Nothing happened.
‘Damn it,’ he muttered; ‘work, you stupid thing.’
Aila appeared next to him.
‘You try,’ he said.
She nodded and pressed her hand against it.
‘I’m sorry, Corthie. I don’t feel anything.’
He started to cry, softly at first, then great sobs were torn from his chest as the tears spilled down his face. Aila put her arm round his shoulders and held him.
‘All the times she’s saved me,’ he said, ‘and I couldn’t save her.’
‘She saved thousands; let that be her legacy. She also managed to put the Sextant somewhere the Ascendants will never find it. The way she handled the Sextant; she was like a true god, saving as many of her people as she could; putting their lives before hers. She was a hero in the end; the saviour of thousands.’
Corthie tried to digest her words, but the pain was too raw. If only he had been able to say goodbye.
‘Can I help you folks?’ said a voice.
They glanced over to the path. An old, dark-skinned woman was leading a donkey, which was pulling a cart loaded with bales of hay.
Corthie stared at her. The woman, noticing his tears, reached into a pocket and passed him a handkerchief.
‘Thank you,’ said Aila. ‘Do you know where we are?’
The woman squinted at them. ‘I do, but it seems clear that you don’t. Where have you come from, then? Who are you?’
‘My name is Aila, and this… this is Corthie Holdfast.’
‘A Holdfast, eh? Or is he “of Hold Fast,” my dear?’
‘I’m sorry; I don’t understand.’
‘I’m the son of Daphne Holdfast,’ he said.
‘Oh, a proper Holdfast, then. Your sister lives close to here; I often see her when I visit the market in the castle, when she’s out with her little ones.’
‘A castle?’ said Aila. ‘Where?’
‘That’ll be Colsbury Castle, my dear, and it’s not far; just round the corner. I’m going that way; shall I take you?’
‘Yes, please,’ said Aila.
‘Right you are, my dear.’
Aila leaned over and pulled the Weathervane from the side of the Sextant and a low hum that Corthie hadn’t been aware of fell silent.
‘Better safe than sorry,’ she said.
They walked with the old woman along the path as the light grew stronger. The sky was mostly clear, but a cold wind was pushing in dark clouds over the lake from the west, and within a few minutes, it had started to rain. Corthie and Aila both paused on the path for a moment, letting the raindrops roll down their faces.
‘You two look like you’ve never seen rain before,’ said the old woman.
‘It’s been about six months,’ said Aila.
‘Months? What are those, then?’
‘She means thirds,’ said Corthie.
They turned a corner in the path, and a fresh stretch of the lake opened up before them. Two hundred yards from the turn, a slender bridge extended from the shore, running across the water to an island, which was ringed with a high curtain wall, above which tall towers were rising.
‘There it is, my dears; Colsbury Castle. The home of her Highness, Princess Shellakanawara.’
‘Shella lives there?’ said Corthie.
‘You know her?’ said Aila.
‘She’s my mother’s friend.’ He glanced at the old woman. ‘Do you know where my mother is?’
‘And how would I know where Holder Fast is, young man? She’s the Herald of the Empire; she could be anywhere.’
They walked on, and approached the bridge. A tall woman was waiting for them there, leaning back against a high post at the start of the bridge, a cigarette in her hand.
‘Brother,’ she said.
The old woman nodded to Karalyn, and kept on walking, while Corthie and Aila halted on the road.
‘Sister.’
‘You made it back. Where’s…’
‘Don’t start, Karalyn,’ he said. ‘You have no idea what we’ve been through.’
‘I do, actually; I read it from Aila’s mind. Listen, before we argue, let me say this – I’m sorry for what happened; truly, I am. My mind was twisted by grief and rage, and all I wanted to do was come home for my children. The guilt has eaten me up ever since; all I’ve thought about is abandoning you, but I couldn’t leave my children again. That’s why I agreed to Kelsey going. She wanted to go, and if Aila’s memories are correct, she’s happy where she is. She has a dragon. And Sable is also where she belongs. Did she give her Quadrant to Blackrose?’
Aila nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘Good. That makes up partly for what I did.’ She straightened her back. ‘Let’s go inside, and we can talk about Belinda and the Sextant.’
Karalyn turned and began walking across the stone bridge. Corthie and Aila glanced at each other, then followed.
* * *
‘Holy crap,’ cried Shella, as she walked into the warm chamber; ‘you’ve grown.’
‘Hi, Auntie,’ said Corthie, getting up from the chair by the fire.
‘Sit down,’ she said, as she walked to a side table and poured herself a brandy. ‘Five and a half years,’ she chuckled; ‘your mother’s going to go mental.’ She sat opposite Corthie and Aila and lit a cigarette. ‘And you’re Aila, eh? I’ve heard a fair bit about you; none of it good. You officially took the blame for Karalyn not bringing Corthie back, but don’t worry; I’m sure you’ll win old Daffers round. And, if you don’t, all you have to do is wait for her to die. You’re immortal, yeah?’
‘I am a demigod.’
Shella shrugged. ‘Whatever that means.’
The air wavered in the far corner of the chamber, and Karalyn appeared with the Sextant. Aila and Corthie stood.
‘The sword,’ said Karalyn, holding out her hand.
Shella joined them as they walked over to the huge device. Aila handed the Weathervane to Karalyn, and the Holdfast woman crouched and slotted it into place. The device started to hum again, and Karalyn placed her hand on it and closed her eyes.
‘What’s it supposed to do?’ said Shella.
‘It can create worlds,’ said Aila, ‘and transport people between them.’
‘Is that how you got back?’
‘Aye, said Corthie. ‘Belinda…’ He stopped, fighting the tears that threatened to re-emerge.
‘Belinda saved us,’ said Aila. ‘She used the
