The Spell of Rosette - Kim Falconer [89]
‘And the worm? With you here, is anyone working on that? I can’t go back until…’
‘I was working on it, until trackers got wind of me.’
‘Do they know who you are?’
‘I don’t think so. It was more a witch-hunt than anything else. Still, computer or biological, viruses are rampant on Earth.’
‘Water?’
She shook her head. ‘People are clawing over each other to get it.’
Jarrod closed his eyes and asked no more.
The sound of the horses’ hooves on the packed clay thudded out a regular beat, punctuated by the squeaking leather saddles and an occasional caw from the Sisters.
‘That’s what it’s like, Jarrod,’ she said after a long pause. ‘That’s what’s happened to our mother Earth.’
She moved her horse into an easy canter and Jarrod urged Wren to catch up.
‘So,’ he said as they loped along side by side, ‘nothing much has changed since I’ve been gone?’
She chuckled. ‘Not much, but if we can sort out the Entity it might be time for you to return soon.’
‘What about the worm?’
‘I’m working on a plan.’
‘From here?’
Nell winked and rode on.
Rosette climbed, step by step, as glacial winds howled through the pass. She had no idea of their exact whereabouts. All distinction was swallowed up by the tempest, a blur of wind and snow. Her earlier optimism was swallowed up as well.
At first the journey had been instructional and near enough to fun. An’ Lawrence had been open, telling her a great deal of history and even about his own past as they’d sat by their evening fires. Much to Rosette’s surprise, he had revealed feelings as well as facts. But An’ Lawrence became quieter as the landscape had changed, his mood introverted. The easy flow between them ceased, replaced by a haunted silence.
Demons blight you, Scorpion Moon people!
Maudi?
These moods are driving me mad.
Then maybe don’t focus on them.
It’s pretty hard to ignore.
Not for me.
She smiled. But the contrast still bothered her. An’ Lawrence barely responded to her queries. He didn’t look her way as they rode into the foothills. It was as though he had forgotten she was there. The environment became treacherous. The wind howled—a menacing sound that penetrated the warm layers of her sheepskin-lined coat, biting into her skin. And now a blizzard on top of it all.
She led her horse on a loose lead, clinging to the leather reins through icy gloves. It was difficult keeping ahead of the animal. Her booted heels had been clipped several times by his iron-shod hooves before she’d gotten the hang of it. The trail was tight.
An’ Lawrence led his horse in front. She could make out the contours of his mount’s brown rump, its tail whipping about in the sudden gusts. Scylla must be further on, or so she guessed. She couldn’t see a thing. Drayco followed behind, his mutters about the cold and wet invading her mind. His constant drone was the only thing undiminished in the stress of the climb. It was also her only comfort.
‘Whoa!’ Rosette commanded, almost smacking into the horse in front of her. She squinted, searching through the snowfall. Why was he stopping now?
She wrapped her full-length sheepskin coat tighter around her body, cinching the belt another notch. Her gloved hands were pinned under her arms, searching out some modicum of warmth. They found none. Her fingers wouldn’t move. She felt nothing but burning tingles and numbness in all her limbs. An’ Lawrence was at her side. How he had turned his horse around on the narrow path, she didn’t know. He bent his head towards hers, his face obscured by the hood.
‘Scylla has found…’
‘What? I can’t hear you.’ Her voice was thin, whisked away from her lips as she spoke.
‘Shelter! We can shelter over there.’ He made the shape of a tent with his hands and pointed off in the distance.
‘We’re stopping in this?’ she said, rising up on tiptoe to press her mouth against the side of his fur hood. She tried to shout, but she couldn’t force the air out of her lungs. Her teeth chattered uncontrollably.
‘Follow me,’ he shouted back.
He looked different.
He took the lead, turning his mountain