it’s Jimmy Jaspers or Nick Quinn – tell them where I am.’
‘I will send the word.’
‘And when they come – tell them not to leave Soona behind.’
‘Soona?’
‘Yes, Soona. She must come.’ She did not know why, but she felt it was the most important thing she had ever said.
She turned and went out towards the light, with Thief beside her.
Chapter Seven
Furthermost
Silverwing and Yellowclaw came swooping out of the dawn light. Morning mist had dampened their wings. They landed on the shingle bank by the river and walked across to Jimmy’s fire.
‘The lake is half a day’s walk, and the sea lies beyond. Islands spread out in a great circle. One of your boats would take a day and night to sail across. How will you reach this Furthermost?’
Jimmy raked his meat from the fire. ‘You tell me.’ He glanced at Soona, sitting on the other side with Dawn. ‘That Stone geezer didn’ give no hint. Go to Furthermost in the Thousand Isles. That was it. You’da thought he had lockjaw.’
Soona looked up from the embers. ‘He said that I must go, Susan needed me. He said no other word had come to him. But that she had asked for Nick and Jimmy.’
‘Well, here we are,’Jimmy growled, ‘and it looks like we’re gunner have ter swim. Any houses on these islands?’
‘No,’ Yellowclaw said. ‘A few fishermen’s huts, but no one lives in them. We saw the outer islands where this Furthermost must lie. Nothing is there.’
Nick swallowed the piece of meat he was chewing. ‘If the Stonefolk say Susan’s there, she’s there.’ He had no doubt of it. Since meeting the Stoneman Seeker, who had saved him and Susan from the Priests of Ferris (and died from the luminous dial of Nick’s watch), he had looked on Stonefolk as having special knowledge. If Susan was in their care she was all right. He was more concerned about Soona. The girl seemed to be waiting for something, preparing. Nick could tell she was afraid, and Dawn too found something strange in her. It was as if, she said, some new thing was growing in Soona, like a flower, but though its bloom was beautiful its roots fed on her life. That meant nothing to Nick, it was too poetic. He wanted to know what she was thinking about all the time, but when he asked she told him she was making up tunes – and remembering old ones. To prove it she played them on her flute. The Varg swayed and nodded in time with the rhythms. They moved about Soona with gentleness and slowness. It was as if they looked on her as a special person, but when he tried to question them they sent no pictures back. Dawn confessed that her friend – Nick had named her Bess and no one minded – would not speak of Soona with her. It was all very strange and it worried Nick and made him angry.
Silverwing said, ‘There’s another thing. Osro’s army has sent bands of scouts out. One of them is camped on the north side of the lake. Fifteen warriors, men and women. They are Hotlanders, not at home in these forests, and they make no attempt to hide themselves. But when they come round the lake they will find your trail.’
‘We better be gone then,’ Jimmy said. ‘I’d sooner tangle with Bloodcats than them geezers.’
They dowsed their fire and shouldered their packs. The Varg came out of the trees, where they had been hunting, and the band set off down-river. Yellowclaw and Silverwing flew low overhead, keeping a ridge between them and the Hotlander camp. By noon they reached the lake. It was several kilometres wide and vanished round a bend towards the sea. On the southern side the land went sweeping up to the summit of a flat-topped hill which the Birdfolk said ran along to cliffs on the shore. Several ways led down to the sea, and on the rocks the yellow weed grew. Seafolk lived there.
They climbed to the top of the hill and started along. It was as flat as a table, but prickly scrub growing head-high prevented them from seeing lake or sea. Yellowclaw and Silverwing kept
‘I will send the word.’
‘And when they come – tell them not to leave Soona behind.’
‘Soona?’
‘Yes, Soona. She must come.’ She did not know why, but she felt it was the most important thing she had ever said.
She turned and went out towards the light, with Thief beside her.
Chapter Seven
Furthermost
Silverwing and Yellowclaw came swooping out of the dawn light. Morning mist had dampened their wings. They landed on the shingle bank by the river and walked across to Jimmy’s fire.
‘The lake is half a day’s walk, and the sea lies beyond. Islands spread out in a great circle. One of your boats would take a day and night to sail across. How will you reach this Furthermost?’
Jimmy raked his meat from the fire. ‘You tell me.’ He glanced at Soona, sitting on the other side with Dawn. ‘That Stone geezer didn’ give no hint. Go to Furthermost in the Thousand Isles. That was it. You’da thought he had lockjaw.’
Soona looked up from the embers. ‘He said that I must go, Susan needed me. He said no other word had come to him. But that she had asked for Nick and Jimmy.’
‘Well, here we are,’Jimmy growled, ‘and it looks like we’re gunner have ter swim. Any houses on these islands?’
‘No,’ Yellowclaw said. ‘A few fishermen’s huts, but no one lives in them. We saw the outer islands where this Furthermost must lie. Nothing is there.’
Nick swallowed the piece of meat he was chewing. ‘If the Stonefolk say Susan’s there, she’s there.’ He had no doubt of it. Since meeting the Stoneman Seeker, who had saved him and Susan from the Priests of Ferris (and died from the luminous dial of Nick’s watch), he had looked on Stonefolk as having special knowledge. If Susan was in their care she was all right. He was more concerned about Soona. The girl seemed to be waiting for something, preparing. Nick could tell she was afraid, and Dawn too found something strange in her. It was as if, she said, some new thing was growing in Soona, like a flower, but though its bloom was beautiful its roots fed on her life. That meant nothing to Nick, it was too poetic. He wanted to know what she was thinking about all the time, but when he asked she told him she was making up tunes – and remembering old ones. To prove it she played them on her flute. The Varg swayed and nodded in time with the rhythms. They moved about Soona with gentleness and slowness. It was as if they looked on her as a special person, but when he tried to question them they sent no pictures back. Dawn confessed that her friend – Nick had named her Bess and no one minded – would not speak of Soona with her. It was all very strange and it worried Nick and made him angry.
Silverwing said, ‘There’s another thing. Osro’s army has sent bands of scouts out. One of them is camped on the north side of the lake. Fifteen warriors, men and women. They are Hotlanders, not at home in these forests, and they make no attempt to hide themselves. But when they come round the lake they will find your trail.’
‘We better be gone then,’ Jimmy said. ‘I’d sooner tangle with Bloodcats than them geezers.’
They dowsed their fire and shouldered their packs. The Varg came out of the trees, where they had been hunting, and the band set off down-river. Yellowclaw and Silverwing flew low overhead, keeping a ridge between them and the Hotlander camp. By noon they reached the lake. It was several kilometres wide and vanished round a bend towards the sea. On the southern side the land went sweeping up to the summit of a flat-topped hill which the Birdfolk said ran along to cliffs on the shore. Several ways led down to the sea, and on the rocks the yellow weed grew. Seafolk lived there.
They climbed to the top of the hill and started along. It was as flat as a table, but prickly scrub growing head-high prevented them from seeing lake or sea. Yellowclaw and Silverwing kept
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