Part 15 (1/2)

*Sal!' she shouted, trying to make her stiff leg move more quickly. *Sal, be careful!'

He didn't seem to hear her. Not caring about discretion any longer, s.h.i.+lly pulled the flare from her pocket and did as Tom had instructed her. The top cracked with the sound of breaking chalk, and she held the base well away from her face as it ignited. With a bang and a fierce whizzing sound, the firework shot up into the sky, trailing a line of black smoke behind it. It exploded high above her in a multicoloured cloud. Seconds later, another, much fainter bang came in reply from away to her right.

The dust had settled enough for her to see Sal again, and the wide scar the flying wing had carved into the yellow ground. Sal was bending over the wing, trying to get at what lay underneath.

*Don't touch her!' called a m.u.f.fled voice. *She's hurt!'

*I can see that!' Sal said, pitching his voice rea.s.suringly but loud enough to penetrate. *We have to get her out of the harness. Hold still. I see the latches.'

s.h.i.+lly could hear the concern he was trying to hide. There was blood on the ground where the flyer had skidded to a halt.

The wing wobbled.

*Easy!' Sal said more firmly. *I've got her. Can you get the wing off us? I need to look at her.'

s.h.i.+lly limped to a halt as the wing lifted up and away. She reached out a hand to help the person underneath. As the wing swung upright and the face of the person attached to it became visible, she took a step backwards.

*Skender?'

The name registered, but Skender didn't seem to see her at first. He looked at her and his gaze skidded away. His eyelids fluttered. Then he put a hand to his head and sank to his knees under the weight of the wing.

She forgot her surprise and moved in. to help him. He was filthy and his robes were torn. The way he moved suggested that he was in shock.

And no wonder, she thought. After five years, he had just literally dropped out of the sky upon them.

*Is she ...?' Skender's concern was solely for the person stretched out on the ground between them. A young woman, s.h.i.+lly saw; about her age or a little younger. Sal had turned her over and bunched a wad of fabric from his tunic in both hands and pressed it to her forehead. It was turning red fast.

*Head wounds bleed a lot,' Sal said, gritting his teeth. *It's hard to tell what's going on underneath.'

*Help her.' Skender reached out with one badly grazed hand and gripped Sal's shoulder. *Like you helped s.h.i.+lly when she broke her leg. Heal her!'

*I can't,' Sal said. s.h.i.+lly noted that their ident.i.ties seemed to have sunk in, even if he hadn't acknowledged them in any other way.

*You have to!'

*I would if I could.' Sal looked up at Skender with desperation in his eyes. *But I'm telling you - I can't!'

In the dust and the heat of the moment, with an unknown woman's blood pouring through Sal's fingers onto the ground and an old friend pleading for the woman's life, s.h.i.+lly felt a powerful chill, as of a cold, iron blade sliding down her spine.

*He's not lying,' she said, turning to peer around her. Sal looked foggy-headed, as though trying to see through a veil. Skender's eyes were still not quite focusing. She herself felt no different - but being only sensitive to the Change, not naturally talented in it, she supposed she wouldn't.

Out of the weirdness of the heat haze to the southwest, a man walked towards them, carrying someone in his arms.

She let go of Skender and stood up. Despite the dread she felt, she would not confront that moment on her knees in the dirt. She would meet it face to face, and she would not scream like Larson Maiz.

The Homunculus stepped out of the wilderness. It looked like a man, but as it drew closer that first impression faded. s.h.i.+lly was unable to bring it into focus; its outline constantly s.h.i.+fted, making its precise form difficult to pin down. Its skin was a deep, textureless black and it seemed to have too many arms. Its pace was even and unhurried.

The body in its arms hung as limp as a sleeping child, although it belonged to a full-sized man. The Homunculus carried him without strain. Dark hair with wide grey streaks framed a face she almost didn't recognise. s.h.i.+lly knew it could only be one person.

*Stop right there,' she said as the Homunculus came within a dozen paces of them.

Much to her surprise - and no small amount of relief - the creature came to a halt.

*Who are you?' it asked. The words issued fluidly from its mouth but, like its features, the sound possessed an odd distortion, as though simultaneously heard from a great distance and near at hand. Its mouth stretched far too wide. At odd moments it seemed to have four eyes.

*I'm s.h.i.+lly,' she said. *Who are you?'

The creature's oversized head blurred. *You don't need to know. Will you help this man?'

It stepped forward, offering her the body in its arms.

*What's wrong with him?' she asked, conscious of Sal watching the exchange closely from behind her. *What did you do to him?'

*Nothing. He needs water and food or he'll die.'

*We can help him, but -'

*Good. It's been a long journey. He couldn't keep up, and you're the first people we've encountered. This land is so empty ...'

The Homunculus's voice was full of sadness as it squatted and put the body of Highson Sparre on the ground at its feet.

*We'll take care of him,' s.h.i.+lly said. *Thank you.'

The Homunculus didn't respond. It simply stood and looked around, getting its bearings. s.h.i.+lly and the others stood between it and Laure. It turned, clearly intending to walk around them.

*Wait,' Sal said, speaking at last. *This man is my father. Why did he summon you?'

*His summoning wasn't successful.' The face turned to look at him, its expression unreadable. The strange eyes swung to focus on s.h.i.+lly, then moved on. *You -' The Homunculus stared at Skender. *Your name is Galeus. We've met before, but you won't remember. We weren't part of this world, then.'

Skender's mouth hung open in stunned surprise at the use of his heart-name. He shook his head.

*But I remember everything,' he protested weakly.

The Homunculus stood frozen for a moment, staring at them all with intense concentration. Through the peculiar distortion, s.h.i.+lly thought she saw the features of a young man, not much older than them, coalescing out of the chaos. The details of his face weren't completely stable; they came in and out of focus as though she saw them through ill-matched gla.s.s lenses. But there was definitely something trying to get through. Someone.

s.h.i.+lly couldn't take her eyes off that strange face.

*Who are you?' she asked again, caught in a very strange dream.

For an instant, she thought the Homunculus might answer.

Then a shout from the south put paid to that possibility.

*Sal! s.h.i.+lly! Get down!'

s.h.i.+lly turned and saw Marmion and the other Wardens converging on the scene. Habryn Kail swung an arm over his head, and something whizzed towards them with a loud, singing noise.

She dropped her cane and ducked, recognising the bola for what it was, albeit one much larger than any she had ever used to catch rabbits or dune hens. The weighted rope spun over her and wrapped itself around the Homunculus's chest. It went down with a cry of pain in a furious tangle of limbs. Its form dissolved. She saw at least two heads and far too many arms and legs as the creature tried to right itself. But the bola had tied itself tightly around the Homunculus's torso. It was effectively pinned.