TRAVELLER (Book 1 in the Brass Pendant Trilogy) (33 page)

“How far have we come?” I asked him crossly, and my voice broke the quietness of the surrounding countryside.

“About 15 lengths. We’re halfway,” he said quietly, and he slowed down a little and walked beside me while he tried to pretend nothing was wrong again. Maybe, there was nothing wrong. Maybe, I’d imagined that too. I gritted my teeth as Morgan pointed to a well-used cart track and we followed it for a while. The cart wheels had made deep ruts in the earth, and the earth itself was dry, but soft, indicating it had probably rained here a few days ago. We walked together between the ruts and Morgan tried to talk about the weather, the goat herd we passed, and the village we could see in the distance, but if he wasn’t going to look at me, I wasn’t interested in anything he had to say.

“It’s the village,” said Morgan suddenly, and he stopped walking and looked at his pendant. I nodded. We had no way of measuring the distance accurately but I trusted Morgan to have judged it correctly. I looked at the tiny village nestled just below us. The cart track made its way in that direction and I could see smoke rising from a number of roofs. There was the faint sound of a blacksmith’s hammer and, from where we stood now, a castle had appeared in the view. It was perched almost at the top of another steep hill. I could see a small herd of goats just below us, and there was a graveyard marked with dark wooden crosses. The village at our bearing looked about as gloomy as I felt and it was depressing to think of how much I’d been looking forward to this quest.

I just wanted to go back home now, and I turned around and lead the way as we headed back towards our marker. Morgan didn’t try to talk again and we walked back in silence. About half way back though, he caught up to me and he set an even faster pace as he lead the way back along the swiftly flowing river.

Morgan walked purposefully down the goat track that ran along the bank and, although I glanced at him hopefully a number of times, he still didn’t look at me. I didn’t know whether he’d decided he didn’t want to risk losing his pendant, or whether he just didn’t have the same feelings for me as I had for him. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but one thing was sure; it was glaringly obvious he was sorry he’d kissed me last night and he obviously didn’t want it to happen again.

I trudged miserably along beside him and, on my other side, the river cascaded down rocks as it rolled and plunged its way effortlessly down the slope. The river’s speed had cut deep banks and they fell sharply away from the grass beside me. The pleasant, rushing sound of the water was little comfort though as the unpleasant silence between us continued. For some reason, my wrist was aching now too and I fidgeted with the leather band I wore as we approached the site of our marker.

I was miserable and I pulled my pendant from beneath my shirt the moment we reached the sight of our marker. Beside me, Morgan was already setting his pendant, and I guessed, he too, couldn’t wait to get back to the Quest house. We’d left from the setting house marker, so we had to return to that marker as well, and I picked up my pendant wearily as I prepared to set my dials.

“Here, I’ll set it for you,” said Morgan quietly, and he surprised me when he took my pendant gently out of my hands. His fingers brushed against mine and, as I let my hands drop to my sides, I looked up at him hopefully. This was the closest he’d been to me all day.

Morgan frowned as he set the dials on my pendant and, by the time he was done, his face was set in a grim expression. I didn’t speak and he didn’t either, but when he let my pendant fall back against my jacket, he finally looked into my eyes. He didn’t smile though and I’d never seen him look so unhappy. My heart sank.

“Livia, I have to tell you something…and……..” he began awkwardly, but I didn’t want him to have to say it now, and, all of a sudden, I didn’t want to have to hear it either. I shook my head.

“It’s fine Morgan. I understand. You don’t have to say anything,” I said quickly, but he frowned and shook his head too.

“No, I have to tell you……..”

“Morgan, I……”

“Livia, please just listen,” he said impatiently, and Morgan paused for a moment and looked at me with the strangest expression while I held my breath and waited miserably for him to speak………but, he didn’t tell me he was sorry he’d kissed me last night………..or that he never wanted it to happen again………Instead, he let out his breath suddenly before he closed the distance between us……and kissed me again…………..

Instantly, my misery was gone and I wanted time to stand still so I could stay in this moment for as long as I could. Morgan held me very tightly and, if he’d decided he didn’t want us to be together, this definitely wasn’t the way to show it. Our kiss deepened and a now familiar warmth flooded through me……..but time didn’t stand still. Time can do many things; but in our world….it never stops. It’s constantly moving and turning. It’s not a straight line, but a circle, and so it reminded us of its presence in what would turn out to be………. the worst possible way……….  

The air around us started to move in patterns.

I would hardly have noticed it, nor would I have cared if I did, but Morgan knew what was coming and he held me away from him suddenly.

“Livia, listen to me. You have to go. You have to run now. This isn’t our marker,” he said desperately, and I shook my head and frowned.

Why was he talking? I didn’t want him to talk…………..and what…………. what was he talking about? Of course this was our marker. I stared at him and he closed his eyes for a moment as the air patterns moved around us and the temperature dropped.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he said wretchedly, and he shook his head. “I’m not what you think, Liv. I’m Denborite. I was placed in your world to befriend you and, last night, I was instructed to lead you to this marker instead of the one we were given. This is a Denborite marker, Livia. I set your pendant back to this marker, not to our Quest house, and this air pattern isn’t our exit; it’s a Denborite entry. You have to run. You have to go now,” he said in a rush, and he looked around him at the moving patterns of air.

I couldn’t think, let alone move, and I continued to stand numbly in front of him. What did he mean he was Denborite? That wasn’t possible. He was joking…………surely…………..

“Please,” he whispered desperately as he looked into my eyes, but I was in shock now because this wasn’t a joke and, even though I was gasping for air, I couldn’t breathe at all. All of a sudden, I was colder than the patterned air around me and my wrist throbbed painfully under its binds. I stared at him blindly but Morgan shook his head again and swore under his breath before he took me firmly by the arm.

“Go now…………..and when you can; run,” he said desperately and, before I could speak, he pulled me with him towards the river. Without warning, he pushed me over the edge of the steep bank……….and when the icy temperature of the water took away my breath, I was swept away instantly by the swiftness of the fast flowing current………

THE END