series of slick black platforms, interspersed with puddles. Loki found the surface treacherous. His boots slipped alarmingly. He took Raven’s hand, even though he wanted to appear adult and aloof in front of Taldri. Taking Raven’s support, however, was preferable to losing his dignity in a fall.
The area around the spout hole was covered in tiny limpets; presumably they’d been thrown there by the spout. A grove of gnarled ancient hawthorns huddled nearby, leaning together like malevolent imps, stunted and deformed by salt and wind. Even from a distance, Loki perceived a strange sensation pulsing from that grove.
‘There,’ Taldri said, pointing to the trees. ‘I won’t go in there any more. My friend Eshric found it, and he has been ill ever since. He went too close for too long, I heard.’
‘Thanks.’ Raven flipped the promised coin to Taldri, who caught it deftly.
Taldri hesitated a moment, then said, ‘Be careful.’ He ran off across the black rocks, pale hair flying.
Raven raised his eyebrows at Loki. ‘They should have a guard here if it’s so dangerous. I’ll take a look. Wait here.’
‘Don’t!’ Loki said, unable to contain himself.
‘It’s OK. I won’t go too close.’
Loki edged a little nearer as Raven went into the grove. The small hairs on his skin had started to lift. There was a buzzing sound in his ears.
Presently, Raven called. ‘Come closer, Loki. It’s quite safe.’
Nervously, Loki approached the dark of the trees. He could see Raven limned in a strange violet light. ‘What is it?’ Loki asked.
Raven wheeled round. ‘Loki, get back! Don’t come in here!’
‘But you said…’
Raven came out of the trees. ‘It’s a real phenomenon. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve no idea what it is.’
‘You called me,’ Loki said.
Raven frowned. ‘I didn’t.’
‘I heard you.’
‘Strange,’ Raven said, ‘but perhaps a warning. We should leave.’ He took Loki’s hand again.
‘What does it look like?’ Loki asked, as Raven dragged him swiftly across the slick rocks.
‘A sphere of violet light,’ Raven said, ‘then nothing at all but a feeling, then a sound. It doesn’t belong here.’
They returned to the Hall of Assembly to find that the Freyhellans had become slightly more hospitable. A table had been laid with food and now hara milled about talking. Loki saw Eyra Fiumara conversing with a tall har whose flag of pale hair cascaded down his back. Loki had a strong desire to see his face. It was almost a compulsion. Cal was sitting on the table with his feet on the back of a chair, staring at Eyra’s companion, his face set into a faintly sour expression he was attempting to present as cynical amusement.
‘Who is that with Eyra?’ Loki asked Raven, as they made their way through the crowd towards Cal. ‘Do you know?’
‘That’s Galdra har Freyhella,’ Raven replied. ‘Archon of this tribe.’
Cal noticed his son’s approach and smiled more genuinely.
‘How did it go?’ Raven asked.
‘Well, we’ve endured the airs and graces,’ Cal replied. ‘Later, we’re being given a guided tour.’
‘I took a look at the phenomenon already,’ Raven said. ‘They were right to inform us.’
‘What is it? His Mightiness, Emperor Galdra, informs us it’s some kind of gateway, like an otherlanes portal.’
Raven shrugged. ‘I’ve no idea if it’s that or not. The harlings around here call it a spirit window. They say things can come out of it.’
Cal nodded. ‘We were told that. Shadows. Shadows that stand outside houses, looking in.’
Raven grimaced. ‘Nice.’
‘Definitely spooky. Nothing bad has happened, except to the harling who discovered the thing. He’s been weakened by it. Healing does no good. There’s no evidence the phenomenon is hostile, though. It could be that a sort of alien energy from it affected the harling. It might not have been a deliberate attack.’
‘In your opinion,’ said Raven, ‘is this
The area around the spout hole was covered in tiny limpets; presumably they’d been thrown there by the spout. A grove of gnarled ancient hawthorns huddled nearby, leaning together like malevolent imps, stunted and deformed by salt and wind. Even from a distance, Loki perceived a strange sensation pulsing from that grove.
‘There,’ Taldri said, pointing to the trees. ‘I won’t go in there any more. My friend Eshric found it, and he has been ill ever since. He went too close for too long, I heard.’
‘Thanks.’ Raven flipped the promised coin to Taldri, who caught it deftly.
Taldri hesitated a moment, then said, ‘Be careful.’ He ran off across the black rocks, pale hair flying.
Raven raised his eyebrows at Loki. ‘They should have a guard here if it’s so dangerous. I’ll take a look. Wait here.’
‘Don’t!’ Loki said, unable to contain himself.
‘It’s OK. I won’t go too close.’
Loki edged a little nearer as Raven went into the grove. The small hairs on his skin had started to lift. There was a buzzing sound in his ears.
Presently, Raven called. ‘Come closer, Loki. It’s quite safe.’
Nervously, Loki approached the dark of the trees. He could see Raven limned in a strange violet light. ‘What is it?’ Loki asked.
Raven wheeled round. ‘Loki, get back! Don’t come in here!’
‘But you said…’
Raven came out of the trees. ‘It’s a real phenomenon. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve no idea what it is.’
‘You called me,’ Loki said.
Raven frowned. ‘I didn’t.’
‘I heard you.’
‘Strange,’ Raven said, ‘but perhaps a warning. We should leave.’ He took Loki’s hand again.
‘What does it look like?’ Loki asked, as Raven dragged him swiftly across the slick rocks.
‘A sphere of violet light,’ Raven said, ‘then nothing at all but a feeling, then a sound. It doesn’t belong here.’
They returned to the Hall of Assembly to find that the Freyhellans had become slightly more hospitable. A table had been laid with food and now hara milled about talking. Loki saw Eyra Fiumara conversing with a tall har whose flag of pale hair cascaded down his back. Loki had a strong desire to see his face. It was almost a compulsion. Cal was sitting on the table with his feet on the back of a chair, staring at Eyra’s companion, his face set into a faintly sour expression he was attempting to present as cynical amusement.
‘Who is that with Eyra?’ Loki asked Raven, as they made their way through the crowd towards Cal. ‘Do you know?’
‘That’s Galdra har Freyhella,’ Raven replied. ‘Archon of this tribe.’
Cal noticed his son’s approach and smiled more genuinely.
‘How did it go?’ Raven asked.
‘Well, we’ve endured the airs and graces,’ Cal replied. ‘Later, we’re being given a guided tour.’
‘I took a look at the phenomenon already,’ Raven said. ‘They were right to inform us.’
‘What is it? His Mightiness, Emperor Galdra, informs us it’s some kind of gateway, like an otherlanes portal.’
Raven shrugged. ‘I’ve no idea if it’s that or not. The harlings around here call it a spirit window. They say things can come out of it.’
Cal nodded. ‘We were told that. Shadows. Shadows that stand outside houses, looking in.’
Raven grimaced. ‘Nice.’
‘Definitely spooky. Nothing bad has happened, except to the harling who discovered the thing. He’s been weakened by it. Healing does no good. There’s no evidence the phenomenon is hostile, though. It could be that a sort of alien energy from it affected the harling. It might not have been a deliberate attack.’
‘In your opinion,’ said Raven, ‘is this
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