The Boy in the Dark

by June Wilson

  “Oh no!” Alice gripped Josh’s arm. Toby was down, in a tangle of legs with the runner next to him. Someone must have tripped, and now two other runners had stumbled too, while the rest of the field kept going. Her father must have been wrong. Toby wasn’t going to win after all. He would be totally devastated.

  “No – Alice – look! He’s okay – he’s up again.” Josh cupped his hands over his mouth. “Go Toby!”

  Alice forced herself to watch, digging her nails into her palms. Toby was almost half a lap behind the frontrunner. He’d never make it, no matter how hard he tried. She shut her eyes and sent a silent prayer to Freya.

  “He’s catching them!” Josh yelled.

  Alice opened her eyes to see that Toby had just made it into third position and was pushing for second. As the runners entered the home strait the gap to the frontrunner was less than ten meters and then…

  “He’s done Alice, he’s done it!” Josh gripped her in a bear hug. “What a champion!”

  “Put me down, you idiot,” she said, more relieved than she could say.

  “He’ll be so pleased.” Josh grinned.

  “You don’t have to tell me.” She was laughing but she felt like crying too. Everything was changing. Alice knew the win would help Toby achieve his dreams. But those dreams involved leaving Melbourne for Canberra. There was no way he’d want to get tangled up with Middengard again. What had she been thinking?

  They reached the oval just as Toby was receiving his medal. He caught her eye from his position on the podium and gave her one of his secret smiles. I did it for you, the smile said, and she fought back tears for the second time in five minutes.

  “Toby – I’m so happy for you,” she said when he joined them. Said it and meant it. She’d never stand in his way, even if he had to live in a different city. “I’d hug you but…”

  “Hot and sweaty – yeah, I know.”

  “Pretty good effort mate,” Josh said. “Thought you’d lost it for a minute.”

  “So did I. It was the hardest race of my life. Alice helped me though.” He winked at her.

  “What? I didn’t – honestly I didn’t.” She crossed her fingers behind her back. Surely the prayer to Freya didn’t count?

  “Hello – I’m teasing? I just gave everything I’d got, the way you do when you want to destroy a few things.”

  She gave him a warning look and was thinking of something clever to say when she felt an elbow in the small of her back.

  “Toby – you are so awesome!” Lucy Porter said, shoving past her. Somehow she’d managed to change into a short dress that showed off her long, tanned legs. “Are you coming out afterwards? There’s a party at Zac Monroe’s place, if you’re interested.”

  “Um, no thanks Lucy - I’ve kind of got plans.”

  “Really? Well, if you change your mind, here’s the address.” She grabbed Toby’s hand and scrawled across the back of it with lip pencil. “It won’t start till late – well after your little friends’ bedtime. It’ll be fun,” she added, smiling over her shoulder as she waltzed off.

  “Who’s she calling little?” Josh stared after her. “I’ve been called a lot of things in my time, but little isn’t one of them.”

  “I told you before – ignore her.” Toby rubbed at the letters on his hand. “I wouldn’t go to a party with her if she paid me.”

  “Sure about that?” Alice teased.

  “Of course I am. I’ve got a party of my own to go to – pizza at our house. And guess what – you’re both invited.”

  Alice was glad they got to spend the evening without any more interruptions, from Lucy Porter or anyone else. They were in uncle Matt’s study, which had become a kind of den for them when Josh was in town. The desk was strewn with four empty pizza boxes and a half eaten packet of Tim Tams.

  “I’m so stuffed.” Toby groaned and patted his stomach. “Remind me never to order pizza again.”

  “Come on – you love it.” Josh licked his fingers and reached for a Tim Tam. “When is your next run anyway Toby? Race, I should say.”

  “Ten days - State trial.”

  Alice’s heart sank. She knew the State trials were coming up but she’d assumed they wouldn’t be before Christmas.

  “Um – when exactly?” she asked.

  “Fifteenth.” Toby patted his stomach again. “No more pizza for me after tonight.”

  “Are you sure?” she said, hoping by some miracle Toby had got his dates mixed up.

  “Are you kidding? I’ve had that date on my calendar for a long, long time. I’m just relieved I got through today. I’ve definitely got a spot now.”

  “Oh, right.” She fidgeted with the edge of her tee shirt, twisting it through her fingers. She’d been putting off her news, despite a few obvious hints from Josh. She’d wanted them to enjoy Toby’s victory for as long as possible. But now there was a real problem: they were due to meet Stanor on the twelfth, only a few days before the all-important trial.

  “Hey - what’s bothering you?” Toby looked at her closely. “Is it something to do with what happened at the meet? Was your dad really there?”

  She sighed. She couldn’t put it off any longer. “Yeah, he was.”

  “Wow! That’s unusual isn’t it? Is everything okay?”

  She nodded, wondering how she was going to start.

  “Come on Alice, you promised.” Josh said. “You’ve got our complete attention. Once I’ve finished these biscuits, that is.”

  So she told them everything her father had told her – which wasn’t really that much, she realized, given their incredulous expressions. Toby laughed, convinced it was all an elaborate joke. But when she told him she had to meet Stanor in a week’s time, and that she had to go whether he and Josh came with her or not, it seemed to sink in.

  “Go back in time? Are you sure? That’s crazy,” he said now.

  “Crazy – but way cool,” Josh said. “Even dad’s not done that. When he wasn’t – er – dad.”

  Alice scowled at him. The last person she needed to be reminded of was Jonas. He’d been completely mad. And this had nothing to do with him.

  “So – we’ll be kind of like detectives,” Toby said. “Your dad wants us to find out whatever we can. Is that all?” He looked doubtful. She knew he was thinking about all the battles he’d fought in Middengard. He was probably expecting worse things than a bit of investigating.

  “Well, yes. That’s what he said. He thinks the place – Leeds, that is - might be important and they want to know why. And honestly Toby, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to. I didn’t realize your next race would be so soon.”

  “What? Of course he’s coming!” Josh rolled his eyes. “He’s the hero of Skellstor. Once you’ve killed a zillion elves and God knows what else, humans aren’t going to be a problem. It’s weird when you think about it though, isn’t it? They’ll be, like, dead now – the people we meet.”

  “I’m not worried about that.” Toby’s eyes flashed. “But we’ll we on our own, won’t we? No Stanor, no Iris, no Isolde. If there’s some weird Middengard business going on, we don’t know all the stuff they do. We might mess things up, make it worse – whatever it is.”

  He had a point. They all had Hilderinc blood, but their time in Middengard had been relatively limited. There had always been someone guiding them before, just as Toby said. She couldn’t blame him for being wary.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have asked you – either of you. It’s my obligation – not yours. I’ll do what Dad asked me to and no one else needs to get involved.”

  Toby shook his head. “No way – you’re not going by yourself.”

  “Why not? “ she bristled. “You’re my friends and I wanted to share things with you – but I don’t need protection.”

  Josh rolled his eyes. “I’m leaving if you two are going to have a fight. Seriously not interested.”

  Toby ignored him. “No – Alice – that’s not what I mean. What y
ou do, I do. But I thought you were kind of enjoying things here. Doing normal stuff, you know.”

  Josh snorted. “What, normal boring stuff you mean?”

  “Not helpful Josh.” Alice gave him a withering look, but knew she had herself to blame for the way the conversation was going. They’d only been back in Melbourne six months and the time had sped by. And it did feel good to be doing ordinary, human things. She’d ruined the evening by bringing up Middengard stuff. Not that Josh would have let her getting away with keeping quiet. But Josh wasn’t the one with a State trial coming up.

  “Look guys, I don’t know why you’re stressing about this,” Josh said. “I mean – hello – time travel? Who else gets to do that?”

  Toby sighed and looked from one to the other. “I suppose we can go and not lose any time. You know – like before.”

  Alice wasn’t sure if it would work in the same way, given her father hadn’t mentioned it. Then again, there was no reason it should be different either.

  “That’s right,” she said, crossing her fingers behind her back.

  “Okay – I’m in,” Toby said after what felt like an age. “I’ve done enough training anyway. A few missed sessions won’t kill me.” He surveyed the pizza boxes and foraged for another slice.

  Alice let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. For the second time that day, she felt an enormous sense of relief.

  “You do know that’s gone cold, don’t you?” she said, looking at the unappetizing remnants both Josh and Toby were now happily devouring.

  “Just making the most of it,” Josh said, mouth full. “Don’t like our chances of getting pizza in 1856.”

  MIDDENGARD

  Chapter 4

  Ellie crossed to the window for what felt like the hundredth time. She wasn’t a patient woman and the waiting was interminable. Tom had been gone for more than the half day usually needed. As for Stanor, he should have been back already. They couldn’t leave for the Vale without his report and every hour lost was an hour wasted.

  To make matters worse, Regil seemed to be prevaricating regarding the wisdom of the venture. Had he lost his nerve? Perhaps he was missing the support of a full Council. With Hatha in the south, Magnus in disgrace and Cael dead, only Elok remained for consultation purposes. Ellie was pushing for Stanor to be made a permanent member of Skellstor’s ruling body, but her old friend was reluctant.

  “I’m a soldier Ellie – not a politician. There are others more able – those of higher standing,” he’d said, the last time she raised the subject. He was being modest but stubborn too. Talent amongst the noble families was rare. And those who did have ability were often attracted to power for power’s sake, like Magnus. Not for the first time she wished Cael was still with them. A white elf’s counsel was worth that of ten Hilderinc.

  She sighed and stared out into the dark night. Perhaps she had been listening to Isolde’s grumbles for too long. Middengard had entered a new Golden Age and local politics could easily be managed. But if that was the case, why did she feel so uneasy?

  A noise behind her disturbed her thoughts. She turned and her hand flew to her mouth, stifling a laugh.

  “Tom! What on earth are you wearing?”

  “What? Don’t you like it?” He pulled the thongs from his feet and threw them in the corner. “I’d forgotten how uncomfortable those were. The hoodie’s okay though.”

  Ellie rolled her eyes. “In your dreams. You’re forty, not fourteen. But why are you late? Did you have trouble finding Alice?”

  “It was trickier than I thought. She was at a sports ground for Toby’s running championships.”

  Ellie winced. A public place. Not that Tom looked any different to a normal human - not in such an unattractive disguise.

  “And what did she say, when you explained why you were there?” Ellie half wished she hadn’t agreed to Alice’s involvement. For all her desire to deal with the matter of the Vale, she felt torn when it came to her daughter. Alice had already done so much and they’d promised her she could lead a normal life. As a mother she wanted Alice to say no to Tom’s request; as a guardian of Middengard she sought yes.

  “She’ll do it, of course. She’s her mother’s daughter.” Tom reached out to stroke her cheek. “But she doesn’t want to go alone. She’s going to ask Toby and Josh if they want to go with her.”

  “Is that wise?” Ellie had no doubts about either boy’s loyalty, but despite their Hilderinc abilities, they didn’t have a Doom Stone to protect them.

  Tom shrugged. “I can’t see the harm in it. They’re smart kids and they’ll look out for each other. And you know how Alice feels about Toby.”

  “Hmm – young love.” Ellie smiled, despite herself. “Just like us, remember?”

  “I most certainly do. In fact, I was thinking…”

  But Ellie didn’t get chance to find out what Tom was thinking, as a loud hammering on the door drowned out any further conversation. It could only mean one thing: Stanor had returned and Regil was ready to give them their final briefing.

  The meeting was held in Regil’s private rooms. The Ealdor had eschewed the formality of a Council meeting, but had invited Elok to hear what Stanor had to report.

  The Lord Commander was looking as weary as Ellie had ever seen him. Time travel was always a risk for Gate Wardens and, coming so soon after the battle for Skellstor, had clearly taken its toll.

  “What did you find, old friend?” Regil asked gently.

  Stanor passed a hand over his face. “Little of immediate use, I’m afraid. One or two tales of hauntings - probably the work of escaped spirits.”

  That was to be expected. Ellie knew it wasn’t the first time spirits had taken advantage of a breach to try and return to the earthly world. Their pranks were usually harmless enough.

  “And you spoke to the local Guardian?” Regil went on.

  “I did. She was aware of the hauntings, but considers most of them to be nonsense. She was more concerned with another incident. A child – one of the mill workers - went missing and was found drowned in the canal some days later.”

  “Does she think there’s a connection?” Ellie interjected. Guardians were humans with varying degrees of Intuition, so their hunches were to be trusted.

  “She’s not sure. Such things have happened before. It could have been what it seems – an unhappy accident.”

  “Don’t believe it,” Elok growled. “I don’t believe in accidents, or coincidences, or any such thing – not now we’ve a breach on our hands. I told you about that poem Regil - so don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  Ellie exchanged a look with Tom. She’d heard rumours that Lord Elok had been behaving more erratically than ever since the battle. And now he was talking about poetry? No wonder Regil lost patience with him sometimes.

  “I’m sorry – you’ve lost me,” she ventured.

  Regil sighed. “Elok’s talking about a book Gawain found in the library - a rare text of historical interest only. It has nothing to do with the matter at hand.”

  The Ealdor was doing his best to be dismissive but he had cast an anxious glance at Stanor when Elok mentioned the poem. Why? Maybe the text was important after all. She wished she could ask Gawain about it, but he’d already left to take up his post at Haevstor. Perhaps Tom knew more about it than she did. She made a mental note to ask him later.

  “So, on balance, you feel it’s worthwhile sending the Stone Keeper to investigate further?” Regil asked.

  “I do,” Stanor said firmly. “She will have a much better chance of bringing us useful information. And Martha will take care of her – not that she needs a Guardian.”

  Ellie smiled, feeling a spark of pride in her daughter. Alice could indeed take care of herself – she had proved it on more than one occasion. The question was, would Regil sanction the expedition or would he weaken at the last minute?

  She needn’t have worried. Regil drew himself up and for a moment looked every inch the noble lor
d he was. “Very well – my mind is made up,” he said firmly. “A breach is a serious matter. Eleanor will leave for the Vale and Alice will leave for England. My apologies Tom – it seems I am to part you from both your wife and your daughter once more. All in the service of Middengard.”

  To Tom’s credit, he didn’t act as if her departure was news to him. She’d been hoping Isolde would be strong enough to travel with Orla but she’d been terribly weakened by Mathilde’s death, despite her protestations. And besides, Middengard’s safety was her responsibility – hers and Tom’s. Not for the first time she wished he could accompany them, but it was out of the question. He had to concentrate his efforts on tracking down Magnus – as well as supporting Regil on Council matters.

  “I think that brings our meeting to a satisfactory close?” Regil said. He got to his feet and they all followed suit. Ellie barely had chance to exchange a few words with Stanor before Tom dragged her away. Which was fair enough, she thought, given this would be their last night together for a while. And in all that ensued, she completely forgot to ask him about the poem.

  *

  It was the hour before dawn and Orla was in her cell-like room in the temple annex. She’d made the bed and swept the floor, ready for another junior priestess to take her place. She gathered her few possessions and put them in the pack Eleanor had given her: a spare tunic and leggings, an ivory-handled knife, Isolde’s book of lore and a soft woolen blanket that grandmother insisted she take for cold nights. It was a lovely thing, the wool spun by grandmother herself. It could get ruined if they had to sleep outside. But at least it would remind her of home and thus served a dual purpose.

  Orla dashed away a tear. It was an honour to be given so great a task, but honour had its price. Her sister Suri had cried when she told her she was leaving for Haevstor - a necessary cover story - and no amount of coaxing had calmed her down. And grandmother had looked so frail, her gnarled hands shaking as she bid her farewell, Orla had almost run to the temple to tell Eleanor she’d changed her mind.