Trial of Fire (22 page)

The ensuing silence made Andrew fidget; he knew it irritated Finnlay, and his father had hated that in him as well and had punished him for it. Andrew took a deep breath. He simply couldn’t imagine Robert not returning, nor a world without Robert in it somewhere. It didn’t seem possible, and yet—

And yet both his mother and Finnlay were both now worrying that the worst had happened, that Robert had been caught by Nash and, in his depleted state, been killed.

It couldn’t be possible – but that was what the Prophecy said would happen – or at least, it said that Robert and Nash would fight.

He began to fidget again, and the picture of Robert appeared once more: Robert, with his calm demeanour, his dry sense of humour, the way he never got angry – how could a man do that?

Well, if Andrew wasn’t
actually
brave, then at least he could assume the outward appearance of it. ‘He’s not so late,’ he said after a moment. ‘Not if he rode due south of us to take Nash as far as possible from here.’

He felt Finnlay’s sharp gaze on him and, for a second, Andrew wished the shadows would swallow him up: he’d obviously said the wrong thing. But then Finnlay turned his gaze back on the gully and replied, ‘He wouldn’t head due south – it would look too obvious to Nash.’

Frowning, Andrew pictured the map in his head: they had come from the west, but Nash would know they’d never head north, towards Marsay. If not south, then east? No, because they’d not been heading in that direction initially. But wouldn’t Nash expect them to lay a false trail once he’d realised he’d been fooled? Of course, he could just as easily think that Robert would expect him to think that and therefore not bother to lay down a false trail.

The twists were dizzying, but even so, he came up with an answer. ‘Robert would have headed northeast, towards Elita.’

He could see nothing, but the smile was evident in Finnlay’s voice. ‘Yes.’

‘And,’ he continued, encouraged, ‘that will take Nash further away from the Enclave, giving everyone as much time as possible to get as far away as they can.’

He saw the faint movement of a nod. ‘It’s comfortably easy to allow other people to think for you. My brother plans to put you on the throne; it’s time you started using your own mind. You’ll find the exercise will do you good.’

‘But what if I don’t want to be King?’ The words were blurted out before he could stop them and he winced as he awaited Finnlay’s response.

To his surprise, Finnlay laughed a little, although it was very dry. ‘You don’t want to be King? Amazing. I do. I would love to be King. If Robert
chose me, or even if he decided to take the throne himself, I would do all within my power to make sure it happened. And the moment I had that power, the moment the crown sat upon my head, I would do my best to make sure the poor were fed, to welcome the thousands of refugees back home, to bring back justice to the courts and prosperity to this battered country of ours. I would make sure no sorcerer was ever punished for being born with powers, and I would encourage the Salti to come out of hiding and give them the opportunity to become part of the community. Andrew, I swear, I would love to be King – no matter the cost.’

For a moment, Andrew was stunned into silence, but the prickles of his own conscience poked at him, urging him to do exactly as Finnlay had just instructed. ‘So you think it’s all right to murder one man in order to save others? Is that what the Church would preach? Would I have McCauly’s blessing if I do it?’

‘Who says it has to be murder?’

Andrew sighed. ‘Kenrick is my cousin, my own family.’ He would have gone on, but Finnlay strode up to him, and stood over him, his eyes glinting in the fragile light.

‘Don’t
ever
mention his name to me again,’ Finnlay hissed, seething hatred. Shocked, Andrew kept silent as Finnlay continued, ‘Your
cousin
took my daughter, cut her vein open between her wrist and her elbow and tried to drain her lifeblood from her. If you get the opportunity to kill him, then consider yourself fortunate, because if I get to him first, you will find nothing left of your precious cousin but ashes. Trust me, Andrew, you and that monster are
not
members of the same family!’

‘Which monster?’

Andrew froze and Finnlay turned around at the sound of that voice, then, together, they rushed forward to where Robert was emerging out of the gloom. His horse stumbled on the rocky ground; Robert sat hunched over, trying to keep his body from contact with the Key on his back. As Andrew caught the horse’s head, Finnlay moved around to the side, reaching up to help Robert dismount. In the darkness, the only giveaway to Robert’s exhaustion was the slowness of his movements, the careful way in which he dropped the reins and swung his leg over the back. And then he was sliding down and Finnlay caught him.

‘Quickly,’ Finnlay ordered, ‘get the door open and the horse inside.’

‘What monster?’ Robert repeated, his voice light and distracted. ‘The one chasing us, the one we’re going to go looking for, or the one on my back?’

‘We were getting worried,’ Finnlay grunted, throwing Robert’s arm over his shoulder and half-carrying him. Andrew hurried to the massive stone
covering the opening of the cave and pressed his hand against it, feeling it shift slowly. Under the noise, he heard Robert’s response.

‘Worried? S’no need to worry, Finn. S’all fine. Easy. Monster’ll never find us now. Never.’

Andrew took the horse through the opening, moving it quickly to one side to let Finnlay bring Robert through. The older man was barely walking, and the moment Andrew pressed his hand against the stone to close the door again, Robert collapsed to the ground. The cave echoed with Finnlay’s calls for help.

*

Jenn dipped the cloth into the bowl of water then set to scrubbing the table top. Even in the poor light, she could see the smears of mud she was making, the combination of layers and layers of cave dust and the water she was applying. Tonight they had thrown a cloth over it and ignored the dirt in favour of simply feeding themselves and getting the rest they all needed, but now Jenn was making up for it: for the foreseeable future, this bleak place would be her home.

The caves were quiet now. The children were all in bed asleep, along with most of the adults. Martha and Ronald were on Key duty, together creating a mask around its aura to ensure Nash wouldn’t find them. Until they found some other alternative, they would each have to take turn at Key duty. They were all being trained how to do it, as each could hold the mask for only a few hours at a time. Fiona was on watch, sitting outside the cave, rugged up against the cold and Seeking periodically to ensure that there was indeed nobody in pursuit. Jenn would take her a cup of brew as soon as it came to the boil.

Robert was asleep. Jenn dipped her cloth back in the bowl again, rinsing the dirt from it, looking over at him as she did. He lay on his side on a makeshift cot pressed into a slight curve in the cave wall; even in the dim light she could see his exhausted face, the shadows under his eyes. One of his hands was under the covers, the other was by his cheek, clutching the blanket as though it were a lifeline. He had been almost incoherent when he’d arrived, rambling about Nash and monsters and riding and horses, and things none of them understood. It was a miracle he’d survived, another miracle he’d avoided Nash; a third miracle had brought him safe back, where he could finally rest and recover his strength.

‘Jenn?’ The whisper came from behind. She turned to find Finnlay standing in a narrow embrasure. All the others were asleep in other caves; where Finnlay now stood led only to a small enclosure through which a trickle of water ran. He held a lamp in his hand, lighting up the wall behind him.

‘What is it?’

‘Come and look at this.’ He gestured, then disappeared behind rock. Sighing, Jenn followed. As she entered the enclosure, Finnlay pointed to a corner on her right where a thick black shadow ran from floor to ceiling.

‘What?’ She frowned, in no mood to play guessing games. She was awake only in case Robert needed something.

‘Look.’ He stepped forward and slid his hand into the shadow – followed by half his body. ‘I didn’t see it before, and everybody else was busy getting settled. I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d explore. Come on, take a look.’

Suppressing another sigh, Jenn shooed him on with her hand. Finnlay disappeared behind the rock, but his lamp threw out enough light to see where she was putting her feet. Gingerly she pressed herself between the folds of rock, inching her feet along sideways. The space was very close, even for her, but she reached the end of it to find Finnlay scrambling down a curved slope where the cave roof was too low to stand.

Living in the Enclave for over ten years had given Jenn a healthy respect for caves and their eccentricities. She trod carefully, watching where she put her feet on the too-smooth surface. She was about to voice a complaint when she smelled something on the air: water. And then she was sliding the last few feet until she landed on a small platform. Finnlay was on her right where the cave opened out; when she reached his side she let out a low whistle.

‘Why didn’t Andrew mention this?’ she murmured, aware of how noise travelled in unfurnished caves.

‘I don’t think he knew about it. He wasn’t here for long – perhaps Robert didn’t think to show him. Still, I’m glad I found it.’

‘You won’t be the only one.’ Jenn took the lamp from him and stepped forward a little. She stood on a ledge which sat alongside a wide rock pool. The cave roof soared above to where the light couldn’t reach. To her right, the ledge continued, almost following the pool to the other side of the cave. She knelt down – and gasped in surprise. The floor of the pool was green and glowed with light the closer she went. Before she could say a word, Finnlay was removing his boots and wading into the shallow area. He crouched down, his face alight with wonder. His fingers dipped into the water until they touched one of the glowing green things. Then he looked up, a crooked smile on his face.

‘It’s some kind of plant, I think. It’s got fronds, like a feather, and it feels as soft. It seems to like the lamp. It’s beautiful.’

‘Is it safe?’ Jenn whispered, now close enough to see that the entire floor of the pond was covered in the glowing green plants. ‘Perhaps that’s why Robert didn’t tell Andrew.’

‘Oh, I think if it had been dangerous, Robert would have warned Andrew to stay away. Besides, it hasn’t killed me, has it?’

‘So far.’ Jenn smiled, and it felt good to do so. If this place was safe, then it would be a luxury they could all enjoy – and it would be a perfect salve for Robert’s burns.

As though he’d heard her thoughts, Finnlay stepped back out of the water and picked up his boots. ‘Let’s go back. We’ll ask Robert about it when he wakes up.’

This time Jenn went first, easily finding the way. When she reached the main cave again, she left the lamp on the table and knelt by Robert’s side. Sometimes she hated having Healer’s Sight, and knowing how badly he was hurt. She wished he could be free of injury for a while, just so he could enjoy health, enjoy feeling good.

‘He’ll sleep for a day at least,’ Finnlay murmured from behind her, his voice a little ragged. Jenn looked up to find his eyes shadowed. He answered the question she hadn’t asked. ‘That was too close, Jenn. We won’t be so lucky next time. All these years and we’re still not ready. What more do we have to do?’

‘Be patient.’ Jenn got to her feet and went back to the table. She gave the lamp back to him and resumed her scrubbing. ‘You’ve hardly spoken to him in years, Finn. Give him a chance to talk, to explain, to tell us his plans.’

‘You’re assuming he will.’

She was, and she didn’t need Finnlay to tell her that assumption was a bold one. ‘You’ve believed in him all these years, Finn. Don’t start to doubt him now.’

He was silent a long time, then, without further word, he turned and left the cave, taking his lamp with him.

In the dim light of her single candle, Jenn continued removing dust from the table.

*

As soon as the rain stopped, Jenn went outside, walking through the woods where fresh leaves brightened the day and the spring wildflowers dotted the forest floor with colour. She still wore her boy’s clothes, so no gown impeded her progress, and the simple pleasure of striding out into the fresh air was almost enough to make her laugh out loud. As the ground rose before her, she took bigger strides, breathing heavily before slipping and sliding down the other side.

They’d been here two days and so far, their Seekers had not found a single soul in any direction, let alone any sign of Nash. Jenn had decided to keep the Seekers out on regular shifts for another week, but if they were still
wonderfully alone at the end of that, she would work out some other sentry schedule that would be a little easier on the Seekers.

Everybody was feeling the relief. For the first time this morning, the children had been allowed out to play. Inside the caves, they had to remain quiet because Robert was still sleeping, but out here, where the day was so fresh and welcoming, they could make all the noise they wanted.

All morning, she and Martha, Arlie and Maren had searched the lower caves, looking for spaces more suitable for habitation. Unlike the Enclave – or the Goleth caves, as she had to call them now – these were entirely natural, carved out of the mountain by rivers eons ago. Other than the one Robert had made his own, this place was full of tall, narrow caves with sharp, uneven floors and unpredictable passages. And until Robert woke up and was able to help them mould the stone, they would have to make do with what they had.

They had made use of the natural shape of the caves by stringing up hammock beds, which the children loved, although Lady Margaret had flatly refused to even consider getting into one; her expression had made them all laugh. The days were filled with endless activity: firewood to be collected, the horses watered and fed, foraging missions to catch rabbit, fish and anything else they might eat to be arranged by Murdoch and his nephews Edain and Braden.