Chapter seventy-three

Ortia

They waited. Rem fiddled with the contents of his bag and Hardacre stood by the edge of the carefully chalked communication device.

‘I sense danger’ muttered Rem

Hardacre smiled a watery smile.

‘I know that you do. Why else would you have stayed?’

For friendship’ sake, perhaps, thought Rem, but he didn’t say it. Instead he pointed at the circle on the floor.

‘It’s dangerous to have that open for too long, is that it?’

Hardacre nodded.

‘Eventually something unwanted comes through it…’

‘What sort of thing?’ Rem asked, his voice damped to a whisper.

Hardacre’s shrug was gauged to be just perceptible,

‘I’m not sure; let’s hope we don’t find out’

Rem waited a moment.

‘It’s a pentagram’ he said, ‘no wonder it’s perilous’

‘No’ explained Hardacre, his voice as dry as desert bones, ‘it’s a pentangle. A completely different thing’

This went straight over Rem’s head. He stared down at the points and circle making up the symbol, examining them very closely.

‘So, tell me. How do they differ?’

Hardacre’s expression remained impassive.

‘Simply told. They make pentagrams we make pentangles…’

They waited.

The heavy-set dark-haired man appeared and brushed himself down, as if he had just careered through a hedge. He took one long look around the Proconsul’s office and then his eyes fixed on Hardacre.

‘Laurence,’ he said, ‘what have you got for us?’

Hardacre was unsurprised when a tall woman followed him almost instantaneously; she looked as if she had strode there on a mot particularly strenuous Sunday afternoon walk. Hardacre nodded at Jacantha briefly. There was no time for proper greetings.

‘. You are in Ortia, East Visneoria. Kratos is threatening the local god here, the Lady. You need to stop him’

‘Is the Enemy here?’ Jacantha asked, now hesitating.

‘I do not know’ responded Hardacre, ‘I need you to go and find out’

Jacantha looked at Dai

‘But… Kratos…’ Jacantha muttered. Dai laughed at her.

‘Foolish witch - that’s what we’re here for. You always did need some warming up. No time for that now. Let’s go and get him’

Expect the worst thought Hardacre, admiringly, and then when the worst happens you’ll be ready.

Hardacre called for Campanula and she rushed them out of the door. Hardacre and Rem were left to the agony to silent waiting; knowing that momentous things were happening a few hundred yards from where they were sitting.

There was a long wait. Reports came of massing armies and of casualties.  Rem became increasingly restless.

‘People are dying…’ he said, ‘I should be saving lives…’

‘Yes, you should’ agreed Hardacre, ‘no-on is keeping you here’

Rem looked around the room, as of looking for guards.

‘No-one is’ Rem said, ‘but I cannot leave you to this task alone.’ He nodded at the pentangle.

‘Nothing has happened yet. If it does, I will cope, I’m sure’

Rem shook his head.

‘No’ he said, ‘Rem will wait’. His voice trailed away. He corrected himself in soft tones, ‘I will wait’

Myfanwy appeared in the centre of Hardacre’s pentangle.  She was full of nervous energy; each movement made her patchwork cloak shimmer with shifting hues.

‘Laurence – what is it?’ She either ignored, or simply didn’t see, Rem.

Hardacre explained what had happened and Myfanwy was preparing to join Dai and Jacantha, when Rem interrupted them.

‘Healers shouldn’t fight’ he said

‘What?’ asked Myfanwy. Her mouth puckered in irritation, ‘who and what are you?’

‘This is Rem, the master healer’ Hardacre explained, ‘he is a Plains Dweller’

Rem nodded at her.

‘And you are a healer’ he asserted.

Myfanwy looked at Hardacre in puzzlement.

‘You are a healer’ insisted Rem. Myfanwy frowned.

‘How can you tell?’ she asked

‘You have a healer’s bag, and you have carried it here rather than some weapon or wand’

Myfanwy looked down at her old leather satchel.

‘I have some healing skills’ she admitted

‘If there is fighting and you have healing skills, then you should use them. There are many more who can do the killing and maiming’

Myfanwy stared at him. She spoke without rancour.

‘So – why are you here, then, and not tending to the sick yourself?’

‘He’s helping me’ explained Hardacre

‘Do what?’

‘Nothing that I cannot do well enough on my own. Both of you should go and heal who you can. If the City falls then Kratos can just walk in with an army; there will be nothing the council can do about him then. We need to keep the soldiers of the garrison fighting ’

Rem needed no additional encouragement. If people were dying, even if they were elves, then he should to be among them.  He felt a twinge of guilt about abandoning his friend, but he needed to go.

‘Witch woman’ he said, ‘come with me’

They left.

Hardacre waited