Arrows of Time (16 page)

What’s she saying?

Various things.

Such as?

Help. Danger. Strange witches.

Great.

Rosette returned her attention to the girl, subtly indicating to Shane that his sword would not be required at this point. ‘What is your full name, if I might ask?’

‘Nellion Sophia Paree,’ she said, her words formal. ‘Do I know you?’

Rosette shook her head and blinked.

‘You okay? What’s happening?’ Shane asked. He put his hand on her shoulder, steadying her.

‘I’m fine,’ she said to him, not taking her eyes off the girl. ‘Your hair is so red…’

The girl smiled. ‘Henna! Isn’t it fabulous?’

‘Pardon?’

‘I got a whole tub of henna powder from the markets at Morzone last week. We never get any here. It suits, don’t you think?’ She all but giggled as she twisted in the saddle to offer a better view of her long tresses. She seemed to be over her suspicions, whatever they were.

She’s stalling. Half of Treeon’s guards are on their way now.

Rosette didn’t speak.

Pull it together, Maudi. It’s okay. At least we know ‘when’ we are.

But we don’t, Drayco. Nell didn’t cross over as a child…I mean, Kreshkali didn’t cross over as a child. She was never here then, before…I mean…

Calm down, Maudi, and say something to her. She’s about to ride away.

Rosette took a deep breath. ‘It’s quite vivid. Really lovely, Nell.’ She turned to Shane. ‘This is my travel companion, Shane…’ She looked at the man, frowning as she searched for words. She had no idea how to present him.

‘Shane MacVenton, master bard and left-hand rank of the T’locity border scouts.’

Rosette nodded before turning back to the girl. ‘We just met.’

Nell winked back. ‘Sure you did.’

What a cheeky little imp.

Sounds like she’s our Nell then, even if she can’t be.

‘Tell me, Nellion.’ Rosette beamed a smile at the girl. ‘Who’s presiding High Priestess of Treeon Temple now? La Kaffa?’

The girl wrinkled her nose. ‘You mean High Priest, don’t you?’

‘High Priest?’

‘Corvey, High Priest Rosh Corvey.’

That can’t be right
, Rosette said.

Nothing is. There are no familiars about at all, Maudi. I’ve tried contacting. It’s silent down there. Not a peep from feline, raptor or serpent, and we know La Kaffa had one—a temple dog from Corsanon—and there were always a few Lemur ravens about.

I’m glad you remember your history, Drayco. This is strange. I feel the silence too.

‘Mistress Rosette?’ Nell said as her mount started pawing the ground. ‘Can I ask you something?’

‘Of course.’

Nell dropped her voice to a whisper and urged her horse a little closer. ‘Where did you get the sword?’

Rosette frowned. That was definitely not the right question—not one that made sense anyway. Her sword was forged at Treeon and sported the serpent-entwined tree as a crest. It was a traditional design. Unmistakable, even half a century ago.

Especially half a century ago.
‘Why do you ask?’

‘I’ve never seen one up close. Never on a woman, of course.’

‘Never on a woman?’

Maudi, may I suggest you move the conversation to a close now? There are more riders gathering at the gates below. They’re armed. Aggressive.

You’re right. We may not be quite where we think we are, Dray. I’m starting to wonder if this is even Gaela.

Is it Nell?

So it seems, but there never was a High Priest at Treeon, Corvey or otherwise, and everyone from Morzone to Lividica would have seen swords on men and women and teens, all the time. It’s commonplace, now or then—at our Treeon Temple.

So where are we?

I have no idea.

One way to find out.

How?

Ask.

Rosette smiled, as she realised that Nell was still talking to her.

‘I’ve always been fascinated by the weapon, though it’s banned for females, of course.

Rosette kept her face a mask. ‘Tell me, Nell. What do you call this place?’

She scrunched her face. ‘Where are you from that you don’t know?’

‘Just answer the question, missy-miss,’ Shane said, his voice a strong tenor. ‘We’re a little…disoriented.’

‘This is Treeon Temple.’ Nell stroked the horse’s neck, directing her answer to Shane.

‘Yes, of course. I meant, what do you call your world?’ Rosette asked.

‘You don’t know the name of the world?’

‘There could be some confusion, yes.’

The girl shortened her reins and sucked in her breath. ‘This is Gaela,’ she said at last, presenting the entire landscape with a graceful sweep of her arm.

‘What year?’

‘212 AD.’

‘AD?’

‘After destruction,’ Nell answered.

‘Destruction of what?’

‘All the temples, of course.’ Nell stared at their blank faces, then turned her horse around. ‘I’ve got to go,’ she said, looking back over her shoulder. ‘But you can pose your questions to the temple guards or even High Priest Corvey, if you get an interview. They are on their way to greet you.’

‘Thank you.’ Rosette was too stunned to say anything else.

Nell broke into a canter, putting distance between them as she raced down the road. Rosette watched the girl ride away, the golden horse galloping along, smooth as butter, Nell’s henna red hair streaming out behind her. She pressed her forehead with the palm of her hand and looked at Shane.

‘I take it we aren’t quite where you had anticipated.’ Shane’s voice brought her back to the present.

‘Not even close,’ she answered.

‘What now?’

I suggest we get out of here, Maudi. Those guards are armed and charging.

They can’t be. This is Treeon, not some blood-hungry Corsanon temple.

See for yourself, Maudi. They’re charging, swords drawn, and we are the target.

Rosette shut her eyes, opening her inner vision to the Treeon Temple guards. Something about them was peculiar. A dozen sentries mounted on bay and black warhorses were galloping up the hill in tight formation, following their captain. He rode a dappled grey horse, lighter in build than the others though equally fit. All were armed with swords and shields. Four at the front
had crossbows slung on their backs. The faces of these men were set and grim. It didn’t look like a welcoming party, and it didn’t look right.

Something’s strange here, Drayco.

I agree. Why are these men charging us?

That’s it, Drayco. That’s what is so strange. They are all men.

Maudi?

There’re no women among them. Not a one.

M
audi! They’re nearly cresting the hill.

‘Here they come!’ she said, opening her eyes, blurting out the warning to Shane.

‘Where?’

‘Up the hill!’ She gripped her sword hilt and faced the temple. A sudden gust blew over the lip of the valley, sending leaves scuttling across the road. They whisked over her boots and around her legs. ‘Stay alert,’ she said. ‘The captain’s sword is drawn, but we don’t want to fight them.’

‘How can you tell?’ Shane said. ‘All I see is a dust cloud.’

She didn’t answer. ‘That little witch…’ she mumbled to herself. ‘What did you say to them, Nellion Paree? That we were demons from the underworld come to assassinate your High Priest?’

Nell had ridden away, acting the part of the enthused and admiring apprentice—a hoax. She’d been calling up the temple guards the whole time and
whatever she’d told them, they looked ready to cut first and ask questions later. Rosette could hear the riders approaching, the sound of the horses’ hooves pounding over the road, the clatter of it shaking the ground as the animals galloped up the grade. Drayco’s muscles were taut, and a low growl rumbled from his throat. Rosette kept a grip on her sword, straining to catch an actual glimpse of the riders below her. The wind swirled, bringing with it dust and the smell of sweat, leather and aggression.

‘Maybe it’s a welcoming party,’ Shane said, looking at the cloud that preceded the riders. ‘This is your coven, after all.’ His voice trailed off as the sun disappeared behind a cloud. He shivered. ‘Isn’t it?’

‘Not here. Not today,’ Rosette said. She pulled him off the road into the cover of the trees.

He didn’t resist. He may not have her vision skills but he knew when danger was about to run him down. ‘What do you think?’ he asked, his sword half drawn. ‘Do you want to stick around?’

They were shoulder to shoulder, hearts pounding.

‘You don’t send out a score of riders, armed and ready—horses charging—to invite a witch to morning tea.’

Shane nodded. ‘My thoughts too.’

She looked into the forest. In the shadows, the woods seemed thicker, a wall of oaks and pine trees chained together with tendrils of prickly vines. Drayco was already disappearing into the dense cover of bracken and tree ferns.
This would be the way, Maudi, back to the portal—unless you want to fight the guards.

Good call, Drayco. We’re right behind you.
She grabbed Shane’s shoulder, turning him around. ‘Let’s get out of here.’

‘How?’

‘Run!’

Shane slammed the hilt of his sword back into the scabbard. ‘Where to?’

‘We’ll circle through the woods and reach the portal from behind.’ She pulled him along.

‘You know the way?’

‘I used to.’ She hoped the horses hooves would trample their tracks by the road, slowing the pursuit, at least momentarily. There was no time to brush them away, by hand or magic. Would the guards know of the portals? Nell certainly had to. She grumbled an oath at the child again and dashed between two cypress trees, following the path her familiar had taken. Shane was right beside her.

This way, Maudi.

She thought she knew the area intimately, having spent many hours hunting and wandering these woods with Drayco and Clay. That was only a year ago. How much could have changed?
A year ago my time…my world
, she reminded herself.
This is different.

Much different, Maudi.

As she ran deeper into the woods, the trees became unfamiliar, as if they had grown a different way than she remembered. She kept going, running past fringing oaks and eucalypts, pushing the tall ferns out of her face. Panic rose in her chest. She took a deep breath and let it out in a rush.
Drayco? Does any of this look right to you?

Not really.

Demons. Which way’s the portal?

It should be a short sprint in from the main road and another short sprint south.

Should? You never use that word. Which way from here?

He sniffed the air.
Veer right?

She caught up with her familiar and kept running. They tried to take a southerly course, but the way was
blocked by brambles, nettles and vines. Rosette stumbled, snapping twigs and stirring up leaves as her boots dug into the ground. They tore across a clear stretch and she looked skyward. The sun was obscured by clouds and the woods were getting darker. She quickened her pace.
What do we do now?

Maudi, you need to shift!

What?

Turn into the black falcon. Fly out of here and spot the portal. Do it now!

Shift?

The woods have changed, Maudi. We might run straight into a trap. You can guide us from the sky.

He wasn’t stressed from the run, like she was, and his mental voice was severe—a freshly whetted knife against her thoughts. His request had logic, no arguing that. They could both easily get away if she changed form. He could outrun the guards in this terrain, even though it was strange, and she, like her mother before her, could simply take to the skies, spot the portal and guide him in.

She’d perfected her shape-shifting skills in the Sierras last spring, under the tuition of Kreshkali. There she had changed into the form of a black Gaelean falcon and soared high above the snowy peaks, riding thermals for hours on end. She’d hunted with Drayco, much to the temple cat’s delight, snapping the necks of jack rabbits that he flushed from the scrub.

They could take the same approach now—her above, him below. It would mean escaping without direct confrontation, but it would also mean leaving Shane behind, straggling on two feet. He’d fallen back already, an easy mark for the temple guards.

It won’t work.

Why not?

Shane.

There was a pause before the temple cat responded. Rosette listened to the pad of his soft paws and the thud and snap of her boots in the deep loam. Her breath, and Shane’s behind her, was becoming more laboured.

I’d forgotten about him, Maudi.

It’s all right. We’ll find a way together. If nothing else, we can turn and face the guards. I’m not without skills.

Drayco responded by quickening his pace. Rosette grimaced, forcing her legs to work harder. The dense foliage entangled them and the loam became deeper. It slowed the pace considerably. The woods darkened further as the trees thickened. Redwoods shot up in frequent groves, their peeling bark and green leaves rising high above her. The smell of leaf mould and bramble berries filled the air—recognisable yet not quite as she recalled. She dodged a fallen log as Drayco leapt over it.

‘This way,’ she said, slowing her pace until Shane was beside her. She darted left, waving for him to follow.

‘Are you sure?’ he asked, his breath coming in gasps. ‘I’m all turned around.’

‘Not really. I’m all turned around too.’