storm (52 page)

            Moon knew in his heart that Pellaz had never said those words to his own son.  He'd heard all the gossip about Abrimel and his relationship with the Tigron.  Now, Moon felt sorry for this har he had never met.  He felt he was stealing something that rightfully belonged to Abrimel, which was strange.  If the accounts were correct, Abrimel didn't care one way or the other what Pellaz thought of him.

            Before he left Immanion, Moon knew he should at least say goodbye to Raven, but couldn't face the prospect of Raven's worry and complaints.  If he was going to go through with this, he'd leave without seeing anyhar.  If he didn't say goodbye, it meant surely he'd come back.

            Pellaz took him to the stable block in the palace and together they walked out of the city leading Peridot.  Pellaz clearly didn't want anyhar to see Moon leave, and Moon intuited this was because nohar knew that the otherlanes were at least partially negotiable.  Hidden among the hills, Pellaz helped Moon onto Peridot's back.  Moon had never ridden a
sedu
without a harness before.  He felt unsafe and hoped his anxiety wouldn't affect the creature.  He dug his fingers deep into Peridot's thick mane.  He wanted to leap to the ground, beg Pellaz not to make him go, but at the same time he wanted the Tigron to admire and respect him.

            “It is not shameful to be afraid,” Pellaz said.  “Your courage will not be forgotten.”  He laid a hand briefly on one of Moon's legs and then stood back.  Peridot began to walk forward.  Moon's last image was of Pellaz raising a hand in farewell, and then reality shattered.

            Pellaz had not exaggerated.  It
was
the most uncomfortable of otherlane journeys.  Peridot enfolded Moon totally in his being, but even so, Moon was aware that many times their headlong flight was arrested by insurmountable obstacles.  His very soul felt sick at the constant twists and turns, the abrupt halts, when it felt as if his essence would be torn to shreds, and the unimaginable treacherous leaps through what felt like nothingness – gaps in the path.  It should take only minutes to reach Megalithica, but it felt like hours.  Time does not exist in the otherlanes as it does in normal reality: Moon was only aware of how long the journey was taking because he felt himself losing all sense of identity.  If it didn't end soon, he'd disappear completely.  It was like dying, slipping away.  Perhaps Peridot couldn't find a way out.  But then a portal opened and the
sedu
plunged through it.  Moon could not repress a scream of pain.  It was like being dragged through a maze of broken glass.

            Peridot crashed down onto hard earth with such a jolt that Moon finally fell off his back.  He curled into a ball and lay there shuddering, so full of fear his being was consumed by it.  His whole body was covered in a crust of ice.  Gradually, he became aware of Peridot's hot breath on his face, and the
sedu's
long whiskers tickling his cheek.  Reality came back to him and he was able to struggle into a sitting position, shrugging off the melting shards that clung to his clothes and hair.  Peridot had brought him to the gardens of
Forever. 
From the position of the sun, Moon could see it was later afternoon.  Everything looked normal.  There was no sign of conflict and for that he was grateful.  Using Peridot's broad flank for support, Moon got to his feet.  He could see that a har was already running from the house, no doubt having felt the portal open.  Peridot nudged Moon with his nose and then walked away into the trees.  He opened another portal at once and disappeared through it.  Moon hoped the
sedu
would find it easier to travel without a passenger.

            The har who had come running from the house was Cobweb.  “Moon!” he exclaimed.  “How did you get here?”  He was looking around, no doubt searching for a
sedu.

           
“Peridot brought me,” Moon said, “but he went straight back into the otherlanes.  Pellaz wanted me to come here.”

            “Why?”

            This question was delivered too sharply for Moon's liking.  He shrugged.  “I don't really know.  I'm sorry if it's inconvenient.”

            Cobweb shook his head.  “No, no, I'm glad to see you and so will Snake.  Come into the house.  You look dreadful.  Whatever was Pell thinking of, shoving you through the otherlanes when they're in such a state?”

            On the way to the house, Cobweb informed Moon of everything that had happened.  They were under attack, and yet the day was so calm and beautiful, the sunlight dripping like butter off the eaves of
  Forever.
 There was no feeling of threat to the air, nothing at all.  Only Moon could see that Cobweb had bitten through his beautiful lips, and they were ragged, marked with blood.

            “Cal is here,” Cobweb said.

            Moon wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to that.  He knew only that the name immediately brought an image of Tyson to mind and for a moment he wished he hadn't come, only for this feeling to be followed by one of great anticipation.

            “He's been missing for a reason,” Cobweb continued, apparently talking more to himself than to Moon.  “He's here to help us.”

            Cobweb ushered Moon into
Forever
through the window doors that led into the main sitting room, which was shady at that time of day.  “Does Pell know Cal is here?” Cobweb asked.

            Moon shrugged.  “I don't know.  He didn't mention it to me.  He's never talked about Cal to me, in fact.  I'm here because he thinks there is work for me in Galhea.”

            “We might have to evacuate the town,” Cobweb said.  “Ithiel is sending the harlings to the forest lodges today.”

            “Have hara been killed?” Moon asked.

            “Not here,” Cobweb replied, “but despite appearances, we are in danger, or so Cal believes.”

            Now, they were in the hallway and Moon wondered where Cobweb was taking him.

            “Swift has taken a fair-sized force to Amber Ridge,” Cobweb said.  “The house feels so empty.  Everyhar's gone.”

            Maybe Tyson had gone with his brother.  Moon realised he was afraid of seeing that face again, even though he yearned to.  The thought made him remember the musty smell of the Reliquary, the way he'd felt, the strange tremulous excitement.  He should be over it.  He was the Tigron's sori, a har of importance.  Pellaz would never betray such weakness.

            Perhaps some of these thoughts leaked out of his mind.  Cobweb turned to him and said, “It's not your fault, Moon.  It was never your fault.  He just wasn't ready.”  Then he walked away quickly, beckoning for Moon to follow him, so that Moon wondered whether he had really heard those words at all.

            They went into the kitchen, and Cal was there talking to Bryony.  He was sitting on the table, amid a pile of scrubbed pans, eating a raw carrot.  Moon expected to feel some kind of rush, but was strangely unmoved.  This was a har of dreams, a legend, yet he was not Tyson.  There could be no mistake.  Cal, however, appeared momentarily horrified when he caught sight of Moon.

            “This is Snake's son, Moon,” Cobweb said, and then added rather pointedly.  “Pell has sent him to us.”

            Cal laughed uncertainly.  “Here to check on us?”

            Moon knew instinctively that what Cal had seen was the image of Pell from long ago.  He might have thought a ghost had come into the room to accuse and stare.  “No,” he said.  “I'm here for my father.”

            “You shouldn't have been sent here.  It's not safe.  If Pell can get
sedim
to Galhea, he should consider getting these hara out of here, not adding more.”

            “He doesn't know about what's happened here,” Moon said.

            “He will do,” Cobweb said.  “Snake will contact him.  Eventually.”

            Moon didn't feel comfortable at all.  He wanted to see his father.  He didn't like the scrutiny of this lazy-eyed har, who might well be concocting ridiculous ideas about him.  He wasn't a spy.  He wasn't part of the past.  He wasn't an omen.

            Cobweb seemed to be in a daze.  Why he'd taken Moon to see Cal, Moon wasn't sure, because only minutes later, he was telling Moon to follow him upstairs to Snake's room.  The longer Moon spent in the house, the more he could see that nothing at all was right.  You could tell so many of the family were missing, even though
Forever
was often empty of hara on summer afternoons.

            Snake was pleased to see his son, but angry that Pellaz had sent him into danger.  Moon was shocked by his father's appearance.  The last time he'd seen him, Snake had looked better than he ever had.  Now, there were blue shadows beneath his eyes and his face was drawn.  He could barely rise from the seat by the window, and as he did so, shakily, a book fell from his lap to the floor.  He could not bend to pick it up, so Cobweb did so.

            Moon went to his father's embrace.  “I warned you once,” Snake whispered in Moon's ear.  “I told you I was afraid of what my brother would have me do.”

            Moon gazed into his father's gold eye.  “Don't do it,” he said.

            “I have to,” Snake said.  “It is no longer just for Pellaz.”

            “Perhaps you can help us tonight,” Cobweb said to Moon.  “Give your strength to your father.”

            “I'll do whatever you want me to,” Moon said to Snake, and Snake nodded, saying nothing.

            Cobweb went to his room to sleep for a few hours and Moon remained to talk with Snake, relaying gossip from Immanion and snippets of news about Raven.  But Moon could see that his father could barely concentrate on what was said to him.  Eventually Moon stopped speaking.  “You've hardly heard a word I've said.  You should get some sleep too.  I can see you need it.”

            “I will,” Snake said.  “Maintaining the defences is hard work, Moon.  Even Wraeththu are not built to sustain such effort.”

            “Perhaps Cal is right and everyhar should leave Galhea,” Moon said.

            “I fear he might be,” Snake replied.  “If an attack comes again tonight, we'll have no choice.”

Moon went out into the gardens and walked down to the lake.  He felt melancholy, because his life had changed so much for the better, now Fate seemed to want to ruin it.  If there hadn't been a threat, of course, Pellaz would probably never have looked for his brother, but if only Snake had been strong enough to vanquish that threat.  That would have been the perfect end to it.

            The waters of the lake, stirred only by an occasional ripple as fish broke the surface, were inviting.  Moon took off his clothes and waded out from the bank.  The water was so clear, he could see white pebbles on the bottom.  He could see the quicksilver fishes flashing away from his legs.  Moon dived beneath the surface and swam underwater for as long as he could hold his breath.  The cold brought clarity back to his mind.  He must do what had to be done, as Snake was doing.  He must take each moment, one at a time.  The shard in his heart was strength, not weakness.  Each time it pricked him, it reminded him he was alive and feeling.  It was real.

            He broke through the surface, gasping, treading water.  His hair felt very heavy over his shoulders and at once the hot sun burned against his skin.  He swam back to where his clothes were lying, and saw that somehar was sitting beside them, perhaps waiting for him. 
Did I invoke him?