Shadowmagic - Sons of Macha (8 page)

W
e travelled like that for a day and a half. No one said a word. Anybody who knows me understands that I'm uneasy with uncomfortable silences. This was pure torment. I thought my head was going to explode. On the first night I ate and went straight to bed. I was hoping I could get to sleep quickly so I would have someone in dreamland to talk to, but sleep wouldn't come. I was sharing a tent with Araf and still wasn't asleep by the time he came to bed. I was so desperate for conversation I said, ‘Say something.'

‘What would you like me to say?' he answered, without the puzzlement in his voice that he should have had.

‘I don't care – anything. You can tell me about crop rotation if you want.'

‘Really?' he said, with more excitement than I have ever heard from him before.

‘Yes, anything.'

So off he went babbling on about plants and seeds and hoeing and dirt and bugs. He was so wrapped up in his subject I'm sure he didn't notice me nodding off with a smile on my face. Anything was better than the silence I had been enduring sandwiched between the icy glares of those two women.

I got a reprieve the next day when Essa dropped back to have a planning chat with Tuan.

Graysea startled me when she spoke. ‘Do you still care for her?'

‘Who?' I said lamely.

‘Conor, I'm stupid but not that stupid.'

‘You're not stupid,' I said, ‘you're the cleverest mermaid I know.'

‘And how many mermaids do you know?'

‘Well, that's not the point.'

‘No it's not,' she said. ‘The point, which you seem to be avoiding, is whether or not you still have feelings for Essa.'

‘Well, that's complicated.'

‘And you think I am too stupid to understand. Is that it?'

‘No,' I said looking around hoping that a pack of wolves would attack and get me out of this conversation. ‘Essa and I have a history.'

‘You still haven't answered the question,' she said and then mercifully continued so I didn't have to. ‘I just don't understand. When you were on the island with me she was engaged to that Turlow fella – right?'

‘Yes.'

‘So she is mad at you for being with me when she was engaged to somebody else. That doesn't seem fair.'

‘Well, ah …'

‘And she hits you all the time.'

‘Well, I don't know about all the time … but often.'

‘And is it true that last summer she tried to kill you?'

‘She … she didn't try to kill me,' I stammered, ‘she was just part of a plot to have me killed.'

Graysea shook her head and sighed. ‘And people think I'm stupid.' She kicked her horse and sped ahead.

Gosh, I thought, when you add it all up like that she had a point. Araf had silently sidled up next to me. I turned to him and said, ‘What do you think, big guy?'

‘About what?'

‘About my women problems?'

‘I think,' the Imp said, ‘I was more comfortable with questions about crop rotation.'

I got another reprieve that night when they both ignored me. Essa finally came up to me after dinner. A firefly sat on her shoulder illuminating one side of her face.

‘Your little mackerel is lounging in her barrel.'

‘She is not a mackerel, she's a Mertain. She is a healer from the Grotto of Health on the Mertain islands. And she is not lounging. She is recharging – preparing herself so she can help any of us in case we are injured.'

Essa was taken aback by my tone. She stood.

‘Maybe you would prefer to join her in her bath tub.'

‘Maybe I would. At least she's not mad at me all the time and she never hits me with sticks.'

Essa looked at me like she had never seen me before. I stood and faced her. ‘Anyway, I haven't seen you for an hour or so – are you sure you haven't gotten engaged to someone in that time?'

Essa looked like she had been slapped. ‘You promised you would never mention that.'

‘No I didn't.
You
told me not to mention it. I never got a chance to promise. Well, maybe I'm tired of being bossed around by you.'

It didn't take long for the surprised Essa to kick back. ‘Fine,' she hissed. ‘I hope you and your fish will be happy together.' She stomped away, leaving her firefly to flutter around confused, and then she turned. I took a step back expecting a blow. ‘Now that I think of it, you and your fish are perfect together – because you're an eel.'

I tried riding with Araf the next day but he insisted on continuing his dissertation on agriculture so I dropped to the rear to have a long overdue catch-up with Tuan. Araf didn't even notice I was gone.

‘Councillor Tuan,' I said, ‘I'm surprised you're still in Duir. Don't get me wrong, it's great having you around, but shouldn't you be in the Pinelands impressing girls with your super-Pooka act?'

‘Girls,' Tuan sighed, ‘are the reason I am here.'

‘Oh?' I said with my inflection going up.

‘My mother wants me to marry.'

‘Oh,' I said with my tone going down.

‘Yes, Mother wants me to marry a mousy woman from the council.'

‘When you say mousy, Tuan, do you mean she's small or that she changes into a mouse?'

‘Both.'

‘And you're not into rodents?'

‘It's not that …'

‘What is it then?'

Tuan looked around to make sure no one could overhear. ‘There's this girl in Castle Duir.'

‘Oh, do tell.'

‘This mustn't get back to my mother.'

‘I'll be as quiet as the mouse you're cheating on.'

Tuan snarled at me then straightened up in his saddle and said, ‘Never mind.'

‘No, no, I'm sorry T. I promise I won't make jokes. Who is she?'

‘I better not say.'

‘Aw come on, what's the big secret?'

‘She is an Imp.'

‘Oh, and Mom's not into mixed marriages?'

‘Mother thinks that Pooka power as strong as mine shouldn't be diluted.'

‘So she's hooking you up with a mouse?'

Tuan shrugged.

‘Why don't you just tell your mother to get stuffed?' I said. ‘You do realise you're a dragon?'

Tuan laughed. ‘Being one of the most powerful creatures in The Land has little sway with my mother.'

‘Yeah, big guy,' I said, nodding. ‘I guess I can relate to that.'

We made good time and got to the base of Mount Cas on the evening of the third day. As we set up a base camp, I expected Dad to make some comment like, ‘Aren't you glad we left at dawn?' but all he gave me was that look that said it all. Where do parents learn that all-encompassing look? Is there some sort of instructional video you get when you have your first kid? Does it come with a mirror to practise in?

Gerard brought out a couple of bottles of dark red wine. It was fabulous. I wasn't worried about the upcoming confrontation until I tasted it. When Gerard brings out the special stuff then you know there's going to be hard times ahead.

That night I dreamt about the Oracle. He leaned forward into the light. As his wispy grey hair blew in a breeze, his wrinkled eyes smiled at me. Then with the tiniest flick of the wrist, he sent me sailing off the side of Mount Cas. I screamed all the way down until the moment I hit the ground. I sat bolt upright in my tent and stared into the darkness, willing my breath to calm and my heartbeat to return to normal. Was that just a nightmare, I wondered – or a prophecy?

We set out long before dawn. Every campaign seemed to be getting earlier and earlier. Soon we would be leaving before we even went to bed. Essa, Tuan, Gerard and Graysea stayed behind in base camp. The last time I climbed Mount Cas it took us three days but that was in the winter. This day was dry and sunny and we set a ridiculous pace. We hiked way into the cold night and found a place to camp on the opposite side of the mountain from where the Yew House stood. We didn't know if the Oracle had enough power over the mountain to cause avalanches, but didn't want to chance it.

Mom sat next to me over what was laughingly called dinner. ‘Are you OK?' she asked.

‘Other than the fact that my legs feel like jelly after that climb and I have to sleep on cold hard stone on the edge of a cliff the night before I re-tangle with the nastiest sorcerer I have ever seen – yeah, I'm fine.'

‘I was talking about your girlfriend problems.'

‘Oh, well I don't think I have a problem any more 'cause after this trip I probably won't have any girlfriends.'

‘Well, that would suit me fine. Then I would have you all to myself.'

She put her arm around me and gave me a hug that made me feel like I was five. I placed my head on her shoulder and closed my eyes. I was awfully tired. I don't know if it was Shadowmagic or just Mom magic but the next thing I noticed I was in my sleeping roll and Dahy was shaking me awake and offering me a cup of breakfast tea.

If yesterday my legs felt like jelly, today they felt like lead. Dad, in front, set a stride that some would call a sprint. We only slowed down on the parts of the trail that were visible from the Yew House above, then we would press against the rock face and slink along in single file so as not to be seen.