Strange Attractors (21 page)

‘Is that so? And what have you done exactly?’

‘I think it’s safe to say there won’t be any temple wars now that I’ve had him here to help things along.’ She tilted her head towards An’ Lawrence who was slumped against the wall. ‘You’ve put my fires out, though, and I’m not at all happy about that. Still, there can’t be much of a war now, and you know what that means.’

Kreshkali smoothed her face, considering. ‘You’ve kept the High Priestesses of Corsanon away from the Entity? They never concoct their brew that sunders it? The other temples don’t step in. The battles are not fought…’

‘That’s it. You can rewrite the history books, if you like. But don’t forget the most important event, or should I say non-event?’

‘What’s that, Makee?’

‘Nellion Paree won’t change the course of the Lake Drid rivers.’ Kreshkali’s knees weakened.
Passillo
.

‘That’s right. You can’t have taken the spell.’

Kreshkali looked towards the gorge above Corsanon though all she saw was rock and rain.

‘The Spell of Passillo is still resting quietly in its cairn.’ Makee clicked her tongue. ‘Waiting.’

‘And you think you can simply dive in and take it for yourself?’ Kreshkali said.

‘Precisely.’

Kreshkali shook her head. ‘It’ll do you no good. Don’t you understand? You don’t have the DNA for it. You can’t carry it and you certainly can’t use it.’

‘Maybe not me, but I found someone who can.’ She glanced to the back of the portal.

‘You’re mad.’ Kreshkali followed her glance. ‘Rosette will not bend to your will.’

‘I’m no madder than most,’ she laughed. ‘And you aren’t seeing what I see. Now play nice or I’m not going to tell you where Jarrod is.’

Kreshkali stiffened. She had been searching wildly for Jarrod’s consciousness ever since spotting the corpse but there had been no response.
Teg, can you sense Jarrod?

Not here, Mistress. Do you want me to…

Stay. Don’t say anything. Wait.

Makee jerked her arm. ‘None of that,’ she said. ‘I need you to play along, so don’t even think of giving me away.’

‘What have you done?’

La Makee winked. ‘It was a slip. An accident. It was not my intention for it to happen quite that way but it’s done now. Your quantum sentient’s out of the picture, Kreshkali. Get used to it.’

Kreshkali tuned into An’ Lawrence. He leaned against the back wall, his leg braced, eyes closed, hands clutching the wound on his thigh. He needed a healing. Everyone did. They were all so pummelled that no one had noticed Jarrod’s absence. She had planned to get them under shelter before discussing what to do. Rosette would react the strongest. She didn’t want her traumatised further.

Rosette was in the corner shivering. Teg held Clay as the bard doubled over, coughing until he retched. The Lupin was hiding his own pain, barely. Shane was there—how, she’d yet to learn. He chatted to a girl she didn’t recognise. Who was she? They were no match for Makee in this state. She searched again for Jarrod and got no response. Kali levelled her eyes on the other witch. ‘What exactly do you want?’

‘You’ll see, High Priestess, if you live long enough.’ She laughed again, the sound of burning leaves. ‘Just mind you don’t let anyone out of the corridors. Rosette is to stay put, or she draws her last breath where she stands.’ Makee didn’t wait for an answer. She blinked, weaving her glamour again; the luminous dust at her feet rose, clinging to her body. In the time it took her eyes to open, she returned to the guise of Rall, a Lemur raven landing neatly on her shoulder.

Rosette had walked Clay to the portal, Drayco at her side. They made their way to the back wall of the corridor and collapsed, water dripping from their faces, cloaks saturated, bodies bumped and beaten. Her skin was blue and she shivered uncontrollably. Drayco shook water from his coat like a dog, his limbs braced wide, water spraying the walls with dark spatters. She pulled Clay closer and took his hands, trying to warm them. Everyone stared until she snarled back. ‘What?’ she said through chattering teeth. ‘You think I should have left him to freeze, or get swept away in the next flash flood?’ She eyed them all, daring anyone to cross her, until she noticed the strange young witch leaning against the opposite wall. Rosette’s brow lifted. ‘Who are you?’

The girl cleared her throat. ‘Shaea’s my name, and I come from Corsanon, but she can tell you more.’

Shaea pointed outside. Next to Kreshkali stood
another witch, lithe and beautiful. They were talking in the rain. A Lemur raven clung to her shoulder, wings shuffling as she folded them back. The Three Sisters bristled, screeching out a territorial
ahk ahk ahk aaaah
, their throat hackles fanned. The Lemur didn’t respond but only tilted her head to scratch her ear. Rosette looked back to Shaea, remembering them both. They were from Temple Corsanon, the women from the coach.

‘I’m Rall.’ The witch next to Kreshkali stepped forward. ‘Glad you all made it out of the city.’ She frowned, scrutinising their faces. ‘But where’s Jarrod? Don’t tell me you were going to leave without him.’

Kreshkali bristled.

Rosette’s head shot up. ‘Jarrod!’
Drayco? Can you hear him?

The temple cat was up, tasting the air.
He’s not here.

What do you mean, he’s not here? We left him behind? Where? What happened?

I don’t know, Maudi. He never came into the corridor. There is no scent of him at all.

Talk to him, Drayco! He can hear you at this distance.

Maudi, I tried. There is no answer.

She struggled to her feet. ‘We’ve got to go back.’

‘Rall, is it?’ Kreshkali said, moving to Rosette’s side. She kept her eyes on the other witch while holding her daughter back.

‘She’s Rall all right,’ Shaea said. ‘But she didn’t always look like that.’

Kreshkali nodded. ‘I’m not surprised.’ She pushed Rosette down. ‘Sit. You’re freezing and half drowned. You can’t do anything for Jarrod now but keep yourself alive.’ She helped her out of her wet cloak.

‘We can’t leave without him,’ Rosette said. She shook uncontrollably.

‘Technically, we’re not, as long as we’ve got you,’ Kali whispered.

‘Are you saying he’s dead?’ Rosette’s voice went shrill. She tried to get up again. ‘Jarrod!’ she screamed.

Kreshkali held her. ‘Rall, make yourself useful and help me warm it up in here.’ She looked at Rosette. ‘You are staying put!’

Kreshkali placed her hands on the wall until a golden glow emanated from the rock surface. Rall hesitated a moment before doing the same on her side of the corridor. Rosette felt the warmth penetrate her limbs, relaxing her from the inside out. Steam rose from their wet clothes as cloaks, boots and hats were stripped off.

‘Thank you,’ Rosette said. ‘That’s much better. Now excuse me while I go find Jarrod.’ She pulled herself up to her feet.

An’ Lawrence came to her side and took her hand.

‘What?’ Rosette shouted. ‘Why is everyone looking at me?’

She turned away from An’ Lawrence and headed for the portal. He caught her and pulled her back. ‘Rosette,’ he said. ‘Listen to me.’

‘Let go!’ She had one hand on the hilt of her sword. He grabbed her shoulders and gave her a shake.

Rall stepped up. ‘Jarrod went over the edge, Rosette.’

‘What?’

‘He went off the cliff.’

Rosette doubled over.

Maudi, sit. You’re going to faint again.

Rosette slid to the ground, tears welling in her eyes. ‘He’s dead? It can’t be. I went over the edge and I’m all right. We all did.’ She stared at their faces. ‘We need to look for him. He could be…’

‘Rosette,’ Kreshkali cut in. ‘He must have gone over the other side of the steps.’

‘The quarry side?’ Shaea asked. ‘There’s no surviving that.’

Rosette sobbed.

‘Sorry,’ Shaea said. ‘But that’s the way of it. The quarry side drops straight down to the bottom, half a day’s climb. Unless he can fly, he’s as dead as my Xane.’

Rosette looked at her, the tears spilling down her cheeks. ‘He can’t fly.’

Grayson eased himself into a chair. It was a long hike to the village and he’d been alternately soaked with rain and blistered by the tropical sun. He took a drink, grateful for the refreshment. ‘You don’t remember me at all?’

Everett shook his head. He was folding and refolding a small towel, keeping his eyes on the door.

‘And Rosette?’ Grayson asked. ‘That name means nothing to you?’

‘Sorry.’ Everett left his preoccupation and lifted his head. His eyes were round, anxious. His hands trembled. ‘So sorry. I should know, of course, and I do but I don’t, if you follow. What I mean is, if I ever did it’s gone.’ He snapped his fingers and laughed. ‘Vanished, like the infants.’ He lowered his voice. ‘It was her fault. Did you know? Hers. She’s shaman and it happened right under her nose.’ He grabbed the towel, twisting it tighter and tighter. ‘She let the thief come. Might have even helped.’ His knuckles went white.

‘The thief?’

Everett jerked out of his chair. ‘Have you seen her? I know I was close this time. Had her on the run. Did she come your way?’ Everett narrowed his eyes. ‘Do you know the demon?’

‘I don’t.’

Everett looked out the window, into the distance. ‘Of course you don’t. It was long ago. Before your time.’

Grayson shifted in his seat. ‘Time is not always what it seems.’

‘Nonsense. Time is fixed. You can set your life on it.’

Grayson sighed. ‘I used to think so too.’

Everett returned to his chair. ‘If I were you, I’d go back to it. Time works best when we think of it properly.’

‘And what is proper?’

‘Time is solid, reliable. Always where you left it.’ Everett lifted his mug and clinked it against Grayson’s. ‘In any case, we have a common goal.’

‘We do?’

The sun was setting and a stream of golden beams shone through the clouds.

‘Of course.’

Grayson rubbed his throat. ‘And that goal is…’

The clouds closed in as the moments passed. The rain returned, beating out a steady rhythm on the bamboo roof. Everett tapped his fingers. ‘We’re both looking for lost ones, so we might as well do it together. I’m heading for the Allied States in the morning. That’s one place the thief could be, unless he’s still lurking in the depths of the jungle.’

‘Lurking?’ a woman said. She entered the bungalow, her arms laden with vegetables. She was barefoot, in a short dress, with most of her body under the shelter of a wide-brimmed hat. She spilled her load into the sink and hung the hat on a peg by the door, then offered a smile, dazzling white against her dark brown skin.

Everett startled. ‘Where have you been? Lurking
around yourself, are you? Brewing something with the others?’

‘I’ve been in the vegetable garden, Everett, digging sweet potatoes and yams. Hardly the job of a lurker.’

Everett straightened. ‘I didn’t mean lurking like a beast, of course. It’s just a turn of phrase. Means nothing.’ He motioned her to the table. ‘Regina, this is Grayson.’

She reached out her hand and nodded briefly before looking to Everett. ‘Best use your phrases carefully, Ev. You know what words can do.’

Grayson didn’t miss the exchange. This was an old argument between them, a stalemate perhaps. She seemed to know how to handle him, though, her responses snapping him out of his paranoia. That was a relief.

‘As I said, a figure of speech, nothing more,’ Everett said.

‘Did you two work together?’ Regina asked, turning her attention back to Grayson.

‘Not really,’ Grayson said. ‘We met briefly in Sector Six. He was treating a friend of mine.’

‘So you say. I strangely cannot recall a bit of it.’ Everett held his mug in both hands, staring into it.

‘Memory works mysteriously you know.’ She winked at Grayson, noticing his tattoos. ‘And you remember a different world, I see. Same as our Everett.’

‘That’s not true!’ Everett slammed his mug on the table.

She shrugged. ‘You can add it up any way you like, Ev. Please yourself. But you are not of this world and if you’ve forgotten why it’s because you don’t want to know.’

Everett’s face darkened. ‘You don’t know what you’re saying.’

‘But I do.’ She went to the sink, filling it from a jug and washing her hands. ‘All his roaming? The disappearing? You seek your own kind.’

‘I seek the thief that took what was ours!’

‘Those children would be grown by now, living their own lives without thought of their origins. The sooner you see that, the sooner you can let it go.’ She pointed a long purple gourd at Grayson. ‘He’s your key, Ev. I’d listen to him.’

Everett didn’t reply. Instead he raised his eyebrows at Grayson. ‘What’s it to be? Are you coming with me to the Allied States? We can start our search in Sector Six. That’s the first drop-off from the Borderlands.’

Grayson cringed inwardly though he kept his expression smooth. The Allied States was the last place he wanted to go. He remembered the feeling of relief when he’d left Sector Six the last time. There was no part of him that wanted to return. Yet the Entity had brought him here. What if Rosette had become trapped there again? It was possible. She’d been in a repeating cycle before. He couldn’t abandon her just because he wasn’t enjoying the search. Of course, he wasn’t even certain if this
now
was before or after he’d been there the first time. Everett’s memory certainly wasn’t helping situate them, nor was his state of mind. He seemed to have developed a personality disorder since they last met. He didn’t want to aggravate the man, but he needed more facts.

‘What happened before you left Sector Six, Everett?’ Grayson asked. ‘What’s the last thing you do remember?’

Everett looked away.

‘Tell him,’ Regina said. ‘If you don’t, I will.’

‘Truth is,’ Everett finally said, ‘I don’t remember a thing. It’s like I was never there.’

Hotha stood on the edge of the cliff, high above the gates of Temple Los Loma. He’d been there all afternoon, the sun baking down on his shoulders, his body a dot on the rust-red earth. In his wolf form he could see clearly to the horizon. There stood the backs of the mountains that drew the ocean to their knees, the haze of heat making them appear closer than they really were. Crows filled the bare-branched trees in the foothills, silhouettes against the sky—a smoky brown. It was thick with ash, pluming out the tops of three extinct volcanoes.
Extinct? Not any more.