"Are you numb anywhere?" he asked. Wordlessly, I pointed to my feet. He wresded off my boots. My feet were white and bloodless. I couldn't feel them at all.
"Frostbite," muttered Domick and began to rub them vigorously. In a short while sensation returned with burning painful clarity. Only when I was writhing with pain did he stop.
"You were lucky. Don't you know anything about frostbite? You could have lost a foot," he scolded.
I shuddered, but what else could I have done?
He poured a mug full of tea and pressed it into my hand, then fixed me with a disconcerting stare.
"Well, what are you doing out here?" he asked.
I sipped at the soup, then looked up at him. "I've run away," I said, for there was no other answer.
He nodded. "How did you get past the maze?"
I sipped again at the drink, trying to think what to say. If I told the truth, I would be giving away Rushton's part in the matter. On the other hand, perhaps he was one of Rushton's friends, and I could trust him.
"I... found a drain," I said at last, lamely.
Suspicion hardened in his face. "I should report you," he said coldly. "But there is the storm. I'll have to lock you in until someone comes from the house," he added.
He promised to bring me something to eat in a while and departed, locking the door carefully behind him.
I decided I would stay here until my feet had recovered, and let Domick feed me until I felt better, then I would get out and hide where Rushton had bid me go. The other room was dark and there was a sacking bed in one corner. Gratefully, I climbed onto it and not even my fear and despair at all that had happened could keep me awake.
I slept.
XXVI
I slept a very long time, but it was a healing sleep. When I awoke, I felt rested and alert. For a while I lay still enjoying a feeling of well-being and warmth. Outside, I could hear the whirling roar of the wind. The storm had worsened, and though it prevented me from leaving, it also meant I was safe for the moment.
I heard a knock and sat up, terrified it was Ariel. Had I slept too long? I wondered if the herbal tea had been laced with sleep potion and felt an aching despair. If it was him, there would be no escape.
"Who is it?" That was Domick. I heard a rumbled answer and for a moment thought it might be Rushton,
"It's me, Roland," said another voice. I did not know the name. I heard Domick unlatch the door.
"Is Louis here?" asked the newcomer. I crawled out of the bed and crossed quietly to the door. I wondered if Roland had been sent to search for me. Yet if so, why did he ask for Louis? I knew the old man stayed down on the farms with his cows throughout wintertime. It was only logical that the two sole wintertime inhabitants of the farms would know each other. But where had Roland come from? Perhaps he was not a Misfit at all. I listened.
"He wasn't where he was supposed to be," the voice said. "He wasn't there. I waited. Then we heard the wolves. Guess what has happened now?" the newcomer asked.
"Elspeth Gordie has escaped," Domick said. My heart began to thump wildly. There was a surprised silence.
"How could you know that?" he asked.
"She's here," said Domick. "I locked her in there. She says she came through the drains. She says she stumbled on them by accident, but I doubt it."
"I don't know anything about her. Only that she has escaped. But the important thing is that Rushton has gone missing," said Roland.
"Maybe he's with Louis," Domick said.
"He might be. But neither of them turned up to meet the Druid's man. I was the only one there and he was pretty nervous. I think he thought we were up to something," Roland said in a troubled voice.
"What will we do?" Domick asked. He sounded all at once young and uncertain. What had I got myself mixed up in now?
"It might be nothing," said Roland. "Rushton could just be searching for the girl. But he said yesterday that he thought they would not want him around much longer. What bothers me is that he said he would definitely be there tonight."
"I wish Louis was here," Domick said. "That old nutter," Roland snapped.
"Well, he was the first to help Rushton," Domick said defensively.
There was another silence.
I was trying to decide what to do. It sounded like these two boys and Louis Larkin definitely were allies of Rush-ton. But where did the Druid fit in? I could only hope Rushton had been delayed in my search. But I remem-bered uneasily the suspicion in Ariel's voice.
"We'll have to look for him," Roland said.
"Rushton said to do nothing without his word," Dom-ick said. "We should wait for Louis."
"Louis or no Louis, we'll have to act," the other answered. "If Rushton's in trouble, I'm not going to sit back and do nothing."
"We don't even know if he is in trouble," Domick said urgently. "Anyway, what happened to the Druid's man?"
"He went back. What else could we do?" said Roland. "He said the Druid trusted Rushton because he knew him, but he said he wasn't so sure. The idiot. Lud knows what he'll tell the Druid. I still can't work out why they want to help us anyway," Roland added thoughtfully. "What's in it for the Druid?"
I wondered too.
"You know, he actually thinks we let Vega find out that last time. A lot of the Druid's people think we set them up, and that's why that man got killed," Roland added.
"Rushton won't like any of this," Domick said.
A tog in the fire cracked loudly and I heard the sound of running feet outside. Again I froze, this time hoping it would be Rushton at the door. There was a knock and the other door was flung wide open.,.
"Louis!" Domick cried in relief.
"Where's Rushton?" Roland asked swiftly.
"They've got him," Louis said in an angry growl.
My heart plummeted. Impulsively I unlocked the door and stepped into the warm main room.
For a moment it was still like a wax display. Louis, warmly clad with snow melting and dripping in a pool at his feet; Domick and the other boy near the fire. We all stared at one another, then Domick made a little warding off movement that unfroze the tableau.
"I locked that," he said faintly.
"You!" Louis said and, to my astonishment, a look of anger filled his face and he stepped threateningly toward me. I had never seen him so animated. "You have some explainin' to do!" he growled. "Why do th' Council seek ye?"
"The Council?" Domick echoed.
Louis flicked him a quick quelling glance. "Aye, th' Council. Two Councilmen arrived tonight. They had a permit to remove Elspeth Gordie. They said th' Herder Faction wanted to question ye' as well."
I felt my face whiten. The Council wanted me, but I dreaded the fanatical Herders more.
But there was Rushton. "I had a brother. He was involved in some Sedition. They want to find out more about him," I said, leaving out a world of detail.
Louis squinted his eyes and looked at me skeptically, but I pretended not to see the look.
"You say they have Rushton? Who?" I asked.
No one answered.
"Look, I tell you I am a friend to him. Rushton helped me get away from the house and through the maze," I said urgently. "When I last saw him, he was waiting for Ariel. They were going to search for me."
"Why would he help you?" Roland asked sharply.
I looked at him helplessly, for I did not know that myself.
"She is not important now," said Domick. "We can deal with her later. I don't know how she undid that lock but I'll tie her up in there and we can talk."
"No!" I shouted. "I might be able to help. He told me to wait for him in the last silo. He helped me and now I want to help him."
"Do you know what Rushton is doing here?" Louis asked very carefully.
I hesitated then shook my head. "He wouldn't tell me. He said it would put other people in danger. His friends—you I suppose," I added soberly. "Before I left I heard Ariel talking to him. He sounded strange—suspicious. He knew I worked in t
he stables with Rushton. Something must have gone wrong." There was no disguising my distress and Domick regarded me searchingly for a moment.
"Where have they got him?" asked Roland. "I'm not going to stand around here and talk. He needs help. I knew it."
"I dinna know where he is," Louis said in a defeated voice. "But I do know he had some interest in her." He pointed to me. "Maybe she speaks true. How else could she have got through the maze? They don't know about the drain system."
"Somebody must know where he is," Roland said persistently. "Didn't Selmar say once they'd taken her to a place away from Obernewtyn. A cave?"
I gasped, remembering the passage concealed behind the fireplace in the Doctor's chamber. Madam Vega had said it led to the outside. Gould that lead out to the cave that Domick meant?
"I think I know where they took him," I said, trying to contain my excitement.
Louis looked at me, his eyes faded with age and watering from the cold but sharp as a knife. "An' where would that be?" he asked noncommittally.
I told him some of what I had heard in the Doctor's chamber, and what I had seen. Only Domick allowed his face to show any expression.
Louis mused. "That might be so. Sehnar said something about a track leading from a secret way. If we could find the outward path, we could go straight to this place."
"Rushton said to do nothing," Domick said.
Roland gave him a wilting look, but Louis only shrugged.
"Perhaps you can help us," Louis said, looking at me speculatively.
My heart skipped a beat at the knowledge in his look.
"Stupid idea. One girl against Alexi and Vega, not to mention that rattlesnake Ariel. I say we go there and take him out by force. There are enough of us to do it," Roland said.
But Louis was still staring at me. "You alone can speak to him. Find out what he wants us to do. He will be able to advise us," Louis said.
Domick and Roland looked at him as if he were mad. But I knew what he was getting at. Somehow, he knew the truth about me.
Slowly, I nodded. "What do you want me to do?"
"Go to him. It will take us time to gather some people and bring them through the maze. Speak to Rushton and find out what they are planning to do with him."
Realization dawned on Domick's face. "You ... you are like Selmar," he said in awe, tapping the center of his forehead.
"I'll help," I said. "But I don't have much courage."
Louis said briskly, "There's strong an' weak in th' world. If yer born without courage, ye mun look in yeself an' find it. There's a hard way ahead of ye. From what Selmar said, this place is some way from here."
"How will I get there?" I asked, trying to be sensible.
"The best I can offer ye is advice," Louis said. "Ye mun get outside the walls an' gan round to where this path starts. But I think I know where th' caves are. If ye'll trust me, ye can go there direct."
He strode to the door without further formality and opened it. Snow whirled into the room. "I fear th' weather will be against us, but there's nowt for it. Come on." He grasped my gloved hand in his so that the wind would not part us. It was terrifically strong. He looked back to where the two boys stood, still open-mouthed.
"You, Roland. Gan back to th' house an' get th' others. It's time to move. Dinna tell them about Rushton for they might not act without him. Just get them back here.
Domick ye best gan an' dig up the weapons. I fear this is it. I'll be back soon." He pulled the door shut behind us and we walked into the night.,
It was freezing after the warmth of the cabin and I wriggled my toes to make sure I could feel them. I could see nothing but Louis, who walked as if pulled by a rope, unerring in his sense of direction. We crossed a dark, half-frozen stream.
Eventually we reached the outer wall. We walked a short way along it, then Louis let go of my hand and dropped to the snow. In a moment I saw what he was about and bent to help him pry some foundation stones loose. We crawled through to the other side, and the wall acted as a natural windbreak.
"From what Selmar said and what I know of these mountains, I think this cave place is set in a clump of granite hills some way from here," said Louis. "My father spoke of them. He said they were marvels, filled with tiny creatures that glowed and flew in the night. Selmar said there were such creatures where she was taken. I have never heard of such a thing, save in those two instances. That is where ye will find him, I think. He is not at Obernewtyn, I know that much." He took a small arrow-case from his pocket and pressed it into my hand. "I dinna know how true this is especially with this storm, but when ye can see, head for th' western mountains. They frame th''granite hills. Selmar said th' path was hard to find. If he's there, ye'll know," Louis said certainly.
"How did you know about me?" I asked.
He smiled his old smile. "Watchin' an' listenin'. An' Rushton started to wonder too."
I nodded "I'll find him if he's there."
"Dinna get caught. Stay outside, some distance away, an' wait for us to get there. Tell him we'll come as fast as we can."
I looked up at the sky. The snow had paused briefly and now that my eyes were accustomed to the light, I saw that it was quite light "It's nearly morning," I thoughts then realized I had spoken out loud.
"Ye mun go," said Louis. "Move swift as ye can an' remember to watch out. There are dangers other than from Obernewtyn out there. Tell him we're comin'." He squeezed my hand then without ceremony, climbed back through the gap in the fence, and replaced the stones.
I was alone.
All at once, it began to snow again.
XXVII
I woke to the dense whiteness of a blinding snowstorm. The events before my fall were tumbled together in a wild kaleidoscopic dream I had been walking, looking for the granite hills and hoping the arrowcase was accurate. The snow had been falling too thickly to discern more than the occasional black outline of trees or rocks.
Now I was lying in a ditch of some depth, my head aching and a numbness creeping over my limbs. Dizzily I thought there was something dangerous about that, but I couldn't remember what. I coughed and discovered my head hurt. I had walked and walked until I had to rest. I had gone toward a clump of trees seeking shelter.
I sat up abruptly, remembering the low growling that had sent me into a headlong, mindless flight. Wolves, I had been sure. That was when I had fallen.
I peered around, thinking I must have managed to lose the beasts since they had not eaten me. I reached up and felt the huge bump on my forehead. It was a wonder I had not killed myself It was impossible to know how long I had been unconscious, but I was not really very wet and there was not a great deal of snow on me. I felt numb. Again I shuddered with fear, remembering what Domick had said about frostbite. Brushing the snow off me, I sat under the edge of the ditch overhang, wrestled my shoes off and began to rub my stiff toes vigorously. Before long the feeling returned. I rubbed every part of me that felt even slightly numb then stood up, wincing at the pain in my head. A sense of urgency filled me as I remembered what I had to do. I hoped I was not already too late.
I heard a noise. I looked up and a pair of yellow eyes gleamed at me from the darkness. This time I could not run and a weakness in my legs made me think I was going to pass out. Dimly I remembered the gruesome tales I had heard of the terrible creatures that dwelt in the mountain country.
Then a calm probing question in my thoughts shocked me so much I very nearly did run. To my utter astonish-'ment, I knew the thought pattern.
"Maruman?" I whispered incredulously, then repeated the name in thought.
"It is I," he answered calmly,
I burst out laughing, half in relief and half in hysteria. He blinked at me disapprovingly and that made me laugh all the more. I laughed until I was gulping for air and when the last hiccuping giggle faded into the still night, he moved forward so that I could discern his dark feline shape.
"You fell," he observed, again as if that was impolite.
"You did not come, so I came. It was necessary," Maruman said. The tone of his thought was offended. I had forgotten what a strange, contrary creature he was. If I ignored his mood, I risked him refusing to communicate at all. Again a sense of urgency and impatience came over me.
"I could not come. I was a prisoner at that place. But now I have escaped and I go to aid a friend who is in trouble," I explained briefly.
He mulled over that for a moment, "This night I came over the black ground in the wheeled creature drawn by the equines. Two rode within the coach. I came because your face was in their thoughts. But as we came near to the place you call Obernewtyn, I could not sense you. So I began to search. I followed your trail but it was not easy."
"You were clever to find me," I said diplomatically. "But there is no time to talk."
"Your friend?" Maruman inquired, with a hint of coldness.
I ignored that. "He helped me, now I must help him," I said.
Maruman's thoughts approved of that, since as a beast he had a very keen sense of loyalty. "Where is Innle friend?" he asked at last.
I explained the directions I had been given but confessed I did not know where exactly I was going.
"There is danger for you in these mountains," Maruman said pensively. "But it is in the mountains that you must fulfill the prophesy. And there is your debt to this friend. I will help," he decided.
I told him cautiously that I thought it would be better if he waited for me, but he refused, telling me a garbled tale about prophesy and his duty. Sighing, I wondered how long it had been since he had faced a bout of madness. Now would be a bad time. I marshaled my arguments, but Maruman fixed me with a penetrating look.
"Innle must seek the darkness and destroy it forever. All else is second. We each do what we must." Sharna had called me "Innle" too. I shivered, though I thought it was all nonsense. All at once the darkness of the night and the mountain fastness seemed steeped in some poisonous force that drew me regardless of my own will. Once more I had the sensation of being drawn inexorably toward something. Once more I felt that mad urge to forget everything and run as fast as I could from the mountains and all of the dangers and mysteries that lay within them.
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