‘Got you so good!’ the other shouted.
‘Smash! Crash! Let us down or you’ll be sorry!’ Zed tried to kick out with his free leg, but only caused himself to spin in dizzying circles. The hobhenkies slapped their thighs and wiped their eyes with their free hands, their gusts of laughter causing the leaves to blow sideways.
Tom-Tit-Tot turned a quick somersault, changing shape into an immense black snake that wound about Smash’s legs, trying to squeeze him in its coils. Smash reached down, seized the snake’s tail and hurled it away into the bushes, and Tom-Tit-Tot somersaulted again, changing shape into a black crow, attacking the hobhenky’s eyes with his sharp beak. The hobhenky waved his mace about wildly, and the omen-imp somersaulted into the shape of a flea, jumping inside the hobhenky’s clothes so that he squirmed and squealed and slapped himself all over. Merry was shaken up and down and swung about so violently that he cried, ‘Enough, Tommy-boy, enough! Do you want me to be sick?’
The flea jumped clear and turned mid-somersault into a slinky black cat that had the hobhenky cowering and moaning in terror. Tom-Tit-Tot enjoyed that, and rubbed himself against the hobhenky’s leg, causing the hobhenky to trip. Merry hit the ground so hard that all the breath was knocked out of him.
‘Do you think you could go help Zed?’ he said in a weak voice. ‘I think I’m right here.’
The black cat bounded off to terrorise the other hobhenky while Merry tried in vain to free his feet from the rope while Smash crouched, sobbing, and peering through his fingers. ‘Pussy cat gone?’ he asked piteously. Then, seeing Merry struggling with his ropes, he jerked him upside-down again, dangling from one foot. Merry swung upright, grasped the knot around his foot and, with his other foot, kicked the hobhenky as hard as he could in the armpit. The hobhenky giggled and squirmed, crying, ‘Don’t tickle!’ Merry blinked back involuntary tears of pain and nursed his throbbing foot.
‘So, these are the great warriors the Erlrune has been telling me about,’ said a cool, sarcastic voice.
Merry spun his body around and saw a girl standing a few feet away, leaning on a curved bow. She was tall and straight and slim, dressed like a boy in a long green woollen jerkin over a linen shirt and breeches that buckled at the knee. A leather armguard was laced about her right arm.
Her dark hair hung in a severe plait down her back, the unbound end as curly as a piglet’s tail. A tendril had blown loose, and she lifted an impatient hand to shove the curl behind her ear. Her face was narrow, with dark-lashed eyes and a thin, high-boned nose.
‘Don’t mind Crash and Smash,’ Zed said, as nonchalantly as he could when dangling upside-down by one leg. ‘They love to play tricks. Smash! Crash! Let us down now! I’ll give you the trouncing of your life if you’re not careful!’
‘Trounce, bounce,’ Crash giggled, and bounced Zed up and down so his hair flapped. He groaned and twisted about, trying to beat the hobhenky with his wooden sword.
The girl sighed. Swiftly and smoothly she fitted an arrow to her bow. Faster than the eye could follow, she shot the arrow through the rope so that Zed fell with a thump to the ground. Almost before he could groan, Merry was landing hard beside him.
Smash and Crash stared with bewilderment at the tattered ends of the ropes dangling in their huge fists, and then at the boys lying on the ground, moaning and massaging their bruised hips. They could not understand how the boys had escaped. The girl went to retrieve her arrows and then stood over the boys, looking down at them with a disdainful expression on her face.
‘Well, I don’t think much of you two,’ she said. ‘I really can’t see what use you’re going to be to me.’
Merry leapt to his feet. ‘What do we care what you think anyway? We could’ve got away from Crash and Smash if we wanted to. We just didn’t want to hurt them.’
The girl uttered a hard crack of laughter. ‘Oh, yes?’
‘Who in the blazes are you anyway?’ Merry demanded. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘I am Liliana Vendavala, daughter of Ladonna, daughter of Avannia, once Erlqueen of the Stormlinn. In the name of the Truth, I summon you to the presence of the Erlrune of Evenlinn.’
‘Is that so . . . Liliana, was it? Well, since we live with the Erlrune and have supper with her every night, I see no reason for you or anyone else to summon us anywhere,’ Merry replied scornfully.
Zed had got up more slowly, flicking a leaf from his tunic and straightening the cuffs of his shirt. He smiled lazily down at Liliana. ‘Pleasure to meet you, Princess Liliana. I’m Zedrin ziv Estaria and this hothead is Merrik Bellringer. We’re from Estelliana Castle. Don’t mind the hobhenkies; they were just having some fun.’
She curled her lip in scorn. ‘As if I’d mind Smash and Crash!’
The two gigantic creatures were still examining the severed ends of their ropes in bewilderment. The omen-imp flapped about their heads. ‘Cross your eyes, lost your prize, what a surprise, you silly guys,’ he jeered.
‘I have to say, though,’ the girl said disdainfully, ‘it was very stupid of you to fall into their trap. What if they’d been wild hobhenkies, or starkin soldiers?’
‘We knew we were safe enough, this close to the Erlrune’s house,’ Zed replied confidently, picking up his wooden sword and beginning to walk up the path again. ‘She has enough guards to make sure of that.’
‘Nowhere is safe,’ Liliana said passionately. ‘Nowhere!’
Merry eyed her speculatively. ‘But surely here . . .’
‘Even here,’ Liliana replied, lengthening her stride to catch up with Zed. ‘The starkin fear and hate all things of magic, and have tried for many years to destroy the Erlrune. You must never let your guard down.’
Merry suddenly felt sad. It seemed such a shame she should feel that way. His parents and Zed’s parents, bound together by a blood oath and deep friendship, had worked hard to bring peace and prosperity to the people of Estelliana, but it had been a long and laborious process, and hatred and prejudice still held sway elsewhere in Ziva. He wondered about this girl, and who she was, and what she was doing here at the Erlrune’s secret retreat, so many miles from anywhere. Hadn’t she mentioned something about Stormlinn?
Stormlinn was, he knew, the great lake in the centre of the Perilous Forest, where the ruling family of the wildkin had once had their castle, built below the surly peak of Stormfell. They had challenged the starkin, he remembered, and had been defeated. Their castle was nothing but a ruin.
He looked at her sideways again. Out here in the meadows, he could see her clearly in the last gleam of sunlight. Her eyes, he saw, were a clear grey, ringed with a darker colour like thunderclouds, and set at a slant under slanted eyebrows. Her ears, revealed by the severity of her hairstyle, were small and pointed with no earlobe. A quiver of grey-fletched arrows was attached to her belt, at the small of her back, and she carried the longbow as if it were a natural extension of her body.
It was quite some distance to the Erlrune’s house and the boys moved quickly, not wanting to be in trouble for returning late from their game. Liliana had no trouble keeping up with them, her long plait swaying with every step, her frowning gaze constantly sweeping the forest and sky as if she feared an ambush. The hobhenkies shambled along behind, waving their hands at the omen-imp zooming about their heads, and she turned once and told them to hurry.
‘You do know, don’t you, that both Merry and I are as much starkin as hearthkin,’ Zed observed as he lifted the latch on the orchard gate and held it open for her. ‘I hope you won’t think less of us because of it.’
‘I don’t see how I am supposed to think better of you,’ she answered caustically, pausing to look up into his face. ‘Given that it was your family that murdered all of my family.’
‘My family haven’t murdered anyone!’ Zed cried.
‘Did you not say you were one of the Ziv?’ she answered sweetly. ‘The royal family that has conquered and enslaved the whole land, and crushed any opposition ruthlessly?’
> ‘Oh, well, I’m only distantly related to them,’ Zed protested. ‘The king’s my great-uncle, and it’s not like I’ve ever met him.’
She snorted and pushed past him into the orchard. Merry raised an eyebrow at Zed, and he shrugged and quirked his mouth in wry response, then hurried through after her. Merry waited for the hobhenkies to amble through, then closed the gate behind him, Tom-Tit-Tot coming down to perch on his shoulder. Above their heads old gnarled apple trees spread bare branches, the first stars glimmering frostily among the twigs like unfurled buds.
Zed said, ‘It’s not my fault I’m starkin, you know. I mean, we can’t help our families, can we? Trust me, I’d much rather not be related to my great-uncle, or any of my cousins either. But my parents aren’t so bad, really, or my Uncle Ziggy. Ask the Erlrune if you don’t believe me.’
His voice was so rueful that Liliana smiled unwillingly. ‘The Erlrune has told me that your parents have worked hard to bring peace between wildkin, hearthkin and starkin. I know that in Estelliana the Crafty come sometimes to the castle, and many of the other wildkin too. Estelliana is only one county, though, and far away from the capital, where wildkin are kept caged and exhibited like wild animals.’ Her voice was filled with bitterness.
‘Well, there’s not much we can do about that,’ Zed said as they came towards the small stone house, its windows shining with warm light.
Liliana stopped and swung on her heel, the light from the windows falling on her face. ‘Don’t you say that! Do you want to ill-wish us before we even begin? Words have weight — you should know that. You must speak as you wish it to be. Speak words of death and you shall bring death upon us. Speak to me only of rescue, and of restoration, nothing else!’
Merry stared at her in fascination. He had never met anyone who spoke so ardently, and so strangely. Every line of her body, every gesture, was filled with fierce intensity.
‘But why?’ Zed said. ‘What do you mean?’
She strode forward, shouting up at the house: ‘These are the heroes who will help me? These stupid bumbling boys?’
Zed and Merry exchanged quick affronted glances. Stupid? Bumbling? Them?
CHAPTER 2
The Erlrune
A VOICE SPOKE OUT OF THE DARKNESS, STARTLING THEM ALL.
‘Indeed they are the ones to help you, Lili, though you know the Well of Fates will only show me what may come to pass, not what will. Why did you set a trap for them? Was it fair when they know nothing of your quest?’
As she spoke, the Erlrune stepped out of the shadows into the lamplight gleaming through the windows. She was a woman in her mid-thirties, dressed in a silvery-blue dress that shimmered with every movement. Her face was narrow and pale, with a pointed chin and a grave expression that often deepened to anxiety. Her eyes were unfathomably dark, but Merry knew from experience that they changed colour to reflect her mood and her surroundings.
Liliana gazed back at the Erlrune, her back very straight. ‘I wanted to see them and judge them for myself.’
‘Liliana, you must learn not to judge too quickly, unless you wish to be judged so yourself. You must have patience.’
‘Patience! I’m sick of being patient! You promised me that you would help me when I was a woman grown and had come into my Gift. Well, I am a woman now. I have my Gift.’
‘You are only sixteen.’ The Erlrune’s voice was troubled.
‘Older than you were when you first came here!’
‘Yes, that is true, but—’
‘There can be no more waiting. You said to come in spring. Well, it is spring now.’
‘Spring has sprung, ding ding ding!’ Tom-Tit-Tot shouted, swooping down to the shoulder of the Erlrune.
She put up one hand to pet him. ‘Shhh, Tom-Tit-Tot! Let me talk to Lili.’ The Erlune then gazed sternly at Liliana. ‘It is the very first day of the month of shedding antlers! The spring equinox is not for another seven weeks.’
‘But the snow in the passes is already melting,’ Liliana shot back. ‘I had my snow shoes, I had no trouble getting here. Why wait?’
‘You should have trusted me to tell the boys first,’ the Erlrune replied, gesturing with one hand.
The wide sleeves of her gown fell back, revealing that one of her hands was bandaged. Blood had seeped through at the palm, staining the fabric. Merry knew this meant the Erlrune had been looking in the Well of Fates again. She could only ask one question, once a month, when the moon was full, and first she must cut herself and drip blood into the water. Her left palm was criss-crossed with bloody lines that scarce had time to heal before she cut herself again.
‘I wanted to see these boys for myself, and test their mettle,’ Liliana said hotly. ‘You ask that I trust my life and my quest to them, when they cannot even see a couple of hobhenkies lurking in the undergrowth!’
‘It was not kind to set such a trap, Liliana. The boys would not have been on their guard so close to the house.’
‘War is not kind.’
‘You are not at war with Merry and Zed,’ the Erlrune replied tartly. ‘Well, what is done is done. Come in and have some supper, you must be hungry. I’ll send Crash and Smash to collect your satchel for you, from where you hid it under the bush. Your room has already been prepared for you.’
She opened the heavy oaken door and stood back to allow Liliana to walk before her.
‘You saw that I was coming?’ Liliana said with chagrin.
The Erlrune smiled. ‘Of course.’
Liliana scowled. ‘But I travelled only at night, and through the secret ways, and I made sure I got here before the moon was full so you couldn’t look in the Well of Fates.’
‘Still I saw you,’ the Erlrune answered imperturbably, following her into the entrance hall. ‘Do you think I have only one way of seeing, Lili?’
Liliana sighed in discontent. ‘Then if you knew I was coming and what I intended to do, why did you let me set the trap?’
‘You had to meet the boys sometime,’ the Erlrune answered. ‘And I was curious to see what would happen.’
‘We wouldn’t have been caught off guard if Merry hadn’t decided to race back home,’ Zed said crossly, following close on their heels. ‘Besides, even if we had noticed Smash and Crash, we’d never have expected them to capture us. They’re our friends!’
‘You should trust no-one,’ Liliana said. ‘Not even your friends.’
‘Well, all I can say is that I feel sorry for you,’ Zed replied at once. ‘I’d trust Merry with my life, as he would trust me. You’ve obviously never had very good friends.’
Liliana opened her mouth to retort, then looked away, colour creeping up her pale cheeks. Zed’s shaft had obviously hit home. Merry felt bad for her, and shook his head slightly at Zed, who raised his eyebrows in surprise. What? he mouthed.
The entrance hall was a long, dark-panelled room, with a sweeping staircase at one end that divided into two before leading upstairs. The walls were hung with vast tapestries, beautifully woven in rich, glowing colours and embroidered with silver and gold and green. Most had been made by the Erlrune herself, for she loved to spin and weave and sew.
One of the tapestries showed a boy playing a pipe as he came down a mountain, followed by a black billy-goat and a white nanny-goat. In another, a young girl crouched over a spinning-wheel in a shadowy corner, watching a procession of dancing starkin. Yet another showed a beautiful blonde girl in a red silken gown, holding up a glowing orb of light, surrounded by a circle of admiring watchers.
Merry’s favourite tapestry hung above the stairs. It showed a fair-haired boy, leaning on a crutch and staring into the dark waters of the lake. Instead of seeing his own reflection in the water, the boy saw a vast procession of figures, some dancing, some fighting, some embracing, some fleeing, some laughing, some weeping. In the far corner of the tapestry soared Estelliana’s crystal tower. In the water, its reflection looked like a glowing spear.
Merry loved it because it showed his own father,
Durrik the Soothsayer, as he had been when he had been young. Durrik had died when Merry was only a small boy, and he could not remember anything about him. This tapestry was the only portrait Merry had ever seen of him.
‘Go now, Tom-Tit-Tot,’ the Erlrune said gently, lifting the omen-imp off her shoulder. ‘You’ll find some fresh milk all ready for you in the kitchen.’
‘Lovely milk, luscious milk, lip-smacking scrumptious milk,’ Tom-Tit-Tot cried, and sped as swift as a bee for the kitchen.
The Erlrune led them into a small parlour that looked out across the garden to the glimmering waters of the Evenlinn. Green velvet couches were drawn up around the fireplace, where a fire of apple wood burnt, warming the air and scenting the room deliciously. Tapestry cushions depicting wild woodland flowers and creatures were tucked in each chair.
Zed dumped his wooden sword on the sideboard and went to stand before the fire, warming his chilled hands. Merry picked up his lute, gently unbuckling it from its leather bag. It shone golden in the firelight. An ancient and priceless instrument, it had first been given to Zed’s father, Pedrin, by the old Erlrune, Lady Marjolaine. Pedrin had then given it to Merry on his sixteenth birthday, a few weeks before they set out to visit Briony, the new Erlrune. If Merry held it up against the light, the wood was so delicate the light shone through, as if the lute were a wooden lantern. Merry loved it more than anything.
‘How are you, my lady?’ he murmured, testing a few strings. ‘Have you missed me? Ah, I can see that you have, you are all jangled and out of tune.’
He sat down and put the lute on his knee, and began to adjust its strings.
‘You spend more time tuning that thing than playing it,’ Zed teased, turning to warm the seat of his breeches.
‘Is it my fault I’m forced to waste my days practising sword fighting and wrestling and whacking dummies with sticks?’ Merry retorted. ‘Lady Oriole knows I’d rather spend it with her.’
‘Only Merry would give his lute a name,’ Zed said to Liliana, who stood stiffly just inside the doorway, her bow held upright beside her.