Across the Face of the World (43 page)

As the sun came down blazing red to the horizon, they entered a long valley with steep sides and filled with a lake. Here the ice had not melted, being somewhat out of the sunlight. At the far end sat a small speck. Taller gestured, his face telling all. Midrun hut.

'Do we risk the ice?' Leader asked the other Fodhram. Shabby knelt down on the seemingly solid ice floor; it moved perceptibly under him.

'What's the alternative?' Kurr asked.

'We will have to climb out of this valley and make our way around the ridges to the hut. At least three days, and we'll have to leave the sleds here.'

'How far is the hut across the lake?'

'About an hour. We could make it in less if we hurry. But 1 don't know if the ice will hold.'

'Two days could make all the difference at the other end,' Kurr said gently.

'To you, yes. But don't forget that our families depend on the money we earn from our furs.

We have to get them to market, and one or two days either way will make no difference.'

Are you serious?' Farr cried, outraged. 'What are furs in compari¬son to lives?'

The Fodhram leader laughed, and a grouse startled out of a brake behind them. 'Nothing, of course. 1 was just reminding you of our concerns. Haven't we been pushing on hard? Do you doubt our concern for your friends?'

Scar-face returned from checking the ice.. 'It's starting to refreeze, but it is very brittle.' He smiled. 'It's been a tame journey thus far. Time to liven it up! I say we take on the ice.'

'Right, then,' Leader said briskly. 'You lead the way. And you'd better have that nose working.'

Leith tried to ignore the creaking and groaning of the ice as they made their way across the lake. In many places the surface had cracked, and water spread over the rotting ice. Scar-face avoided these areas, even to the point of crossing the width of the narrow lake to avoid one doubtful patch. Finally, as twilight gathered, the worst appeared to be over. Midrun Hut sat ahead of them, a few hundred tantalising yards away in the gloom.

At that moment a loud crack echoed across the valley and the ice shook. A hissing sound came from behind them.

'Forward! Forward!' Scar-face shouted. 'Quickly!'

Leith turned as he ran forward. Behind them a gaping fissure opened in the ice, the snow hissing as the crack snaked towards them. As he watched, it changed direction and headed towards him, then cracked again and shot out sideways. The ice buckled under Wira and Stella, then gave way with a snap.

Wira disappeared.

Stella screamed and threw herself flat on the ice, groping in the water with her arm. She grabbed something and pulled.

'Get off the ice!' Scar-face cried. 'It's ready to go!'

No one moved.

'Help me!' Stella shrieked. She had hold of something but did not have the strength to pull it up.

Ignoring the danger, Perdu and Leith ran across the ice towards her. The others made to help, but the ice cracked and hissed again and they were cut off.

'Get off! Now!' Leader barked. Faced with no option, the others sought the safety of the bank.

Leith lay to Stella's left, Perdu to her right. Together the three of them groped in the icy-cold water for a firm grip.

'I'm losing him!' Stella sobbed through clenched teeth. Her fingers had numbed.

'I've got something!' Leith called. 'Over here! Grab my arm and pull!'

Stella lost her grip and rolled over with a cry of despair.

Perdu and Leith pulled together. Slowly something came to the surface.

It was Wira. They had hold of his ankle.

Behind them, the ice continued to hiss and heave. 'Keep still!' Kurr shouted from the shore.

'You're making it break up!'

Slowly, agonisingly, they pulled Wira above the surface. His bales were still firmly attached to the tumpline. 'Stella! Help us!' Perdu called.

Now Farr came running across the ice. He had found firmer footing and leapt over the ever-widening crack. Four pairs of hands drew the inert form and the dead weight of two fur bales out of the water. Perdu and Leith pulled the tumpline away and the bales tumbled on to the ice, sending the end dipping under the water. A loud crack came from behind them.

Farr bent down and scooped his brother up in his arms, then ran for all he was worth. The others followed, leaving the bales behind. Ahead, Farr cleared the gap in the ice with ease.

Stella just made it, but twisted her ankle sharply as she landed. Leith barely missed her prone figure as he jumped the gap. He pulled her to her feet, but she cried out in pain when she set her foot to the ice. He put his shoulder under her arm and set out for the shore.

Farr, Perdu and the body of Wira were now safe on land. Slowly, Leith and Stella drew near.

Then a further loud report echoed across the lake, and another crack opened. This time it came from the direction of the hut, and raced up the lake towards them.

'The whole lake is going!' Scar-face cried.

Leith lunged for the shore, but they were too late. Ahead of them the ice opened: one yard, two yards, three yards, four yards wide. Perhaps Leith could have made it, but not Stella in her condition. The two stood together in horror as the ice widened beyond any possibility of crossing.

On the shore, Kurr gestured helplessly. What now?

'Sit tight,' Leader called across the widening gap. 'Perhaps the ice will settle down. Move away from the edge. We'll see what we can do.' He tried to sound reassuring.

Night was falling and Leith could hardly make out the nature of the activity on the shore, but he could guess. As he and Stella moved back from the edge of the ice, the Company would be busy building a fire. He could just make out Farr, who was vigorously rubbing his brother's legs. Had Wira survived? he wondered.

Leith and Stella sat side by side, trying to spread their weight out across the ice. Stella strained her eyesight across the lake, but could not see what was happening on the shore.

'Is Wira all right?' she called, anxiety in her voice.

'We're not sure yet,' came the reply. 'He's alive, but we can't wake him.' Stella heard the concern in Farr's voice.

'Now you just sit still and don't worry,' Kurr called to her. 'We'll get to you soon.'

For a while the night was quiet. High above, the wind blew strips of cloud across a sky awash with stars, but the air was still and cold on the lake.

'We're drifting away,' Stella whispered to Leith. He stared into the darkness. It was true; the fire on the shore was growing smaller.

'Hoy!' she called out. 'We're moving away! Can you hear us?' There was no answer.

'We'll be all right here,' Leith said quietly. 'The lake will prob¬ably freeze over again tonight, and in the morning we'll simply walk off.'

'I hope he's all right,' Stella said. Leith did not reply.

After a while the girl beside him stirred, then tried to stand. 'My arm!' she cried. 'I can't move it!'

'What's wrong?' Leith responded in alarm.

'It's the arm I had in the water, trying to raise Wira. I can't feel it.'

Leith turned towards her voice. It was dark now, unrelieved night, and he could not see her face. Just as well, he thought. It means that she can't see mine. Tentatively, Leith reached out in the darkness and touched her arm. It was icy cold.

'You're freezing,' he said, trying to keep his voice level. Here they were, stuck out in the middle of a lake with the prospect of freezing to death, and all he could think about was this girl sitting next to him. He tried to breathe normally, but his heart was in his throat. He tried to calm down. Surely she will notice! Surely she will laugh at me!

Stella tried to rub some feeling back into her arm, but it was no good. Her teeth began to chatter, and she shook uncontrol¬lably.

'I'll help you,' Leith said, but not with his own voice - it seemed another voice, calm and self-possessed, spoke through him. Another youth, a confident, assured youth, reached out to the girl and rubbed her arm with gentle firmness. Then, when the shaking had subsided somewhat, this voice said: 'We had better huddle together and keep warm.' Leith was astonished at what the voice had said.

Stella murmured a reply and moved close to him, her head nestling on his shoulder. Together they huddled under the cold stars, drawing warmth and comfort from each other.

Later that night the south wind rose, and it carried voices to them across the lake. At first they were indistinct, but soon they could be heard all too clearly.

'Wira! Sit down!' That was Farr.

'I need more! Give me another one!' The voice was petulant, demanding.

'You've had enough already. Be quiet or you'll wake the others!'

'Don't care! I'll die without another drink. I know you've got the flask. Now give me another!'

Now the voices gave way to the sound of a struggle.

Stella nudged Leith awake. 'Leith! Leith! Something's happening on the shore!'

They listened further, but the sounds were unclear.

A new voice spoke up. 'What's going on?'

'Nothing. We're just having a little disagreement,' Farr explained.

'Ask him if he's got any more!' Wira bellowed.

'So!' The voice was that of the Fodhram leader. 'This is our sneak thief! I wondered who watered down our ale. Son, why didn't you ask? There's plenty here for everyone!'

'Ask him,' came the sullen reply. 'He won't let me.'

Stella couldn't breathe for fear of what she was hearing.

'I'm afraid you have discovered our little secret,' Farr said. 'But if I had known he was stealing from you, I would have told you. I'm sorry.'

'This is a serious matter,' came the reply. 'Or at least it would be, if there were not more serious things afoot. You may have been saved from drowning, son, but those who risked their lives for you are themselves in danger, marooned out there on the lake. Or do you give them no thought?'

'I - Is Stella out there?'

'Yes she is, and Leith also.' Kurr spoke. 'Now I know what was troubling me about you Storrsens. My fears are confirmed.'

'Was it you who spied on us?' came the angry reply.

'No, not me. I think Leith knew about you from the beginning, but he chose to say nothing.

You gave yourself away.'

The voices were silent for so long that Leith began to think the wind had changed.

'Please don't think too harshly of him,' Farr said suddenly, his voice sounding much closer.

'He's been that way since his mother died. It's more my fault, really.'

'He'll sleep well the rest of the night.' This last from Hal.

'That's something,' Kurr said. 'But how are Leith and Stella coping out there on the lake?'

Leith felt something warm and wet soaking into his shoulder. Stella was crying softly. He straightened up and brushed her tears away.

'Sorry,' she said quietly.

'It's all right,' he said, knowing it wasn't. It had happened, she knew about Wira, but he didn't feel any of the joy he expected. Instead he felt only pity and sorrow.

'Did you really know?' she said some time later.

'Yes,' he replied simply.

'You must think I'm such a fool'

'Why?' he said, and it was as though the other voice spoke again. 'Wira is handsome and strong, and he cares about you. Without him we would never have made it this far. Don't think badly of him. How would you have coped with watching your mother die?'

Stella sighed. 'You sound just like your brother.'

She's right, Leith thought. 1 do sound exactly like my brother. Is it his voice I'm hearing? Can he do that? After the night in the Hermit's cave, Leith was unsure of anything to do with Hal.

'What you say is true,' she continued. 'Wira is nice to me, and I love him - or I think I do, and

- and - he's not Druin, and - oh, things are such a mess!' and she cried as he wrapped his arms about her.

Leith said nothing, but continued to hold her throughout the long night and on into the dawn.

Together Kurr and the Fodhram leader scoured the lake from a vantage point high above their campsite. During the pre-dawn hours the two men had sat together, talking about Loulea and Withwestwa Wood, about Faltha and Bhrudwo and the quest of the Company. Now they sought news of Leith and Stella.

As the sun rose and flushed the lake with saffron, two figures standing hand in hand out in the middle of the lake cast shadows that stretched across to the shore.

'They're alive,' Kurr breathed.

'Yes,' his friend agreed, wisdom in his deep eyes. 'Perhaps this morning they are truly alive.'

Out on the lake Leith and Stella searched the shore. 'Perhaps the fire has died down,' she said.

'Let's go and find out,' he said. Was that his voice? He no longer cared.

Together they walked slowly, carefully across the ice, skirting the newly-formed surface, Stella limping on her sore ankle. For a time it seemed as though they were making no progress, but even¬tually they drew close to the shore. Ahead they could see activity as their companions readied themselves for the journey.

'Do you think they've missed us?' Stella wondered aloud.

'Of course!' he replied. 'I wonder how Wira is.'

The woman beside him did not answer.

They came up to the camp, and Leith realised he was holding her hand. His awkwardness returned and he let her hand drop, not noticing the brief flicker of pain that crossed her face.

'I can't wait to sit by the fire,' she said. 'I feel so cold. I only survived the night because of you.' Embarrassed and with his head averted, Leith did not see the look she gave him, filled with grati¬tude and friendship.

* * *

Their reunion with the rest of the Company was full of relief. The fur-lined cloaks had kept Leith and Stella from the full effects of the cold, and the warm southerly breeze had taken the deep chill from the air. Back at the camp Wira had slept deeply, and was now fully recovered except for his customary morning headache. This morning, he realised, there was no point in disguising that fact.

The journey to Midrun Hut took no more than thirty minutes. They had come so close the previous night before near-tragedy had overtaken them. The travellers kept close to the shore, where the shadows had kept the ice from melting. The hut itself was on a rock shelf some twenty feet above the lake, close to where the rapids drained it. The door was unlocked, opening easily to a push.