Part 6 (1/2)

Sharn threw open the door, taking in the scene in an instant. Two huge figures were sitting at the table. One was Doomas friend Steven, the strange Plains pedlar who had been such a good and powerful ally in the time of the Shadow Lord. The othera”was Lindal!

And taking his place beside them was Doom himself, wearily pulling off his coat. But Sharn had no time, no s.p.a.ce in her mind, to wonder why Doom and Lindal had returned, or how Steven had come to be with them. Her gaze was fixed on the platter towards which all three were reachinga”a platter heaped with small, golden-brown cakes in silver paper cases.

aNo!a She sprang forward. As they shouted in shock, her arm crashed down on the table, sweeping the platter away from them. The platter fell to the floor, smas.h.i.+ng on the stones, cakes bouncing and rolling away.

Amarantz, her face pale as parchment, fell to her knees, scrabbling to pick them up.

aSharn! What is it?a roared Doom, astounded, almost angry.

Sharn could not answer. She was gasping, dizzy with relief. If she had been a moment later a She steadied herself on the edge of the table and made herself look down at the old woman crawling on the stones of the kitchen floor.

Amarantzas eyes met hers. And suddenly it seemed to Sharn that something else was watching her from behind that familiar, faded blue. Something alien. Something cunning. Something wicked.

Her stomach churned with sickness. She shrank back, s.h.i.+vering.

And then, horribly, Amarantz began to laugh. aFools!a she cackled. aDo you not know that you will never defeat me?a With an oath, Doom leaped to his feet, his chair cras.h.i.+ng behind him. Steven rose more slowly, gripping the edge of the table. The muscles of his arms and neck bulged as though he were lifting a great weight. He trembled all over. His eyes flickered from gold to brown as Nevets, the savage brother he carried within him, struggled for freedom.

aNo!a Lindal ordered, putting a huge hand on his shoulder. aNevets, we do not need you here. Go back!a The terrible shuddering quietened and ceased.

Shoulders heaving, Amarantz crouched toad-like, watching them. aWhat joy it would have been to have sent you the way of the poor little bride, Doom!a she croaked. aAnd your friends, those ugly freaks of nature, with you. But, ah well, this feeble body is nearly worn out as it is. I will see you another time, Doom, in another place.a She pressed her clenched fist to her mouth.

aStop her!a Sharn exclaimed urgently.

Instantly understanding, Doom leaped forward.

But it was too late. The poisoned cake was already in the old womanas throat, and she was swallowing it whole.

aSoon we will be everywhere!a she hissed. aVery soon aa Her face changed, her eyes rolled back. With a terrible shriek she clutched at her stomach and fell sideways, her feet kicking, her head beating horribly against the stones.

As Doom, Lindal and Steven stood frozen with horror, Sharn ran to her. She could not help it. For whatever hideous force possessed the old woman, this was Amarantz, the friend of her youth. She could not let her die horribly, alone.

She took the jerking body in her arms and held it tightly. For a long moment there was no change. Then suddenly the eyes returned to normal. They stared at Sharn vacantly for a single moment, then seemed to focus.

aI am here, Amarantz,a Sharn whispered.

The eyes grew puzzled. The cracked lips opened. aSharn?a Amarantz murmured. aOh, Sharn, I had a terrible dream. Such a terrible dream.a Sharn nodded, stroking the wet forehead, her eyes br.i.m.m.i.n.g with tears.

aI dreamed that the Grey Guards came to the pottery, and we were all taken,a sighed the old woman. aAnd Ia”a Her eyes suddenly widened, filling with terror.

aDo not fear any more, Amarantz,a said Sharn quickly. aThe dream has ended now. Ended.a aYes.a The faded eyes grew peaceful once more. The lips curved in a half smile. And then the breathing stopped. For Amarantz, the nightmare had truly ended at last.

aWhat was that she said of athe poor little bridea?a asked Doom urgently.

aShe thought she had poisoned Marilen. But she was wrong,a said Sharn.

She laid the old womanas head gently down and brushed the wisps of grey hair from the bloodstained cheek. Then she thought a she thought she saw something moving in the hair that trailed on the ground. Tears were blurring her eyes. She rubbed them, looked again, then jerked back with a scream of horror.

A long grey worm with a scarlet head was crawling from Amarantzas ear. It slithered out onto the floor in a trail of slime and writhed there, its tail las.h.i.+ng in fury.

14 - Leap of Faith.

His face twisted in disgust, Doom strode forward and stamped on the evil thing, grinding it into the stones.

aWhat was it?a screeched Lindal.

aA new piece of Shadow Lord devilry,a Doom muttered. aAmarantz was taken to the Shadowlands, it seems. And at some timea”perhaps not long agoa”that vile thing was put into her brain, and she was sent back.a He looked down at Amarantzas crumpled body.

aAt least we now understand what has been happening here,a he said. aWhy we are plagued by a.s.sa.s.sins and spiesa”all of them once good people.a There was a short, fearful silence. One thought was in all their minds.

aThere could be thousands of them,a said Lindal roughly, putting the thought into words at last.

aNo.a Doomas brow was furrowed in thought. aThe words were, aSoon we will be everywherea. For some reason, the real invasion has not yet begun.a aI thinka”I think that is because the process is not yet perfect.a Sharn was controlling the trembling in her voice with difficulty. aIt still causes a damage.a As her companions stared, puzzled, she took a deep, shuddering breath.

aDo you not see?a she said. aAmarantz said she had been deafened by a beating, but that was a lie. At the last, when she was herself again, when the worm had begun leaving her because it knew her time was ending, she could hear me clearly. The worm had been blocking her hearing, as well as controlling her mind.a aYes!a Doomas eyes blazed. aAnd this explains many things. The babbling woman with the knife. The old guard who could not walka”a aAnda”of course!a”the man Pieter, who put the scorpion in Liefas bed chamber, was tormented by agonising headaches,a Sharn exclaimed. aHe was anothera”imperfect experiment.a Suddenly the horror was too much for her. She covered her eyes.

aThe Shadow Lord is no doubt working to correct the fault in his process,a muttered Lindal. aAnd when he is satisfied aa aAh, you are as gloomy as Nevets, girl!a growled Steven. aAre you trying to make us lose all hope? I suspect you have a worm in your own painted skull.a aMy only headache is you, Steven!a Lindal retorted. aI am simply being realistic. The Shadow Lorda”a She broke off as the kitchen door swung open.

Marilen walked in, her head high, colour burning in her cheeks. Her defiant eyes widened as she saw Doom, two huge strangers, and the body of Amarantz on the floor, but she did not hesitate. Ignoring everyone else, she spoke directly to Sharn.

aPlease do not blame the guards because I am here. They had no orders to stop me. You all relied on my obedience for that. Well, I am tired of being obedient!a aMarilen aa Sharn began, astonished. But Marilen had not finished.

aI came to tell you that, whatever you might think, I am certain that Ranesh is guilty of no wrong,a she said clearly. aAlso, that I am determined to stay here, whatever the future may hold. But I will no longer cringe upstairs in hiding and in ignorance of what is going on in the palace.a Lindal snorted with laughter. aIs this athe poor little bridea?a she whispered piercingly to Steven. aShe has grown a few muscles, it seems.a Marilenas colour brightened even further but she tossed her head and turned to Doom. aNo blame will attach to you, or to Lief, if anything happens to me,a she said. aThis is my decision, and mine alone.a aThe decision is not yours to make, Marilen,a Doom said grimly. aIt is not only your father who fears for your safety.a Marilen met his eyes without flinching. aThe decision is mine, Doom,a she said. aI will be a prisoner no longer, and that is final!a She glanced at Steven and Lindal, then looked back to Doom and lifted her chin. aDiscuss it with my father, if you wish,a she added, with an unmistakable air of triumph. aHe and Zeean are coming to Del.a Sharn gave a m.u.f.fled gasp. Steven and Lindal looked at her curiously, aThe letter came this morning,a Marilen said. aI should have read it at once, buta”a Again she glanced at Steven and Lindal. aBut something happened which drove it from my mind. Zeean and Father will be here in a day or two.a aWell,a said Doom, his face unreadable. aI am glad that I have returned in time to greet them.a aDoom, why have you returned?a cried Sharn, suddenly recollecting.

aLief and Barda are no longer in the Hills,a said Doom. aThey have followed Jasmine into the caverns under the earth.a Sharn stared at him, joy and fear mingling on her face. aJinks was lying?a she gasped.

aOf course!a said Marilen quietly. aDid I not tell you?a aMy motheras bees brought us the tale,a Steven put in. aThe story took time to spread to them, but it began, I gather, with vine-weaver birds in the Hills. I could not make head nor tail of it, for I had heard that Lief was in Tora. So I came to find out and, lo and behold, met Doom and Lindal on the road.a aUnder the earth aa Sharn shook her head. aSo Jasmine is truly trying to find a secret way to the Shadowlands! Anda”and Lief and Barda are with her?a aSo it seems,a Steven nodded.

aBut Doom, you must go after them!a cried Sharn. aYou must stop them! They cannot save the prisoners alone! All that will happen is that Lief will deliver himselfa”and the Belt of Deltora, Doom!a”into the Shadow Lordas hands!a aThe Belt cannot be taken beyond Deltoraas borders,a Doom said. aWe know this, and Lief knows it too.a Sharn stared at him, unable to understand his calm. aBut what of the Pirran Pipe? Lief was so sure it was the only way to defeat the Shadow Lord on his own ground.a aPerhaps Lief knows something we do not,a Marilen murmured.

aPerhaps he does,a said Doom. He looked at the girl thoughtfully for a moment, then turned back to Sharn. aIt was not an easy decision to return to Del, Sharn,a he said gently. aMy whole instinct was to continue. Then it came to me that it was Lief, Barda and Jasmine who restored the Belt of Deltora, and that they did it alone, without our help or protection.a Sharnas eyes were blinded with tears. aYou are saying that we should trust them.a aI am saying that we must trust them,a said Doom. aOur place, our task, is herea”especially now. All we can do is keep faith. And wish Lief, Barda and Jasmine well, wherever they may be.a Lief, Barda and Jasmine were in a place, and facing a challenge, that not even Doom could have imagined. They were following Liefas plan. They were climbing the cavern wall that jutted beside the dome of Auron.

One of the raft-dwellersa old patched boats floated below them. The Piper himself sat in the stern. Penn was with him, looking up anxiously. At their feet lay what remained of a great coil of rope, slowly unravelling as the three companions made their perilous climb.

aThe hand-holds are growing further and further apart,a gasped Barda, hauling himself up to a new ledge.

aYou can stop now. We are already above the height of the dome,a said Jasmine, who was climbing nimbly above him, the rope trailing behind her. aI will go on and attach the rope.a She continued climbing, aiming for a lump of rock that jutted out high above them where the cavern wall curved to meet the roof.

Flattening himself against the rock beside Barda, Lief looked down. Far below, slightly to his right, the boat, small as a childas toy, rocked beside the band of seaweed. The great coil of rope had completely unravelled. Now the rope hung loosely down the rock face, its knotted end swinging, rising steadily as Jasmine climbed.

And looming before him, rising from sluggish, milky waters, was the rounded shape of the dimly glowing dome. Arach crawled in the shadowy filth heaped at its base, feeding, spinning, watching.

The sound of the Pirran Pipe rang in Liefas ears. He closed his eyes, fighting it down.

aVery well. It is as secure as I can make it,a Jasmine hissed from above.