Page 36 of The Amber Owl (Heartwood #1)

36

Stasya

‘Aleks?’

‘What?’ He had his back to her and was shrugging on his cloak. Even a wet garment could stand between a body and the chill wind.

‘Before you go. Something I didn’t tell you about at the time, because … because it would have sounded odd. Crazy.’

‘Whatever it is, just say it, Stasya. We need to move.’ He pushed his feet into his boots, not turning. Around them the others were doing their own preparations. Nobody had tried to argue with Aleksis, though their faces told a different story. Stasya had been given first shift at camp, keeping the fire going, waiting in case Pavel made his own way back.

‘Down by Clearwater I got a strong message that somebody doesn’t want us here on the mountain,’ she said. ‘Not a person, a … a power. I saw a sign woven into thorns and I heard … I heard a massive voice, like thunder, warning me to go back.’

He was suddenly very still. ‘And you chose not to tell me?’

‘Lukas said none of you had heard anything. I was quite close by, just along the shore. I wondered if that sound was only in my mind. But …’ How could she tell him her whispers of kindness and peace had unwound the thorny token, released the plant from the curse or spell or whatever it was? She didn’t understand that herself. It had been all too close to magic. ‘I’ve seen other signs, all the way up. Patterns in leaves and grasses, stones placed in piles, markings on bark, like ancient letters. Those are different. They help me find the way; whoever left them was a friend. But now Pavel’s disappeared, I wonder if … well, if he might have been led astray. Or taken away.’ Oh gods, she shouldn’t have said that, even though she knew it was possible. Because Markus, too, might have been taken by some malign force. Taken and killed. Or taken and twisted into something he should never have become. ‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘But … we all need to be alert. And careful. Not just of rain and mud and cold, but of strange things. Unexpected things.’

Aleksis turned his head and gave an abrupt nod. ‘Make sure the others know,’ he said. Which meant, at least, that he was prepared to believe the threat was real. ‘Everyone ready?’

—

Stasya felt the cold deep in her bones as she searched for more fallen branches, doing her best to stay within sight of the shelter. There’d been a good stack of firewood before the rain came, but it was running low now, and anything she collected would take a long while to dry out. Ah, there was a fallen limb that looked somewhat like a strange creature with many limbs and a grinning face. She dragged it out, broke it up as well as she could, holding it down with her foot as she snapped off the smaller branches. Whispered thanks to the tree for its gift. Enough for now; her hands were growing numb.

Back at the shelter she laid the wood down in the dryish area at the back. Flip was snuggled under a blanket with only the tip of her nose showing. ‘Maybe you could change into a fire-breathing dragon,’ Stasya murmured. ‘That might come in useful. But not right now,’ she added hastily as the little dog started to wriggle out of her cosy spot. If there were malign forces out looking for them, a dramatic transformation of that kind would only bring them closer. And Flip, Stasya imagined, would not be well-practised at aiming her fiery blast, even supposing she could execute such a change. Flip had once become a larger dog, yes. But there must be limits to her ability. ‘Some other time.’ Gods, it was cold! She’d rather be out there searching than waiting here, imagining all sorts of disasters, reliving all the things she’d got wrong, hearing herself making some stupid remark and upsetting people …

Flip sent her a mind-picture: Karolis standing on his hands, then going through his personal stretching routine, which was far more challenging than the one he had taught the rest of them. Stasya could not help smiling. ‘Good idea,’ she said. ‘It will warm me up. And what will you do?’

—

A nightmare day. On the second shift, Stasya went out with Matiss; they found no trace of Pavel. Unsurprising – though a person could always hope for miracles. On the next shift, she went out with Karolis. The rain kept falling, the wind kept blowing and the paths were a nightmare of dropped branches and slippery mud. Under the pines there was some shelter, but the ill weather made it a place of heavy shadow, and it would be all too easy to lose the way. Or to lose a companion. They had made a point of remembering landmarks to be sure they could find their way back. Their search to the south-west provided no clues, no sign a man had passed that way. They’d have had to find the man himself, dead or alive. The bad weather would have wiped out any other trace.

‘Time to head back!’ Karolis yelled through the storm.

‘Good!’ Stasya’s voice was hoarse. This couldn’t continue. None of them should try to do it again. But who was going to tell Aleks that?

They slogged their way through the mud; waded across a stream whose water had been ankle-deep before and was now almost waist high. So much for even pretending their clothing was dry. They helped each other as best they could. One last haul now, up a steep but navigable path to a spot where a particularly tall tree grew, and then down toward the shelter. Let the fire be still alight , Stasya prayed. Let everyone be all right. Let Pavel be safe. Karolis had told her Pavel had a wife and a baby son back at Dragon’s Keep. Would they pay the price for his disappearance from the Ruler’s household? It didn’t bear thinking about.

Karolis was ahead of her. At the top of the rise, he stopped dead. ‘What in the name of—?’

Stasya stepped up beside him. This was the way they’d come, she was absolutely sure of it. From here, there should be a stony slope down, a few young trees and the camp site not far off.

Instead, they stood on a cliff edge. Below them stretched a vast lake, its dark waters turned to a seething cauldron by the storm. As they stood unbelieving, lightning flashed, thunder rolled and a wayward wind clutched at their clothing, threatening to hurl them to their deaths.

Karolis let out an oath. ‘What in the name of the gods is this?’ He took a step back.

‘Something doesn’t want us here,’ Stasya said, with her heart thudding. Breathe , she reminded herself. This could not be fixed with a few words of kindness. This was the dark heart of the old tales, the curse that had likely driven travellers mad enough to leap from clifftops or run off into the forest heedless of their own safety. Had Pavel fallen victim to the same malign power? If so, gods help him.

‘What do we do?’ Karolis shouted above the voice of the wind. ‘Turn back?’

Stasya imagined turning to find another alien landscape laid out before them. ‘Stay where you are. Take my hand. Trust me!’ Karolis took her hand in his; he stood strong against the storm. As the wind lashed the trees and the cold clawed at heart and mind, she called: ‘Powers of goodness and light, powers of the old forest, help!’ Then she whispered the familiar words of the verse, imagining three women standing around her and Karolis: Mother from the painting, her own grandmother Helvi, and the old woman from the vision, together weaving a spell of protection. Sharing their wisdom, sharing their courage. It’s not real , she told herself . What’s real is the two of us and our comrades, doing our best to help a friend in trouble. And she thought, We’re still in Heartwood Forest, and Heartwood Forest is ancient and good and wise. What we see is not the true tale. What we see is a falsehood, a lie, a trap. And what we need to do is … Oh, gods. ‘Don’t look behind you!’ she warned, even as a low growling came from that direction. ‘We’re in the right place, we just can’t see it. Remember it’s a slope down, with stones, so we need to go slowly, step by step. Keep hold of my hand, shut your eyes and keep them shut. On a count of three, we both move forward.’ She squared her shoulders and closed her own eyes as the wind howled around them and something in the sky above screamed a warning.

Stasya pictured the three women; felt their power, deep as the oak’s roots, strong as the ancient earth, wise and true. ‘One … two … three.’ Hand in hand, they stepped forward into nothingness.

—

‘Strangest experience of my life,’ said Karolis, as, wearing little more than a blanket apiece, they tried to dry their garments by the fire. ‘And there’ve been a few. How did you know what to do, Stasya?’

She couldn’t stop shivering. ‘Just … did what felt right. I knew it couldn’t be real. Sorry I couldn’t take time to explain …’

Karolis’s smile lit up his whole face. ‘Sorry for saving my life? What you did was remarkable. Let’s hope whatever-it-is doesn’t try that again. Getting down that hill with my eyes shut was an experience I’ve no wish to repeat. Are you hurt?’

‘I have my share of bruises. Just as well neither of us broke anything. What do I tell Aleks?’

‘Tell him the truth. Or I will, if you prefer. He’s got to see sense at some point. Searching in this weather puts all of us at risk. Even without the landscape rearranging itself.’

Lukas had been the one keeping watch at camp. Now he was peering out into the rain. ‘They’re late,’ he observed. He’d had nothing much to say when they told him what had happened, though he’d been quick to offer them the dryest of the blankets.

Stasya’s heart sank. Neither Matiss nor Aleks would have much defence against an uncanny threat such as she and Karolis had just encountered. Expertise with weaponry went only so far. Pure courage on its own was not enough. Not in this place. In her bones she knew they were moving into a different realm.

‘We should brew tea,’ Karolis said. ‘That’ll bring Matiss back for sure.’ As a joke it was less than hilarious, but under the circumstances any light touch was welcome. Stasya did her best to cover herself with the blanket while she got into her spare tunic and trousers, which were marginally less soaked than the ones she’d taken off. She busied herself with the water skin, the pot, the fire.

‘You know the whole story, don’t you?’ There was a harsh note in Lukas’s voice as he addressed Karolis. ‘About why Aleksis is doing this, why he’s trying to get to the Hermit. The lost friend can’t be all of it; it’s crazy to think we’d find any trace now.’

Stasya focused her attention on what she was doing, though her whole body was tense. Flip chose this moment to patter out from the back of the shelter and settle by the fire.

‘We know, yes.’ Karolis sounded perfectly calm. ‘But it’s not for me to tell. What he’s shared with you so far is the truth; Matiss and I can vouch for that. The rest of it has to wait. What you don’t know, you can’t be forced to divulge. What we don’t talk about can’t be overheard and carried to the wrong ears.’

Silence, save for the heavy voice of the rain. Then Lukas said, ‘We’re in danger here. Pavel’s gone, perhaps taken. If Stasya hadn’t known what to do just now, you and she would both be dead. He needs to tell us the truth. And he needs to stop making ridiculous demands. We’re tired, we’re cold, we’re wet through. We all know there’s next to no chance of finding any trace of Pavel in these conditions. If he keeps this up, we’ll soon be in no fit state to do anything. I don’t understand why you obey his orders, when it’s …’

‘Foolish? Stupid?’ Karolis sounded remarkably calm. ‘I can’t give you an explanation, Lukas, not without revealing what I’m bound not to speak of. All I can say is that Aleks has good reason for what he’s doing. A lot more depends on this than finding answers to what happened when he was a boy. As for the search … none of us wants to leave Pavel out there on his own. But I agree that we can’t keep this up all day. Especially after our near miss. That was truly terrifying. I still can’t quite believe it happened.’

—

‘One last try for today,’ Aleksis said. They were all back now, a motley crew standing around the fire in whatever garments, or blankets, were the least sodden. Beyond the shelter, the rain still fell, but perhaps the worst was over. That didn’t mean any less mud or debris, Stasya knew. The streams would be swollen, the paths perilous to follow. Not to speak of the oddities of the place. It was as if Aleksis had barely taken in the horror of what they’d told him. But it was Karolis who’d related that story; surely Aleks believed the word of his trusted friend. ‘We’ll rest a while, then head out again.’

Better speak up now rather than risk another dispute. ‘Lukas and I should work together this time,’ she said. ‘I want to go the other way, uphill. I know Pavel’s more likely to have headed back down, but we should get a wider view from up there, and maybe we’ll spot some sign. Also, if you want me to find the best way on from here, I need to go higher, get a better idea of the terrain ahead.’ A pause. Aleks was frown ing. ‘I suppose you’ve been splitting us up because we’re both wayfinders. But this needs the two of us.’

Lukas wasn’t saying anything. Which meant, at least, that he was prepared to go along with the suggestion.

‘Good idea,’ said Matiss. ‘If Karolis is up to it after that alarming experience, he and I will make up the other team, and perhaps take the fishing line with us. And you can keep watch here, Aleks. Make plans for the next step in the journey.’

‘Mmm,’ was all Aleksis said. Stasya chose to take that as a yes. And perhaps an indication that he, too, was exhausted. Not invincible. Human, like the rest of them.