The Prize in the Game (26 page)

didn't kill it, it fled back into the cave. I slept a bit more the next day, had some strange dreams, too. The third night, three armed warriors came out of the cave, but I was ready for them. At least one of them went down, but by the time it got light, her body had vanished. I came back down at sunset today." He spread his hands as if to say that was all there was to it.

There was a silence. Ferdia was baffled.

"It's only been one day," Nid said at last.

"Maga told me that," Leary said. "Very strange indeed. No accounting for it. Doesn't make sense."

"It may yet be that Leary will win the contest," Maga said, her voice smooth and assured.

When Ferdia went off to bed, Leary was leaning on Maga, looking deep into her eyes.

It looked almost

amorous. Allel was across the hall taking no notice at all. When Ferdia passed them, Maga was smiling in a very pleased way and saying something about Beastmother, so he must have been mistaken, it must have been a religious discussion. No wonder Leary wanted to drown his troubles, really, after three days turning into one like that.

The next day was even colder, with a few flakes of icy snow blowing about. Ferdia managed to forestall Laig by assuring him right away that he thought Darag's cloak would be warm enough even for this weather. He couldn't help looking up to the icy heights and worrying. It was waiting that was so difficult, not doing. Late in the afternoon, he managed to evade Elenn for a little while. She was so persistent in her attentions that he wondered if Maga had asked her to keep watch on him. For a girl who had wanted to be home so much, she seemed to have nothing to do now she was here except get under his feet. She had never seemed this irritating at Ardmachan.

He wrapped himself in his cloak and walked up to the bonfire height, where he had stood to watch Darag leave. He wasn't entirely surprised to see Emer up there, shivering. They greeted each other and then stood in their separate silences. The snow was thickening, and as it began to grow dark, Ferdia was ready to suggest they go back together. Then a figure appeared, making his way down among the rocks. He couldn't tell for a moment which of them it was, which was ridiculous considering how much taller Conal had grown this last year. When he saw that it was Conal, he felt a great relief. He slipped away, leaving Emer to greet him. They wouldn't have wanted him there any more than he wanted to talk to them. When he came into the hall, brushing the snow off his shoulders, Elenn was there again, waiting for him.

"Conal's back," he said.

Page 96

She smiled. "You never doubted Darag would win, did you?"

He hadn't, really. He didn't like to say that Darag would likely win anything that touched the world of the gods.

Darag so hated feeling the weight of that. He wouldn't want everyone knowing. Nor did Ferdia want to claim victory until Darag was back and risk ill-wishing him. "I have newer doubted that he is the best," Ferdia said.

He let her take his wet cloak.

Erner did not sing that night. Conal told his story straight after dinner. "I have been away two nights, but to me it felt like three," he began. "The first night, I went up first and alone, and saw no sign of the others coming "to join me. The cave mouth was very dark when I reached it. I did not go inside but walked to and fro outside the entrance. For hours, nothing happened, but I kept moving, doing some exercises to keep warm.

Then, in the depths of that first night, a creature came out of the cave. I have heard talk of monsters, and I

suppose it was monstrous, yet it seemed to me somehow beautiful as well. It was like a huge black cat, bigger than I am, with claws like swords. I fought it all over the heights. At last, L slew it among the rocks on the very summit. I went back to the cave mouth, and after a short time, a troop of armed warriors came out.

They did not see me at first and I heard them talking, using a language that was completely strange to me.

They were strangely armed, too. Most of them had only short spears which they carried against their shoulders."

Comal paused, staring into space. "I hadn't been told to kill anyone that came out of the cave, only to defend myself against attack, so I followed them. They went over the hill, talking quietly.

There were twelve of them, too many for me to fight alone, but not a whole army. I saw a woman who seemed to be their leader, and I

thought she was explaining to them- how they would ambush something. They were folk like I have never seen. I followed them until they seemed to melt from one minute to the next as they came over the crest of the hill near where I had slain the beast."

"Do you think they were the spirits of our ancestors?" Allel asked. "Maybe the woman was Crua, who founded this dun?"

"Maybe," Conal said, but he shook his head. "I only saw them in the darkness. They usually took good care not to be seen against the sky, as if they "were hiding from someone. But I thought they had short hair. I

would be very interested to talk to the priests about them. In any case, I went back to the cave mouth, my mind full of speculation. I watched for the rest of the night, and watched the sun come up. There was a chill mist clinging to the top of the hill. I saw ravens now and then throughout the day,, but nothing else. I ate some of the provisions I had brought with me, and I slept a little, around midday when it seemed safest. I also went up to the top of the heights, to examine the body of the beast in daylight. It was gone, there was no sign of it. Nor could I find any prints of the people I had been following, nor even of my own. The ground was hard, but the thin winter grass did not even seem bent. The night came soon enough. That second night, I was attacked almost as soon as the sun was down. Bats came streaming out of the cave like smoke. I say they were bats, but they were not like normal bats for they came towards me plainly intent on attack. I fought

them for a long time in the darkness, trying to protect my face from them." He shuddered, and Ferdia shuddered in sympathy. He had never liked bats.

"Towards morning, they left and I saw people again, two men who attacked me as if they knew and hated me.

Page 97

I think they called my name. I fought and killed them both, but when dawn came, their bodies were gone. The day was damp and misty again. Unlike the day before, I did not sleep at all. I found I had some tiny bites from the bats, and sang charms over them. When night came, I tied my hair back very carefully in case more bats came. There were no bats. What came out was a troop of four huge horses.

"The first horse carried a woman slumped over the saddle. The second carried a warrior. The third carried a man who seemed to be me, and the last carried a woman who seemed to be my charioteer, Emer ap Allel. I

called to her, but they all rode on as if they could not see or hear me. I ran after them, but however fast I ran, I

could not gain on the horses, though they were only walking and I was running as fast as I could.

I could not catch up, but as I went back towards the cave, I saw the man I had thought was me, walking now. I saw that he was badly wounded. He kept murmuring for water, but when I tried to give him my water bottle, he didn't seem to see me. At last, I went back to the cave, walking to and fro quietly, reciting poetry inwardly to keep myself calm and awake."

Conal smiled reassuringly at Emer, and then looked around at the puzzled faces in the hall. "I don't understand it either," he said. "I'm nearly finished. Near dawn a huge man came out of the cave carrying an ax. 'Conal ap Amagien,' he said, 'let us have a contest. Kneel, and I will strike off your head, and then you may do the same for me.' 'Let me rather strike first,' I replied. 'And let me know your name, for it seems you know mine.' 'I am called Bachlach,' he said and laughed, so that I knew his name meant something, though I had never heard it before. He then handed me his huge ax and knelt before me. I hewed as hard as I could and chopped off his head. He then stood, picked up his head, put it under his arm, and bowed to me." Conal hesitated. "I think he went away, back into the cave. Perhaps I fell asleep. The next thing I knew, it was morning, a wintry morning with some snow in the air. I waited all day and returned here at sunset, to find that only two days had passed, and not the three I had experienced."

There was much muttering about Conal's story, especially about the strangely armed people and the huge man, Bachlach. Elenn seemed especially concerned about Conal seeing Emer on a horse and kept asking what it could possibly mean.

"His death, do you think?" Mingor asked. "Seeing himself as an old man wounded and looking for water?"

"I'm glad I never have to go up that hill," Elenn said.

"Kings only have to spend one night," Mingor said, not sounding very happy about it.

Ferdia was glad the kingship ritual of Lagin was nothing so unpleasant. He didn't see why Maga had thought this an appropriate test, unless she had also wanted to make sure Darag would win. He wondered what

Darag was seeing, out there beyond the walls of the dun.

The next day was bright and very cold. At sunset, everyone gathered again at the bonfire height.

Ferdia and

Laig were there first, and the others came by ones and twos until the hillside was full, the way it had been when they all left. Maga and Allel were both there, dressed in their finery. Conal looked better for his night's sleep, and Leary's arm was evidently healed enough that he did not need it bandaged anymore. Elenn came over to stand with him and Laig. Ferdia wished she wouldn't take the puppy with her everywhere, or at least that she would train her to wait quietly.

The puppy ran about, chasing smells. At least she showed no sign of trying to go up the hill. Laig talked to Elenn about how she should train her, most of it sensible advice that he doubted Elenn would follow. They waited until it was much darker than it had been the night before when

Conal came down. The conversation died down as sunset passed.

"What happens if he doesn't come until tomorrow?" Laig asked. The thought had crossed
Page 98

Ferdia's mind, too.

Was four days closer to three than two? Past that came the thought he did not want to think at allmdashwhat if he never came? What if the dark world he feared claimed him entirely?

"There he is," Elenn said, pointing. And there was Darag, making his way slowly down.

"Greetings, Darag, first among the young champions of Oriel," Maga said as he came down among them.

He looked dazed. He ignored her entirely and went up to Ferdia, who let him lean on his arm. "Get me to where I can sleep safely," he muttered.

"Darag's very tired, he needs to sleep before he talks," Ferdia said as loudly and decisively as he could.

Nobody argued. "Are you wounded?" he asked quietly.

"Nothing to make a fuss about," Darag said. "I just need to rest."

He and Laig supported Darag back to the hall. They took him to the room where they had been sleeping and undressed him. He let them do it, he was almost asleep already. He was cold, and wounded in several places by what seemed to be teeth and claws as well as a sword.

Laig insisted it was his place as charioteer to sing over the wounds, so Ferdia let him. They wrapped Darag in warm blankets, and Ferdia lay down beside him so he could share his warmth with his friend. Laig lay down on Darag's other side, and they all three stayed like that all night, not going into the hall to eat.

In the morning, Darag woke very early, in the first light of dawn. He woke Ferdia by laughing.

"There can't be anything much wrong if you're giggling like that," Ferdia said, deeply relieved.

"You were snoring low and Laig was snoring high," Darag said. Laig was still snoring, proving Darag's point.

"So what happened?" Ferdia asked.

"Oh, lots of strange things," Darag said dismissively.

"You'll have to do better than that when you tell your story in the hall," Ferdia said.

"Nive's hair, is that what she's making us do? What happened with the others? I know I was last down and won. I wasn't quite so far out of it as that."

"Leary lasted one day, Conal two. They both thought they'd done three. Leary fought a monster and some warriors. Conal had some very strange adventures, including seeing himself as an old man and meeting an ogre who cut off his head," Ferdia said.

"Bachlach," Darag said. "He cut off mine, and I knelt for him to do it. I'll mention him. There's ever such a lot I

won't say, though, daren't say to Maga." He yawned. "I think I'll sleep a little more now. I didn't sleep a wink for three days. I'll tell you all about it when I wake up again."

He put his head down and was asleep again almost at once. Ferdia lay propped up on his elbow, feeling happy and proud, watching over Darag as he slept.

6

THE SUITORS

21

(CONAL)

Conal took a deep breath and smiled pleasantly. Nobody was looking at him except Inis, but he had to be ready for Maga. It was half a month before the Feast of Bel and he was back in Connat again, trying to prevent a full-scale war after four anguished months at home.

It had taken all his powers of persuasion even to get Conary to agree to let him come.

Orlam was pacing all around the little house where the four of them had been left to wait. "They can't do this to us," she said, touching her hand to the green leaves on the spray of beech pinning her cloak together.

Conal glanced down at his matching one for a second.

Page 99

Ap Carbad, who, as senior herald, had carried the large branch all the way from Ardmachan, shook his head.

"If word goes out that Maga has abused heralds, she will lose her allies, and if she were to kill us, Conary would in honor be bound to invade Connat," he said. "But we are only being kept waiting, not abused so far."