Strange Attractors (60 page)

She shrugged. ‘Testy…I was only asking.’

‘You were accusing, as if fathering children was an unworthy pursuit.’

‘Nothing wrong with fathering. It’s the raising part, or lack thereof, that concerns me.’

This is an old debate, Maudi? Besides, it’s Nell’s blood, Richter blood, not his.

She laughed, rubbing Drayco behind the ear.
Right.
‘My apologies, Sword Master.’

He gave a half smile. ‘Jarrod, can you remember more of Xane’s life?’

Jarrod opened his eyes. ‘Plenty. His memories go back to his birth. I can still see many images, though he didn’t understand them very well.’

‘Can you see his mother?’ Rosette asked.

‘Or his father?’ An’ Lawrence cut in.

Jarrod concentrated. ‘I can hear jungle sounds.’

‘Jungle sounds? Like roaring beasts?’

‘More like rain on banana leaves, parrots in the canopy, a waterfall.’

‘Anything else?’

‘Voices, warmth, shouting…running.’ He squeezed his eyes tight. ‘A face. I recognise her, but I don’t think he did. He didn’t know the face.’

Rosette squeezed his hand. ‘Whose face, Jarrod? Who do you recognise?’

‘La Makee.’ His eyes popped open. ‘She was running with us!’

‘Makee! Were they her children?’ Rosette asked.

An’ Lawrence shook her head. ‘She had none.’

‘What then?’

‘I think she took the babies away to Corsanon.’ Jarrod straightened. ‘They weren’t born there, that’s
for sure. There isn’t a jungle within a week’s distance of that city. I think she stole them.’

‘Whatever for?’

He shook his head. ‘Xane didn’t know. Maybe Shaea does.’

Rosette re-tied the leather thong on her sword hilt. ‘And the blood link? How’s that fit in?’

He shrugged. ‘Grayson can help us there perhaps.’

She exhaled. ‘I hope so, because I sure don’t understand.’

The portal flashed and swirled, myriad colours racing around a whirlpool until it slowed, the view clearing—if clear you could call it. Rosette and Drayco stepped outside the corridors into smoke and ash; the ground was shaking, the wind tossing her hair. Red dust stuck to her damp clothes. The apple trees at the entrance to Temple Los Loma were bare, swaying violently in the gusts. Three ravens perched in the top branches—wings spread as they struggled to keep a grip, like riding a bucking bronco. They cawed and scolded, clicking their beaks. She waved to them and they took flight, arrowing away at high speed. Drayco lashed his tail. Scylla hissed beside him. ‘This isn’t giving me much confidence, Sword Master,’ she said as he led the horse from the portal.

Jarrod followed, supporting Teg. ‘What’s happened here?’ he asked, scanning the smoking mountains.

‘The protection spell’s gone?’ An’ Lawrence asked Rosette.

She felt the air with her fingertips but before anyone could answer, a black falcon shot towards them, flanked by the ravens. The raptor back-winged onto the Sword Master’s arm, fanning hard before she jumped to the ground, shifting into Nell. She locked
eyes with Teg for a moment, but didn’t speak. After assessing them all she clapped her hands. ‘Worse for wear, the lot of you. Let’s go.’

She shot her arms towards the sky and as she brought them down Rosette felt a glamour settle over them.

‘Who are we hiding from out here, Nell?’ she asked.

‘Trackers. Plenty of them. Hurry. There isn’t much time.’

‘Trackers?’

‘ASSIST. Run if you can! Teg, to me.’ She stretched out her arms.

Shaea brushed her hand past the plasma field as she raced through the portal, purple veins of light dancing towards her. ‘Get me out of here! Get me someplace safe! Hurry!’ She pressed against the back wall, panting, her clothes soaked through, her body shaking. She kept her eyes on the entrance. Any moment the raven would streak in, talons bearing down to slit her throat. She squeezed the vial, the edges digging into her palm. Rain sheeted down outside. The portal blurred, the streams of coloured lights swirling as if someone mixed them with a stick. Her legs gave way and the ground came up to meet her. ‘I made it.’

She’d outrun them—the wolves, the warriors and Rosette. She’d even outrun Rall and the raven, if the two weren’t one and the same. There was a moment she thought to turn back, when she heard Xane call out to her. She’d nearly faltered, thinking he was caught in the battle somehow. But that was a trick. A glamour. It had to be. Xane was dead. She’d buried him herself. Rall, or Makee, was trying to stop her with his voice. She didn’t fall for it.

She wiped her face with her sleeve; in her hand, the blue light of the vial pulsed. ‘Xane is gone.’ She squared her shoulders, pushing them hard against the wall. ‘And I am going away. Far away.’ She opened her palm and stared at the vial. ‘Who are you, my fancy-coloured friend?’ The crystal changed tone as the many facets caught the light. She secured the silver chain around her neck. ‘Not some minor trinket, that’s for certain.’ Shaea laughed. ‘Whatever you are, you’re all mine now.’

Makee would be furious, of course. This spell, as she called it, was very important to her, and to those others no doubt. They’d come after her, tried to run her down. She had to find somewhere safe to hide—somewhere safe to live. She looked back at the portal. ‘Where are you taking me?’ she asked, directing her voice to the plasma energy. It was sleeping, indistinguishable from rock. ‘Not talking any more? You were vocal enough when you told me to mind Rall. Do her bidding.’ Shaea chuckled. ‘I’ve lost my place in that apprenticeship, I imagine.’

The walls were silent, but she felt warm, finally out of the wind and rain and torrent of the battle. She loosened her cloak and stretched her legs out long, tapping her toes together until the cakes of mud fell away from her soles. She took off her boots then wrung out her wet socks. She hadn’t worn shoes much in her life and it felt good to free her feet. It also felt good to own a pair of fine boots. ‘Take me where you will then, Entity. Just make it far from battle, hunger and cold. Take me somewhere I can call home.’ She stared at the bare rock. ‘If you would, please.’

Jarrod spotted the trackers before anyone else. There were two of them, and judging by their movements
the glamour was working.
ASSIST trackers, Rosette. Behind and northwest. Can you see them?

Drayco’s and Scylla’s hackles went up. ‘Not yet. Where are they heading?’ she whispered.

‘This way. Fast.’

‘I’ll go.’ Nell crouched for an instant. ‘Keep moving—and, Rosette, keep the glamour up.’ Nell passed Teg over to Jarrod, the Lupin leaning hard on his shoulder. Nell launched, shooting skyward. The ripple in the glamour was palpable as her falcon form tore through it.

‘Did they spot that?’ Teg asked.

Jarrod watched their approach. ‘Doesn’t appear so. They’re covering ground too fast for stealth. I’d say we’re nothing but empty space to them.’

‘Until they catch up. They’re coming straight this way.’ Rosette scanned the horizon.

The trackers approached at the run, their camouflage blurring with the surroundings. The ground rattled and shook. It was in a constant state of agitation as the mountains belched out ash and smoke.

‘This isn’t right,’ Jarrod said, hoisting Teg when the Lupin stumbled.

‘Which part?’ Rosette asked. ‘The vanishing of Temple Dumarka? The loss of the spell? The destruction of Temple Los Loma or the bits of Corsanon gut and bone stuck in my hair?’

Teg chuckled in Jarrod’s ear. ‘Nice one,’ he whispered. He turned to him. ‘Don’t addle her. We need the glamour.’

Jarrod shook his head. ‘All of it, Rosette. Everything’s askew. But these tremors—they’re unnatural. The mountains are about to blow and that’s not where Earth geology was when I left. Someone’s tampering.’

‘We think it was Makee,’ Rosette said.

As they crested the last rise, the temple grounds appeared below.

‘Demon’s death. What happened?’ Jarrod stopped when he caught sight of the charred walls, broken aqueducts, burnt-out buildings and bare trees. Ash had shrouded every surface.

‘Spell’s all but gone,’ Rosette said. Her voice was tight. ‘How did this happen?’

‘Makee’s demon,’ Jarrod replied under his breath.

Nell circled once overhead, filling the air with a long, descending whistle that snapped at the end.

‘Are you okay, lovely?’ he asked Rosette.

‘Of course.’ She looked down.

Grayson and Annadusa met them, taking the horse and bards from An’ Lawrence. Jarrod passed Teg over, the Lupin grizzling.

‘Teg,’ Rosette said. ‘You have to be able to stand to fight. Let them heal you.’ She exchanged looks with Grayson but didn’t speak.

Fynn said enough for everyone.
Maudi home! All is well! Maudi!
He jumped up, his nose whiffling in her battle-soaked gear.
Maudi hunts.

‘Maudi did hunt, little Fynn. Hunt and fight. Not through yet it seems.’

The young dog growled.

‘You can guard the temple grounds. This won’t take long.’

He yipped once and ran back to Annadusa, following her and Teg up the manor steps. Nell arrowed in, transforming as she rebounded off the Sword Master’s outstretched arm. ‘There are two bearing down on us, heavily armed. Five more skirting the borders.’

An’ Lawrence pulled them in close. ‘Nell, stay aloft. Keep an eye on them all. Scylla and I will take the
two behind. Jarrod, you and Drayco mind the borders. Rosette, you’re with them.’

‘What do I do?’ she asked.

‘Keep us all glamoured.’

They spread out, melting into the landscape under her spell.

Jarrod, can you manage in that boy’s body of yours?
Rosette asked.

I promise you, I’m old enough.

She winked.
We’ll have to put that to the test.

Focus, both of you!
Drayco’s voice barrelled into their minds.
Trackers. North behind the orchard.

The three of them ran, circling around the charred fruit trees and taking the trackers by surprise. The ASSIST men didn’t see them coming. Rosette’s glamour blended with the landscape and they slit the trackers’ throats before they set foot on the temple grounds. When they searched the bodies they found explosives. A lot of explosives.

‘This is what Nell meant by
heavily armed
?’ Jarrod said.

‘Like the mountains going off isn’t enough,’ Rosette said.

‘It seems they don’t want to leave a trace.’

‘Of the temple?’

‘Or us.’ Jarrod rubbed his neck. ‘Me, most likely.’

Rosette slapped his hand away. ‘Don’t pick.’ She pushed his hair back to study the wound. ‘I can see why it killed him.’ Her fingertips swept the dried mud from his cheek. ‘I’ll work on it, as soon as we have a moment.’

Scylla’s calling us in
, Drayco said.
The trackers are all down.

Rosette pulled her hand back. ‘If I know ASSIST, there will be more on the way when these don’t report.’

‘They’ll send an army if they’ve got one.’ Jarrod looked at the packs full of explosives. ‘And I’d say they do.’

Rosette hosed down herself and Drayco in the stables. The ash and red dust ran in streams off her skin, along with enemy blood and some of her own. Nell hadn’t let them inside to bathe. She’d said neither smelled very pleasant.

‘Did you fillet half of Corsanon?’ Annadusa had asked, handing her a bottle of peppermint soap, staying as far from her as arms would allow.

‘Nearly. How’s Teg? The bards?’

‘Clean up and you can see for yourself.’

Rosette smiled. That meant they were recovering. Her joy faded as she grabbed the hitching rail for balance. The ground shook almost continuously. ‘I’d hate to think we’re getting all cleaned up to be buried alive.’

‘Then don’t think it!’ Jarrod said. He came armed with towels and his own bottle of soap. Apparently they didn’t think he smelled very good either. She hadn’t noticed.

We smell like old dog breakfast, Maudi. Very old.

‘You’re right,’ she said, handing Jarrod the hose. She concentrated on scrubbing mud and bloodstains from her skin, alternating with vigorous curries of Drayco’s fur. It soothed her mind, like a ritual cleansing. The water was warm, pumped by the Pelton wheels and heated by the sun—still shining hot through the haze. She rinsed Drayco clean, forbidding him to roll. The grounds were covered in a carpet of ash and the clover pastures were dry and full of grass seeds. The soot floating down from the mountains was difficult enough to keep clear of. It was falling like rain. Her familiar exhaled forcibly and sat on the covered deck
adjacent the tack room, licking his sparkling fur. She roughed him with a big towel.

Will they have hunted, Maudi?

‘I certainly hope so, Dray. I could eat an entire bush pig on my own.’

Liking meat, now that the litter is gone?

She shut her eyes and rinsed her hair of suds as it streamed past her flat belly. ‘Seems that way.’

‘Rosette?’ Jarrod asked. He was lathered from head to toe and she passed him the hose again.

‘I’m fine.’ She watched him rinse, a smile playing across her face.

‘What are you staring at?’

‘No tattoos. It’s so strange to see all that untouched skin.’

He swung his hair out of his eyes, a trail of water arcing overhead. ‘Something to look forward to?’

‘I think so,’ she said, stepping closer.

He hesitated. ‘Have you talked to Grayson?’

‘Not since the birth.’

Rosette?
He used his mental voice.

I can’t talk about it now.

Later?

She nodded then hung her war gear on the fence and hosed it down. The horses stabled nearby flared their nostrils, taking in the battle smells. An’ Lawrence approached, leading Fortuna. The gelding’s ears pinned back at her. Drayco hissed.

‘I don’t know what you see in this one, Sword Master,’ she said, moving clear from the horse’s path. ‘His legs are too long, flanks too narrow and his disposition leaves…’ She shook her head as the horse pawed the ground. ‘Much to be desired.’

‘You haven’t seen him in battle, Rosette!’ His eyes were fierce. ‘Magnificent warhorse. He loves it.’