Amie remarked, glancing at the girl. 'That's not like you.'

  Imana looked flustered and uncertain. Terrel knew that she had kept her promise, and hadn't told anyone about his attempted flight. She had even retrieved the candle and disposed of the remnants of the burnt-out rushlight before she'd gone back to bed. He was grateful for her discretion, but he didn't want her to have to tell any lies on his behalf.

  'I disturbed her during the night,' he said. 'I had a dream.'

  'Really?' Amie said curiously. 'What about?'

  Terrel was about to describe some of the things he had seen - in the hope that the elder might be able to help him decipher their meaning - when an idea struck him with the force of a thunderbolt. He didn't need to see the sky to witness the procession of the moons. The jasper could tell him!

  He threw off the blanket and lurched out of bed, heedless of the fact that he was dressed only in his underclothes.

  'You told me the jasper oracles include the cycles of the moons,' he said breathlessly as he began to dress hurriedly.

  'Yes,' Amie replied, smiling at the boy's appearance and sudden change of attitude. 'Will you show me?' 'Of course,' she said. 'Is it important?'

  'Remind me again,' Amie said patiently. 'The Dark Moon was new?'

  'Yes.'

  'How could you tell, if you can't see it?'

  'Because there was a solar eclipse. That can only happen when a moon is new.'

  Terrel had told Amie about part of his dream as they'd walked to the first of the touchstones - saying only that he believed he had been shown the configuration of the moons so that he'd be able to tell when a possible disaster might occur. She had tried to get him to elaborate, but he'd avoided her questions, and had insisted on concentrating on calculating the timing of his supposedly prophetic vision.

  'And the Amber Moon was full?'

  'Yes.'

  Amie traced some more of the wavy lines on the stone. Her fingers hovered over the surface without touching it. This was the fourth touchstone they'd consulted, and the process seemed so complex that Terrel had begun to despair of ever getting the answers he needed. Each oracle appeared to contain only a part of the complete solution.

  'Now we're getting somewhere,' Amie murmured to herself. 'We have to narrow it down to this set of intersections. You said the Red Moon was almost new?'

  'Yes. One or two days old, no more.'

  'Hmmm.'

  'What?' he asked anxiously.

  'Tell me about the White Moon again.'

  'It was almost full, but not quite,' Terrel repeated, trying to remain calm.

  'Three or four days short, I would guess.'

  'You're certain it wasn't full?'

  'I think so,' he said, beginning to doubt his own memory. 'Why?'

  'There are two sets of intersections in the jasper that match your observations closely. The first of these will be quite soon.'

  'How soon?' he asked, his heart sinking.

  'Thirty-nine days,' Amie replied, after a moment's calculation. 'Here, look.'

  She pointed to a section of the carved patterns, but Terrel couldn't make any sense of them, even though she'd tried to explain their workings to him several times. 'The only thing is that the White Moon is full then, as well as the Amber. That's why I wanted to know if you were sure.'

  'I don't think that can be right then,' Terrel said hopefully. 'What about the other two?'

  'The Red Moon would be two days old, which fits, and the Dark Moon one day old.'

  'That's wrong too. It has to be new for an eclipse.'

  'Yes, but I'm having to amend that cycle to take the time of change into account,' Amie said. 'W7e can't be sure that the Dark Moon is completely accurate.'

  'Oh.' Terrel's doubts began to resurface. 'When's the next set of intersections?'

  'Much further off,' s
he told him. 'Almost half a long cycle. Here.' Her finger moved to another part of the

  stone. 'If I've got the adjustments right, the Dark Moon would be new then, but as I said, we can't rely on that totally. The Amber is full and the Red is one day old, which is what we want.' She paused, working something out. 'And the White Moon would be three days short of full.'

  'That's a much better fit,' Terrel said eagerly.

  'Yes, but the only significant difference from the earlier date is the White Moon. It's crucial.'

  Terrel closed his eyes, trying to see the dream image again. Every time he attempted to do this, he saw the telltale variation in its shape, the distortion of its nearly perfect circle. And yet it seemed so small a difference on which to base such an important conclusion.

  'It wasn't full,' he said eventually. 'I'd swear to it.'

  'Then that has to be the answer.'

  'Exactly how long is it till then?'

  Amie spent a little time counting cycles and checking the relevant markings.

  'It's two days before midwinter,' she said. 'One hundred and sixty-four days from today.'

  Terrel let out a sigh of relief. His mission to Talazoria was not as urgent as he'd thought. Unless he'd made a horrible mistake, he had some time to spare in order to try to help the people of the valley. There need not be any more escape attempts - at least for a while.

  'Now will you tell me what this is all about?' Amie asked.

  had the same sense of memory, of reliving the past — and it held the same kind of unreasoning hatred. He was blind too, not in the thunder of the red sea, but in absolute blackness. At first Terrel thought it was like the sudden darkness that had doused his torch on the night he'd tried to escape — but then he realized that the echoing spaces of the dream felt more like being trapped in some vast cavern, or in the mines at Betancuria. He moved on, driven by fear, underground. Evil flowed above and all around, and he felt the need to protect himself, to escape. But there was no way out. He was engulfed by panic, and struck out wildly. The dream-world shifted, and he fled, leaving only hatred behind.

  As Terrel emerged from the contact he was trembling, but he had a new set of observations to add to his growing hoard.

  'You don't look quite so burnt now,' Esera said, her concern obvious. 'Are you all right?'

  'I'm fine.' He was not really surprised to hear that his face was paler than usual. The baby's fear had infected him too.

  'What did you see?'

  He described his experience as best he could - but because he didn't want to worry her, he toned down the violence of the emotions he'd felt.

  'That's new, isn't it?' she commented, when he'd finished. 'Do you know what it means?'

  'Are there any caves under the valley?' He knew from his travels that there were many systems of caves and tunnels, as well as underground rivers, in various parts of Macul.

  'Not that I know of.'

  Terrel looked down at the ground at his feet, wondering whether the dream might have originated -perhaps four years ago - in a cave hidden beneath where he now stood. That might explain why this particular examination had felt so different.

  'What are you thinking?' Esera asked.

  'You remember that force I told you about, the one that might have been responsible for the earthquake here?'

  'The elemental, you mean?'

  Terrel nodded. As he had grown more at ease in Esera's company, he had fallen into the habit of thinking out loud, using her as a sounding board for his ideas. Although he hadn't told her about the exact nature of the elemental, he had described a little of what it could do.

  'I'm beginning to think it really could be the cause of this illness,' he said.

  'Does that mean you'll be able to cure it?' she asked eagerly.

  'I don't know yet. Let me explain my theory first, and then tell me what you think.'

  They began walking again, threading their way between the dripping trees.

  'Suppose the elemental did pass through here four years ago, but it travelled underground,' he began. 'I told you before that it both hates and fears water, and so this valley, with all the cloud and mist and the lake, would have seemed like a terrible place. So it moved away as fast as it could, and because it's very powerful, that caused the tremor. But what if it somehow left a residue of its presence here, some part of its power?'

  'Like a curse?'

  'Exactly! I'm sure it wasn't meant to be a curse - more likely it was intended as a warning — but it might have acted like one.'

  'And that's what hurting the babies?'

  'Inadvertently, yes.'

  Esera thought about this for a few moments.

  'This residue?' she asked. 'It's still in the ground here?'

  'Yes. At least I think so.'

  'Then it's hopeless. We can't escape the soil we live on, and we can't ever leave the valley.' Esera looked as miserable as he had ever seen her.

  'It's only a theory,' he reminded her.

  'If it's in the land itself, why does it only affect the babies and not the rest of us?' she asked, recovering a little.

  He had asked himself this question many times, puzzling over it for hours. He had talked it over with Amie and the other elders, without ever reaching any definite conclusions. Now he believed he had hit on something that might explain the apparent anomaly and, even though he knew Esera was hoping to disprove his theory, he owed it to her to be as honest as he could.

  'What's the main difference between the babies and the rest of you?'

  'Umm,' Esera said, adopting a feeble-minded expression. 'They haven't been born yet?'

  'Exactly,' Terrel said, grinning. 'Which means they have very little awareness of the outside world. All the light and sound that we see and hear, everything that our senses tell us about - they don't have that. Everything they experience comes through their mothers.'

  'And we're not making them ill, because we're healthy.'

  'That's right. There isn't even any connection between your dream-space and theirs. But what if there are other

  forces in the world, that they can experience directly without reference to you?'

  'Are there such things?' she asked.

  'Yes, things we perceive somehow, without using our external senses,' Terrel replied, remembering a conversation he'd had with Amie on this very subject.

  'And what's more, I believe the elemental uses these forces in the same way we use our various abilities. If something it did warped the natural environment here, then that could be the source of the curse.'

  'I still don't see why—'

  'A wise man once told me,' Terrel went on, 'that a curse will only work if the victim believes in its potency. By the same token, if someone is sure they won't be affected, then they won't be. You and the other women - and everyone in the valley for that matter - know that your home is not an evil place. You see that every day of your lives, and even if the elemental's curse is telling you there's vile magic all around, you have the evidence you need to ignore the suggestion.'

  'But the babies don't!' Esera exclaimed.

  'If the curse works on them directly, that's all they know,' he said, nodding.

  'They have no one to tell them otherwise, no evidence to contradict a false assumption. The warning is all they understand.'

  Esera was clearly impressed by this argument, even if she didn't like its implications. But she still had one more objection.

  'So why don't the babies who are born alive recover? Once they can see that the outside world isn't as bad as they thought, shouldn't they be able to set the curse aside like we do?'

  'I'm not sure,' Terrel admitted. 'But I would guess they're so exhausted and ill from the pregnancy, and so frightened about what's going to happen to them, that they don't have the strength or willpower to survive — even if they realize the curse isn't real. They just fade away,' he added, remembering Liana's poignant words.

  The two friends had come to a halt at the edge of the lake,
and Esera gazed out over its calm surface, a faraway look in her eyes.

  'So if all this is true,' she said, 'what can we do about it?'

  'That's what we have to decide next,' Terrel replied, wishing he could give her a better answer.

  'Well, it makes perfect sense, as far as it goes,' Amie commented that evening. 'But it's still only a theory.'

  'I know,' Terrel said, 'but it's the best I can come up with.'

  'What made you abandon your ideas about the Dark Moon? Wouldn't that control some of these unseen forces?'

  'Yes, but if it was responsible for the illness, you'd expect there to be some variation in the patterns of the babies' dreams, depending on the moon's cycle

  — and there isn't any, as far as I can tell.' The latest new Dark Moon predicted by the jasper had already passed without affecting Terrel's findings. 'It'll be full again six days from now,' he added, 'so I should be able to confirm it then.'

  'Fair enough.'

  'If anything,' Terrel went on, 'from what I've learnt with Esera, the dreams seem to vary depending on where we are in the valley. I'm going to work on that.'

  Amie nodded, observing a new sense of purpose - a new maturity — in the boy.

  'There's something else that I think argues against the Dark Moon being the culprit,' Terrel added. 'I can't be sure when its aberrations began, but I've got a feeling it wasn't as long ago as four years. Its time of change certainly didn't have any effects on my homeland until much later than that.'

  'The jasper tells the same story here,' Amie stated.

  'So the Dark Moon can't have provoked an unexpected earthquake four years ago,' the boy concluded.

  'That's only relevant if you're sure the tremor and the illness are connected.'

  'I think they are. Don't you?'

  'I still find it hard to believe,' Amie replied. 'But I'm beginning to trust your intuition.'

  Soon after the elder had left him, Terrel realized that his own moon-dream -

  as he thought of it now - had given him a clue about the source of the illness. If the massive earthquake had been instigated by the elemental, then it made a kind of sense for the valley to have been spared. The Ancient may have realized that it was different from the land surrounding it, perhaps believing that the valley had already been destroyed by the curse and so there was no need to do so again. Although that part of Terrel's dream may have been symbolic, it still made it seem more likely that the elemental and not the Dark Moon was the cause of the disease.