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‘I will seek Emma,’ her voice trailed back to him.

His eyes grazed where she’d so recently been asleep, and he thought, perhaps it was pleasant to have the company of Sereh and Arrow in his chamber, only then his hunger surged. It had been too long since he’d last fed. He’d flown a long way, and spent much time trying to determine how to save Erann. Now, he could feed and rest until Sereh dreamed of Erann again. Only then was it even possible for them to connect and for the truth of how he could escape his confines to be known.

Only after he’d fed could he sleep again. Then, he’d be able to focus on finding Erann. He could hardly wait to be reunited with him. He had much to share with Erann about the past. Much indeed.

PART V

24

SEREH

Sereh slept so well in Skaldi’s warmed stone bed she practically bounded into the common room after waking and discovering, that finally, there was a means of rescuing Erann. Not that she understood it all yet, but hope had been a rare thing in the last few weeks, and she grasped hold of it gleefully.

‘Good morning,’ she trilled, feeling lighter than she had since Erann’s disappearance.

Elen glanced at her with surprise from where she was feeding an increasingly rounded-looking Pal. Pal also offered a broad smile when she bounced up to him, to place a kiss on his food smeared cheeks. He grabbed her hair in welcome.

‘Well, good morning to you too, Pal, but not my hair, sweet boy,’ she murmured, carefully extracting his sticky hands. She wrinkled her nose at him, before placing another kiss on his head. Elen’s laughter filled the space.

‘Well good morning to you as well, Sereh. You’ve clearly woken on the right side of the dragon this morning.’

‘Arrow, don’t do that,’ Sereh was forced to drag Arrow back as she tried to lick Pal from fingers to arm. She shook her head. ‘There, look, food for you. Over there,’ and Arrow allowed herself to be pointed in the correct direction. ‘Do you know where Emma is, Elen?’

‘She’s in her rooms. She asked me to look after Pal until your return. I think she needs some time alone,’ Elen cautioned softly.

She nodded, but couldn’t keep the information to herself. She had to tell someone.

‘I believe Skaldi’s worked out how to get Erann back. It’s a bit confusing. Emma will know more than me. I wish I could communicate with Skaldi the way Emma does. And with Erann. But I need to dream something for him. Then he’ll know. Isn’t it wonderful news?’ Eagerly, she helped herself to a peat cake, as hungry as Arrow, and feeling completely recovered from her icy passage on the glacier.

‘It is wonderful news, Sereh. Don’t think I don’t believe that. But, forgive my caution, does it mean we have to endure you forgetting Erann again?’

Sereh grimaced at the reminder, grateful Elen hadn’t mentioned Jon, only her forgetfulness.

‘I think so, but I’m going to try and dream of Erann tonight. I might be able to connect with him that way as opposed to the other.’ Her lips twisted again. ‘But if that doesn’t work, then yes, we’ll have to go through the whole sorry mess again, unfortunately, sorry. Am I really that unbearable when I forget about him?’ Sereh watched Elen’s expression. Her wry smile said rather too much.

‘Oh yes, sorry, Sereh, it’s impossible. I tell you now, it’s an effort not to give you a good slap to the face, a rough shake, and shout at you to remember Erann.’ Sereh’s good humour evaporated at the vehemence in Elen’s voice. She quickly stopped herself from answering angrily. It had been a stupid question. She knew how difficult it must be. It was not so bad for her, because she was the one who’d forgotten. Those around her must have been aghast the first time it had happened. And the second. And the third. And so on.

‘I suppose I can be nicer to you, knowing it’s the last time. In your defence, you’re always very helpful and do lots of chores when you forget him. And you help with Pal a great deal.’

Sereh took that as a good-natured hint to do something, now.

‘Shall I take Pal for a bit. He could do with a bath and so could I. Will that be helpful enough?’

A grin split Elen’s face at her words, ‘Well, it’s a good start. Now do you want breakfast or not?’

At her nod of yes, Elen dumped a huge portion of sweet peat cakes before her, and a cup of steaming tea. Sereh set to with more enthusiasm than she’d felt in a long time.

25

EMMA

Emma couldn’t stop crying. She no longer shook with the force of her grief at the message Skald Drekki had brought her. Now the tears simply streamed down her face without cease. She’d sought solace in her room. But didn’t find it there.

She knew where she needed to go. Now, she walked through the silent rock way, her feet finding the path worn down by centuries of use. In places, the spaces were moulded exactly to her feet and felt almost like shoes made out of warm rock. They could have been comfortable. Almost.

She walked, eyes closed, even though the tunnel was cast in darkness as thick as the Long Night. She felt the engravings on the wall with her extended right hand. Her fingers quested in and out of dips and shallows, searching for the figure she sought.

She realised she was holding her breath. Quiet laughter flooded the empty space. What did she expect? That she’d not find him? The wall art had been here for more years than she cared to remember. It had never changed. Admittedly, the colours had faded, but that was hardly relevant in the dark. So why the worry now?