Law of the Wolf Tower: The Claidi Journals Book 1, Tanith Lee [pocket ebook reader .TXT] 📗

It was true. And now it reminded me of Twilight, my own lost mother.

‘That’s so sad.’

‘Sad for the ones she left behind. She knew such a lot. Herbs, and chemicals. Some of them, now, call her the Witch. But she wasn’t that. She understood science. Though she did have second sight.’

‘What’s that?’

‘She could see things the others couldn’t. Sometimes the future. She gave me—’ he made a gesture towards his collar. Then stopped. ‘A charm, or so we call it now. But it’s scientific. It can tell you things.’

‘I remember it,’ I said. ‘It’s made of glass.’

‘No. It just seems to be.’

‘You were looking at it …’ I hesitated, ‘that time – when I thought – you were going to rob us.’

‘We’re not bandits, Claidi,’ he said. ‘We get called that. I won’t say we’ve never thieved, but only to protect our own people, and never from people who hadn’t got enough themselves. And we’ve fought and killed for the same reason. But not from choice. Do you believe me?’

‘Yes.’

He looked at me for some time. The moon had risen late, it was in the sky. His dark eyes seemed more intense. Or the moon … was in a cloud, perhaps.

‘I saw you first,’ he said, ‘in that dry old park in Chariot Town. You were with him, your posh lordly friend.’

‘Nemian.’

‘That one, yes.’

‘I didn’t see you—’

‘No. It was just me and Blurn, out for a stroll. We trade with Sheepers, but we don’t always trust them. We were just making sure of the town before any of the others came in later. We looked – a bit different.’

‘And you saw me?’

‘Yes.’

He didn’t add anything, so I said, ‘You didn’t realize I was going to be bartered to the Feather Tribe.’

‘You’d left by the time I did. Then we came after you.’

‘Why?’ I said.

‘Why do you think?’

I said, humbly, ‘Because you help people.’

I wanted him to say, of course, ‘I did it because you’re so incredible, Claidi.’

He wouldn’t. He stared down his nose at me, his eyes burning and the moon pale in the trees behind his head.

What he did say was this, ‘Why don’t you stay with us? You’re a pleasure to watch with Sirree, a natural rider. And you look your best in Hulta clothes. We live well. We look after our own, and others, when we can. You don’t have to be afraid of anything with us. Not be hungry or thirsty. Or in danger. We travel. We go everywhere there is. Did you know there are enormous seas, Claidi? You do? Miles of just water and sky. And animals so odd you’d scream. Join our Family, Claidi. Stay.’

Thud, thud, my heart in my throat.

Couldn’t speak.

I thought of Nemian, and the House. Of the ones I’d trusted and shouldn’t have trusted.

‘I—’ I said.

The moon turned blue and winked away like a closing eye. Distracted, I stared at it, and then a wash of icy cold sank over me, over the world.

Something like wet silver spat into my face.

Argul stood up. He pulled me up too.

‘What is it?’

‘Snow. Damned weather.’

‘What’s—’

‘Tell you later. Now we run.’

The park was full of flying figures, shrieking and yelps. Wild laughter, too. So many couples thinking only of each other, and then this—

White hurtled from the sky.

Soon we were running through a blanket. It was like feathers. That awful sacrificial dress, plucked and flung in my face.

On the square, when we reached it – rushing figures everywhere – people were carrying the orange trees indoors out of the cold.

I wanted to carry the night indoors in the same way.

But the night was flying off from us. This was a new dance. It was too fast.

We ran together as far as the Traveller’s Rest. Hand in hand. I think there were streets.

But the Rest was like a full-stop, with lights in it. Windows blazed. Shouts and thunders. Everything was in turmoil.

‘Claidi – I’ll meet you here tomorrow. One hour after sun-up. By that tree. Yes?’

‘Yes – yes—’

Into the dance of the snow, Argul vanished.

In the morning, that tree, which he’d said we would meet by, and which had been shaped like a candle flame of green, was white, a round white ball, from the snow.

That’s how things can change. Overnight.

Anyway, they changed before I saw the tree in the morning.

After I got upstairs that night, to the women’s’ bedroom, I found it was empty.

I wished Argul hadn’t had to go, but he would be seeing to things, making sure of the horses. Blurn would have gone too. I expected Blurn’s girlfriend felt as I did. Did that mean Argul and I—?

Really I couldn’t work it out.

So I stood at the window, watching the snow falling on Peshamba, settling in white heaps everywhere, changing things. And quietness came. I never heard such quiet.

Snow had never fallen in the Garden. Perhaps it doesn’t happen in that area, or the Garden was kept too warm.

To be honest I felt happy. And scared. I wondered if I’d imagined things had happened that hadn’t. The way he looked at me. He hadn’t said anything about my being with him. He’d simply suggested I stay with the Hulta.

And I wanted to. Did I? Yes. But – you see, I’d rushed off with Nemian from the only life I knew. And I’d loved Nemian. And now I was ready to rush off again in another direction, and was that any more sensible than the first time? And was all my life going to be like this, rushing from one place, one person, to another? Exciting – maybe. Also exhausting, and fruitless.

The snow fell and my thoughts swam round and round, and then someone knocked on the door.

When they didn’t come in, I went and opened it.

I jumped back in – well, sort of horror really. It was Nemian.

He’d bought or found new clothes. Black and gold. He looked striking and painfully handsome. He was very pale.

‘Claidi – can I come in? Or will you come out for a minute?’

‘There’s no