‘We only need to round that hill and we can rest for the night,’ he called back to them.
‘We won’t be going over it then?’ Master Celios asked, dragging his thin,matted hair from his eyes.
‘I never go over what I can go around,’ Daneel responded.
‘How is it that you know these paths at all?’ Sir Ferse asked him.
‘I was born and raised here. I’m as familiar with these paths as you are with the streets of Cintar. I could never get used to that blasted place.’
And with that, they continued on.
The hill, it turned out, was not so simple to walk around, and they had to stop severalmoretimes to rest and snack upon their provisions. Daneel would not tell them about anything that he had planned for them, so they had to take it in good faith that he would lead them to food and shelter as required. Lady Wind seemed to struggle with the climb most of all, and the group often had to wait for her to catch up. At first, the god-woman walked obediently at her side, but more and moreoftenthe girl got away from her and soon began pretending she could not hear Lady Wind pleading for her to wait up.
‘Magician!’ the girl said shuffling along to beside him. ‘I want to talk with you.’ Gone wereher costumes and her hag voice, but she held one hand tightly to her hood, as if to keep her face hidden away from view. Only her eyes could be seen, peering out at him.
‘I think you know my name by now,’ he told her.
‘Magician!’ she insisted. ‘Lady Wind is struggling. How can she be expected to manage all these difficult paths?’
Samuel stopped and let his pack slide from his back to the ground with a thud. He looked at the lady, as she did her best tonegotiatethe rocky terrain. She slipped and slid every third step.
‘She was warned of the dangers. We can’t turn back now. Why don’t your kinsmen go to her aid?’
The girl looked at Ambassador Canyon and Horse, striding just behind Daneel. They seemed oblivious to the plight of their countrywoman.
‘They will let her die. So will you.’
‘Of course we won’t,’ Samuel said with disbelief.
‘They warned her not to come, but she would not be dissuaded. Serving me is all she knows.’
‘What about you? Would they let you die as well?’
The girl looked at him as if he werea fool. ‘Of course not. I would not be allowed to perish.’
‘I suppose they value their god over their fellows. Fair enough. What do you want me to do?’
‘Order her to go back.’
‘Haven’t you already tried that?’
‘No. Canyon would not order her to break her bond with me. It would be demeaning to him. She also cannot do it for herself. You are not of our people. If you command her to leave, she will object, but then concede. It will save her pride-and her life.’
‘You people have very strange ideas. Would you rather die than be offended? And what if I do tell her to leave? Won’t I lose my pride, too?’
‘You have no honour to uphold,’ she said dismissively. ‘Your people are arrogant and rude, so nothing will be lost.’
Samuel sniffed, holding in a curt reply. ‘It’s too far and she would not find the way. Without someone to take her, it is not possible. She will just have to come with us, and we will take care of her. We will not make a fuss of it, if that will make you feel better. Perhaps she will not even know.’
‘Well done, Magician. That is acceptable,’ she said, and through the gap in her hood, Samuel caught a glance of her smile.
The girl turned about and hurried back towards her escort, waving to the lady and calling for her to hurry along.
Samuel hauled up his pack and strode to the front of the procession, breathing heavily as he forged past each of the others, until he gained Daneel’s side.
‘The woman is having trouble,’ he stated and Daneel only gave him a glance to show he had heard the comment.
A few moments later, Daneel gestured ahead and,barely twenty paces in front,was another tiny shack, even smaller than the others, with smoke billowing out of its chimney. He gave a shrill howl and another echoed back at him from inside the hut, signalling that someone was waiting for them inside.
‘I will see to it,’ Daneel then said to Samuel.
An old couple lived inside and they, too,had prepared a meal for the group. Samuel had no idea of how Daneel had sent wordaheadof theirimpendingarrival, but they were all just glad to have warm food, a fire and a roof over their heads.
‘From here it will becomemoredifficult,’ Daneel announced, as they banged their elbows together over their meal. ‘We will climb into the ice country and from there it will be up to the magicians to provide for us. There will be one more roof over our head after tonight, but then we must move quickly. It will take many nights to make the crossing if our luck holds, but we will die unless you can use your skills to warm us. From here, we can only eat what we can carry.’ He took a sip of his bitter milk tea and pointed a finger to Lady Wind. ‘She will go back,’ he said. ‘Our hosts will escort her down the mountain tomorrow.’
Lady Wind tried to object, but there was no support for her in the room. Finally, she nodded her agreement and looked quite relieved by it.
Before they slept, the old couple waved goodbye, chattering to Daneel in his dialect.
‘They will stay with friends and return in the morning,’ Daneel explained to Samuel, noting his look of concern. ‘There are several families still living this high, but most will be heading to the lowlands soon.’
‘I didn’t see anyone. Why would they live in such a place?’
‘Why wouldn’t they?’ was Daneel’s only reply and he stepped outside to fetch in more firewood for the evening.
‘Have you solved my riddle yet?’ Sir Ferse said softly, squatting beside Samuel on the shin-high stools these mountain folk seemed to employ. The others were busy with their tasks and too busy to take notice.
Samuel had been thinking of little else all day. ‘I only have one answer, but it seems preposterous.’
‘Go on.’
‘You admit that I killed the Emperor and you suggest I also have killed you. Given the circumstances, I can only guess that you, then, are the Emperor. Clearly, however, you are not.’
Sir Ferse seemed pleased with Samuel’s response. ‘I may not be the same man, Samuel, but inside this shell I am not what I seem. I am, or at least I was until you killed me, Edmond Calais, the Emperor of Turia.’
Samuel was stupefied. He could now feel everything about the man slipping into place-his words, his movements, his mannerisms. If it were not so obvious it would have been a ludicrous statement, but Samuel immediately knew it to be true. Still, he struggled to come to terms with the concept, while the man beside him waited for a response. ‘But…how?’ was all Samuel could finally manage to say.
Sir Ferse made sure his voice was lowered as he began to tell Samuel what had happened. ‘As well as everyone,I had heard the whispered prophecy of my demise but,being the man I was, I of course ignored such nonsense. It was not that I did not believe it could happen-for,as you know,I trust the visions of Master Celios above all-it was just that I imagined it happening after I was old and grey, and such a death at that time would probably even be welcome. Then, the day of my death happened, as you are well aware, given that you were there, and I was quite surprised to find myself waking up in this body. You see, in the days leading up to my demise, Master Celios’ visions had grown stronger and he had secretly devised a method of capturing my essence and ensuring that my consciousness was not lost.’
‘Sorry, I have to interrupt you there because that is just not possible. No magician can do what are describing. It is just not within our capabilities.’
‘Then I suggest you have a chat to Master Celios yourself, because he seems to know quite a bit more about magic than you. Don’t worry, I have quizzed him on the matter quite exhaustively, but he can only reveal that the method came to him in another inexplicable vision. It had taken him every moment since the vision to prepare and, unfortunately, a body did have to be found.’ With that, he gestured to himself, as if to exhibit the point. ‘Sir Ferse was a likeable and steadfast fellow, but he was required to serve me one last time, in his way. Don’t fret, for the
