The Spell of Rosette - Kim Falconer [99]
‘You’ll need these.’ An’ Lawrence gave her a pair of glasses, the lenses darkened with a sea-green tint. ‘The snow is blinding without them.’ He put on a pair himself and checked his daughter’s fit. ‘Let’s go.’
Leading the horses in single file, they headed up the icy slope. Rosette shivered from the cold shock. She also shivered from the Sword Master’s indifference. She had lost one family already, one father. John’ra was gone and now she had a second chance that also seemed to be slipping away before she could grasp it.
Rosette dispelled the thought and concentrated on their immediate situation. She still had no clear idea what they were rushing to meet. Messengers? A creature? Many creatures? If being an apprentice meant being kept out of the loop, she was doing just fine. She pushed her left hand deep into her pocket, gripping the reins with the other. Rosette was determined to get to the bottom of all these mysteries; if nothing else it was a suitable distraction from her dark mood. Clucking to her horse, she hurried to catch up.
There is good news here, Maudi.
What’s that?
You’ve made apprentice.
I know, but somehow I thought it would make me feel a whole lot better.
Jarrod leaned forward in the saddle as the mare lunged over a fallen log and scrambled up yet another slope. He stood in his stirrups, scanning the terrain ahead. Snowdrifts piled high to his left, but the howling wind had kept the trail frozen and manoeuvrable. He knew he was getting closer, gaining on them. He could feel it.
If the fair weather held he would be at the summit before nightfall. He stroked his horse’s neck as they crested the grade and skirted around an outcrop of boulders. Without her instincts and stamina, he doubted he’d find the way. The mare had been through this pass over many summers. She knew where they were headed and seemed to understand the urgency. It felt like the first bit of good luck since setting out on this journey.
A shrill whistle from above brought him out of his musing. He eased to a halt and searched the sky. It called again and he automatically answered in his goshawk whistle. A bird circled overhead and spiralled towards him. He urged his mare on. If this was Nell then she’d spotted him and would catch up in due time. If it was not, he’d take it as another good omen. The mare seemed unperturbed and they trotted steadily up another grade.
When they reached the top a hooded figure stood beside the trail, precariously close to the edge of a precipice. Three ravens perched in a dead pine branch behind her. Nell’s sudden presence was too much for the mare. She spooked like a green-broke filly, jumping upwards and sideways inside a second, bunching her hindquarters to bolt.
Jarrod shortened his reins and brought her under control as Nell pushed back her hood.
‘Steady, Wren. It’s only me.’ She held a hand out towards the horse’s flaring nostrils.
‘How do you do that?’ Jarrod asked, patting his horse’s neck.
‘Years of practice.’
He laughed. ‘I’ve yet to master it and I’ve had quite a few more years than you, Nell.’
‘Ah, but you are not a witch.’ She rubbed her hands together and slipped on her gloves. ‘You’ve done very well to get this far, this fast.’
‘It’s Wren. The mare’s amazing.’ He looked up at the sky and back to the cloaked woman. ‘Not as amazing as you, but damn fine anyway. What’s the news?’
‘They’re at the summit. I saw them crest the plateau.’
‘Rosette? Is she all right?’
‘She looked okay from where I was, but I didn’t get too close. I’m guessing they’re waiting up there for a messenger.’
‘Messenger?’
‘Wards of Kreshkali. They’re shape-shifters, after a fashion, very interesting. Dangerous, though.’
‘What does this mean?’
‘Makee must think that Rosette knows something about the lost spell. She’s fishing for information.’
‘In these waters? I thought you said Makee wouldn’t guess.’
‘I’m not certain of anything now.’
Jarrod looked at her and shook his head. Magic was such a complex art, as were those who wielded it.