The Unmaking (The Last Days of Tian Di, #2)(57)
“What?” asked Charlie, aggravated. “I’m trying to say thank you, lah.”
“That tree stump has eyes,” Nell hissed at him. “Over there. Look.”
Charlie gave the stump a long look. Then, before Nell could stop him, he scooped a handful of snow, packed it into a tight ball in his fist, and pegged it straight at the stump. The stump leaped aside with an angry cry and at the same moment reared up to its full, stringy height. It had brown crinkled flesh rather like a toad’s, but it moved so quickly, bounding towards them, that it was hard to make out much else except that it was bigger than them and had bright staring eyes. Nell turned with a shriek and ran among the trees. For several minutes she could hear the thing, whatever it was, galumphing after her, letting loose odd war-like shouts and yelps as it went. Then Nell realized she could only hear her own screams and footsteps crashing through the snow. She stopped running.
“Why did you run off like that?” Charlie was at her side, having flown after her as a bird.
“Why did you?” demanded Nell. “You could have turned into something scary and made it go away.”
“I didnay want to lose you,” he said, laughing. “You took off at such a clip! Come on, we should get back to the helicopter.”
But neither of them moved. They could see their breath pluming out into the cold, dark air as the last of the daylight faded from the sky and night fell and the trees soared up all around them, black and ominous. The silence and the falling darkness made Nell think back on her conversation with the Faery about how easily humans can die. A twig cracked somewhere nearby and she tensed.
“Did you hear that?”
“Look!” Charlie pointed, and Nell saw that a wavering light was moving among the trees, coming towards them.
“No, no, no,” she hissed at Charlie, who had started to go towards it. “Lights in forests are bad, nay? You always hear stories about travellers lured deeper into the woods by mysterious lights and so on.”
“I’ve nary heard any stories like that,” said Charlie as the light came closer. A tall dark shape was following the light, keeping close to the trees so it was difficult to see what it was.
“This time, dinnay go running off,” said Charlie. “Stay close to me.”
“Why dinnay you change?” said Nell. “Become a dragon or something!”
“Lah, I want to see what it is first,” he replied. The light emerged from between the trees, a glowing sphere, and circled them slowly as if it was having a good look at them. The dark shape following it hid behind a tree.
Charlie called out something in the common language of Tian Xia. The light darted close to their faces and then retreated. A being stepped from behind the tree. It was the stump-thing, stretched out and gangly, with a black cloak pulled around it. It had a bit of colourless hair sticking out of its scalp in wisps but otherwise its face was like a long, shriveled bean with brilliant eyes. Mouth and nose appeared to be mere gaps in the face, darker than the darkness. It spoke in a rattling voice like autumn leaves underfoot and Charlie replied. Then the thing turned, its ball of light zipping on ahead.
“Come on,” said Charlie. “She’s a witch. Prolly the one we’re looking for.”
“She?” muttered Nell, but she followed them. Gradually the trees grew thinner and they came to a rocky outcrop with branches piled before an opening. The witch removed the branches and the light bobbed inside, then whizzed back out and circled the witch’s head in a panic. The witch began to gibber angrily. Jalo stepped out of the cave.
~~~
The stump-like creature Charlie had thrown a snowball at was in fact the very being they had come in search of – a witch named Heilwig. The witch had heard the helicopter long before it landed and had been watching to see what would emerge. She was not at all pleased that Jalo had found her cave and made himself at home there without an invitation, but after many soothing apologies the witch calmed down. They all entered the cave after being formally and pointedly invited and Heilwig set about building a fire. The cave was a large, cool dome, insulated with woven rugs and straw mats. A sleek, bright-eyed mink bared its teeth at the visitors and then leaped to Heilwig’s shoulders, draping itself around her neck like a living fur scarf.
“Get the other human from the helicopter,” Jalo told Charlie, keeping his eyes on the witch.
Nell glanced at Charlie a bit nervously, for Jalo had said this in a very kingly way and, although he was accommodating, Charlie didn’t like to be bossed around. Charlie looked for a moment like he was going to refuse.
“I’ll go,” Nell offered, although she didn’t want to miss a moment of what was going to happen in the cave.
“No, it’s fine, I’ll go,” Charlie grumbled, and he disappeared out the entrance. Heilwig and the Faery conversed in low voices, not bothering to include Nell.
Ander and Charlie returned with provisions from the helicopter, the last of the food that Nell had packed. Nell made sandwiches, which delighted Heilwig. She ate three in a row with great gusto, not saying thank you or even looking at Nell when she handed them over. The Faery declined politely, but Nell caught him giving the bread a look of quiet distaste.
“I wonder what your parents are going to say to me when I get you back,” brooded Ander, rubbing his unshaven chin with his hand. “I reckon I’m going to be in a lot of trouble, aye.”