20 Years Later (13 page)

Zane's grin broadened. “That must mean she likes us, if she wants us there for something so special.”

“She hasn't even met me,” Titus reminded him.

“Then that means she really wants to see me!” Zane exclaimed, not noticing Erin roll her eyes.

The rest of the journey was in silence once Luthor returned to them, and Erin was all too aware of his foul mood. Luthor was never the cheeriest teacher, but today they had all noticed how quick to anger he had been.

The buzz of an excited crowd was audible before they even got to the Red Lady's inner territory. Zane's anticipation peaked as the wooden gates were unlocked and they were
waved through. This time when he and Titus were checked for weapons, he was distracted by too many things to be bothered.

Close to thirty people were thronged in the courtyard, all in the same red leather armour that Luthor wore, all armed with bows, knives, and swords. Many of them were checking the straightness of their arrows, the alignment of the flights, and the tension of the bows. An excited chatter filled the air, creating an infectious atmosphere of keen anticipation.

Zane had never seen so many adults in one place at a time and, judging by Titus' large eyes and tightly pressed lips, his friend hadn't either. Zane's attention jumped from one to the other, admiring how strong they all looked. Everyone there had their hair plaited into a single long braid, just like Luthor's. There were several women, all of whom were dressed exactly the same way as the men. None of them were striking enough to hold his attention, his mind full of the Red Lady.

His eyes fell across the dark-haired Hunter who had checked him for weapons the first time he had come here. The Hunter stared at Luthor, as if he were willing the Champion to look over at him. Luthor glanced across the crowd and the intensity of David's stare also caught his eye. The leather of Luthor's armour creaked as he flexed his shoulder muscles in an effort to make himself look even broader as the other Hunter approached with a wide grin playing across his features.

“Feeling fit?” David asked cheerily. Luthor said nothing. “Don't get your hopes up too high,” David continued. “I'm stronger than ever … you know it too. This year, it'll be me.”

Luthor guffawed loudly, making several people near them look over. He stepped towards his challenger, making a point of looking down into David's eyes. Even though Luthor remained silent, Zane found himself growing nervous as the Red Lady's Champion stared his opponent down. Unwilling to back off immediately in front of the crowd, David stood his ground, the baby
finger on his left hand twitching. When Luthor leant forward a fraction of an inch, David eventually looked away and stepped aside, the muscles in his jaw working as he kept any insults locked in his mouth.

“Don't go anywhere.” Luthor jabbed a finger at the children, not taking his eyes off David, and then marched away, leaving them on the edge of the crowd. David muttered something under his breath and moved off towards the main building that Zane had been in before.

Zane pictured the Red Lady and revelled in there being only one wall between them. That and many Hunters, but he didn't really care about them. He was too swept up in the mood of the crowd, his eyes fixed on that huge door made for the gods, waiting for his goddess to walk through them.

Luthor soon returned, fully armed, and the crowd parted to let him walk through to the front of it. Many envious eyes were upon the Champion, but Zane, too young and naive to notice, remained oblivious. Luthor stood like a mountain, eyes also on the same doorway as a hush descended over the crowd.

The last sliver of the shadow cast by the building disappeared, and in the next moment, the doors were pushed open by two male Hunters, slightly older than those assembled in the courtyard.

Silence reigned as the Red Lady stepped out into the noonday sun, red silk clinging to her, describing her curves with its luxurious drapes. The sun sparkled from a blood-red stone at her throat; her hair was swept back and tied, revealing more of her neck. As she walked a few paces out towards the crowd, the slit in her dress that ran from the floor to her thigh parted just enough for Zane to see most of her legs, smooth and long amongst the dark red silk.

For a moment, Zane ceased to see or hear anyone else. His eyes feasted on her, glorying in how she looked even better than he remembered. He watched her scan the crowd, feeling
a twist in his stomach when her eyes lingered on Luthor. But then it was like the sun shone only for Zane when her gaze moved away from Luthor onto him, and she smiled. Smiled! He was almost lifted into the air with ecstasy. He was too busy smiling back at her like a fool to notice Luthor turn and see the target of her attention. Neither did he see how Luthor gripped the hilt of his sword hard enough to make the leather of his bracers creak under the strain.

Then she looked elsewhere, and Zane's heart slowly floated back to his body to hammer inside him.

“Hunters.” Her voice filled the courtyard, loud but not harsh. “It is a year and a day since I last laid down this challenge.” Luthor turned away from Zane to look back at her. “Today the hunting season for the red deer begins. Whilst no shadow is cast, I loose you like arrows upon this city.” She reached back and pulled the strip of red silk which had tied her hair, freeing it to fall around her face like spun gold. She held the silk high in the air. “The one who brings the first hide to my door will be the one permitted to step through it.” And with that, she let the fabric fall to the ground as gently as a sigh.

When it folded at her feet, the gates were unlocked and the Hunters poured out like water breaking a dam. Zane began to run with them but then remembered himself and stopped, watching them leave, crushed.

“I wish I was a Hunter!” he exclaimed and Erin rolled her eyes again.

The Red Lady turned and went back into her building, but the doors remained open. “Zane,” she called with the same tone that a person that hides might tease the seeker. “Bring your new friend. I want to meet him.”

Titus looked at Erin and she shrugged. “I have chores anyway,” she said indifferently.

Zane began to pull Titus with him, hurrying towards the steps as Titus nodded to Erin and said, “See you soon.”

When they reached the lobby, Zane told Titus to bow his head as he entered. Titus looked unimpressed. “But then I won't be able to see everything.”

“It's just what they do here,” Zane replied impatiently and began to walk through the inner doors that were being held open for them, head bowed respectfully.

Zane walked to the place where he had been brought when she had asked for him to come closer. He hoped desperately that Titus was doing what he told him to and that he wouldn't embarrass him in front of her.

“So, you must be Titus,” she said, her voice honey-sweet. “Do look up, both of you.”

She was on her throne again, smiling. Zane swallowed hard, his mouth dry.

“I am,” Titus replied with a steady voice. “You must be the Red Lady.”

Her smile broadened. “I'm told that you're living in the same square as Zane and Miri.”

Titus nodded, seeming very calm. Zane marvelled at how serene he appeared to be, as he looked no different than when he talked to Miri. How was that possible?

“And I understand that you have no allegiance to any other groups.”

“That's right,” Titus paused. “Only one person. But that isn't a group.”

“Who would that be?”

“My sister.”

“And where is she?”

Titus paused for a moment and then said, “I don't know.

But she'll be back soon.”

The Red Lady's gaze fixed on Titus for a few moments. Her eyes then flicked to Zane, who brightened at this. Titus watched his reaction closely.

“How delightful it is to see you again so soon, Zane.”
Her eyes sparkled like peridot. “I see that the training is going well.”

“You do?” he asked hopefully.

“Oh yes,” she breathed, her gaze playing across his unchanged shoulders. “I can see the benefits already.”

Zane flushed with pleasure. “I'm trying really hard.”

She nodded a little. “You wanted to discuss the deal with me?”

He nodded, glancing at Titus. “Titus would like to train with us when his ribs are better.”

The Red Lady looked intrigued. “Is that so?” At his nod she turned her attention back to Titus.

“He can give you a cut of the meat he catches too,” Zane added hopefully.

“Well … I think I'll have all the meat I need once you start hunting, Zane,” she replied, not taking her eyes from Titus. He looked back at her with a steady gaze, face impassive. “And I can't let just
anyone
be trained by my Champion.”

“But Titus isn't just anyone!” Zane blurted. “He's really clever, and he had the same dream as me, and I dreamt of him before I met him too!”

The Red Lady leaned forward slightly. “Really? Well, that is interesting.”

Zane glowed with pleasure.

“Do you have lots of dreams, Titus?”

“I don't remember all of them,” Titus replied warily.

“I see. Do you remember any from last night?”

Titus tensed slightly and he hesitated before saying “Yes … I do. But it was a strange one.”

“Those dreams are always the most interesting.”

Titus remained silent.

The Red Lady smiled to herself and then said, “I like to hear people's dreams as much as I like to hear stories. How about this: I will allow you to be trained by my best Hunter, if
you agree to tell me all of the dreams that you recall the most vividly.”

Titus considered this. “On the day I remember them?” She nodded. “Luthor can escort you so you'll be kept safe.”

The boy thought hard, much to Zane's disbelief. He wished he had the same deal; then it would be much easier to come and see her.

“Alright,” he finally said.

“Starting with the one you had last night,” she said, sliding from the chair to glide down the steps towards them.

Titus nodded. She held out her hand to him.

“Zane asked to shake on the deal we made,” she said, and Titus shook her hand. Zane wondered if his grip was better. The Red Lady sighed. “If only everyone outside of my gang were such a pleasure to deal with.”

She returned to her chair, much to Zane's disappointment, and looked at Titus expectantly.

“It was in Miri's garden,” he began. “Close to one of the gates. There's a stone birdbath there, next to the water tap. It has a bowl shape on the top of it that collects the water, but in the dream it was dry.”

Zane watched how attentive the Red Lady was and tried desperately to remember a more interesting dream than having violet eyes.

“There were strange balls in the bowl instead, going round and round it in a line, like they were strung on an invisible thread and being pulled by someone. They were only as big as my fist, and they looked like they were made from glass, but the sound they made on the stone was like a sound that a very heavy rock would make.” He blinked and then paused, watching the Red Lady intently. She waved a hand for him to continue. “There were three of them. One red, one green, and one purple. It looked like there could have been one more in the line from
the way they were moving and how they were spaced out, but I couldn't see it. They were strange because they moved by themselves, but also because they glowed a little bit.”

He frowned slightly at the Red Lady. “Carry on,” she said.

“I reached in and took the three I could see, but the sound carried on, like there was another in the bowl that was invisible. When I thought about that, it felt like I was covered by a kind of heavy black cloth, and it was hard to breathe and I woke up.”

The Red Lady was studying his face. “What do you think it means?” she asked.

“I don't know. But it might be symbolic.”

She looked impressed and–Zane's heart sank–excited?

“But I don't know what they could symbolise. Do you have any ideas?”

She smiled and shrugged in an exaggerated, playful way. “Who knows what dreams mean?” she said lightly, but Titus' frown deepened.

“Um … I have a question,” Zane piped up at the pause, eager to take her attention away from Titus. “You said outside that the first to bring a hide to your door would be allowed through it.” She nodded. “Well, we didn't have hides, but you let us through.”

She threw back her head and laughed melodiously. “Oh Zane,” she sighed as the laughter ebbed. She pointed to the entrance behind him. “I didn't mean
that
door.” Zane was confused but she didn't explain. “Time for you to leave me now,” she said. “I look forward to hearing your next dream, Titus.”

Titus nodded, somewhat distant, and then turned to leave. Zane took a deep breath and said “Goodbye then,” and took a hesitant step towards the Red Lady. She laughed, remembering, and moved so that her left cheek was facing him. He bounded up the steps and carefully planted a firm, tender kiss on her warm skin, eyes shut, savouring every single moment
of it.

He withdrew, lingering slightly to breathe in the scent of her as long as possible. When he reached the bottom of the steps she clicked her fingers. The doors opened and one of the Hunters stepped in. “Arthur, escort my guests home.”

Zane, walking backwards as before, followed Titus out of the room and didn't turn until the doors were shut in his face.

Not a word was spoken as they returned home. Arthur, an older man with hair greying at the temples, didn't make conversation. Zane was lost in memories of silk and skin, and Titus remained silent, deep in thought. Only when they were left at the square, the Hunter gone, did Zane notice how quiet Titus was.

“She's amazing, isn't she?” he sighed.

Titus frowned. “You think too much about the way she looks.”