Arrows of Time - Kim Falconer [105]
Scylla, tell me again. Slowly. What did he say?
He said, over and over again, ‘Rosette’s body’s dead. I can’t get us out. Come help.’
An’ Lawrence repeated Scylla’s thoughts aloud.
Kreshkali didn’t open her eyes, but he could see them in rapid motion beneath the lids. ‘I don’t understand it,’ she said.
‘Nor I, but Scylla says we have to move—and quickly.’
‘Her body’s dead…’ Kreshkali repeated the words with differing emphasis, wiping her eyes with her hand. ‘Rowan, that’s it. She isn’t dead. She can’t be.’
‘Love, Scylla says…’
‘No! Rosette isn’t dead. It’s something else.’
‘What else could it be?’
‘I don’t know. Come on. Scylla’s right. Off to the corridors.’ She went into her bedchamber and returned with three backpacks, her cloak and her sword. ‘See to your weapon, Rowan.’ She nodded towards the door where he’d left his blade.
‘What are you doing, Kali?’
‘We’re going on a little trip.’
‘Where?’
‘To find Rosette.’
‘Of course, but she could be anywhere.’
‘That’s why we’re going to follow Scylla’s advice and be quick! What’s wrong with you? You’re stuck in mud.’
She swept away her books and papers before dropping the gear on the table. She pulled supplies out of the cupboards and filled the packs. While reaching for her short knife, she noticed the chart Teg had been working on. It had stuck to a damp spot on the tablecloth. She snapped it up before it was soaked. She looked at the symbols on the ascendant. Pisces—a mystery, an intriguing set of circumstances. Nothing as it seems. She closed her eyes, aware that Rowan hadn’t budged. Teg. Where are you now?
Stables.
Are the borders still clear?
As far as I can sense. What’s going on, Mistress? I heard Scylla yowling.
Come to my rooms, quickly. Bring your blade.
Danger?
She could feel him running as he spoke. Possibly. We’ve got to take a little trip and find out.
Where to?
I’m not sure yet. Hurry. She brought her attention back to An’ Lawrence, slumped in his chair. ‘We need more supplies,’ she said.
He lifted his head, nodding slowly. ‘Scylla keeps talking about ice.’
‘We’ll need warmer clothes, then. Winter cloaks. We don’t know what we’ll meet…and we need to be fast.’ She returned to the kitchen. ‘Demons, I wish Jarrod were here. Where am I going to find him?’
An’ Lawrence planted both hands on the table, about to push out of his seat. He eased back down instead. ‘Kali, I know this is a shock, but we can’t dash off into the corridors without a destination and Scylla doesn’t have one.’
‘Drayco can guide us. She’ll be able to communicate clearly with him once inside,’ she said, moving around him.
He reached out, catching her arm as she whisked by. ‘Kali, stop. This doesn’t make sense.’
‘It doesn’t have to,’ she said, pulling out of his grasp. ‘We need to find Drayco and Jarrod and get to Rosette. What’s the problem?’
‘In all the worlds? In all the times? How are we going to find her? Think about it…’
‘Better still, you think about what’s going to happen to the many-worlds if we don’t find her!’ she said, turning on him. ‘We can’t lose track of the key-codes. We can’t lose Rosette.’
He buried his face in his hands again. ‘We already have.’
‘Stop it! You’re falling into a Scorpion hole, Rowan, and I need you to climb out. We’ve got things to do.’
He lifted his head, his eyes streaming tears. ‘Kali, you don’t send an army to a graveyard.’
She stopped. The silence of the room was broken only by a trio of caws outside. ‘You’re right,’ she said, raising her voice. ‘But you would send one to look for a lost child.’
‘We have no idea where we need to go. No heading, no coordinates,’ he shouted back at her, his fists hitting the table hard, making the crockery jump.
Kreshkali drew in a long breath and tossed him a smile. ‘Good thinking.’ She headed for her desk. She pulled out the ephemeris and glanced at the timepiece ticking on her mantle. ‘I’ll do a horary chart now. Can you finish the packing? We’ll all meet by the stables in ten minutes.’
‘All?’
‘It’s going to