Dragons. Coincidence? Or was it a warning to her about what happened to all the mysterious champions of life? Her constant companions didn't help the growing apprehension she felt. Amy, Briony and Brigid had all slipped into a troubled silence as they watched the figure in the shadows preparing to emerge. And what would happen when she did?
Before Caitlin could consider an answer, an arm clamped around her chest, another around her shoulders. A knife pricked her throat. She tried to throw off the assailant who had come up as silently as a ghost, but the jabbed response of the blade stilled her movement.
'I hate you, you bitch.' It was Mahalia. Her hissed words carried the weight of desperation and fear and loneliness.
'I'm not your enemy,' Caitlin said. 'I don't know what-' The stabbing pain grew more intense; blood tricked down to her clavicle.
'I've seen what you're doing, how you're manipulating everyone, trying to get Carlton on your side. No one does that to me. No one!'
Caitlin felt the subtle tensing of Mahalia's muscles and knew in that instant that the girl intended to carry out her murderous threat. The revelation came like a douse of cold water. Despite all she had seen, Caitlin had never thought that the teenager would really hurt those who had been her friends.
As Mahalia prepared to slice, Caitlin smashed the back of her head into Mahalia's face. Mahalia howled and the knife slipped from her fingers.
Caitlin's action threw her wildly off-balance. Unable to control her momentum, she rolled over the top of the rail and plummeted the short drop into the water. The currents in that part of the river were strong and she was sucked under before she had time to grab a mouthful of air or call for help. Adrenalin and the shock of the cold water gave her a tremendous surge of energy. Battling her way to the surface, she managed to fill her lungs before going down again. This time, though, she caught sight of something in the depths that made everything else recede: colour, several splashes of it, visible in the beams of brilliant moonlight that penetrated to the reedy bottom.
The current whisked her away and once again she was fighting for air. With an effort, she clawed her way to the surface, sucked in more breaths, and then fought her way to the slow, steady movement on the periphery of the flow. In the shallows, fallen trees and branches lay half- submerged where she could anchor herself to recover.
She couldn't be sure; she had to see again.
Steeling herself, Caitlin took another gulp of air and plunged beneath the surface. In the ghostly underwater world of shadows broken by moonlight beams, she once again glimpsed the colours: drifting gently above the swaying vegetation like oil paints spilled in the water. She struck out towards it. Not colours, but one colour in various shades. One colour. Purple.
Her heart began to thump wildly. In the back of her head, Amy came alive, her searching questioning — ' What is it? What is it? — gradually turning into a frightened keening. Desperately, Caitlin fought to keep the little girl contained. She couldn't afford to give herself up to Amy, not there; the girl would panic and they would both drown. Even if she did survive the river, Amy couldn't be allowed to take over with what lay ahead. She'd never escape.
Still not quite believing her eyes, Caitlin swam on, hoping to prove herself wrong. Gradually, indistinct grey shapes emerged from the surrounding murk like spectres. Marching laboriously along the river bed towards the boat were the Lament-Brood, their ranks now swollen by others who had fallen to their corrupt influence. They ranged across a portion of the river bed as wide as a football pitch, and more ranks were emerging from the depths behind them. All of them were twisted and broken, shambling, the purple light leaking from their eyes. At the front were the little men who had attacked Sunchaser — the reason why they had not surfaced now clear — and in the centre Caitlin could just make out the leaders, riding their lizard-horses.
The silence of the approaching army was eerie, but then Caitlin began to hear their incessant whispering filtering through the water like the susurrations of malignant phantoms, spreading their message of despair and pain and death.
They saw her, but they didn't increase their pace. They would not be deterred; they would reach their prey sooner or later.
Amy surged to the front of Caitlin's head and her childlike terror brought a brief convulsion before Caitlin forced her back. Not now, she prayed, before turning in the water and striking out for the shore. Anxiety turned to panic; her lungs burned.
She broke water in the shallows and instantly yelled out. At first she couldn't make out the boat, but then she saw its silhouette a little further ahead; they had a few minutes before the Lament-Brood would reach them.
'Wake up!' she screamed. 'For God… for God's sake! Danger!' Amy scrabbled again at her defences; pressing, pressing.
There was movement on deck. It looked like Triathus at first, followed by Matt and Crowther.
'Caitlin?' Matt called.
'I'm here, on shore! Get the boat moving upriver. Quick! The Whisperers are in the water… coming up on you fast!'
'Where are you?'
'Just move!' With relief, she saw the boat start up. Cloudy purple light began to drift up from the water, like an early morning mist. She would have to head into the trees and do her best to keep pace with the boat, if Amy let her. But just as she clambered out on to the muddy bank, she glanced back to see Sunchaser moving towards her, and picking up speed.
'No!' she screamed. 'Forget about me! There's no time-'
'Don't worry,' Matt shouted. 'We'll be with you in a second.'
The heads of the Lament-Brood began to break through the surface of the water as they moved into the shallows. The violet light was everywhere now, like licking flames of marsh gas, or as if someone had lit scores of candles and set them adrift. The whispering rose up into the still night air and Caitlin felt her heart sink the moment she heard it.
The boat continued to head towards her. Couldn't they see the danger? Now she could clearly make out everyone on deck, apart from Mahalia. Where was she?
Caitlin began to splash back out into the river, wondering if she could help them by getting to the boat first, but Whisperers were already coming up between her and Sunchaser. She waded back to the water's edge. She would have to run soon or they would have her.
A grinding noise tore through the dark and the boat started to list heavily. The Lament-Brood were beneath it, using their bodies to try to capsize it. Others came up, driving spears and swords towards the hull, trying to hole it beneath the water line.
'Don't do that!' Caitlin/Amy cried.
There was more grinding and the boat was raised further. Those on deck rolled and hit the rail hard. Another heave and they went over with loud splashes; only Triathus clung on. Frantic activity exploded in the water along the tree line. Caitlin couldn't tell what was happening, but it looked as if most of her companions had made it into the trees. Sunchaser began to move backwards, tearing itself free from the attack of the Lament-Brood. It righted itself with a loud splash and moved more quickly back towards midstream with Triathus now back in position at the helm, controlling it by the force of his will.
'The Court of the Dreaming Song is near here.' His voice carried crystal clear across the water. 'Follow the paths. I will meet you on the other side of the gorge, at the Gethil March, Port of a Thousand Paths. Ask at the court — they will show you the way.'
Sunchaser turned into the stream and headed off towards the gorge. The Lament-Brood made no attempt to follow.
'It's me they want!' Caitlin/Amy sobbed. She threw herself into the trees, forcing her way through the thick vegetation, tripping over bushes and roots in the dark, banging her head, bruising her ribs, crying, crying, not knowing what she was doing.
The whispering was always following her, and when she looked back, the purple light floated amongst the trees, like moths, always moving, a hundred of them; a hundred or more.
The forest grew even more dense and it became harder and harder to force her way through it. The roar of
