speak again, then on past the way that led to the Hall of Blue Light. At last he put the girl down. He looked at her and she pulled at his hand, thinking he had mistaken the way.
He crouched down and put his hands on her scrawny shoulders, her bones like chicken legs, easily broken.
‘You know, don’t you, Emly, that we will probably never find your brother?’
Her mouth turned down and her heart-shaped face creased into a silent wail at his harsh words.
‘I was at fault,’ Bartellus went on ruthlessly. ‘I told you we would find him. But that was before we returned from the Hall of Watchers, before I realized how deep and wide and complex the Halls are. We could search for him down here for years. And we can’t do that. You need safety, and light, and good water, and warm shelter. I cannot give you those things down here.’
She cried silently, her thin frame racked by sobs. He hugged her to his chest and held her for a while. Then he pushed her from him and looked at her downcast face. ‘Every day we spend here puts us in mortal danger. I came here to escape the woes of the world of daylight, as I expect you and Elija did. I thought the world had nothing more for me, nothing even to fight for. But now I have you. I never thought I would ever have another friend I could trust. But I trustyou, Em. And I think you’re the bravest person I have ever known. You have a soldier’s heart, and I trust you with my life.’
She raised her tear-stained face and stared at him gravely. He wondered if she understood a word.
‘We must go back to the world now, little soldier. We will go back to the world together.’
He watched her until, tears still squeezing from her eyes, she nodded. Her courage tore at his soul. He stood up and took her hand in his, and together the old man and the little girl walked back towards the daylight.
CHAPTER SEVEN
ELIJA AND AMITA waited until the rowboat was long gone before they pulled themselves free of the sucking mud and started to follow its passage. After only a short while struggling through the mudbanks they came to firmer land. There was hard rock under their feet and they made speedy progress. The light was so bright they could see all around them. The river was flowing towards a low, wide opening, through which the daylight gushed like water from a pump. The eerie shrieking sounds were getting louder.
Amita nudged Elija and pointed. A narrow waterfall was flowing down the rocky cliffside far to their left. They hurried over to it and Amita put her hand under the sparkling water. She tasted it, and her face lit up in a smile. She rinsed the mud off her hands then cupped them and took a gulp. Elija followed her. The taste of fresh water, from a stream and not from an old barrel used a thousand times, was intoxicating. Elija felt his thoughts clear, as if the deadening fog of years was being washed away. He laughed.
He looked at Amita, his unseen companion through so many trials. She was taller than him, big-boned and strong, despite long-endured deprivation. Her hair, though mud-caked, was thick and pale and it was plastered to her body as far as her waist. There was a deep cleft in her chin. The light was so bright he could see her eyes were blue, and they stared at him critically as he watched her. He suddenly felt himself redden, and dropped his eyes under her gaze. He duckedunder the gushing water and Amita joined him. The caked mud of years slowly sloughed off their bodies, and they stood there for a long time, occasionally glancing shyly at one another.
When they stepped out again, shaking themselves like dogs, the screaming sound was louder and more frequent, and it pressed on Elija’s ears. It sounded like a soul in torment.
‘What’s that noise?’ he asked, looking around him. He could see nothing but light ahead of them, dark where they had come from, and the rocky ceiling above.
‘Just birds,’ she told him. ‘You must have heard birds before.’
Not like
He crouched down and put his hands on her scrawny shoulders, her bones like chicken legs, easily broken.
‘You know, don’t you, Emly, that we will probably never find your brother?’
Her mouth turned down and her heart-shaped face creased into a silent wail at his harsh words.
‘I was at fault,’ Bartellus went on ruthlessly. ‘I told you we would find him. But that was before we returned from the Hall of Watchers, before I realized how deep and wide and complex the Halls are. We could search for him down here for years. And we can’t do that. You need safety, and light, and good water, and warm shelter. I cannot give you those things down here.’
She cried silently, her thin frame racked by sobs. He hugged her to his chest and held her for a while. Then he pushed her from him and looked at her downcast face. ‘Every day we spend here puts us in mortal danger. I came here to escape the woes of the world of daylight, as I expect you and Elija did. I thought the world had nothing more for me, nothing even to fight for. But now I have you. I never thought I would ever have another friend I could trust. But I trustyou, Em. And I think you’re the bravest person I have ever known. You have a soldier’s heart, and I trust you with my life.’
She raised her tear-stained face and stared at him gravely. He wondered if she understood a word.
‘We must go back to the world now, little soldier. We will go back to the world together.’
He watched her until, tears still squeezing from her eyes, she nodded. Her courage tore at his soul. He stood up and took her hand in his, and together the old man and the little girl walked back towards the daylight.
CHAPTER SEVEN
ELIJA AND AMITA waited until the rowboat was long gone before they pulled themselves free of the sucking mud and started to follow its passage. After only a short while struggling through the mudbanks they came to firmer land. There was hard rock under their feet and they made speedy progress. The light was so bright they could see all around them. The river was flowing towards a low, wide opening, through which the daylight gushed like water from a pump. The eerie shrieking sounds were getting louder.
Amita nudged Elija and pointed. A narrow waterfall was flowing down the rocky cliffside far to their left. They hurried over to it and Amita put her hand under the sparkling water. She tasted it, and her face lit up in a smile. She rinsed the mud off her hands then cupped them and took a gulp. Elija followed her. The taste of fresh water, from a stream and not from an old barrel used a thousand times, was intoxicating. Elija felt his thoughts clear, as if the deadening fog of years was being washed away. He laughed.
He looked at Amita, his unseen companion through so many trials. She was taller than him, big-boned and strong, despite long-endured deprivation. Her hair, though mud-caked, was thick and pale and it was plastered to her body as far as her waist. There was a deep cleft in her chin. The light was so bright he could see her eyes were blue, and they stared at him critically as he watched her. He suddenly felt himself redden, and dropped his eyes under her gaze. He duckedunder the gushing water and Amita joined him. The caked mud of years slowly sloughed off their bodies, and they stood there for a long time, occasionally glancing shyly at one another.
When they stepped out again, shaking themselves like dogs, the screaming sound was louder and more frequent, and it pressed on Elija’s ears. It sounded like a soul in torment.
‘What’s that noise?’ he asked, looking around him. He could see nothing but light ahead of them, dark where they had come from, and the rocky ceiling above.
‘Just birds,’ she told him. ‘You must have heard birds before.’
Not like
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