Strange Attractors (11 page)

Shaea thought of getting rid of Rall so she could simply enjoy the boon. The woman was getting on her nerves. If the portal hadn’t insisted she bring her along…But Rall had a point. She needed to think further ahead. ‘What about a pilgrimage? We could be a great-grand and her youngest, heading to the temple to meditate and offer the rituals.’

‘Great-grand?’ The old woman snapped her fingers. ‘Are you so sure about that?’

Shaea stiffened at the change in Rall’s voice. It was buttery smooth, the gravel washed clean. She turned towards the sound, not sure what she’d find. Rall’s familiar raspy voice had softened, taking on a glossy texture, cool, educated and alluring. It matched perfectly the strange woman standing where the old
witch had been. Shaea gasped. ‘What did you do to Rall?’

‘I told you I could spin a glamour that would set a warrior’s heart on fire.’

‘Rall? Is that you?’

The woman winked and Shea knew it was. The crooked limbs that had protruded from Rall’s body like sticks in a potato, the matted hair and sagging flesh that hung from her face, the toothless mouth and red eyes were gone. In their place was the most beautiful woman Shaea had ever seen. Her skin, a rich mahogany brown, glowed in the warm light. Her hair was a mass of tight black ringlets, her lips full, her body curved, her eyes dark as a moonless night. She moved with confidence, graceful and poised. Her smile flashed a full set of even white teeth. Shaea held up her glass and dipped her head before taking a sip. ‘That’s an extraordinary glamour. To you, Mistress Rall of Corsanon.’

The witch smoothed her dress. ‘What makes you think this is the glamour, child?’

Shaea swallowed. It couldn’t be true. No one would conjure such a decrepit shape as Rall had lived in, not for all those years. Shaea couldn’t make sense of it, so she shrugged her shoulders and turned back to the mirror. ‘Two witches then,’ she said. ‘Called out to the temple to initiate the new priests?’

‘That’s more to my liking.’ Rall smiled. ‘And more to yours as well, I’ll wager.’ She picked up her glass and drained it, startling Shaea as she then hurled it into the fire. A blue light flared briefly and was gone. ‘Now put it on,’ Rall said, pointing at the dress. ‘I want to be out of this place before curfew.’

Shane felt cold to the bone. His hands and feet were still blue, his skin was covered with goosebumps and his teeth chattered. Glancing at the sinking sun, he stepped into a small patch of slanting light. There was little warmth there and the wind whipped the plait about. ‘We’ve got to find shelter. The sun’s nearly set.’

‘Obviously.’ Selene rubbed her hands together. Somehow she didn’t look near as cold as he felt. Maybe her blistering temperament was keeping her warm. ‘I don’t know how we’ll last the night,’ Shane said, crossing his arms in front of him.

‘We won’t with that attitude.’ She looked at him sideways before pointing down the road. It was barely an overgrown wagon track and they hadn’t met anyone as they alternately walked and jogged along. If anything, the path was becoming narrower, more clogged with tussocks and weeds. ‘We can keep going that way in hopes of finding a settlement or…’ She nodded towards the woods.

Shane followed her line of sight. ‘In there?’

‘Why not? There’s bound to be a sheltered grove, deep leaf mould or a hollow tree. We can make a nest.’

‘A hollow tree? And what if there are creatures looking for nestlings?’

‘Shane MacVenton, you’re the most negative man I know.’

‘I’m only saying what’s apparent. These are practical considerations. Any sane person would voice them.’ He sniffed. ‘There could be predators.’

She waved away his response. ‘It’s negative, and you know it. Now, which way do we go? I’m liking the look of those woods.’

‘I’m not. We don’t know what kinds of beasts are in this time and place. We don’t even know where we are.’

‘That’s not completely true. We’re lost, is
where
we are.’

‘Thank you.’ He turned his back on her, staring down the track. ‘Let’s follow it until dark and if we still can’t see a dwelling, we’ll head into the woods.’

She hesitated. ‘I suppose if there are any homes nearby we’ll see their firelight.’

‘Good point.’ He led the way, his teeth still chattering, not waiting to see if she followed.

‘Into the woods then?’ Selene’s expression was hard to see in the dark but her voice carried an edge.

Shane nodded. ‘Looks like our only choice.’ He was certain she was more pleased about being right than she would have been if they’d found shelter. She hadn’t complained of the cold, though, and to her credit she hadn’t harped on about his part in landing them in this predicament either. The opportunity had been there, all afternoon, and perhaps just cause as well. He wasn’t certain. It might have been his blunder in the cave pool that created this situation, and it might not.

He took a final sweep of the land before turning towards the woods. The road disappeared into the twilight and a mist hovered over the ground. ‘Did you see that?’ He pointed into the darkness. ‘There it is again.’

Selene stepped closer. They’d been jogging since sunset and her body was warm against his side.

‘That’s no open fire,’ he said. ‘Is it?’

‘A lamp light? Among trees?’

‘Could be, or maybe a dwelling.’

‘Only one way to find out,’ Selene said.

They headed towards the light, sticking to the road, their progress slow. No moon had risen and they
were close to travelling blind. As they approached, Shane saw the light was spilling out from a dwelling, a log cabin with a warm glow in the windows and a plume of smoke rising from the chimney. The smell of bread and spices made his mouth water. Selene strode forward, about to knock. He pulled her back. ‘We can’t just bang on their door like this. What are we going to tell them?’

‘I’m not going to tell them anything. I’m going to ask for food and shelter.’ She pulled her hand out of his grip. ‘And if that doesn’t work, I’m going to beg.’

‘Don’t you think it will seem a bit odd? The two of us—naked, without water, packs or weapons; travellers with no idea of when or where they are? They might be confused about what we are offering.’

‘It depends.’

‘On what?’

‘On when and where we actually are.’

Shane ground his teeth. ‘You’re starting to sound like Jarrod.’

‘If I am, it’s because riddles are the only way to make sense of things. I understand that now. Come on. I’ll do the talking.’

‘This should be interesting,’ he said under his breath, though he brightened when they stood in front of the door. He could hear the sound of guitars coming from the house, one quite good, the other not virtuoso but very pleasant. It reminded him of when he was a boy, learning from his older brothers. The memory made his brow crease. It was much like the tunes they used to play as well.

‘Bards!’ Selene whispered. ‘Two at least. This is good news. You can charm them with your skills.’

Shane shrugged. ‘I’d feel a lot more charming if I had clothes on.’

‘Demon’s pit, Shane. Can you think of anything other than the worst possible angle?’

‘Given time, I could…’

She cut him off, gripping his hand. ‘I’ve got an idea. Follow my lead.’

She was knocking before he could answer and his thoughts were frozen by deep-throated barks and snarls coming from the cabin. When the door opened, a flood of light fell across the threshold and a surprisingly large dog bounded out. Its hackles were up, teeth bared. Shane was very glad to see it come to the end of a short leash; the owner was holding it back, a plump hand over her mouth. Was she laughing? Shane had automatically covered his crotch, not from modesty so much but from the direction the dog’s nose was headed. He took a step back.

The woman kept hold of the animal and a youth poked his head around the door and outright giggled. Selene chatted away, introducing themselves, but Shane didn’t follow her words. He was too busy shoving the dog’s head away from his groin. The beast was now wagging its tail, overzealous in its sniffing. The dog seemed to realise they were no threat and suddenly decided to sit on its haunches, laughing along with its owners at their unexpected company. Shane never felt more awkward.

Selene paid no notice. She was speaking with the same confidence she always had, as if she weren’t naked, bruised, hungry and cold—lost in a world completely unfamiliar. ‘We stripped out of our clothes to swim hard against the current. We were nearly drowned by then,’ she was saying. ‘Our supplies gone, we ended up on the opposite side of the shore.’

‘I can see why you didn’t want to risk the swim back. That river is treacherous this time of year. I’m
surprised you even attempted it.’ The woman kept one hand on the lead, the other clutching the door. She had short waves of honey-red hair; her skin was smooth and her body like a peach, round and glowing. She gradually opened the door further, the youth hiding behind her. Shane couldn’t quite make him out but he continued to giggle.

‘Come in with you both,’ the big woman finally said, swinging the door wide and pulling the dog back. ‘The fire’s on. Get yourselves warm and I’ll find you some clothes.’ She turned to the youth and Shane saw it was a dark-haired boy, probably just in his teens. ‘Tamin, can you check the river chest? There’ll be something to suit there.’

The lad disappeared without a word and the dog went back to its place by the fire as if all the excitement was over.

R
osette focused on the Sword Master and Teg, picturing them as she entered the portal. She caressed the plasma Entity and tiny bolts of lightning tickled her palm, making her laugh. While the portal turned into a whirl of lights spinning around like a miniature cyclone, she curled up with Drayco and closed her eyes. ‘We’re on our way.’ She looked at her belly. ‘And no surprises from you!’

Back to Corsanon, Maudi?

‘I certainly hope so. In the meantime, I’ve got to sleep.’

She’d had a long day of organising the self-feeding system for the livestock. Amarillo, the Sword Master’s new warhorse, needed a constant supply of hay as his coat was thin compared to the others—not near heavy enough to get him through a Dumarkian winter. She’d rugged him up and between the hay, the slightly ill-fitting horse blanket and Wren’s proximity, he’d be all right. Even the house cow had taken to him,
following him about the paddock and chewing her cud at night while she lay beside him. That would certainly keep him warm.

‘Better than a hot-water bottle,’ she said aloud. ‘Besides, Maka’ra will come soon, anyway.’

Of course. That is why we left, wasn’t it?

She laughed. ‘He’d have talked us out of another corridor trip, I’m sure.’ She dozed off and it felt like only a second before a warm breeze pushed the hair back from her face.

We’re here now, Maudi.
The temple cat sniffed the air.
Do you recognise anything?

Rosette got up and stretched then stepped into the desert night. She felt refreshed. The stars glittered overhead and as she lowered her sights to the valley below them she gasped. ‘It can’t be.’

She didn’t know exactly
when
they were but the land was familiar and so were the buildings. She’d seen sketches of them in the history books from exactly this perspective. It was a rugged terrain, vague in the grey of night, but recognisable nonetheless, mainly because the skyline was interrupted by an enormous temple. The main entrance was flanked by two towers reaching towards the moon. A golden glow filled the windows and music wafted up on the breeze. The rise and fall of laughter and clapping came from inside the courtyard—the sounds of dancing and revelry.

‘Drayco.’ She clutched his neck. ‘This is Corsanon Temple, some time in the past.’

Really? Before the wars?

‘I think so.’ She pushed back her hood.

Does that mean Teg and Rowan are here?

‘They must be. Can you reach Scylla?’

I’m searching for her now.
Drayco sat on his haunches and closed his eyes; he opened them a moment later, purring.
She’s glad we’ve come back. She’s been very concerned.

‘What’s happened? Is she all right?’

She’s angry and she needs help.
Drayco bounded down the slope and Rosette chased after him.

‘Wait up. We can’t just barge in on the temple like this. We’re Dumarkian, remember? We might be the enemy.’

She’s not in the temple, Maudi. She’s in the city, hiding. They’ve taken An’ Lawrence prisoner.

‘The chart…It said there was a restriction, but how is that possible? His magic alone would…’

His magic doesn’t work when he’s unconscious.

‘Unconscious?’ She caught up to Drayco before he crossed the road and held him back. ‘Wait. We have to think this through.’

The temple cat whipped his tail, snapping the air, but he halted.
Let’s think it through quickly!

‘First we have to mark where we are. We have to be able to get back.’ There was no path leading from the portal so Rosette studied its position, taking in the flanking white oaks and the stand of eucalypts further up the hill. She gauged the distance to the temple grounds and frowned. ‘If An’ Lawrence is in the city, why did the Entity bring us here? The portal over the river gorge is a closer hike to the gates.’

Drayco didn’t answer, though his tail stopped whipping.

She crossed her arms. ‘There must be something at the temple we need to see.’

Or meet. Someone comes.

As they stood by the side of the road, a coach pulled up to the temple entrance. It was drawn by four
dappled grey horses, purple plumes on their headstalls, white manes braided with dark ribbons.

‘Priestesses,’ Rosette whispered. ‘This is definitely before the sundering!’

Before the Entity was split apart? That’s interesting. Then Dumarka is not yet at war. Maybe we should announce ourselves? Get a lift back to the city?