Gwenith greeted him with anxious eyes as they staggered into their camp; she didn’t look as if she’d slept any more than Corban had. Everyone was awake, horses saddled, the fire kicked out. His mam handed him and Gar a skin of water. Corban drank thirstily, and soon he was sitting in a saddle, his horse picking its way along a narrow track through thinning woods.
They stopped at highsun beneath the last shade of the woods they had been passing through, an open meadow rolling away before them. Corban chewed on some cold meat as he told Dath and Farrell of what had happened in the night, of what Storm had done. His thoughts returned to Vonn and he stood and strode to the young warrior sitting close to Halion and Edana.
‘What did you drop?’ Corban asked him.
Vonn looked up at him, appearing confused.
‘Last night in the woods, you dropped something. When you were being chased. What was it?’
Vonn’s expression changed and momentarily his hand twitched up to his cloak. He didn’t respond.
‘It must be important to you, or you’d have left it. That warrior was right behind you.’
Vonn glanced about, saw Halion and Edana looking at him, others as well.
‘It’s a book,’ he said quietly.
‘Why is it so important?’
Vonn said nothing, but looked cornered, somehow, a child with his hand caught in the honey jar.
‘What’re you hiding?’ Dath said loudly.
‘Nothing. It’s no one’s business but mine,’ Vonn snapped, sitting straighter now, his hand resting defensively on something inside his cloak.
‘What is it, Vonn?’ Halion asked now.
Vonn looked at him, then about at the other companions. All attention was on him. He sighed. ‘It is my father’s book. I took it the night Dun Carreg fell. I stole it to spite him – we’d argued about Bethan.’ His eyes darted to Dath. ‘I was angry with him. It was childish, but I knew he treasured it, so I just took it.’
‘What is this book?’ Brina said.
‘He kept it in a secret room, along with other things he treasured.’
‘I didn’t ask you where, I asked you what,’ Brina snapped.
‘WHAT,’ Craf squawked from the branches above. Dath jumped.
‘I’m not sure,’ Vonn said, ‘I think it’s old, ancient. I think my da found it in the tunnels beneath Dun Carreg.’
‘Show me,’ Heb said, stepping forwards.
Vonn clutched a hand to his chest, making no move to hand over the book.
‘Go on, Vonn, do as Heb asks,’ said Edana.
All eyes turned to the Princess. Or is it Queen, now? I suppose it is, as Brenin is dead. She was speaking more often now, certainly much more than in those first days when they had sailed away from Dun Carreg.
Slowly, seemingly reluctant, Vonn reached into his cloak, fumbled about and then pulled out a thick, leather-bound book.
Heb took it gingerly, Brina peering over his shoulder. He opened the cover.
‘By Asroth’s teeth,’ Brina said, eyes growing wide.
‘What is it?’ Marrock asked.
‘It’s a book,’ Brina said. ‘When we’ve read it we’ll tell you what’s in it, which is what I think you meant to ask.’
‘Aye, it is,’ Marrock said, looking abashed.
‘We will inspect it, see what we can make of it,’ Heb said more politely. ‘No need to be so rude,’ he said to Brina.
‘Oh, shut up and give me the book. I need a closer look.’
‘You’ll have to do it as we ride,’ Halion said. ‘We’d best move on.’
They rode hard all afternoon and into the evening, an increased sense of tension about them all. They were travelling through open meadows, and more than once had had to change their course to avoid small hamlets and cultivated fields. Once they had seen people poling coracles on a wide, glistening lake. Corban was not sure if those on the lake had seen them, but it was likely.
As the sun was sinking, Brina and Heb cantered up either side of him.
‘Heb and I want to talk to you now about the book,’ Brina said.
‘The book?’
‘Yes. The book that we took from Vonn, that he brought with him from Dun Carreg.’
‘Ah. That book.’
‘It is very old, ancient,’ said Heb. ‘Written by the Benothi giants that built Dun Carreg.’
Corban raised an eyebrow at that, his interest rising. ‘And you can read it? You can read giantish?’
‘Of course,’ said Heb, as if Corban had just insulted him.
‘It’s amazing,’ Brina said, unable to keep the excitement from her voice. She leaned closer. ‘It teaches the earth power.’
Corban blinked at her. ‘Teaches the earth power?’
‘Yes,’ she snapped, appearing irritated. ‘The question you asked me, about how we summoned that mist, the night we left Dun Carreg. Heb and I know something of the earth power – very little, you understand, but enough to do small things.’
Corban looked at them both, wide-eyed, almost falling off his horse.
‘Heb and I have spoken,’ Brina continued, ‘and we’d like to teach you.’
‘Teach me?’
‘Corban, if you repeat what I say one more time, I swear I will use the earth power on you.’
‘Sorry.’
‘So, would you like to learn how to use the earth power?’
‘Would I li—’ He stopped himself. ‘Yes, I would.’ Why me?
‘Now that is more like it,’ Brina said.
Halion called out from up ahead, halting them to make camp.