by Karen Hughes
‘We were wondering when you would find the path. There are few these days who know it exists.’
‘Who are you?’ Kai whispered. ‘I … I didn’t see a path.’
The voices hummed in the air. ‘We are the trees, the rocks, the birds. We are the sun in the sky and the wind in the grass. We are summer and winter, autumn and spring. It is all one and the same. Your path, like that of Wicasa before you, is to discover this for yourself.’
‘But there will be nothing left to discover if we don’t do something soon! The sorcerer, Tenzel, is trying to destroy everything.’
‘Sorcerer!’ The voices sounded contemptuous. ‘He does not deserve such a title. A true sorcerer is one with the living earth. That is where he finds his magic. That is the only way to find true magic.’
‘He has burned the tree houses – ’
‘He follows the orders of another,’ the voices said. ‘A woman bitter with jealousy, consumed by hatred.’
‘Aunt Sofia,’ he whispered.
‘The trees are burning. The birds and animals have fled. In Ballyndor, the fish of the great lake are dying and the water lilies have gone. The green hills have been slashed and burned. The soil of the plains lies barren and dead.’
‘What will happen to us?’ asked Kai. ‘What will happen to the Kalika?’
‘Sofia will not rest until the forest lies in ashes at her feet. Her army is coming. They will attack at dawn.’
‘But Grandma Helki is dying.’ Kai was close to tears.
The voices faded to a murmur. ‘We are one. We have endured for centuries. Trust us. We will be with you when the time comes.’
There was a sighing and Kai thought he saw the trees moving, but the air was hot and still and he could not feel a breeze.
Chapter 14
A Prisoner in the Tower
Indie stopped pounding on the door. She sank to the floor and put her head in her hands.
‘You give up too easily,’ said a voice.
She looked up. Who was talking to her this time? The walls? The rickety old bed in the corner? Then she noticed that the rickety old bed wasn’t empty.
Slowly, very slowly, a man sat up. Indie thought she heard his bones cracking with the effort. His clothes were old and tattered, and his hair was matted with dirt. His beard reached to his chest in a salt and pepper blanket. When he smiled his teeth were yellow, and his lips were cracked and dry as he spoke.
‘I said, you give up too easily.’
‘I heard you the first time,’ said Indie, trying to hide her fear.
‘Did you now?’ The man looked delighted. ‘And what are you going to do about it?’
There was a clunk and a clatter outside the door. Indie could hear the bolts sliding free. Something hurtled into the room, smashing on the floor at her feet. It was the wooden box.
A guard poked his head through the doorway. ‘Have your pathetic trinket,’ he said. The Lady’s furious. She was expecting a book or something.’
The door slammed.
Indie rummaged through the splintered wood and pulled out a heart-shaped locket. Silver threads twined across the front into a pattern of leaves and branches.
‘There’s something written on the back,’ said Indie. ‘But I can’t read it.’
The man on the bed leaned forward. ‘Ki-somma,’ he whispered.
Indie looked up. ‘What did you say?’
‘Ki-somma. It’s an old Kalika word. It means courage.’
‘How did you know that?’
He didn’t answer.
Indie flicked the clasp. ‘There's nothing inside,’ she said, disappointed.
She looked at the silver hearts, hinged in the middle. At the centre of each was a spiral pattern she hadn’t noticed before. She looked harder. The spirals were moving.
The silver began to glow with different colours. The spirals formed pictures, one on either side.
Indie leapt to her feet. ‘Hey!’ she cried. ‘It’s Kai. I can see Kai.’
Kai was sitting in front of a small wooden hut. He held a book in his hands and his eyes were closed.
The man held out his hand. ‘Please …’ he said.
Reluctantly she passed him the locket. He held it as if it were a fragile flower, ready to fall to pieces.
‘Did you look at both sides?’ he asked.
‘No.’
He held it out to her, studying her face.
Indie looked at the picture of Kai. She saw him close the book, tuck it inside his shirt and walk across to the trees behind the hut.
Then she looked at the second picture and her eyes grew wide. It showed a girl with red hair and a dirty face standing inside a tower room, and the girl was looking down at a heart-shaped locket in her hands.
‘Queen Tala's locket,’ the man said. ‘Her most precious possession. She could see her two children wherever they were.’
‘Then it is true.’ Indie stared through the bars of the window. ‘She was my mother.’
The man stood up. He leaned against the wall, took a deep breath and then hobbled across the room.
‘Your mother … yes …’ He stood beside her, his knuckles white on the bars.
Indie slipped the locket around her neck. She looked out at the murky waters of the lake. She saw black smoke floating through the air, over hills parched and brown.
‘What happened to her?’ she whispered.
‘Sofia,’ the man said, wincing as though the name burned his tongue. ‘Queen Tala’s sister.’
He sighed. ‘Sofia said Ballyndor was old-fashioned, afraid to grow. “We can conquer all,” she said. “We can be mighty, powerful – a nation of warriors.” She talked of towers reaching to the sky, of roads cutting through the forest. Tala thought she was mad. We all did.’
Indie stared at him. ‘Did Sofia do something to Tala? Did she hurt her? Is that why she’s missing?’
The man leaned his forehead against the bars. ‘I don’t know,’ he said.
*
‘Why won’t you tell me who you are?’ said Indie. She was sitting in the corner, her knees pulled up to her chest.
‘Because it doesn’t matter. I am nobody. I gave up on myself a long time ago.’
Indie refused to be put off. ‘No, who are you really? Are you a soldier?’
He gave her a weary smile. ‘A soldier? I guess you could call me that, though I didn’t fight when I should have.’
‘What’s your name?’
He began to speak, thought better of it, and then said ‘The guards call me Aric. It’s not my real name, but it will do.’
‘Well I’m Indie, and I’m sick of being here.’ She jumped to her feet. ‘You may have given up, but I haven’t.
‘I’m not going to sit here while Aunt Sofia destroys everything. Kai came to find me – he must have thought I could make a difference. And I will … I will.’
Her cheeks were flushed, her fists clenched. She threw the straw mattress to the ground and tugged at the bed.
Aric smiled. ‘And how do you propose to get out of here?’
‘When the guard comes we’ll throw the slats –’
‘Slats!’ Aric began to laugh. ‘We have no sword, no dagger. It won’t be much of a battle.’
‘We have to try,’ she said, wrestling with the nails. ‘We have to do something.’
‘You’ll get hurt.’
‘I don’t care.’
‘Give it to me, then.’ Aric stood taller. He gripped the slat. ‘I won’t let anything happen to you. Run as fast as you can and don't look back.’
Indie looked at the bruises on his cheek, the dried blood across his forehead. She bit her lip. ‘Maybe you shouldn’t – ‘
He winked at her. ‘I’m stronger than I look,’ he said.
*
The door creaked. It was the guard, carrying two plates of food.
The first slat hit him across the temple. He stumbled. The plates clattered to the floor.
‘What the –’
‘Why, you …’ The guard ran at Aric and pushed him to the ground.
Aric looked up at Indie. ‘Run!’ his eyes said. ‘Run!’
Indie ran to the door. Then she stopped. She felt the slat in her hand. Turning, she rushed at the guard. He stepped backwards, catching his feet in the splintered box. His arms flailed. His head thumped against the wall.
‘Bravo!’ Aric cried. ‘But go … you must go. He’ll wake up soon.’
‘Come with me,’ Indie said.
‘I can’t.’
‘Yes you can.’ She pulled him to his feet.
‘But I'll slow you down.’
She grinned. ‘Then we’d better get moving,’ she said.
They ran without stopping, without speaking, until they reached a grand chamber room, the bed draped in silk and the walls lined with books.
‘Sofia’s room,’ Aric whispered. He was standing in front of a drawing board, staring at sketches of factories and towers.
‘We can’t stop,’ Indie said. ‘I can hear – ’
She froze. Someone was turning the door handle.
‘In here,’ it was a man’s voice, rough and hard.
‘Right behind you, Gar.’
Aric grabbed Indie’s hand and pulled her to the window.
‘Iron pegs,’ he hissed. ‘Down the wall.’
Indie climbed onto the ledge and looked down. It was a long way to fall.
The door flew open. Three guards in black and silver burst into the room.
‘Stop!’ cried the first.
Indie began to climb. She could hear Aric above her, his breathing fast. A head poked out the window, swore loudly and poked back in again. A shiny black boot landed on the first peg.
The guard moved quickly. Down, down, down. Then he stopped and swung his foot. Aric threw himself sideways, clinging with one hand. The guard cursed, straightened and kicked again. His boot thumped into Aric’s hand.
Indie heard Aric gasp. She was close to the ground now, but not close enough to jump.
‘They’re below us,’ she cried. ‘They’re waiting for us.’
‘No …’ Aric sounded like a dying man. He looked up, just as the man above let go and fell to the next peg, his boot swinging into Aric’s chin. Aric’s hand slipped from the peg. He tumbled to the ground, the guard on top of him.
The guard pulled himself to his feet. ‘Hold him. I’ll get the girl.’
Indie began to climb back up.
‘Oh no, you don’t.’ The guard reached out and grabbed her by the ankle. She kicked his hand free. His foot slipped and he fell back with a curse.
‘Let her go, Gar,’ said one of the men on the ground. He had a weasel nose and sharp black eyes. ‘The boys inside’ll soon find her.’
‘Yeah,’ said another. ‘Let’s get this one to the Lady.’
‘I’m not takin’ him anywhere,’ said Weasel-nose. ‘He’s a madman. Haven’t ya heard the stories?’
The first guard looked at Aric and spat at his feet. ‘Lock ’im in the shed then,’ he growled. ‘I’ll get the Lady.’
*
Indie hung from the wall outside the window. She peered inside. The room was empty. She pulled herself over the sill and ran to the door.
There was no one in the corridor. She ran swiftly, ducking behind furniture, weaving in and out of silent rooms: running, running, her cheeks covered in tears.
I’m not giving up, she thought fiercely, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. I’ll never give up.
*
Aric slumped against the wall. He was covered in bruises and his left eye was swollen shut. Weasel-nose stood outside the door, humming.
Clink, tunk, bump.
Weasel-nose looked up.
Clatter, ping, tink.
He grasped his sword and walked around the side of the shed. ‘Show yerself,’ he called. ‘You’ll be sorry if I have to come after ya.’
Indie watched him turn the corner. She was pressed behind a large urn filled with yellow flowers. She gathered another handful of pebbles, ready to fling them across the roof, but he didn’t reappear.
She ran on tiptoe to the door, pulled back the bolt and darted inside.
Weasel-nose shrugged and strolled back to his position, waiting for the Lady. He didn’t have to wait long. She swept up the pathway – jewels sparkling at her throat, flowers in her hair.
‘Where is he?’ she demanded, her eyes narrow.
‘Right here, my queen,’ Weasel-nose stuttered, standing aside. ‘In the gardener’s shed.’
‘Then why haven’t you locked the door?’
‘I thought …’ Weasel-nose looked at the bolt. ‘It was … um … I think…’
‘Stand aside, fool,’ she pushed the door open and stepped inside, squinting into the gloom. The room was empty.
The guards ran wildly to each corner, tossing sacks and pots and tools.
‘You idiots,’ hissed Aunt Sofia. She looked at the fireplace and saw traces of soot on the hearth. ‘They’re inside the chimney.’
*
Indie dragged Aric across the roof. There was a tree against the far edge.
‘Can you make it?’ she whispered.
Aric was limping; blood dripped from his forehead and he swiped at it with an impatient hand.
He gave her a weak grin. ‘They won’t catch me this time,’ he said.
Indie slithered down the tree. She could hear the guards clattering across the roof.
Aric followed, stumbling as his feet hit the ground.
‘See that fence over there?’ he whispered. ‘Run to the bush on the corner. Go. I’ll be right behind you.’
Indie ran. She could hear the guards clambering down the tree, swearing as their swords caught in the branches. When she reached the bush, she threw herself onto the ground and crawled into its midst. Aric did the same. Indie hardly dared to breathe as the guards ran past them into the gardens.
‘Quickly.’ Aric pushed his way out and doubled back along the fence, veering sharply into the chicken yard. The chickens clucked and flapped. Indie stood still, holding her breath.
Aric began to hum. ‘I used to sing to them,’ he said. ‘Works like a charm.’
Then they were crawling, through feathers and chicken poo, up the ramp and into the shed. They scrambled under the nesting boxes, buried themselves in the straw, and waited.
*
Weasel-nose came back to the castle some time later, shaking his head.
‘Gone,’ he kept saying. ‘I can’t understand it.’
Neither could Aunt Sofia. She looked at the man in disgust, then she took out a small blue bottle and scattered a few drops on her hand.
‘No,’ Weasel-nose whispered. ‘Please! You have to give me another chance. Please …!’
‘Otako namito,’ said Aunt Sofia.
And she smiled, as a bright blue light flashed from her hands and a shiny black beetle scuttled across the floor.
Chapter 15
The Garden of Shadows
the trees cast shadows on the grass, creeping like ghosts across their path. The moon had barely shown her face.
‘What if the sorcerer finds us?’ Indie asked, brushing the straw from her hair. ‘Will he turn us into mice?’
Aric smiled and shook his head. ‘Tenzel is no more a sorcerer than you or I. He couldn't change us into mice if he tried.’
‘But I thought he could do magic. Uncle Paco said – ’
Aric stopped dead and stared at her in astonishment. ‘You’ve seen Paco?’
‘In the caves. With all his books and paintings and treasures. He told us heaps of stuff about Tenzel.’
‘In the caves? Well, well. Some good news at last.’
He beckoned her to stay low. They ran past the gardener’s shed, across the lawn and into the shelter of a clump of bushes.
‘Paco’s a smart man, an excellent man,’ Aric whispered, as they crawled through a prickly hedge
, ‘but he’s wrong about Tenzel.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Tenzel pretends to be a sorcerer, but he’s not. He’s a puppet. He does everything your Aunt Sofia tells him to do. The burning forest, Ballyndor in ruins, the people disappearing – it’s not Tenzel behind all the destruction; it’s your Aunt Sofia.’
Indie thought of all those afternoons with Aunt Sofia on the island. Her aunt tossing history books in the sand: ‘Useless. Those days are gone.’ Her aunt piling science books into her arms. ‘Oh Indie, I have such plans for us.’
Such plans. Such evil plans.
*
Aunt Sofia stormed into the throne room, her eyes wild and her hair flowing behind her. She walked the length of the carpet and came to a stop in front of the throne.
‘How could you let them escape?’ she cried.
The man on the throne flinched. He gathered his robes around him in a futile gesture of protection.
‘I'm so sorry, my dearest,’ he said, wringing his hands. ‘They were there before dinner. I made sure Cook sent up the most dreadful gruel – slimy potato and rancid rice. I guess they weren’t hungry.’
He chuckled, stopping when he saw the look in her eyes.
‘You useless worm,’ she hissed. ‘You continue to fail me in every possible way.’
‘But my precious, my angel –’
She silenced him with a glare. ‘You wouldn't be sitting on that throne if I hadn't fed poisonous berries to the prince.’ She gazed into the distance. ‘Sweet Prince Kai, so perfect, so healthy. Pah! Even Grandma Helki couldn’t guess. The old witch. So much for all her wisdom; she’s just as stupid as the rest.’
‘But my dear, I –’
‘You were nothing before I took you in hand, Tenzel. Do you hear me? Nothing.’ She tossed her head. ‘I should throw you back in the gutter where you belong.’
‘But sweetness,’ Tenzel’s face was grey, ‘I’ve been here by your side through everything. Who was it who tortured the king every day to find out where he hid your book? Who set up the factory for you to make your potions? I helped you get rid of all those people you didn't like, including the queen …’ his voice trailed off. He was rather sorry about what had happened to the queen.
‘But you couldn’t get rid of the Kalika people, could you?’ said Aunt Sofia, ‘If it weren’t for the old witch, I would have been Queen of Gort years ago.’ She gave a bitter laugh. ‘Well, the old witch is finally dying. Prepare the army. We will attack the forest at daybreak.’