Spellfall (19 page)

If Oq died, her mother’s spirit would be homeless.

“We have to stop him!” she said, already making plans. “The Council will take ages to decide what to do. But K’tanaqui and I could get out through the Thrallstone and tell the police about the Raven—”

“No, Natty!” Atanaqui’s figure shimmered in agitation. “Absolutely not! I’m not having you go back into danger like that.”

“But you said it yourself! The Council think in tree terms! What if they spend all day and all night discussing it and then it’s too late? I don’t care about the Council – except maybe Lady Thaypari, she’s nice – but if we don’t stop Hawk in time,
you’ll
die—” She choked. “I couldn’t stand that, not again, I just couldn’t.” More tears threatened. Angrily, she removed her glasses and dashed them away.

Her mother’s expression softened. “Shh, Natty. It’ll be all right, you’ll see. That was a brave thing to offer to do, but the Council will listen to you once they realize how serious this is. Old Pveriyan remembers the Caster Wars and he hates Hawk. He’ll make them act.”

Natalie took a deep breath. “I’ll do my best,” she promised, desperately
not
thinking of how she intended to keep that promise, in case Oq relayed her thoughts to her mother.

Lady Atanaqui smiled. “Good girl. We’ll get together again when all this is over and have a proper chat. Have you any questions before you go?”

“What sort of weapon is the Raven?” she asked innocently.

“Ah – now, that’s the problem. I don’t know exactly. All I ever saw were some boxes with a raven symbol on the side, but of course it wouldn’t have been built back then. I assume it’ll be small enough to carry, though I suppose they might use a horse and cart to transport it.”

Natalie stood up and plucked at the tendrils attached to her head. “Can I go now? I’d best hurry.”

Atanaqui smiled again. “Yes, you had. Better take those moonflowers out of your hair first, though. Thaypari means well but they dull your senses, and you’ll need all your wits about you if you’re going to persuade the Council to act in time.”

“I
thought
I felt sleepy!” In a fit of rage, Natalie stripped the sweetly scented petals from her hair, threw them down and stamped on them. “She never told me! How could she do this to me? She’s as bad as the Casters with their sleeping pills!” She glared at the leaf-concealed entrance.

“Don’t be too angry with Thaypari,” her mother said gently. “Earthaven has no medicine, and you were in a state of shock when you arrived. Moonflowers are a sedative, and she must have thought they’d help you deal with things. Now, are you sure you can remember everything?”

“Of course!” Natalie crushed the final petal and straightened her shoulders. She felt more alert already, yet a little frightened too. “But what if I— I mean, we’re too late?”

Her mother was immediately serious again. “Then, daughter, we’d better pray the Raven doesn’t work. Because once human technology gets into Earthaven, there’s nothing we can do to stop it taking over.”

*

Natalie came out of the Heart trembling. She flung her arms about K’tanaqui’s neck and clutched his ruff fiercely.

Pup been crrrying.
Her magehound sounded confused.
Why crrry when happy?

She blinked. Happy? She only had to get out of Oq without the Council’s knowledge, find her way back to the Thrallstone, persuade the police to arrest Lord Hawk and confiscate an unknown weapon that might or might not work – and all before midnight tomorrow, or her mother would die for the second time. A huge sob escaped her.

“There, there,” Lady Thaypari said. “The Heart can be a bit of an experience your first time, I know. Why don’t we go down to my chambers and you can tell me all about it.” She fingered a strand of Natalie’s hair and frowned. “You’ve lost your moonflowers, you poor thing. I’ll find you some more.”

This reminded her she couldn’t trust Thaypari
.
She struggled to her feet and wiped her eyes. She ought to run now before the Spell Lady got too suspicious. But there was Merlin. She couldn’t leave him here, tempting though it might be.

“Where’s my friend?” she asked. “I want to see him before he goes for his interview.”

Lady Thaypari gave a small cough. “The Caster has already been in the Heart.”

Natalie stared at her in disbelief. “
What?
But you said—”

“I know, and you mustn’t think badly of us but old Pveriyan was quite right. It was vital we found out all we could about the Casters’ plans as soon as possible.”

“But I promised I’d be there, I
promised!
Poor Merlin, he was so frightened. I should never have left him!”

“Now don’t go upsetting yourself,” Thaypari said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “He’s fine. He’s sleeping it off in my chambers even as we speak. Despite what old Pveriyan said in the Council chamber, drainings don’t happen these days. He’ll get over it, you’ll see.”

“He won’t get over it! You don’t know Merlin.”

On top of what she’d just learned in the Heart, it was too much. Without thinking to ask what the Council had found out and what they were going to do about it, she broke away from the Spell Lady and ran. Down the spiralling passages, unexpected draughts blowing her hair across her eyes, her breath tight, desperately trying to remember the way back to Lady Thaypari’s chamber. Treemages jumped out of her way and shook their heads after her, muttering about crazy youngsters who shouldn’t be allowed in the upper branches. K’tanaqui panted behind, telling her exactly what he thought.
Pup crrrazy! Pup slow down beforrre brrreak crrrazy pup-neck!

Natalie ran faster, grabbing at twigs to catch her balance when she slipped. She supposed she deserved to fall, but Oq must have been looking after her. She reached Thaypari’s chambers without injury and fought her way through the entrance vines. Her frantic gaze swept across the table with its bowl of untouched soulfruit, the empty chairs, the mossy cushions. Merlin was curled on one of the couches in the shadows at the back, his arms wrapped tightly around his head.

“Merlin!” She rushed across and dropped to her knees beside the couch. “Oh, I’m so sorry. They tricked me. I didn’t realize—”

The boy sat up with a start and rubbed his eyes. For a moment, he looked blank and scared. Then a very sleepy mouse wriggled out of the neck of his tunic and blinked at her, and Merlin broke into a grin.

“Natalie! Where’ve you
been?
You’ll never guess what happened to me in the Heart! It was brilliant, like being in the centre of the world. You should have seen old Pveriyan’s face when I came out and he— What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

Natalie clung on to the couch, her legs wobbly. K’tanaqui pushed his way into the chamber, sniffed at her anxiously and began to scold.
Pup stupid! Lorrrds angrrry, fearrr they lose thirrrteenth Council memberrr. K’tanaqui fearrr too. Pup only got two legs, not good forrr balance.

But she was too busy trying to work out the sudden change in Merlin to laugh at her magehound’s comment. The boy seemed to have forgotten his terror of the night before. What was more, he seemed full of energy, happier than she’d ever seen him.

“It’s like a huge web,” he went on excitedly. “Much better than the Internet! I was plugged right in. All I had to do was think and,
wham
, I was there. I spoke to soultrees all over the world. There’s this gnarled old soultree in Romania called Fz and she’s got connections under the mountains right through to the other side. Over there, the Boundary is weaker and the locals think magehounds are werewolves. Fz knows some great stories— Hey!”

His excitement ended in a squeak as Natalie grabbed his tunic and pulled him off the couch. “Later, all right? We’ve got to get back to the Thrallstone as soon as possible. I’ll explain on the way. Come
on
!” She dragged the protesting boy out into the passage and checked both ways.

“But we only just got here!”

“Well, we’re leaving again. Anyway, I thought you hated Earthaven.”

“Not any more. I haven’t told you what happens during the Opening yet. It’s incredible! Oq’s roots go all the way, you know. Right up to the Boundary, and—”

“Tell me later.” Natalie’s blood was still up after the mad race from the Heart. “We’ve got to go now, before the Council tries to stop us. Can you remember the way to the Root System?”

Lady Thaypari appeared at the end of the passage, out of breath. “Natalie! Wait. I’m sorry you had a bad experience in the Heart. At least let’s talk about it—”

“Go!” Natalie hissed to the still reluctant Merlin, giving him a push.

They left Thaypari shaking her head and hurried down the maze of hollow branches, K’tanaqui bounding in front. He led them unerringly to the vast Central Root Cavern with its floating organazoomers and eerie draughts. Natalie began to lead the way across the floor but Merlin planted himself and folded his arms.

“I’m not going a step further until you tell me why we’re running away!” he announced.

She supposed she owed him an explanation. But if she stopped to tell him what her mother had said and her own reasons for not trusting the Council, they would still be here arguing when the Boundary opened next year, let alone this. “Tell you in the organazoomer,” she said, doubling back to grab his sleeve.

Merlin shook his head, his stubborn expression changing to one of fear. Natalie looked round and her heart missed a beat. Lord Pveriyan was striding towards them, leaving a trail of thorns across the Cavern floor. Merlin backed away, one hand curled about his mouse. K’tanaqui raised his hackles and growled at K’veriyan, who growled back. Behind the Spell Lord, a line of stationary organazoomers sparkled tantalizingly.

“Going somewhere?” the Spell Lord said. “I seem to remember the Council decreed you should both stay inside for your own protection until after the Opening.”

Natalie gripped K’tanaqui’s ruff tighter. She glanced at Merlin, then at the organazoomers. Lord Pveriyan chuckled and stepped aside. “Go ahead,” he said. “Try it.”

“It’s a trick,” Merlin whispered.

Natalie grabbed the boy’s hand and dragged him past the Spell Lord. Her skin prickled but Pveriyan made no move to stop them. “Soon as it opens, get in and hold tight,” she whispered.

Merlin pulled a face, but didn’t say anything.

“Open please, Oq!” she said firmly. “Take us to the Thrallstone.”

Nothing happened.

The shadow of failure rippled through her. “K’tanaqui? Why won’t they work?” She glared at the Spell Lord. “What have you done to them?”

Oq prrrotects thirrrteeenth Council memberrr,
K’tanaqui said, keeping one amber eye on K’veriyan.

While Natalie tried to work out what he meant, Lord Pveriyan strolled towards them, a smile playing on his lips. His magehound padded after him, almost seeming to smile too.

“What can we do?” Natalie hissed to K’tanaqui. “We have to get to the Thrallstone before tomorrow night! We
have
to!”

Orrrganazoomerrrs not only way. Pups follow.
Her magehound headed towards one of the tunnels at the far side of the Root Cavern.

Lord Pveriyan frowned after K’tanaqui. “Going outside won’t do you any good. It’ll take you a week to walk to the Boundary from here. We’ve no cars in Earthaven, you know. Believe me, you’ll be much safer inside during the Opening. Now be sensible. What’s the great hurry, anyway?”

Natalie’s heart sank. She hadn’t realized it was so far. It looked as if she’d have to trust the Council, after all. She sighed and said, “Lord, when I was in the Heart I spoke to Lady Atanaqui’s spirit and she said we must stop Hawk from bringing the Raven across the Boundary. I thought if K’tanaqui and I could get back through the Thrallstone in time, we could get the police to stop him. It’s very important. Do you know another way?”

Lord Pveriyan’s smile returned. “Stop Hawk? Oh, I think not. Let him come. His Raven will never work but he’ll find Earthaven justice isn’t quite so lenient this time. I said from the start we should have executed that hawk of his and drained the man completely but no one listened. Maybe they’ll listen to me now.”

“But Lady Atanaqui said—” One look at Pveriyan’s face was enough to convince her that arguing would be useless. She grasped Merlin’s hand and tugged him after K’tanaqui.

“Be dark soon,” was Lord Pveriyan’s parting comment. “All kinds of creatures roam Earthaven in the dark. When you’ve had enough, just ask Oq to let you in again. I’ll be waiting.”

Don’t look back. Don’t.

The tunnel was gloomy and sloped steeply upwards. Cobwebs clung to their clothes and laced K’tanaqui’s fur. Then there was a creak ahead, and crimson light poured down the slope. Blinking, they followed the magehound into a vivid Earthaven sunset. The little trunk door creaked shut behind them. Natalie leant against it and gulped air that tasted wild, strange, pure. Beside her, Merlin brushed himself off, shuddering.

She hardly dared ask. “What’s Plan B, K’tanaqui?”

Her magehound flipped his ear and gave her a long-suffering look.
Pups rrride unicorrrns, of courrrse
.

Chapter 14

UNICORNS

Saturday, October 31