Exodus of the Xandim (GOLLANCZ S.F.) (58 page)

Leaving them to it, she turned away, looking forward at last to assuaging her own hunger and weariness. The basket containing Melik, which had been strapped to her back, had fallen to the ground
when Corisand changed shape, and Iriana’s cat was wailing his protests from within. She didn’t dare let him out when the Wizard and Dael weren’t there, so all she could do was
pray that they would come soon. Like all her companions, she had been carrying a small bag of trail rations, so she pushed a piece of dried meat through one of the air holes in the basket and hoped
that the food would help to calm and quiet him until his rightful owner turned up.

After the battles of that night she was as weary and hungry as the rest of the Xandim, but before she could rest there was one more thing she must do. Summoning her Othersight, she tugged and
twisted the silvery air currents, shaping them with her hands and mind until they formed the image of a horse. Lifting her arms she sent it upwards, high above the treetops, to mark her location to
her friends. By now the flying spell would also have worn off for Iriana and her companions, so it was vital to have a beacon that could be seen from ground level.

Once she had her image in place, she finally sat down on the ground at the edge of the burn, leant back against a tree trunk and rested her weary limbs. Rummaging in her pouch she found some
jerky, a hard and rather elderly piece of cheese and a handful of nuts, and fell on them like a starving wolf. She was desperate for some sleep, but didn’t dare close her eyes while the
responsibility for the entire tribe was in her hands. Besides, until she’d found out the fate of her companions, she couldn’t settle.

If only I could get to Iriana so that she could give me back the Fialan. I won’t rest until we’re safely back with the Wizards
.

Though Corisand hated not being able to fly, she told herself that she had better get used to it. Once the Xandim had been liberated she had promised to give the Stone of Fate to Iriana. She
dropped her head into her hands and sighed. No more soaring above those plodding people confined to the ground. No more flying among the stars and racing the wind.

Freedom came with a heavy price. She only hoped that when the time came, she would be able to pay it.

Suddenly she realised that she was not alone, and found a man sitting beside her. His hair, dark with the odd gleam of silver, swept back from his face and down to his shoulders. His chin was
square, his cheekbones high and chiselled, and his grey eyes held an intensity and power that immediately made her think of a herd leader. Though he was human now, she recognised him as
Aelwen’s former mount, the black stallion Taryn.

When he spoke, it was almost as if he had been sharing her thoughts. ‘It’s not going to be easy, is it, Windeye?’

‘No,’ she answered him honestly. ‘I thought that freeing everyone would be the hardest part, but now all manner of difficulties lie ahead of us – though at least we have
a home ready and waiting for us.’

‘We do?’

‘We do, and it’s a lovely place – at least so I was told by the one who gave it to us. Sometime I’ll tell you the whole story, but it’s far too long and complicated
a tale for now. But you’re right. We have a daunting task ahead, and so much to learn about surviving in our alternate forms.’

He nodded. ‘I thought so. It’s a strange thing, isn’t it, this ability to think and plan ahead. Strange and wonderful – and frightening too.’ He gave her a
tentative smile. ‘I was wondering – how is it that when you changed you were wearing a covering on your body, as the Phaerie always did, yet the rest of us had nothing but our bare
skins?’

Corisand noticed that he was shivering, and gave him her cloak, helping him wrap it round his shoulders, for he was unaccustomed to using human hands, and fumbled clumsily at the fastening.
‘I’m afraid,’ she said, ‘that these bodies are a great deal more vulnerable than our equine forms – to cold and small injuries from such things as thorns or stinging
plants – or even sitting on rough ground, such as we have here. They need extra protection, and deck themselves in what they call clothes – layers of cloth or leather.’ She went
on to explain what she had discovered for herself, that materials made from plant or animal sources such as leather, linen and wool, with fastenings of horn or bone, would transform with her to
become part of her equine shape, and still be there when she changed back. ‘That’s why I advised everyone that it might be better for them to stay in their equine shapes for now.
Clearly, we’ll need to get clothes for all the Xandim as soon as we can, and hopefully the Wizardfolk, my friend Iriana’s people, will help us with that. However, we’ll have to
learn to make our own as soon as possible – and that also goes for all the myriad other things humans need that equines don’t.’ She smiled at him wryly. ‘Our freedom will
mean enormous challenges ahead of us, I’m afraid. You all may be cursing my name and wishing you were back with the Phaerie before we’re done.’

‘I sincerely doubt that.’ Taryn returned her smile. ‘It may be a hard road ahead, but at least it will be
our
road, and for that we have you to thank.’

He got to his feet. ‘I should let you get back to your rest. I only wanted to come over and be the first to thank you, on behalf of all of us. A lot of them are still too afraid and
bewildered to understand what a wonderful and amazing thing you’ve done for them tonight – but I know that once they’ve had a chance to settle, they’ll be as grateful as I
am.’ He smiled at her, and she could see the same bafflement in his eyes that must have been in hers when she found her human facial expressions mirroring her emotions. ‘I think
I’ll change back for a while,’ he said, handing back her cloak. ‘This is going to take a bit of getting used to. Rest a little, Windeye. You look weary beyond belief. I will keep
watch for any danger, and the rest of the herd with me.’

‘Thank you.’ Suddenly Corisand felt much happier, and easier in her mind. As Taryn transformed into the black stallion again and went to rejoin the others, she wrapped herself in her
cloak once more, leant back against her tree trunk and closed her eyes, secure in the knowledge that there was someone in her herd upon whom she could depend.

~

Y
inze would be happy if he never had to fly again. No matter how long he spent swinging in one of the Skyfolk cargo nets, the result was always the
same: he felt sick, cold and uncomfortable. If he could only find Iriana, however, it would all be worthwhile. Where could she have been all this time? All too well he remembered his agony and
grief when she’d passed from the world, and his utter shock, followed by relief and joy, when she’d returned. In all the history of the Skyfolk, such a thing had never been known.

What had happened to her in those long, missing hours?

Would she have changed?

Would he even recognise her now?

Her black and white horse had been found deep in the forest by a human woodsman from Nexis, badly injured yet still gamely trying to struggle back to the settlement. With thoughts of fresh meat,
the man had managed to coax the mare all the way back to his lumber camp, and luckily Yinze and his winged escort had arrived in time to save Dailika from slaughter, since the camp foreman, a
Wizard, had proved susceptible to bribery. The sight of the wounded animal had torn Yinze’s heart. Had Iriana suffered the same fate?

‘Yinze, stop it.’ The clear, chiding voice broke into his circling thoughts. He looked around to see Kea flying alongside, with the flame-coloured undersides of her green wings
flashing as she kept pace with the net. She was using mindspeech as they always did when flying, to avoid having to shout over the sounds of wingbeats and the wind, and gave him a stern look.
‘I can feel you worrying all the way over here. I understand that it’s hard, but you’ve got to stop all these fruitless doubts and speculations. We
will
find Iriana. We
won’t stop searching until we do. And when we find her – well, you’ll discover whether she’s changed or not, and worrying won’t affect that outcome. Chewing over and
over the whole business might be giving you something to do, but it isn’t getting you anywhere, and it’s costing you a lot of misery in the meantime.’

Yinze glared at her. ‘It’s all very well for
you
to say that. It’s not your sister we’re searching for. Iriana doesn’t mean anything to you.’

‘I know how much she means to you, so she matters a great deal to me too, even though I’ve never met her,’ the winged girl retorted. ‘So let’s just concentrate on
finding her, shall we? Atka’s scrying put her close to Eliorand, but if the Dragon’s vision was true and she was actually flying on one of those miraculous Phaerie steeds, she could be
anywhere by now. This is a bloody big forest, Yinze. You need to be able to concentrate on looking for her, instead of wondering what she’ll be like when you find her.’

‘I am looking,’ Yinze snapped, ‘and I can do without the lectures, thank you.’

‘Children, children.’ Crombec came swooping down before the impending quarrel could grow into a full-blown fight. ‘You’ll be better off if both of you pay attention to
the search. Yinze, Kea is right. These morbid speculations are getting you nowhere. Kea, I know you hate to see Yinze worrying, but nagging at him is only going to make things worse.’

The harp maker had surprised Yinze. On the ground he’d seemed like an old man, yet once he was in his true element of the air, he appeared to have gained unexpected vigour and strength. He
flew along as effortlessly as his apprentice, though she was about a third his age, and though he was always sensitive to the gravity of the situation he looked to be gaining tremendous enjoyment
from this exploration of new territory.

Yinze reminded himself how lucky he was to have his Skyfolk friends there to help him. Had it not been for them, he would still have been kicking his heels in the city, wild with frustration
waiting for all the endless, tedious logistics of getting an army on the move to be dealt with. He’d been incredibly glad to escape. ‘I’m sorry I’m so preoccupied,’ he
told his companions. ‘I’m truly grateful for your help. I’d have gone insane if I had to wait one more day in Tyrineld, with all the unease and conflict, and everyone running
around organising rations, tents, weapons and medicinal supplies. What with my mother begging me not to go, Ionor disappearing, Chathak champing at the bit for vengeance – not that I blame
him – Thara tearing herself apart over whether she should go with the army or stay behind and help with food production, and Melisanda working herself to a shadow and miserable about the
entire business, I sometimes felt as if I would explode.’

Kea grimaced. ‘Not to mention the Lady Sharalind practically chewing the carpets because nothing was happening fast enough for her.’

‘I couldn’t agree more,’ Crombec said. ‘Though I am deeply concerned about your sister, Yinze, I was extremely glad to have a legitimate reason to leave the city. Though
Sharalind has my sympathy, for let us not forget that she also lost a son, she was hinting at using the Skyfolk in Tyrineld – myself, Kea, our bearers and those who brought Incondor –
to help transport goods to the staging area in Nexis, or even act as couriers or spies. Without the authorisation of Queen Pandion I cannot allow my people to become embroiled in the wars of
another nation, and since Sharalind never mentioned Pandion giving any such permission, I would suspect that she asked and was denied.’

‘But what will happen when we go back to Tyrineld?’ Kea asked.

‘The war will not affect us, my dear, or Yinze either, unless the Phaerie get all the way to the city. We are under orders to concentrate on our Artefact, and the Lady Sharalind
has—’

His words were cut off by Yinze’s piercing scream. The Wizard was curled sobbing into a foetal ball in the bottom of the net, his hands clasped to his head, his face twisted in pain and
anguish.

‘Get him down!’ Crombec shouted as the bearers faltered uncertainly. They landed the net as swiftly as possible and knelt around the stricken Wizard as Kea called his name over and
over. After a few anxious moments, Yinze’s shuddering ceased and his breathing became more even. He sat up and took his hands from his tear-streaked face, his expression stricken.
‘Cyran,’ he gasped. ‘The Archwizard is dead!’

He held up his hands to forestall their spate of questions. ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘I just felt him die – but what about Iriana? Did he find her? Is she in danger
too?’ He leapt to his feet. ‘Come on, quick – we’ve got to get moving!’

Within minutes they were airborne again, with the bearers beating strongly to gain height. Yinze gripped the meshes of the net with white-knuckled fingers, and the others, seeing his strained
expression, forbore to ask any more questions, but concentrated on forging ahead as fast as they were able.

They had flown on a while, growing ever closer to the Phaerie border, when suddenly Yinze let out another yell – but this time, of joy and excitement. ‘Avithan – he’s
back! Just like Iriana, I felt him return! Come on, come on – can’t we go any faster?’

Crombec looked at Kea and frowned. ‘Just what in the world is going on tonight in Eliorand?’ he asked in very private mindspeech. ‘I don’t like this – I don’t
like it at all.’

Kea, however, had her mind on something else. ‘What’s that?’ she cried, pointing. ‘Look – a good way ahead and slightly to the left. There’s a glowing patch
in the sky.’

Yinze squinted into the distance. ‘I can’t see anything.’

‘You have keen eyes, Kea, even for one of the Winged Folk,’ Crombec said. ‘I see it now that you’ve pointed it out. I wonder what it could possibly be?’

As they drew closer, even Yinze could see the strange phenomenon glowing against the dark background of the night sky. Then:

‘I don’t believe it!’ Kea gasped. ‘Crombec, can you see that? It’s a horse – a huge, shining image of a horse, and it looks to me to be some form of
unfamiliar magic. Yinze, you said that your sister had the ability to perform all four of the Magefolk powers. Do you think her abilities could even stretch further than that?’