The Spell of Rosette - Kim Falconer [136]
‘Much better,’ I smile.
‘You can let this water touch your face.’
I push my hood back, laughing with the Entity as I stand in front of the fountain. Reaching out my hand, I let the water flow over it like a blessing.
‘What has to be done to…to make it…’ I struggle with the question.
‘To make this possibility “real”?’
‘I guess.’
‘You have to activate the Spell.’
‘What spell?’
‘You have to take it back to Earth.’
The Entity sounds desperate, agitated.
‘How?’
There was no response.
‘How!’ I demand.
‘Ask Jarrod,’ the Entity finally replies. It sounds a long way away.
‘Jarrod? What’s he got to do with it?’
When Rosette opened her eyes, the fire had burned low. Jarrod’s arm was around her, his chest rising and falling in a slow rhythm against her back.
I’ve got to remember this dream…
She closed her eyes again and fell asleep.
CHAPTER 17
‘Pick up the pace,’ Nell called out as she urged them along.
Rosette leaned forward in the saddle, blowing her breath into her hands. It took almost a day and a half to get to the wide banks of the Nadian tributary. The tidal river skirted the wooded lands, eventually winding its way to the granite pools of Treeon and the Terse River below. The waters were high this time of year, crested with whitecaps. They’d been following the downstream course for over an hour but still could find no safe crossing.
‘It’s too deep, too cold,’ An’ Lawrence said over the raging sound of the water. He was doubling with Nell on one of the mountain ponies, his arms wrapped around her waist, Scylla draped between.
‘Shall we take a break?’ Jarrod called back, spray from the river moistening his face. ‘We can get a fire going and warm up. Have some food.’
Nell agreed, pointing at a group of tall granite boulders before she dismounted. ‘They’ll block the wind.’ She led her horse, An’ Lawrence still astride, towards the standing stones.
I feel like fish. How about you, Maudi? Drayco sent the message on the run, loping towards pockets of whirling eddies along the banks of the river. Rosette and Jarrod followed Nell to the boulders, loosening girths so the horses could have a good breather.
‘How close are we to Treeon?’ Rosette asked, looking out towards the distant valley from the shadow of the giant stones. ‘I don’t recognise any of this.’
‘Not far now. We’ve got to find a crossing, then go around the foothills to the east. By then, we’ll be within a day of the temple,’ Nell said, following her daughter’s line of sight.
‘You’ll be within a day of Treeon Temple,’ Rosette said. ‘Jarrod and I are turning off and heading for the western sea coast.’
‘So this is it?’ Nell looked at her daughter and Jarrod, walking away before either replied.
‘This is it,’ Rosette said, watching her retreat.
She took the horses to a quiet eddy, watering them and redistributing the supplies. Nell and An’ Lawrence would need food for one more day at the most; she and Jarrod would go through four times that much before they reached Morzone. She occupied herself with the details of it. Keeping busy, to her, was the same as keeping calm.
A flash of movement upstream caught her eye. She smiled. Drayco sat stock-still on a rocky outcropping, his right paw periodically darting into the stream, raking the churning eddy with lightning speed. Three enormous fish already lay flapping on the river bank.
He purred happily in her mind.
‘Catch us something, did you, Dray-Dray?’
Salmon! Lots of salmon. I love pink fish.
Me too. ‘You’re the best temple cat in the entire world!’ she said aloud as she secured the last saddlebag.
A hiss from Scylla turned her around. At least the Sword Master’s familiar was feeling well enough to protest that statement. Nell and An’ Lawrence had eased her down from the mountain horse and placed her by the fire. Nell had it blazing already.
‘The best male temple cat in all the world, Drayco. Tell her that’s what I meant.’
The tawny female hissed again before chortling.
‘Jarrod!’ Rosette called, about to inform him of Drayco’s catch, but he was already making a spit across the fire.