Chronicles of Ancient Darkness
Chapter 76 : Before she could stop him, he'd risen to his feet, and stepped out into the light.

Before she could stop him, he'd risen to his feet, and stepped out into the light.

With startling speed the lynx and the ice bear spun round, and stared at him with dead gutskin eyes.

'The ninth hunter is come,' said the Oak Mage in a voice as deep as a bear's.

'But his hands are empty,' hissed the Viper Mage. 'He was to have brought the eagle, the wolverine, the otter, the fox.'

The talons of the Eagle Owl Mage tightened around the head of the mace. 'Why has it failed?'

Torak opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came. What was Renn doing? Why were the torches still burning?

Desperately, he sought for some way of grabbing the fire-opal, and stopping them from opening the Door of achieving the impossible.

A shout rang through the cavern and Nef hobbled in. 'The wolf is gone!' she shouted. 'It's the boy, I know it is! He set the wolf free! He set them all free!'

Three masked heads turned towards Torak.

'Free?' said the Viper Mage with appalling gentleness.

Torak edged backwards.

The Bat Mage blocked his way.

The Oak Mage wiped the black froth from his painted lips and said, '"The Wolf lives." That was the message from our brother across the Sea. What did it mean, we asked ourselves.'

'Then a boy came,' said the Viper Mage. 'A boy who wore the tattoos of the White Foxes, but didn't look like one. I felt souls in the air around me. What does this mean, I asked myself.'

Torak's hand tightened on his knife. And still the torches burned, and still the Soul-Eaters bore down on him.

'Who are you?' said the Oak Mage.

'What are you?' said the Viper Mage.

THIRTY.

Tall Tailless was surrounded. Bravely he faced them, clutching the big claw; but against three full-grown taillesses, he didn't stand a chance.

Wolf lowered his head and crept forwards. The bad ones didn't hear him. They didn't know he was there.

Swivelling one ear, he heard the stealthy padding of the female, a few pounces away. A sizzling hiss, and that part of the Den went dark. Good. She was helping him. Wolf could see in the dark, but the bad ones couldn't.

Tall Tailless said something defiant in tailless talk, and the pale-pelt who stank of bear gave a cruel laugh. Then another part of the Den went dark. And another.

Suddenly, Stinkfur and Pale-Pelt leapt at Tall Tailless. He didn't dodge quickly enough it didn't matter Wolf was quicker than any of them. With a snarl he sprang at Pale-Pelt, knocking him to the ground and sinking his teeth into a forepaw. Pale-Pelt roared. Bones crunched. Wolf leapt away, gulping b.l.o.o.d.y flesh.

As he ran, his claws skittered on stone and he nearly went down, wobbling as he righted himself, because his newly shortened tail didn't give quite the balance it had before. He'd have to be careful, he thought as he raced through the dark to help his poor, blind pack-brother, who was still trying to get away from Stinkfur.

Not far off, the pack-sister held a glowing branch in one paw, narrowing her eyes as taillesses do when they cannot see.

Meanwhile, the Viper-Tongue had not been idle. She'd found her way through the silent trees, and past the Stone-Faced One to the end of the Den, where she was sc.r.a.ping a claw over the rock, hissing and whining in a way that made Wolf's pelt shrink with dread. He heard the clamour of demons. He didn't know what she meant to do, but he knew that he had to stop her.

And yet Tall Tailless needed him! In his blindness, he was blundering towards Stinkfur!

Wolf faltered.

He decided in a snap and leapt to the aid of his pack-brother, body-slamming him out of the path of the bad one. Tall Tailless slipped steadied himself and grabbed his pack-brother's scruff. Wolf led him to safety through the trees.

But it was too late to stop Viper-Tongue. Her whines rose to a hide-p.r.i.c.kling scream as she spread her forepaws wide and suddenly in the rock, a great mouth gaped.

Stone-Face gave a triumphant howl that pierced Wolf's ears like splintered bone. Then she lifted her forepaw high. The Den filled with the hard grey glare of the Bright Beast-that-Bites-Cold and the demons poured forth.

Tall Tailless let go of Wolf's scruff and fell to his knees.

The pack-sister dropped the glowing branch and covered her ears with her forepaws. Wolf shrank trembling against Tall Tailless, as the terror of the demons blasted his fur.

He knew he had to attack them it was what he was meant to do but there were so many! Slithering, swooping, scrabbling over each other in their hunger for the cold grey light. Wolf saw their dripping fangs and their cruel, bright eyes. There were so many . . .

But suddenly, he smelt rage.

The female tailless had shaken off her fear, and was snarling with rage!

In amazement Wolf watched her s.n.a.t.c.h up the still-glowing branch, and hurl it at Viper-Tongue. It struck her full in the back when she threw something, the female rarely missed and Viper-Tongue howled with fury. Her forepaws lifted away from the rock, and the gaping Mouth crashed shut.

But even in so short a time, the demons had come pouring from it, and now the forest of stone thronged with them: swarming about the Bright Beast-that-Bites-Cold. And still Stone-Face held it high, forcing them to her will. And Wolf sensed that neither Tall Tailless nor the female nor he himself dared attack her, for they knew that she was the very evil of evils.

He was wrong.

The pack-sister's attack had roused Tall Tailless, and now he barked to her, and she turned and tossed him her great claw: the one that had bitten off part of Wolf's tail.

Tall Tailless caught it in one forepaw then ran towards Stone-Face towards the demons!

Terror dragged at Wolf's paws, but he loved his pack-brother too much to forsake him now. Together they ran through the fog of fear. Then Tall Tailless drew back his forepaw and swung the great claw not at Stone-Face, not at the demons but at a thin stone sapling towering overhead.

Clever Tall Tailless! The trunk cracked teetered and crashed down. The demons screeched and skittered away like ants from an auroch's hooves, and Stone-Face was brought down, and the Bright Beast flew from her forepaw, clattering across the floor and its cold light was swallowed by the Dark.

As one, the demons howled. They were free! And now they were spreading through the Den like a great Fast Wet, and Wolf hid with Tall Tailless in the thicket of stone, his heart bursting with terror and despair as they swept past him.

Already he could hear the bad taillesses fighting among themselves, blaming each other for the loss of the Bright Beast-that-Bites-Cold. Only Wolf saw the pack-sister stumble upon it and s.n.a.t.c.h it up, and hide it in the sc.r.a.p of swan's hide that hung about her neck.

Then she grabbed Tall Tailless by the forepaw, and dragged him by the dim glow of the branch towards a smaller Den high in the side of the main Den; a narrow Den like a weasel's tunnel, through which flowed the clean, cold smell of the Up.

With a pang, Wolf realized what they meant to do. They meant to go by a path he couldn't take. His tail drooped as he watched them peel off their overpelts and make ready to go.

Tall Tailless knelt. Go! He told Wolf. Find the other way out! Meet us in the Up! And Wolf wagged his tail to rea.s.sure him, because he sensed his pack-brother's worry, his unwillingness to leave him.

Then they were gone, and Wolf turned on one paw and raced from the Den, following the clean, cold scent pouring in from the Up.

Torak was lost in an endless tunnel of crawling and gasping, and more crawling. This terrible, terrible hole. How had Renn managed it, not once, but three times?

It was night when they dropped exhausted into the snow. A windy night in the dark of the moon, with only the glow of stars on snow to light the way and no sign of Wolf.

At least, not yet, Torak told himself. But he'll make it out. If anyone can, it's Wolf.

After the warmth of the caves, the cold was merciless, and their teeth chattered too hard for speech as they struggled to untie their bundled-up clothes and yank them on.

'The fire-opal,' panted Torak at last. 'I saw it fall it touched rock. That means the demons are free!'

Renn gave a terse nod. In the starlight her face was pale, and her black hair made her look like someone else.

'Did you see where it fell?' said Torak. 'Did one of them pick it up?'

She opened her mouth then shook her head. 'Come on,' she muttered, 'we've got to reach the skinboat before they get out!'

He didn't know if she meant the Soul-Eaters or the demons. He didn't ask.

Floundering through the snow, they made their way round the spur. The Eye of the Viper was shut, but as they reached it, Torak glimpsed a small, pale shape slip through a gap and race away. His heart leapt. The white fox had found the way out!

He turned to Renn, and saw that she was smiling. At least someone had escaped.

As they watched, they saw the scuttling darkness of the wolverine who for once was more intent on getting away than on biting anyone. Then the eagle emerged: ungainly in the snow, until she spread her wings and lifted into the sky.

'Go safely, my friend,' Renn said softly. 'May your guardian fly with you!'

Then came the otter: pausing for a moment to dart Torak a penetrating glance before streaking off down the mountain. And finally when Torak was turning sick with dread Wolf.

He had a struggle to squeeze through the hole, but once he was out, he simply shook himself and came bounding down to them with his tongue hanging out, as casually as if he fled demon-haunted caves every night of his life.

When he reached Torak, he rose lightly on his hind legs, put his forepaws on Torak's shoulders, and covered his face in wet wolf kisses.

Heedless of the Soul-Eaters heedless of demons Torak snuffle-licked him back. Then together they raced down to the sleds, and Wolf bounded about in circles while they hurriedly retrieved their packs.

Down the mountain they ran, with Wolf pausing to let them catch up. At the head of the iced-in bay, he helped them find their skinboat, buried beneath a fresh fall of snow.

But when the skinboat was in the water, and hastily loaded with their gear, when Renn and Torak had taken their places Wolf refused to jump in.

'Can't you make him?' cried Renn.

With a sinking feeling, Torak took in the set of Wolf's ears, and the stubborn spread of his paws. 'No,' he said. He heaved a sigh. 'He hates skinboats. And he's better off going overland. They'll never catch him.'

'Are you sure?' said Renn.

'No!' he snapped. 'But it's what he means to do!' Of course he wasn't sure. Even in the Forest, a lone wolf's life is a short one but out here, on the ice?

There wasn't even time to say goodbye. As Wolf stood looking down at him, their eyes met briefly but before Torak could speak, Wolf had turned and sped away, a silver streak racing over the snow.

The sun was just cresting the mountain as they brought the boat about and headed south, slicing the water with their paddles. Luckily, the wind was behind them, so they made good speed.

When they were out of arrowshot, Torak turned.

'Look,' said Renn.

The mountainside was still in shadow, but stark against the grey snow, Torak saw a darker shadow pouring down the slope.

'Demons,' he said.

Renn met his gaze, and in the gloom her eyes were blacker than the Sea.

'We failed,' she said. 'The demons are loose upon the world.'

THIRTY-ONE.

Far away on the northern-most edge of the Forest, the sun rose over the High Mountains. Around the Raven camp, birch trees stirred uneasily as they dreamed.

'Demons,' said Saeunn, crouching on a willow mat to read the embers. 'I see demons coming from the Far North. A black flood, drowning all who stand in its path.'

Only Fin-Kedinn heard her. The hunting had been good, and the rest of the clan was asleep, their bellies full of baked red deer, and rowanberry mash; but the Raven Leader and his Mage had sat up all night at the entrance to his shelter, while the stars faded and the sky turned grey, and around them the Forest slept on in the hushed radiance of a heavy snowfall.

'And there can be no doubt?' said Fin-Kedinn. 'It is the work of the Soul-Eaters?'

As the Raven Mage stared into the embers, the veins on her bald pate throbbed like tiny snakes. 'The fire spirit never lies.'

An ember cracked. Snow pattered down from the spruce tree overhead. Fin-Kedinn glanced up and went very still.

'We've come too far north,' said Saeunn. 'If we stay here, there'll be nothing between us and the demons!'

'What about Renn and Torak?' said Fin-Kedinn, his eyes fixed on the spruce.

'What about the clan?' retorted Saeunn. 'Fin-Kedinn, we must go south! We must head for the Widewater, take refuge at the Guardian Rock! There I can weave spells to protect us, set lines of power about the camp.'

When Fin-Kedinn did not reply, she said, 'This must be the end to what you've been thinking.'

The Raven Leader dragged his gaze back to the Mage. 'And what have I been thinking?' he said in a quiet voice that would have made any other clan member blanch.