Then the land just sort of flowed, with the breezy grass running round islands of hills and trees, in sunlight. Argul said we were now only twenty miles from the sea, and I’d never seen a sea. We’d go there, said Argul. But first we’d have our wedding, and use the grassy plain as our dancing-floor, because the Hulta marriage dances stir up flowers, and make trees grow – or so the Hulta boastfully say.
Oh.
You may as well know, a tear nearly thumped on the page. Damn.
(I never used to swear. I wouldn’t, because the nasty royalty in the House, where I was a slave-maid, were always swearing, and I didn’t want to be like them.)
Anyway if I’m going to cry and swear I’ll stop writing. So that’s that.
(I think I do have to write this down. I don’t know why. Like a spell or something. But I’m not so daft that I think it will help in any way.)
On the wedding morning it’s thought bad luck if a Hulta groom and bride see each other. But – well, we did. But we only laughed and separated quickly for custom’s sake. Didn’t even really kiss each other good-bye – had no reason to, of course. (Every reason to, if we’d known.)
I went first to groom Siree. Ashti and I plaited Siree’s mane and tail with green and silver ribbons. I’d ride her to my wedding. A Hulta bride always rides.
After that I had to be groomed.
There was this terrific private pool Dagger had found in the woods, and Teil and Toy and Dagger and Ashti and I went there to bathe and wash our hair. We took our wedding clothes, and the jewels and makeup and everything, plus some hot bread and fruit juice and sweets. I’d brought this book, too, and an ink pencil, to jot stuff down – although I didn’t really think I’d have time.
The trees grew in close around the pool, but above there was a scoop of cloudless sky. Flower-bells in the water.
Brides are supposed to be nervous. I wasn’t, just happy. But our game was that I was really upset and scared, and somehow we got into a story, splashing around in the pool, about how Argul was a dreadful bully about sixty years old, who’d unhitch the horses and make me pull the wagon, with his other six wives.
In the middle of this, I looked up, and saw it go over. Then the other two.
I just stood there in the water, and I went – not cold, kind of stony.
‘She’s just properly realized it’s that hideous hundred-year-old Argul she’s got to marry!’ screamed Ashti.
They all yowled and splashed me.
‘No – I saw—’
‘She’s so frightened, now she’s seeing things!’
Dagger said, ‘Shut up – what was it, Claidi?’
But they’d gone.
‘I must have – imagined – I don’t know.’
Teil looked stern. ‘You do. What?’
‘Balloons.’
They went blank. Then realization dawned.
‘You mean like from the grey City—’
‘Well – not really. I mean I only ever saw one from there, and these weren’t the same.’
That was true. Nemian’s balloon had been silvery, round. These were more sort of mushroom shaped, a dull coppery colour.
Had I imagined it? Had they been some odd, big, new kind of insect that looked larger but farther up?
In any case, many places had fleets of hot air balloons, Nemian had always been going on about that. Peshamba had had them … or hadn’t they?
Though the sky was still cloud-clear, a sort of shadow had fallen. We got out, not really dry, shoved on our best clothes. Even my wedding dress got put on fast, without much care. (Without thinking I thrust this book in my pocket.) Shaking out our wet hair, we went up through the trees, leaving most of our picnic, and everything else.
The main camp wasn’t much more than a quarter of a mile away. Not that far. (Only, down a slope, through all the trees.) It hadn’t seemed to matter earlier.
Argul knew all about what had happened in the Wolf Tower and the City, and what I’d done. Mehmed and Ro had some idea, but weren’t really that bothered. I’d never discussed it with anyone else, nor had they pestered to know. They seemed to accept it was something I’d prefer to forget.
Only now Teil said, quietly, ‘Claidi, is it possible they might have sent someone after you?’
‘Me?’ But it was no good being modest. I’d wrecked the Wolf Tower Law. The fireworks had seemed to prove most of the City was glad about that. But I’d had some doubts. The Old Lady, for one, Ironel, what about her? I’d never been sure, there. ‘It’s – possible.’
We began to walk quickly, not running, in the direction we’d come, back towards the camp.
And then, the strangest sound, behind us.
I thought afterwards it was only startled birds, lots of them, flying up and away. Then, it sounded as if the wood had sprouted wings and was trying to escape. The light and shade were all disturbed, with fluttering and flickering, and then there was a thud behind us.
Something had come down – landed.
None of us said anything or yelled. We all just broke into a run.
Instantly every single tree-root and bush and creeper in the wood seemed to come jumping up to trip and sprawl us.
But over the chorus of panting and crashes and yelps, and Dagger’s always impressive bagful of rude words – another thud. This one was quite close.
The light had altered. Something was blotting it up … A brownish reddishness, and on the ground a huge shadow, cruising – and I looked up, having tripped again, and a balloon hung there, right over the trees.
It looked enormous. Like a dirty bloated fallen sun. No, like a copper thunder-cloud—
And then – I don’t know really what happened. I’ve tried to piece it together, can’t, as if somehow I’ve forgotten those completely crucial moments.
But it was as if the wood changed again. This time all the trees became
