The Spell of Rosette - Kim Falconer [109]
An’ Lawrence groaned. ‘The Lupins.’
‘Lupins?’ Nell’s voice cut through the cave.
There was silence, like the air before an avalanche.
‘Nellion?’ The Sword Master shut his eyes and winced again.
‘You let the Lupins do this?’ Nell shrieked across the cave. She threw down an empty feedbag and crossed her arms. ‘Tell me, Rowan An’ Lawrence, what was your plan?’
Jarrod shot his hand out towards her, blocking the intensity. She pushed it aside.
‘Did you even have a plan, you and Makee?’
‘We were after the amulet…the Spell of Passillo,’ An’ Lawrence mumbled. He looked up at her and his eyes went soft. ‘You look beautiful.’
‘Shut up! You and Makee are idiots. There is no Spell of Passillo in that vial—hasn’t been for decades.’
‘That can’t be. It’s unbreakable.’
‘Unbreakable maybe, but not unchangeable. What were you thinking, meddling in this? It’s not your business.’
‘And it is yours?’ An’ Lawrence lifted himself, bracing on both elbows.
Jarrod placed a hand on his chest, preventing him from rising further. ‘Lie down. You have a concussion.’
‘What happened to the spell, Nellion?’ An’ Lawrence demanded.
She moved closer, her face inches from his. ‘I changed it, not that it’s any of your concern.’
An’ Lawrence grabbed her arm. ‘Into what?’
‘I’d hoped you’d have worked that out by now. Clearly you haven’t.’
‘Enlighten me, witch.’
‘I hid it, for safekeeping.’
‘You’re mad!’ An’ Lawrence shouted at her.
‘For demon’s sake, Rowan, in the wrong hands that spell could have destroyed half of Gaela in one night. The power’s vast, and it has a mind of its own.’
‘And you thought you had a solution?’
‘I did.’
‘Where? Where did you hide it?’
Nell stared at him, her eyes hooded, unblinking. ‘Take a guess.’
He sank back into the furs. ‘Rosette?’ The name escaped the Sword Master’s lips with a sigh. ‘Nell, you didn’t?’
‘I did, and you’ve just handed it straight over to the Lupins like a harvest gift.’
CHAPTER 14
Rosette registered every detail of the path as she trailed along behind the Lupins, the doubt in her mind lifting. Guile replaced anxiety. She was going to get out of this mess, of course. She chewed on obscenities and spat them towards La Makee and An’ Lawrence. How dare they put her and Drayco in this position without warning or consultation? She would live to have it out with her Sword Master, no matter what it took. She thought of how the High Priestess had patronised her that day in the temple chambers. She would have it out with her as well. She would learn about this Spell of Passillo and decide what information, if any, she would share. Her faith in Treeon was failing fast.
The whistle of the goshawk sounded again, far up towards the summit, and Rosette turned her head. The night would freeze their bodies if they didn’t wake up soon.
‘Now?’ she asked Hotha. ‘You’ll wake them now, so they can get back in time?’
‘It’s already done.’
They stopped by a rocky outcropping. The Lupins were communicating again, it seemed, without words or signs. Rosette couldn’t hear their thoughts, but she did hear a faint call from the distance, like a warm breeze slipping under the door of her mind-shield.
I come for you.
Drayco? What’s that pain?
Bump on the head. No problem.
What about the Sword Master? Scylla?
The healer-man is with them. Nell too.
What?
Nell’s here.
Oh, sweetie, you’re hallucinating. That must have been more than a bump.
I’m following you.
You mustn’t. Rosette could feel his weakness and his piercing headache as if it were her own. Go back to the cave, Dray. There’s food there, furs. Stay warm and stay alive. An’ Lawrence will make a fire. I’ll be back in the morning. You mustn’t follow.
Nell says so too. I will come for you in the morning.
She didn’t have time to respond further, or to think about his vision of Nell. Hotha pointed to the wall of rock outcropping and brushed away the snow.
‘In here,’ he said.
She pushed her hood back.
They were going underground, and this suddenly felt like her last glimpse of the world for some time. She wanted to take it in. The sun had