Part 6 (2/2)

Lief looked up. Through the dimness he could see that Jasmine had pulled her end of the rope from her waist and looped it over the jutting rock, tying it firmly.

She tugged at the rope to test it. Then, without a sign of fear, she leaned back over the terrible drop, curved her body so her feet touched the rocky wall, and began running downward, the rope slipping through her hands.

In moments she had reached the ledge where Lief and Barda stood.

aReady?a she asked casually.

Barda took hold of the rope, his hands gripping it firmly just below Jasmineas own.

aPromise me, Lief,a he muttered, athat if this should go wrong, you will get back to the rafts and return to Del, however you are able. We cannot riska”a aIt will not go wrong if we follow Liefas plan,a snapped Jasmine. aI am sure the rope is long enough, and the fastening will hold. The most important thing is to push off the cliff-face as hard as we possibly can, so that we swing out fast and far enough to cross the gap. And when I say jump, Barda, you must jump. At once!a Barda gritted his teeth. aAnd if I land safely on the top of the dome, but cannot hold myself in place?a he muttered.

aThen you will slide all the way down to the base and fight Arachs,a said Jasmine calmly. aBut if not, you will simply wait while I return with Lief.a There was nothing further for Barda to say. With a grim nod, he tightened his grip on the rope and bent one knee so that the sole of his boot was planted firmly against the cliff-face. Then, on the count of three, he and Jasmine launched themselves into s.p.a.ce.

Lief held his breath as they swung in a great arc towards the dome, two small figures at the end of a rope that looked impossibly frail. Time seemed to stop. The milky sea crawled beneath them. Their shapes showed dark against the domeas dull glow, swinging up, up a aNow!a shrieked Jasmine, and her voice echoed weirdly from the rock. Now a Now a Now a Barda let go of the rope and sailed through the air. He landed on the dome flat on his belly. The surface of the dome s.h.i.+mmered but did not bend.

Jasmine was already swinging back, her small body hurtling towards the wall with terrifying speed. Lief stood ready to catch her, to cus.h.i.+on her so that she would not smash herself to pieces against the rock.

It was all over in seconds. In seconds, Jasmine was back on the ledge, gabbling instructions. In seconds, Lief was taking Bardaas place, grasping the rope, pressing his foot against the wall, thrusting himself forward at Jasmineas signal.

Then he was flying, cold air rus.h.i.+ng against his face, ears strained for Jasmineas call.

The dome was huge, filling his view. He felt himself swinging upward. His brain filled with the singing of the Pipe. Louder. Louder a aNow!a shrieked Jasmine.

Lief let go of the rope. His body sailed up through the empty air, up over the dome. His eye caught the flutter of Jasmineas clothing beside him. He could see Barda stretched motionless below.

Then he was falling. The dim glow of the dome rushed up to meet him. A warm, s.h.i.+mmering haze surrounded him.

He was aware of nothing but sound. Sweet, pure music poured through him, possessed him. It was blind instinct that made him reach for Jasmineas hand, clutch at Bardaas shoulder, as he began to slip through the haze, and the magic of the Pirran Pipe drew him in.

15 - The Isle of Illusion.

The gra.s.s was velvety soft under Liefas feet. Above his head arched a sky of perfect blue. Soft purple hills misted the horizon. The air was warm, and fragrant with the flowers that bloomed beside a rippling silver stream. The shadows under the trees were dappled with sunlight.

Pirra.

The birds seemed to sing the name. The stream babbled it. The leaves whispered it, rustling in a gentle breeze that seemed to breathe magic.

Lief felt hands tugging at his arm. Heard Jasmineas voice calling him from far away.

aLief! Wake! We are inside the dome.a The blue of the sky s.h.i.+mmered uncertainly, like water. The trees wavered.

aLief, behind you! Look!a Jasmineas voice was sharp, urgent. It could no longer be ignored. Unwillingly, Lief turned.

A large crowd of people stood silently watching them. One, wearing the tall, stiff head-covering of a Piper, was dressed in purest white. The rest wore fluttering robes in soft, light colours. Many had flowers in their hair. They looked like the Aurons of the rafts, but they were taller, their faces were less sharp and their skin was golden brown.

And behind them, rising high above the tops of the tallest trees, seeming almost to touch the sky, was a glittering spire of gla.s.s. It flashed so brilliantly in the sunlight that at first Lief saw it only as a vast, s.h.i.+mmering column.

Then, as his eyes cleared, he realised that it had a shape. It was a vast statue of a womana”a Pirran woman, wearing the head-dress of a Piper. And he knew without doubt that the woman was Auron the Fair, who had long ago made music so beautiful that her audience wept.

The statueas long robe fell straight to the ground in a thousand glittering gla.s.s pleats as sharp as razors. Its fixed, unseeing eyes gazed serenely towards the purple hills. Its tall head-dress glared like a white flame against the blue sky. And embedded in the centre of the white flame, perfect and untouchable, was the stem of the Pirran Pipe.

Lief stared, aghast. No hands could have formed that vast image. It could only have been created by magic.

aNo wonder we are here, in the centre of the island instead of at the edge as we expected,a Barda muttered.

aThe mouthpiece of the Pipe pulled us to where it wanted us to be.a aWe will never climb that statue. We would be cut to ribbons in a moment if we tried,a Jasmine said. aYou will just have to persuade the dome-dwellers to give us the stem willingly, Lief. They look gentle enough. Surely they will listen to you.a But Lief was silent, fighting despair. The statue had clearly been created to seal the stem of the Pipe away from every danger for eternity. Those who had made it would never willingly give up their prize. Never.

aGreetings, strangers.a Lief forced his dazzled eyes downward, tried to focus on the figure standing before him. It was the man dressed in white. His arms were outstretched in welcome. The people behind him were also smiling, their robes fluttering like the petals of flowers ruffled by a gentle breeze.

aI am the Piper, Auris,a the man said. aI cannot guess how you have come to our land, but know it must be for a good and beautiful purpose, since nothing evil can dwell here. On behalf of the people, I bid you welcome to Pirra.a Welcome to Pirra?

Lief glanced at Barda and Jasmine. Both were struggling to keep their faces blank.

Auris was waiting courteously. Lief wet his dry lips. However hopeless this situation seemed, however sure he was that the dome-dwellers would be enraged by his request, and certainly would not grant it, he had to try.

aThank you for your gracious welcome, Piper,a he said carefully. aI am Lief, King of Deltora. I have come with my companions, Barda and Jasmine, to beg a favour of you.a Aurisas brow furrowed slightly, and it seemed to Lief that the sweet, sunny air flickered.

Then Aurisas face cleared. aAh,a he said, bowing and smiling. aOf course. Deltora. The realm beyond the mountains. You must forgive me, your majesty. For a moment the name escaped my memory. We of Pirra do not feel the need to travel. As I am sure you can well understand.a He lifted an elegant hand, gesturing at the beauty around him.

aIndeed,a said Lief politely.

aA favour, you say?a Auris murmured.

Lief took a deep breath, glanced once again at Jasmine and Barda, willing them to be patient, and mentally crossed his fingers for luck.

aMany of our people are prisoners of the Shadow Lord, who is your enemy as well as ours,a he said, keeping his voice low and calm. aThe only thing that will save them is the Pirran Pipe, the stem of which you possess. We already have the mouthpiece, given to us willingly by the Plume people. This was how we were able to enter your magic dome soa”a aStop!a The Piperas eyes had glazed. The people behind him had begun flitting around so frantically that they seemed blurred. And the lighta”the light was flickering, dimming a aThere is no need to fear us!a Lief exclaimed hastily. aWe could not take the stem by force, even if we wished it. But I beg you will listen. We have journeyed far through the caverns, and faced many terrible dangers, to find your island.a There was a low rumbling like distant thunder. The trees, gra.s.s and flowers quivered, then began to droop, as though their colours and shapes were melting into the trembling air.

Auris clapped his hands over his ears and screwed his eyes tightly shut. aYou are speaking gibberis.h.!.+ Your words have no meaning!a he shouted. He was breathing heavily. His face had turned as white as the belly of a fish. The crowd behind him was surging like a troubled sea.

aDo not listen to them! They are deluded fools!a he panted, plainly speaking as much to himself as to the people. aThere are no caverns. No dangers. No island. No dome. There is only Pirra, where all is beauty, all is peace, all is trutha”a aYou are the one speaking gibberish, Piper!a Jasmine burst out, unable to keep silent any longer. aThere is nothing true in this place.a aNo!a Aurisas eyes flew open and seemed to bulge in his head. aStopa”a The thundering sound grew louder. Lief looked around him. Everywhere trees, flowers, gra.s.s and sky were shuddering, dissolving. Everything was melting, changing a But a but this was not just a result of the Piperas anger, surely. This was something far more serious. It was as if a as if a A terrible thought struck Lief, shaking him to his core. Suddenly he remembered the parchments Penn had shown him. He remembered the one thing that had puzzled him about them. He remembered Pennas anguished eyes, Pennas words: I have done all you require of me, Piper, and it has cost me dearly Yet what had Penn done but tell the history of her peopleas exile? Why had it cost her so dearly? Just because she feared for three strangersa lives?

Or because, in the telling, she had broken the law she held most sacred?

Truth is all-important.

What had Penn said when Barda asked her why her ancestors had been expelled from the dome?

They were dangerous a They were sick of pretence.

Dangerous? Why dangerous? Unless a aYou can make all the thunder and lightening you wish, Auris, but you will hear me!a Jasmine shouted. aThis is not Pirra! It is just an island protected by magic and filled with pictures. And you know that! I can hear it in your voice!a There was a splitting, cracking sound, as though the heavens themselves were breaking apart.

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