by Linda McNabb
‘Not that I can see,’ Darius said, flicking through his large leather book. ‘It’s not something that previous wizards have come across. Even if there was we’d need more than we have.’
‘I think we should go and find Rem and Waide,’ Eagan said, tucking the blankets around Seth again.
Eagan left Seth’s staff by the end of the bed. He had no idea if the wizard was watching over the boy but he had a feeling he might want to stay there. When he went down the stairs a few minutes later he checked out the dining area but there was no sign of the two youths. The publican looked up and Eagan called out to him.
‘Have you seen my companions?’
‘Headed that way about ten minutes ago,’ the man replied and pointed out the main door.
‘One of them is still sleeping, please don’t wake him,’ Eagan said. He didn’t want anyone coming across Seth and thinking he was dead.
The man shrugged as if he didn’t care and went back to wiping what was left of the broken tables.
The main street outside the lodge was busy with travellers, hawkers and residents trying to manoeuvre through the crowds on their way to wherever their daily tasks took them. He scanned the crowds but there was no sign of either his young companions or the travellers. He glanced down the side of the lodge and saw Asher’s wagon. The horse was hitched up so it looked as if Asher and his sister were ready to leave already. Eagan walked down the alley but there was no sign of them. He looked in the back and saw that it was still empty. Perhaps whatever it was that was going to fill the wagon was still on its way.
A stable hand was wrestling with one of the wheels and he recognised Eagan and nodded to him. ‘It will be ready by high sun as promised. I got two of the wheels dipped in hot oil overnight, but the other two should be done next time you’re passing through Dohl. It doesn’t look like they’ve been oiled in years. They’ll crack on you come the middle of summer if you don’t do it by then.’
The stable hand shook his head as he delivered his telling off and Eagan raised one eyebrow as he took in the wheel the man was tightening up. He had never thought much about wagon wheels.
‘We don’t have time for chat about wheels,’ Darius pointed out.
Eagan nodded his agreement with both the man and Darius. ‘Do you know where my friend is?’
‘Said something about Tinker’s Lane I think.’ Again the man seemed to disapprove. ‘Not somewhere I’d take a young girl.’
‘Could you direct me to the lane?’ Eagan asked. He had a feeling that Asher was hiding something.
‘It’s a district, not a lane. Head down to the lake and follow the most undesirable person you can find. They’ll lead you right to it. I wouldn’t go there if I were you, and if you do someone will try to steal your fancy walking stick for sure.’
The stable hand grunted his disgust and turned his attention back to the wheel. Eagan went back to the main street and looked up and down, trying to work out which way led to the lake. It had been almost dark when they arrived.
‘It’s to your right,’ Darius said as he floated up above the roofs. ‘A good ten minute walk I’d say.’
‘Keep an eye out for Rem and Waide,’ Eagan told the wizard as he watched the crowd for a few seconds, looking for a pattern in the flow. It would be faster to go with people travelling in a similar direction than fighting his way through.
There were a few merchants in the throng and Eagan couldn’t help wondering if Rem was a daughter of one of them. They looked well-dressed and successful and several had wives and children trailing after them but Eagan still couldn’t work out why a merchant’s daughter would go through the mountains in the first place. He shook his head to clear his thoughts as there were more important matters just now.
He spotted a likely place in the crowd and ducked around people to reach it. He had been in every town and large city in the west, but none of them had ever been this busy. Perhaps there was something big going on that had drawn them all here.
The ten minute walk down to the lake took a lot longer. It appeared that he was the only person heading in that direction after all and was constantly having to find a clear space in the busy streets to go down lanes and narrow streets. If it hadn’t been for Darius he would never have found the way.
‘He looks like someone we want to follow,’ Darius said, pointing out a man scurrying along with a bulky item tucked under his cloak. He wasn’t making any eye contact with anyone and muttered to himself as he dodged around people.
Eagan shrugged and followed as best he could without making it obvious. Within a few minutes they were almost surrounded by similar devious looking people and more than a few of them looked at Eagan with interest.
‘I’d say we’ve found Tinker’s Lane,’ Eagan muttered.
‘And we’ve found someone else too,’ Darius added.
Eagan followed the wizard’s gaze and saw Rem and Waide leaning against a wall. Rem was polishing her sword and everyone was giving them both a wide berth. Eagan didn’t doubt that Rem could take care of herself but he still wished she had told him where she was going. He walked over to them and sat on a chair outside an eatery next to where the two youths stood. There were a lot of empty seats and the owner glared out the window at them as if they were the reason.
Waide nodded a greeting to Eagan but Rem did not even acknowledge his arrival.
‘We followed Asher down here,’ Waide said and nodded in the direction of an alley just across the narrow street. ‘He’s been in there for a long time and he brought Tal too. We waited in case he didn’t realise the danger and needed some help.’
‘That was nice of you,’ Eagan said, but he doubted their new acquaintance would be here by accident.
Low voices drifted out of the alley, obscured mostly by the noise of the people on the street and Eagan crossed the road to listen.
‘… but that’s daylight robbery. I should get three men for that price.’
Eagan was sure that was Asher’s voice and he sounded annoyed.
‘Call it what you like. You want my men, you pay what I want.’
Darius floated around the corner and popped his head back to face Eagan.
‘Looks like he’s trying to hire a new bunch of thugs.’
Eagan rolled his eyes a little as that was pretty obvious even from here.
‘100 gold for three men,’ Asher insisted.
‘That will get you one man,’ the other person sounded disinterested in Asher’s problems.
‘I need three,’ Asher said.
There was silence for almost a full minute.
‘Do you want to sell the girl? That would get you another two men.’
‘Of course not,’ Asher snapped back. ‘Fine, one man. Have him meet me at the Crest Lodge by high sun.’
There was a jingle of coins as payment was exchanged and Eagan moved back across the road to re-join Rem and Waide. 100 gold coins seemed an awful lot of money to hire a man’s services.
‘I don’t think he needs us,’ Eagan told them. For some reason he felt the desire to leave before Asher spotted them but Rem and Waide made no attempt to move on.
‘Shouldn’t bring a young girl here,’ Waide insisted and peered around Eagan to watch the entrance to the alley.
Asher came out of the alley, followed closely by Tal and they turned and hurried down the street without seeing Eagan or his companions. The two of them were having a heated conversation with much hand-waving involved and leaning close to talk without being overheard.
‘I can’t hear what they’re saying,’ Darius said, drifting back to join Eagan.
‘Perhaps we should head back to the lodge,’ Eagan suggested as he looked at the network of alleys and streets and tried to work out which one had led him here.
‘Straight up there, turn left,’ Rem said as she pointed up the street with the tip of her sword.
Eagan nodded his thanks and left the two youths to find their own way back as it was clear they didn’t need him to d
irect them nor protect them. A short way down the street the houses and shops gave way to a clear view over the lake and the city on the other side.
It was only a short distance back to the lodge and it seemed he had taken a tour of the entire town on his way to Tinkers Lane. Rem and Waide weren’t far behind him and they all came upon Asher as he sat outside the inn. He looked angry and nodded a curt greeting, then his eyes narrowed and he stood up.
Asher looked at Rem and Waide as if seeing them for the first time and his gaze rested briefly on Rem’s huge sword. He looked slightly less impressed with Waide’s sword then pursed his lips as he appeared to be considering something.
‘So, are you any good with those swords?’
Rem raised one eyebrow and looked at him. ‘Would you like a demonstration?’
‘I have need of two assistants overnight just outside the city. Perhaps we can help you find your friend in exchange?’
Rem shrugged as if she wasn’t too bothered but it was clear to Eagan that she was keen to find Caden. Waide nodded enthusiastically.
‘I’m coming too,’ Eagan insisted. ‘Or no deal. Seth comes with us as well. I’m not leaving him here.’
Asher looked a little dubious, but shrugged as if he had other more important matters to think about.
They loaded Seth into the wagon while it was in the alley, then they all left the city shortly after a quick mid-day meal. Asher turned the wagon in the direction of the tall buildings beyond the lake.
Eagan smiled to himself. It looked as if they both had business in the same place, for if the night-shadows lived there, then that’s probably where they would also find Caden.
The overseer’s residence hadn’t looked far from Dohl but it took most of the afternoon to make their way around the lake. As they came closer Eagan saw that it was really just one huge building with many wings and spires.
‘It’s a large house for an overseer,’ Waide commented as they came closer.
‘There are only a few servants living there with the overseer’s family,’ Asher told them. ‘It was built to support a hundred people, the overseer’s kin, but so far none of them have arrived in Dohl.’
‘And the overseer is…’ Eagan left the end of the sentence unspoken but his question was clear.
Asher nodded. ‘Yes, Kranos is a wizard. One of the Yarris…’
The hired thug had been ignoring them all for most of the journey but now he looked at his companions with a cautious and calculating stare.
‘And you’ve never heard of the overseer?’ he asked bluntly as he stared directly at Rem’s pendant. It was clear he didn’t believe a word of their claim to be travellers from distant lands.
‘This is our first visit to Dohl,’ Eagan replied with an innocent smile. ‘We’ve come to find a friend.’
The thug shrugged as if he didn’t really care then returned to his semi-sleep pose as the wagon rattled on over the track.
‘Wait here. Don’t show yourselves,’ Asher said, not turning to look at them as he pulled the wagon over to the side of the road and stepped down from the driver’s seat. Tal jumped down as well and they busied themselves by building a small fire. They looked like travellers stopping for a rest and Eagan assumed that was intentional.
‘Get comfortable. Sleep if you can,’ the hired thug said, not even attempting to move as he sat back with his eyes shut.
‘Why?’ Waide asked.
The thug opened one eye. ‘Apparently, our contact doesn’t come on duty until just before sunset and we’re too early.’
Eagan shook his head at Waide to stop him asking any more questions. He felt completely unprepared for whatever awaited them ahead.
It was almost an hour before Asher and Tal packed up and set off again for the city and it was drawing close to sunset when they were close enough to see the building fully.
Eagan hadn’t expected to see a wall surrounding it. He was used to them back in the west but he couldn’t guess what purpose they would have here in the east as they didn’t really need to guard against the night-shadows. This wall was even higher than the ones back home and so smooth it would be difficult to climb.
‘Do you think they’re keeping something out… or in?’ Darius commented.
‘Halt!’ a voice called and Eagan peered out a small gap in the canvas to see what was going on.
The wall had a small gate built into it and a uniformed man stood beside it. Asher pulled the wagon to a stop and leaned down to talk to the guard. After a brief conversation Asher handed the man a small package which was quickly hidden under the guard’s jacket.
‘Move on!’ the guard said loudly as he stepped back and nodded to someone inside the walls to open the gate.
‘Well, that’s the easy bit done,’ Asher muttered as he flicked the reins to move the horse forward.
There were one or two people out and about in the grounds of the immense house. Eagan noted that castle was probably a more appropriate description of the building.
‘They like brown,’ Rem remarked as yet another person wearing a brown cloak crossed the path in front of the wagon.
‘Of course,’ the hired thug said, looking confused at her comment. ‘Everyone here wears brown.’
Rem ignored his stare and watched their progress through the small network of lanes around the overgrown building as the sunlight faded the world to a red-tinged sky. The building appeared to have sections that hung in the air with no apparent support beneath them.
‘This would be the lifetime’s work of a dozen wizards,’ Darius said, floating up as far as he could to examine the underside of the building.
‘The storage areas are down here by the wall,’ Asher said, drawing the wagon to a stop near a group of large warehouses. ‘We’re to meet our next contact near here. You can all get out if you want. Nobody much comes down here.’
Eagan checked Seth as the others left by the back of the wagon. He still looked as close to death as was possible yet a small puff of breath showed he was still alive. Eagan joined the others on the cobbled street and stretched his legs and arms. It had been a long afternoon sitting in a cramped space and he wished he could go for a walk to relieve his aching muscles. He could hear a familiar sound of rushing water and knew they were very close to The Gap.
‘Look over here,’ Tal said, waving the others towards a tall stone wall. She climbed up and perched on the top with one leg each side and waited for the others to join her. Eagan was the last to make his way up and as he pulled himself level with the top of the wall he smiled.
Eagan knew the view well. It was the same one he could see from his cottage at the side of the marshes. The others, however nonchalant they were trying to be, were staring in awe at the impressive sight where the world fell to a magnificent end in a cascade of roaring water.
Beyond the misty water spray that rose from the depths of The Gap there was an emptiness that stretched to the horizon. It was impossible to tell if it was land, sea or simply empty space. Far across it was the land of Deek, where the wizards had been banished so long ago. Such a wonderful sight hid the terror and danger of the wizards that lived beyond.
‘It’s beautiful,’ Tal said and she let out a soft sigh.
‘What’s that?’ Waide asked as the air up to their left shimmered with silvery light.
‘It’s the bridge,’ Asher said, also looking mesmerised by the view. ‘I’ve heard of it but I’ve never seen it. We’re here at just the right time to see it. It only appears at sunrise and sunset.’
Eagan watched and Darius floated up closer as a bridge that looked to be made of silver clouds formed across the gap. One end joined to the building above and the other vanished into the deep blue nothingness of the horizon.
‘What is it for?’ Eagan asked but before anyone could speak he saw for himself the purpose of the cloud bridge. Several dozen night-shadows bounded out onto it and began racing across it as if their very life depended on their speed.
‘They leave eve
ry night, taking the life they have stolen from us, and return in the morning,’ Asher said as the clouds began to drift away on the breeze and the bridge dissolved into nothing but wisps of misty air.
The night-shadows were long gone and Eagan realised he had been holding his breath. The entire process had taken a little over thirty seconds. No wonder the cats had been in a hurry. A small frown creased his forehead as he realised that if the night-shadows could travel back and forth from the exiled land of the wizards, then so could the Yarris. An even worse thought crossed his mind – had Caden been taken across the bridge?
Chapter Fourteen - A Secret Plot
‘How do we know Caden is even here,’ Waide asked quietly. He seemed to understand that they didn’t really want Asher or Tal knowing too much about their business.
Eagan looked around for signs of Caden’s presence. It was still early summer yet the small orchard in the distance had trees groaning with fruit. A small trail of daisies bloomed across the grass and led to the tall building that overlooked the wall.
‘He definitely came here, and went into that building,’ Eagan assured him.
‘That’s if he’s still here and not over that bridge by now.’
Eagan nodded in response to Darius’ comment.
‘You’re right not to mention that possibility. His brother looks far too keen to swing his big sword and he might just go rushing in if we make him nervous!’ Darius floated over towards the building as far as he could then retreated.
‘There’s a wizard or two here for sure. I might just keep a low profile for now.’ Darius turned his attention to the back of the wagon. ‘You too, Neras.’
And then, with a nod at Eagan, Darius was gone.
Asher moved the wagon slowly towards a block of stables that were built against the wall. ‘We’ll sleep here for the night.’
The stables were deserted but hay had been laid down ready for the horse and a tray stacked high with food sat in one corner.
‘I see your money bought you more than just entry into the city,’ the thug said, and by the way he was staring at the food it was clear he was hoping to be offered some.