Part 8 (1/2)

He had never seen magic behave this way; something within the building surely drew it in for a magician's use. Among the peppery dark bands was the occasional red flash of foreign airs sitting uncomfortably in the mixture. A breeze breathed across the gently lapping waves, which filled the meadow with their swis.h.i.+ng music.

Gorb padded over to them, heavy footsteps sinking deep into the gra.s.s. 'Fish in the water aren't real,' he said. 'I caught one. Popped in my hand, into just sparks. They're saying don't go in the water at all. Some weird spells about it, they say. Dunno how they know: they're not mages.'

'Is anyone up there?' said Eric, nodding at the high tower windows. He felt they were being watched.

'See that woman over by the fire?' said Gorb. 'Myela's her name. She saw a wizard. Said he's got four arms, the head of a bull. Wants to cast death spells at us. He ain't done anything of the sort yet. But if this tower's what I think it is, war mages will come.'

Eric didn't properly hear the answer to his question. He laughed aloud in delight. He'd seen a face in the window, a familiar one and no bull's head. The window slid open, scattering a handful of dirt and pebbles to splash into the water. 'Eric, Siel! Get yourselves up here!' Loup shouted as though they were late for an appointment.

The villagers turned as one to gape at them. 'You silly gawking b.u.g.g.e.rs!' Loup screamed. 'Look at you, jaws all hanging loose! Well, they should be! That there's a Pilgrim, from Otherworld.'

A chorus of talk went up. Siel looked at Eric, mortified. 'Why did he tell them that?' she whispered.

'He's here to save us all, you mark me,' Loup babbled. 'Save us from what, none yet know, not even him. But when he knows, he'll get to it! Good lad, he is. Come up here, Eric. Any of that black scale left? I'm almost out and I need it. The rest of you silly gawking folk, p.i.s.s off.'

The villagers murmured among themselves about whether this wizard was as dangerous as they'd thought. They decided not to risk it and headed back up the path through the woodlands toward their homes.

Eric and Siel waded into cool thigh-deep water. Luminous fish pretty as jewels flashed around their legs and glinted through the clouds of silt their sinking footsteps disturbed. With a shriek Siel sank suddenly deeper into the water, clutching at Eric's hand as he pulled her up.

'Don't scream and panic,' Loup called down from his high window. 'A few deep spots here and there, is all. Nifty place, this! We'll be safe holing up here a while.'

'Not for long,' came Gorb's ponderous voice. He'd taken a few steps into the water. 'War mages will be here soon.'

'You back off!' Loup snarled at him.

'What for?' said Gorb.

'Cause I said. No room for you up here.' But Gorb kept coming, till Loup threw something which landed in the water in front of him with a splash. While Gorb fished around for the object, Loup hurled down some kind of broken metal instrument which slammed quite hard into Gorb's huge face. 'I said back off!'

'I could get mad about that,' said Gorb very slowly, rubbing the great slab of his left cheek with a palm.

'Git!'

'Ask your friends who fed em last night.'

'We'll talk later,' said Eric apologetically.

'Git!' Loup screamed, throwing a rock at the half-giant. Gorb swatted it out of the air, his huge arm clubbing it far over the treetops. But he did as Loup asked and headed dejectedly back to the village.

Siel whispered, 'Listen. I don't know what it is, but Loup's not himself. Maybe the new airs have got to him. Be on your guard.'

'You think he's going to throw things at us?'

'I don't know what he'll do. He's not all-powerful, but he is a mage. Telling all those people what you are, that was insane. I can hardly believe he did it.'

'Why?'

'Do you understand, Eric? You are a Pilgrim. A weapon, a mine of treasures, an omen, a grand secret. Our whole civilisation exists because of Pilgrims like you, coming here now and then throughout history with knowledge from Otherworld. Every power in the world wants you. Free and Aligned and rogue, all things in between. The fewer who know of you, the better.'

'Why, for Christ's sake? I haven't done anything!'

'For your basic knowledge alone. They'd all have heard of you by now. Even allied Mayors would go to war with each other to possess you.'

The tower loomed over them, on a leaning angle like it might topple forward and flatten them. 'There were war mages at the door when I came in,' Eric said. 'Sent there to kill us. If we're so valuable, why?'

She shrugged. 'The Arch Mage is a fool in many ways. But maybe he knows of your world, and of your magic-'

'It's not magic, Siel.'

'-and maybe he feared Pilgrims would bring powers to undo him. This world is his now. I a.s.sume he wanted nothing to come here which could change that.' Siel seemed to debate something. 'Listen. I knew things Anfen didn't, things even some of the Mayors didn't. Our task, why we were sent near the castle in the first place. It was nothing to do with getting an underground base near the castle! They knew you were coming through.'

'Who knew?'

'The Mayors' Command. Don't ask me how they knew, and why the castle didn't. I don't know the answer. But they knew a Pilgrim or several Pilgrims would come. Sending Anfen's band was a futile dice roll to get hold of you. Somehow it worked. They did not expect us to return, let alone capture the Pilgrims. It's why we've had so little help. My job was to keep us in the area till it happened. If we were caught, the order was to kill you so the castle didn't get hold of you. It would have been me to do it. Anfen never knew.'

'Would you have?'

'Yes.' He'd have appreciated just a moment's hesitation before she'd said that.

She climbed out of the water up onto a hard dirt shelf at the tower's base. 'The point is, those villagers will talk. There could be a patrol at the village right now that is a trade route back there! We may have a week, or less than an hour.'

'So they'd take me to their city. Beds and baths and hot meals. Sounds terrible.'

'Foolis.h.!.+ People are not as loyal to their cities as they once were. If mercenaries find you and work out what you are worth to the Mayors, there's a chance they will play games and try to sell you to the highest bidder.'

'But look, you know Loup. He does things which are nutty but turn out for the best. You usually only know after.'

'Or maybe the new airs have messed his head, the same way they disturbed the magic hiding that village. And hiding this building, whatever it is.' She slapped a slab of earthy stone set in the tower's sheer face. 'We must get to Tanton. They have a sane mayor. The other cities don't.'

There was no staircase or ladder in sight. An arch opened up on the building's right side, leading to a gloomy s.p.a.ce beneath. 'Not in there,' cried Loup as they headed for it. 'Stay away! Strange little spot, down there. There's tunnels going beneath the water. Don't know where they go or what they're for, but the tower doesn't want us in em. Murmurs and complains, it does!'

'How else do we come up?' Siel called to him.

'I've seen more brains spattered across Anfen's boots! The tree, you two! Climb!'

A brittle grey tree on the earthy platform reached nearly halfway up the tower's face. Siel stripped off her pants and wrung water out of them. Then with some difficulty (not helped by wet feet or Loup's agitated commentary) they were soon high enough that a fall would break bones. From halfway up the trunk they could see through the arch at the tower's base, where deeper water swirled in a large slow whirlpool. A breeze came up from there; in it, so faintly they were unsure they'd heard it, was a whispering voice. 'I do not know what this place is,' Siel whispered, 'but I have seen nothing like it before.'

'Nervous?'

'Yes.'

At the first window ledge, puffing, they both stepped onto a thin shelf of hard dirt. Siel yanked at the window a few times before giving up and smas.h.i.+ng the gla.s.s with the hilt of her knife. Shards clattered to the floor inside. An outraged noise erupted from the folk magician above. 'Now why'd you do that? This place is alive! It mutters and groans, oh aye it does. Don't go beating it! You mark me, this here's no hunk of stone and wood! Not only alive, d.a.m.n near aware of itself. Be polite! Better hope it doesn't hold a grudge too.'