giggled as they tossed fruit over the head of Sloley, who then began to scurry manically backwards and forwards between them. The children appeared oblivious to Sloley’s angry spits and clicks as he became more and more frustrated when he consistently failed to catch each tasty morsel.
The wagon lurched into its now familiar, rhythmical clatter and rocking as it descended into the valley and onto the byroad. Auriel reclined with her head resting sleepily on Arjan’s shoulder as she whispered softly to him under her breath, a contented smile on her face.
Che nodded his head towards them.
“My Lady,” he said, with an impish curl of the lips and a wink in El-on-ah’s direction. “My shoulder is vacant.”
The look El-on-ah gave him could have frozen lava. Che grinned, and then laughed.
Tu-nek-ta glanced from one to the other shaking his head.
“Che,” he said, with an exasperated glance towards his friend. “One of these days you will go too far.”
After they had travelled for about an hour, Rose moved to sit next to Ash. Bending forward, she kissed him lightly on the cheek. His face flushed with a fleeting look of surprise, he listened attentively as she whispered into his ear.
“Tell Lee,” she said, in a voice that was barely audible even to Ash. “Tell him that I need for you and him to keep everyone close to the wagon tonight when we water the horses. I need to speak to El-on-ah alone. This is vital Ash.”
Kissing him again, lightly on the other cheek and with a lingering smile on her lips, she returned to her seat, next to El-on-ah. Che, who had watched their exchange with interest, pouted, crossed his arms and then looking over to El-on-ah he let out a pointedly long sigh.
“You know El-on-ah,” said Rose, “ it may turn out that we are not so very different from each other after all. Can I speak to you privately when we take a break? There’s something I’d like to ask you.”
El-on-ah looked intrigued, as Rose had expected, but Rose also saw something else in her expression... eagerness. El-on-ah wanted to be alone with her.
Shortly after midnight Vega drove the wagon into a copse of trees and pulled up beside a small brook about half a mile off the byroad. Tu-nek-ta and the children were fast asleep. The others moved quietly as they left the wagon, so as not to wake them.
“I’ll do the horses,” said Che quietly, moving to release their harnesses.
Vega bowed in thanks, before turning to Lyra.
“Tea?” He said.
She nodded and lifted the battered, long handled brewing can, off its hook on the frame of the wagon.
Che walked the horses to the brook, their hooves pattering into the shallow pool. He watched as they plunged their muzzles into the water, sucking hard as they gulped down the cold clear liquid. Glancing up he caught sight of El-on-ah and Rose walking off into the trees alone. A prickle of fear ran down his neck. Dropping the reins, he ran towards them splashing through the rippling water. Ash was swift to move, leaping in front of him and barring his way.
“Hey, Che,” he said, smiling as he emphasised the alliteration, “what’s your hurry?”
Che attempted to push him away.
“Get out of my way!” he said.
Ash wrapped his arms around him like a bear and lifted him off his feet. Almost a half a foot taller and twice as powerful, Ash made easy work of securing the young Blood.
“Please don’t hurt her” pleaded Che, his voice full of dread. “She isn’t all bad, really, she...”
Lee ran from behind them and quickly stuffed a gag into Che’s mouth. Between them, they dragged him back towards the wagon where Vega and Lyra were bent over a small campfire, holding steaming hot flagons of tea.
“Problem?” said Vega, lifting one substantial eyebrow as he motioned for Lyra to check on the children.
“No, don’t wake them,” said Ash, pushing Che down and securing him to the wagon with a large piece of hemp rope. “Just keep an eye on him.”
Ash’s voice was hushed as he pointed urgently at the cart.
“Lee… with me.” He said, putting a finger to his lips.
Lee grabbed an empty sack off the side as they stealthily climbed up into the wagon, taking great care not to wake Tu-nek-ta and the children. Seconds later they re-appeared carrying Tu-nek-ta, now hooded, gagged, and bound. Vega came to the side of the wagon and helped them lift him down.
“D’ya thinks you might tell me what’s goin’ on?” he said as he secured Tu-nek-ta to the wheel of the wagon next to Che.
“No time,” said Ash. “We’ll explain later… Rose may be in danger.”
With his heart pounding frantically in his chest, Ash ran off into the trees with Lee following closely behind.
El-on-ah and Rose stood facing each other in a small clearing at the intersection of three paths. El-on-ah let out a curt laugh of incredulity.
“So, let me get this right,” El-on-ah said in disbelief. “You brought me out here alone, to ask me to spy for you?”
“I wouldn’t put it quite like that,” said Rose. “I wouldn’t ask you to do it for me, but for yourself, for your people, for the reasons you spoke about the other day.”
“So, in that case,” said El-on-ah, “all you are asking is that I return to Cynnabar and allow myself to be assimilated by the Djinn in order to help you destroy Lord Ka. If that truly is what you are asking me to do, then you are no better than he is!”
El-on-ah stepped back and looked directly into Rose’s eyes. Rose’s unfathomable expression and calm demeanour made El-on-ah instantly uneasy.
“No, in truth,” said Rose with a faint smile. “I’m not really asking you to do that El-on-ah, I am not Lord Ka, but I did rather enjoy watching your reaction. You see, El-on-ah, I don’t trust you. I think that you’ve been sent here by Ka, in an effort to accomplish what Lord Baroque failed to. I wanted to give you the opportunity to prove otherwise.”
“Surely you cannot be serious?” said El-on-ah, sceptically. “If I really wanted to kill you, I could have done so already, or I could do it now...”
“Exactly,” said Rose, “You could. You wanted to be alone with me El-on-ah, why exactly was that? There is only you and I here now. So what’s stopping you?”
“Maybe I do not want your death or the consequent fall of the Afterlands on my hands.” said El-on-ah unconvincingly.
She turned away and looked back through the trees, the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Fallen leaves twirled and danced like impish spirits along the path, blown along by the night breeze. Then she heard footsteps approaching, crashing through the undergrowth at speed, and at that moment El-on-ah knew that she had fallen into a trap. Spinning around, she flung out her potens.
“Interficio!” She yelled, casting the descent spell, the killing spell, but Rose was ready for her.
“Obsepio!” Rose’s powerful block sent El-on-ah flying across the clearing and crashing into the trunk of a large oak tree.
A shower of acorns hailed down on them as El-on-ah crumpled to the ground. Stunned, El-on-ah was barely aware of Auriel and Arjan stepping out from behind the tree. Arjan ripped the pendant from her and El-on-ah felt the sharp sting as its lace bit deep into her neck. After tossing the pendant to Rose, Arjan bound El-on-ah’s hands tightly behind her.
“Be still,” said Auriel softly. “We’ll not harm you further, but we cannot free you.”
El-on-ah’s eyes flashed defiantly at them, as Ash and Lee ran into the clearing.
“Are you okay?” said Ash rushing over to Rose, his breaths coming quickly between his words “did you get it?”
He quietened as he caught sight of the glowing adder stone in Roses's hand. Its pulsating light had grown so bright that he almost had to avert his eyes. He squinted uncomfortably in order to examine it.
El-on-ah stared transfixed at the pendant that she had been wearing around her neck for weeks. She let out a deep, primal howl as the sudden, terrible realisation hit
her. She had carried the incantatio to Rose. She was to be the one who had supplied Rose with the instrument of Ka’s destruction. She had failed Lord Ka. Her descent would be her only sanctuary now.
As this thought invaded her consciousness, she became aware of a faint tugging and a rasping tickle against her bound wrist. Her bindings loosened and fell away. ‘Puk’ she thought feeling a surge of hope, ‘maybe, I have one, last opportunity for redemption.’
In one swift movement, El-on-ah reached out and grabbed Auriel, shoving her to the ground. Raising her hand and with all the potens she could muster, she cast the descent incantation once more.
“Interficio!”
A fiery stream of red light shot out from her ring and hurtled towards Rose, who was deeply engrossed in examining the adder stone. Arjan, a few feet from her, did not hesitate. Bounding forwards he threw himself in front of Rose, absorbing the full force of the spell as it hit him squarely in the chest.
Auriel screamed, her hands clawing at the sides of her face in horror, as Arjan’s body was thrust into the air in an explosion of energy. Burning red and then white hot, the flesh melted from his bones.
Rose shrieked, “Arjan!” She rushed forward, her eyes widening in shock.
Arjan’s face contorted in pain as he mouthed her name, his eyes briefly registering the knowledge of his fate before they dissolved, along with his body, into a cloud of vapour. Golden honey-scented wisps floated upwards on the breeze until they vanished like smoke into the night sky, leaving his robes to flutter
Ascension of the Whyte Page 36