THE TALENDE TREE

CHAPTER 8 - Delphi

When Clover made her mind up that her team of four should join forces with Debin Wilanów's team of five, she felt pretty sure that that was the easy part. Somehow, they had to get to Greece. The elves didn't know much more than she did, and the only thing she knew was that it was south of Germany. Debin's lieutenant, Jakub, had a beautiful hand-drawn map of Europe. On it were the major rivers, the mountain ranges and the national borders, with dots to show the Hollow Hills and a few major colonies. There were no human cities, no roads or railway lines. As a work of art it was amazing; as a navigational tool, it had its drawbacks.
“How do you feel about catching trains?” Clover asked them tactfully. “I don't want to push you into using human things if you don't want to, but they are very fast.”
“Oh, I like trains!” exclaimed Sosna, the tall pine.
“We have used them sometimes,” said Debin. “That is to say, we have been taken on them. I am not sure how one chooses which one to catch.”
“I have a vague idea,” said Clover. “They go from city to city, as a rule.”
“The biggest city in Greece is called Athens,” said Jakub. “But that is not where we want to go. Our search begins at a small place called Delphi.”
“Woah!” said Tomasz, the snowy-haired handsome one. “That is top-secret information! You are sharing this already?”
“It's all right, Tomasz,” said Debin. “I understand your feeling, but now we have decided to trust each other, it is right to hold nothing back.”
Tomasz did not look convinced, but he said no more.
“Well, the first thing is to reach Greece,” said Olcha. “Clover is right. City to city, heading always south and east, and we will get there.”
“One step at a time,” said Rose. “So, we can start at the station here in Magdeburg?”
“First thing in the morning,” said Clover. “Rest now, and we'll leave at dawn.”

So that was what they had done, and it wasn't working out too badly. Clover did know about timetables, and she knew that Will, or Phil, or even Ace, would have pored over them until they had worked out the fastest, or simplest, or safest route, according to need. And if she'd had to, she would have given it a try. But she didn't have to. Chance, or fate, or simple serendipity had brought these two teams together and she had a strong feeling that the right thing to do was just to go with the flow. So into Magdeburg station they had ventured and their first train had taken them just a short hop to Halle. There, a few minutes later, in a flurry of excitement and speed, they caught a huge express going all the way to Munich. It was afternoon when they arrived in Munich. The fairies split up to find water while the elves looked at the great departure boards, trying to work out where to go next. They chose Villach, because little Olcha, the youngest, said he had heard of the place and he was sure it was at the far end of Austria.

That had been a long journey, but it had been exciting to cross the border near Salzburg, and realise they were in a different country. They'd all been getting tired, but they could see out of the window from the bundle of coats they were sitting in, and Austria was so beautiful the fairies had been entranced the whole way. Even Bella and Stella, who'd been in Messengers, had never been as far east as this. When they arrived at Villach it was dark and lights were reflected in the waters of the beautiful river. Following their instincts, they headed to the riverside and found good shelter inside an old packing case on a deserted jetty. They fell asleep almost at once, huddled together for warmth, but woke long before dawn, shivering in the starlight. Rose risked a small fire and made hot tea.
They arrived at the station so early, they managed to get a look at a big map before any humans were around, and that was very cheering as they saw how far they had come. That morning they crossed the border into Slovenia at Jesenice and travelled easily to Ljubljana, the capital. But there it stopped being easy. The station was so huge and complicated, and the variety of different services was bewildering. They had a vague idea that Belgrade would be a very useful place to head to, but they couldn't see it on any of the departure boards and that just confused them even more. Clover wished more than once that Will was with them, as they tried to work out what IC, EC, MV and all the rest might stand for. Rose said she thought that this place would baffle even Will. Stella thought that one of them should transform and simply ask for the information, but that gave Bella an idea. She went to eavesdrop in the ticket office, where tourists might be speaking English, to see if she could pick up anything useful. Hours later, she met up with the others on the roof of the station, weary but triumphant. Olcha gave her a drink of rather flat coca cola in a paper cup. She smiled at him and downed the drink thirstily.
“It took a long time, but I think we'll be all right now,” she said. “None of those confusing letters means anything to us. They tell the humans if the train is a fast or a slow one, and if it is an expensive journey or a cheaper one.”
“Wonderful,” said Stella. “And we are only hitching a ride, and don't care how long it takes, so long as we get there.”
“Even better, we know now – as you suspected, Jakub – that Beograd is Belgrade. In fact, the only bad news is that we've missed the last train of the day, and there isn't another until 08.25 in the morning.”
“You genius, Bella,” said Clover. “Knowing which train to aim for in this place will make all the difference.”
“Well done,” said Debin. “As for waiting till morning, that does not matter. We are already making amazing progress. And this elegant roof, with all its carved stonework, offers plenty of shelter and places to hide warmly away.”
“And light a little fire?” said Rose.
“Most certainly,” grinned Debin. “I will gather sticks for you myself.”

Early in the morning, they went down into the station to locate their platform and hide before the humans began to arrive. But they swiftly realised it wasn't going to be that easy. Finding the platform wasn't too difficult – they were getting rather good at this now, Clover thought cheerfully to herself – but the platform was already crowded. There were humans everywhere and it was clear the train was going to be very full. This worried them. They knew the journey was going to take over nine hours, and they were desperate to get inside the train. Clinging onto the roof for that length of time really wasn't an option, but it didn't seem as if they would be able to find anywhere to hide once they were on, even if they could get on, which didn't seem likely. Surveying the heaving crowds, Clover began to wonder if they were being too ambitious, and whether shorter hops might be better, when Tomasz hissed at everyone.
“Jump into the trolley!”
It was a refreshments trolley, left unattended for a moment, and hiding among the crisps and bottles of drinks was easy. So long as someone was going to push it onto the train... but they did. It was a very bumpy ride, but soon they were safely on board. Before they could get off the trolley, however, it was pushed through a door, and the door was closed and locked. Suddenly, it was very quiet and very dark indeed. For a moment, they nearly panicked, but then they realised that the trolley had been pushed into a store cupboard until it was needed, and that actually, all they had to do was get off now while it was quiet. They didn't dare chance a light until the trolley had gone again so they flattened themselves against a wall and hoped for the best. It seemed like hours before the trolley was taken away, but once it was, Bella switched a torch on and they all saw with relief a small shelf high above them. There was no view this time, and the shelf wasn't comfortable – it was where the train's first aid kit was stored – and of course it was dark, because they certainly couldn't keep the torch on for nine hours. But they were safe, and they had water, so they settled down to make the best of it.
To pass the time, they told stories – just funny things that had happened to them, and things like that – but looking back on it later, Clover realised that that was when they'd really got to know and understand one another. Eventually, though, the rocking of the train made them sleepy. They pulled their blankets out and tried to get comfortable. When the train crossed into Serbia, they were all asleep, and they didn't wake up until the train stopped in Belgrade.
Bleary-eyed and a little dazed, they realised the trolley was now back, so they hid among the empty bottles and jumped off as soon as the trolley hit the platform, and dashed under a bench. All around them, even at this time of night, were humans, feet everywhere, voices everywhere, all talking a language none of them understood. Or nearly all – suddenly, quite close to them, a boy with an enormous backpack spoke in clear English to a Serbian railway worker.
“Is this the night train to Thessaloniki?”
“No, this one just arrived. You need platform over there, see?”
“Follow him!” whispered Jakub, as loudly as he dared.
Everyone did, keeping apart and moving fast, because there was little cover. The boy was looking around as if he was puzzled, and Clover was too. This seemed a strange place. So new, and so unfinished. There weren't many signs to tell you where to go, and there wasn't even a complete roof. But she flitted at top speed and followed Jakub onto the train. This time, it was easy, because all the lights were on so low.
“OK, all on,” said Debin. “Why this train, Jakub?”
“This is a wonderful train!” said Jakub. “Thessaloniki is in Greece!”

None of them had ever seen anything like the beach at Thessaloniki. The light was so bright, the sky and the sea so blue. It was so warm, they could swim in the sea, and stroll on the beach in the sunshine. It was hard to believe it was 1st October. They were congratulating themselves on getting to Greece in just four days, but they had some daunting problems ahead of them. They had noticed that the Greek alphabet used different letters, so besides not knowing a word of the language, they couldn't even read it. They had no idea whereabouts in Greece this Delphi might be, and they didn't know where to look for Calla or the Enlightener when they got there.
“No point making it too easy,” said Clover. She sat down on the sand and traced patterns in it with her fingers. “Tell us everything you know, Debin. Even if it doesn't make sense to you, it might to someone else.”
“I will, gladly,” said Debin, “but I don't know much. In Special Brigade, you learn more as you go along. When you are – I don't know the word – raised in rank...”
“Promoted,” said Bella.
“...promoted, thank you, you learn more. Everyone knows the Enlightener is the greatest Tree of Power and always has been, and he is the source of all our power too, the knowledge of plants and how to use them to communicate, and travel quickly, and so on.”
Clover said nothing. She didn't believe this was completely true, but she realised that Debin did, and this wasn't the time to argue.
“However, when I became a lieutenant,” Debin continued, “I was told that the Enlightener had an interpreter – a fairy, always – who could send out his messages, advice and instructions into the realm. If one listened carefully, one might sense such a message with the mind.”
“That does sound like what the Talende Tree does for us,” said Stella. “Talende is just Norwegian for speaking. Our Tree talks to us, too.”
“Then has the Talende Tree also an interpreter?” asked Tomasz.
“Well, no,” said Clover. “He talks directly to each sprite who has touched him. But don't worry about that now, go on with your story.”
“Ah, yes,” said Debin. “When I became a captain, I learned that in times of great need, it was possible to travel to speak directly to the interpreter and ask her any question and she would ask the Tree for his answer. And she would be found at this place called Delphi. It could only be visited at night, because by day it was full of humans who visited in their hundreds to seek answers to their own questions in their temples. And Delphi was located far from anywhere else, but at a position where two eagles, one flying east and one west, would cross.”
“Wouldn't that depend where the eagles started from?” said Bella.
“I'm not going near any eagles,” said Rose. “Pigeons are quite scary enough for me.”
“I don't suppose it has to be eagles,” said Jakub. “That sounds a very old-fashioned description, and drawing a line on a map would probably work as well.”
“I agree,” said Debin. “I think this information is very vague and might lead us astray. Still, the final piece of information I have is for finding the tree once you have found Delphi. The advice was, ignore the ancient stones and ascend the hill.”
“That makes sense,” said Tomasz. “Up the hill, beyond the human temples, will be where the trees are.”
“Wait a minute,” said Clover. “Ancient stones? How ancient?”
“Oh, thousands of years,” said Debin. “Sprites and humans have been going there since time began, I think.”
“Thousands!” shouted Clover. “It's a tourist attraction! Humans don't go to temples to ask questions any more. They use Google. They go to temples to look at things from long ago. And what goes to tourist attractions that are miles from anywhere? D'you remember, Rose? How did we get from Paris to Franchard?”
“Coaches!” said Rose. “We can go on a coach. I love coaches. They don't go too fast, the roofs are so comfortable and you get to see all around you as you travel.”
“Exactly,” said Clover. “From the capital, there will be coaches to Delphi. What did you say the capital of Greece was called, Jakub?”
Jakub reminded everyone it was called Athens, so now they had a plan. They would return to the station, listen for Athens in the announcements, jump on a train and then the fairies would fly around till they found the place where the coaches parked.

They didn't do it in a day. None of them had realised how far it was to Athens. After a full day travelling to Belgrade, followed straight away by a full night to Thessaloniki, another full day to Athens finished them off. Even Sosna, the strongest of them all, was yawning and Stella was so tired she could hardly walk in a straight line. But one very good thing about Greece, they all agreed wearily, was that it was so warm you could sleep almost anywhere. They filled their water bottles at a fountain, then with a wary eye to the number of cats around, chose a very prickly bush to sleep under.
In the morning, they were all ready to take more interest in their surroundings. They were in a large, rather empty square, and the bright sunlight cast deep pools of shadow, so while the fairies went off on a reconnaissance flight, the elves jumped about and had a look around. The ground was dusty, and the trees rather stunted, and all around the square, like a border, were shops and cafes. They noticed a sign outside one shop that interested them. By the pictures, it was advertising boat trips. The names of the places you could visit were written in the Greek alphabet, but alongside them, it seemed as if the same names had been written in the alphabet they were familiar with.
“Maybe we can work this out,” said Jakub. “Has anyone a pen? You have, Olcha? Great. Write down our alphabet, and we will see how many Greek letters we can fill in. See, this place called Poros. The o and the s are the same. The r sound must be the thing that looks like a back to front g, and the thing that looks like a table must be p!”
Thrilled with their cleverness, the elves circled the square, looking for other such signs, and to their amazement, there were many. By the time the fairies got back, they had a full list and had worked out how Delphi would be spelled. The fairies were very impressed, but they were disappointed on their own accounts.
“Not a coach have we seen!” mourned Stella. “And it's so hot already. I need more water.”
While she was getting her bottle out, Clover was watching the roads. There seemed to be a lot of activity now. The shops and cafes were opening.
“I think we need to move,” she said. “It's getting... oh!”
The others looked where she was pointing. A coach was turning off the main road into the square. It stopped, and off it poured dozens of people with cameras, bags, sunhats and guidebooks. Some of them looked at the shops and cafes, but most of them pointed excitedly at the great temple on the hill above them and headed off purposefully in that direction.
“Are those tourists?” said Tomasz hopefully.
“They certainly are,” said Clover. “And look, here's another coachload arriving.”
“Let's go up into the little plane tree,” said Debin. “It will be cooler in the shade, and we can watch and learn.”

Within an hour, the square was full of coaches, and an hour after that, when the passengers had all gone and the drivers were all sitting in the cafes having coffees and cold drinks, the sprites came down from the tree and began to investigate. Most of the coaches, they noticed, had cards in the window, saying where they had come from or were going to – it was hard to guess which – but helpfully, many of them were in English.
“That makes sense,” said Jakub. “There were people there from all over the world. English is the language that most people know at least some of. But what do those ones mean that say, Ocean Princess and Queen of the Sea?”
“They sound like the names of ships,” said Bella.
“Oh, cruises,” said Rose. “I remember once Sally said she'd like to go on a cruise one day. A ship takes you from place to place, and you get off and look at things.”
“So she did,” said Clover. “And there were big ships in the harbour. I saw them when I flew up high. So a coach brings you from a ship and the name is in the window so you catch the right coach to go back.”
“Brilliant,” said Bella. “So we need one that's not going back to a ship, but on to the next place.”
“Split up,” suggested Debin. “See what you can find. Meet up at the plane tree in half an hour.”

They had a few anxious minutes thinking they had lost Sosna, but it turned out that he had no watch and had lost track of the time. But once they had all reported back on what they had seen, they all agreed that the coach Jakub had spotted sounded the most promising. They went to have a look at it. Its card read: Griechenland Rundreise – Athen – Golf von Korinth – Olympia – Delphi.
“They're going to Delphi!” yelled Bella. “Oh, yes!”
“And they are Germans, so we will understand what the humans are saying,” said Debin. “I like the look of this one, Jakub. Well done.”
“I see we must travel to two other places before we get there,” said Tomasz. “But they are probably on the way.”
Clover flew up to inspect the roof.
“Perfect,” she said. “Lots of things to hang on to, lots of cover. Let's go for it. We'll probably have hours to wait, but it will be worth it.”
There was no sign at all of anyone coming back. They felt safe in guessing that Athens was an important place with lots to see, and that the coaches would stay here all day. So the sprites agreed to split up and explore as they pleased and meet up again on the coach roof at four o'clock, so long as Sosna stayed with someone who had a watch. Rose said she wanted exercise and she was going to fly up to that great temple on the hill and see what everyone was looking at. The other fairies said they'd go with her. They flew in and out of the great columns, high above the humans' heads, and then soared even higher. The city spread out below them, and then the coastline of Greece, yet still the temple held its own, its dignity and importance unassailable. Clover felt rather shaken, and she was very quiet even when they took their places on the coach and waited for it to depart. Debin noticed, and came to sit beside her.
“Are you all right, Clover?”
“Oh, yes, thanks. I'm fine, really. It's just... I know humans. And I love the ones I know. But I never guessed they could make anything so awe-inspiring as that. And it's so old! They live much shorter lives than we do, yet they do so much.”
“Yes, said Debin thoughtfully. “The evidence is all around us. It seems to me that humankind has a strength that is more than the individuals... oh, I don't know how to say what I mean!”
“Don't worry, I understand,” said Clover. “And I think you're right. And I do know that not everything they do is good. But some of it is awesome.”
“That is not what I was brought up to think,” Debin admitted. “I was told that humans are at best, a danger, and at worst, evil, and that all they do is damage the earth. But I have travelled more and seen more than those sprites at home in Wilanów, and I know that there is a lot more to it than that.”

After that, they had to relax and go at the pace of the human party. They couldn't find Delphi on their own, but if they stuck to these humans, they would get there in the end. This was easier for some of them than for others. Clover was glad of it. She was not at all the lazy fairy she had once been, but constant strenuous activity was not her idea of fun and she was more exhausted than she wanted to admit. Most of them were fine, being sprites of equable temperament, easy-going and patient. But for Bella and Jakub, who were far more bustling and always wanting to push on, it was very frustrating. They didn't make any fuss about it, but it made them keen to eavesdrop on the humans as they chatted after dinner, in case there were any clues to be had, to help them get there faster. When the tourists began to stir to get ready for bed, Jakub and Bella joined the others on the roof of the hotel where the party had stopped for the night. Clover was lying on her back, gazing at the moon which wasn't far off the full, enjoying the chirruping of cicadas in the dark, warm air. But she rolled over and listened to what they had to say.
“Tomorrow, they travel all the way to Corinth,” said Jakub. “But once there, they stay for two nights.”
“Then they move on to Delphi,” said Bella.
“So the day after tomorrow, we don't have to travel round with them?” said Clover. “That sounds good. I don't know about anyone else, but I'd like to wash my hair, and make some fresh clothes, before meeting an important fairy like Calla Babele.”
“That sounds boring,” grinned Sosna. “But you are probably right.”
Bella and Jakub thought this a very poor plan indeed. So when they arrived at the Corinth hotel – which was even more luxurious than the one before – and Clover was looking, speechless, at the beautiful swimming pool, the two of them couldn't wait to start eavesdropping again. It was then they heard the Germans talking about Diolkos.
“Diolkos?” said Debin, when they told him. “Colonel Klethra Diolkos, his colony? And it's near here?”
“They're going there tomorrow, first thing,” said Jakub.
“I thought they said, the Diolkos,” said Bella. “But that's a strange way to refer to a place.”
“It did sound like that,” Jakub agreed. “But the home colony of a colonel could be an important place. They may have news. They may even have greater information than we have about Delphi, being possibly the nearest colony to the place.”
“Could we go with them, and see if we can find the colony?” said Bella.
“Goodness, Bella, I don't know,” said Clover. “How would you find your way back?”
“Oh, as to that, Jakub would memorise the route,” said Debin. “I would not worry about that. But what if they are hostile and turn on you?”
“I can't see why they would,” said Jakub, “so long as Bella pretends to be in Special Squadron. We are simply travelling to the Enlightener to seek an answer on behalf of our senior officer.”
“Undercover,” murmured Bella dreamily.
Clover and Debin looked at each other.
“I'm not sure it will be much help,” said Debin. “But I don't think it will do any harm either. If Clover agrees, it's all right by me.”
“All right,” said Clover. “We've followed our instincts so far and it hasn't led us astray.”

All the next day Clover tried not to worry about Bella. However much she reminded herself that Bella was a brave and competent fairy – and an armed fairy, too – she couldn't quite relax. It was just because they were so far from home and couldn't speak the language, she told herself. So many things could go wrong. A simple mistake could turn into a large one very quickly if you didn't know the plants or the customs or the climate. So she forced herself to concentrate and keep busy. She joined Stella and Rose in a shady part of the garden and they made cotton dresses for themselves and for Bella too, smart but cool.
“There, I hope Calla is impressed,” she said. “At least we've made an effort.”
“Calla,” said Rose. “What flower is that, anyone know?”
“Never heard of it,” said Stella. “Sounds like Latin, though. Here are the elves, p'raps they know. Debin, do you know what flower Calla is?”
The elves had just come across the lawn from the swimming pool, deserted in the middle of the day when all the tourists were out sight-seeing.
“No, I'm sorry. It's not a flower I know,” he said. “I don't even know what she looks like, I never met her.”
“I did, once,” said Tomasz. “She was so old, that all you saw was her age. She was all bundled up in scarves and many-layered skirts, such as you used to see in the east.”
“Yes, I have a feeling she is from Romania,” said Debin. “But I'm not sure. What I am sure about is the thing she is most famous for, that she can speak every language in the realm – and that's twenty-four, I think.”
“Wow,” said Rose. “She must be so clever. I'm looking forward to meeting her. Tomasz, what are you doing to that piece of white fabric?”
“I'm making a shirt,” said Tomasz. “What, you don't think it's very good?”
“I've seen better,” said Rose. “I've seen worse, too,” she added fondly, thinking of Ace and Will back on Wildside. “May I help you? You helped me, hanging on to me when my arms were too tired to hang on to the coach roof. Let me help you in return, and we will get you a really good fit.”
“Oh well, if you put it like that... thanks!”
“I'll make one for Jakub,” said Clover. “I need to keep busy.”
“I understand,” said Debin. “I am worrying a bit, too. But once you have finished, Clover, go and enjoy a swim. That clean blue water seems to make your worries float away.”

He was right there, she thought, floating on her back looking up at a cloudless blue sky. The war felt very far away. She wasn't even sure what day it was, and she hadn't charged her phone for days. She felt a bit guilty. As soon as she was dry and dressed she rejoined the others and set about charging her phone. She was so focused, she didn't notice it had started to cloud over. It was only when Rose pointed out that it was getting windy and Tomasz noticed the hotel staff putting the sunshades down from around the outside tables that they realised there was going to be a storm. Within a few minutes, the cloudless sky turned dark purple and the first drops of rain fell.
“We're going to need better shelter than this bush,” said Debin. “Move fast, while we still can!”
“Where?” said Olcha. “We're a long way from the buildings!”
“Car park,” said Rose. “Pick the new clothes up, hold them close so they don't get wet. There's a roof over that outdoor notice board with the map on it. Come on, Clover!”
Clover turned stricken eyes on them. She'd just read the news on her phone and she hadn't heard a word they'd been saying.
“What?”
“What's wrong?” Rose demanded, seeing at once that something was. “No... come under cover, first!” she yelled, as the first streak of lightning ripped across the sky.
That it should be thundering and lightning and suddenly pouring with rain didn't surprise Clover at all. Blindly she followed Rose as the rain started to get heavier. Stella and the elves were already there, perched on top of the notice board, under its sturdy little roof.
“There's news,” she gasped. “Awful, horrible news.”
She told them, and they just stared at her as if they couldn't believe their ears, as if they were certain the great clap of thunder had made them mishear.
“Look, the coach!” yelled Debin. “They have returned, but our friends will be soaked through.”
“I'll go,” said Stella. “They can join us here for now. This can't last long, surely?”
But she was back inside a minute.
“They're not there!” she called. “Nowhere on the roof at all.”
Clover absorbed this second blow with a mind that felt numb. This was all too much... but heartbroken as she felt about the murders in Romania, that was not, right now, her responsibility. The disappearance of Bella and Jakub most certainly was. She looked at Debin, and he looked as if he was trying to look more confident than he felt.
“We must not panic,” he said. “It may be that they managed to get inside the coach for shelter. We must wait until all the tourists are off. Then we may see them coming off quickly, as one does from a train.”
It seemed as if the tourists were demanding to be driven a bit closer to the door. They were standing up and pointing. The coach trundled nearer to the main entrance and its door was now out of sight.
“Stella, would you please fly over and watch?” asked Debin. “It would be so silly if we missed them, and we were searching for them while they were searching for us.”
“On my way,” said Stella.

The rain stopped as suddenly as it had started. One minute you were looking through a grey curtain, the next, the curtain disappeared and you could hardly believe your eyes as a bit of sun poked through, glinting on enormous puddles and rivulets of rain water and making them steam.
Stella returned, shaking her head.
“I flew right up to every window,” she said. “They're not on the coach. Did they miss it, and if so, what made them miss it? Or did they get off to take shelter when the rain started?”
“Or fall off,” said Rose.
“If they simply missed it,” said Debin slowly, “they will make their own way back here, but it would take them all night. But we can't just wait and see, in case they have had an accident.”
“Well, at least we've got a map,” said Rose. She flew down a little and hovered, looking at it carefully. “This road, that leads to the hotel, is the only one the coach can have come on from Diolkos,” she said. “How far away would it have been when the rain started?”
“Good question,” said Debin. He climbed down to have a look, overstretching and clinging precariously to a rusty drawing pin. “I wonder what the scale is... hmm, yes, I see. About here, I think. How about if Tomasz and I go searching to that point?”
“That's good,” said Clover. “And if you don't find them, then come back and Rose and I will fly to Diolkos and search from there.”
“They were Search and Rescue before the war,” said Stella. “They can do that, no-one better.”
“Agreed,” said Debin. “Come, Tomasz, let us go.”
“We'll wait for you on the roof,” said Clover, “where we spent last night.”

There was nothing to do but wait. Wait, and think. Try not to worry... try not to think of all the what-ifs. Too difficult... what if Debin didn't find them? What if Debin didn't come back? What if they never found Delphi, never found Calla? She had taken her team hundreds of miles from home, without orders. No-one knew where they were. It was easy, far too easy, to wonder if you had made the right choices, were doing the right thing. What on earth would Madge say? But then she realised, with a sudden sense of perspective, that it didn't matter. This awful thing that had happened, these cruel murders, had changed things. What did mix-ups or silly mistakes matter in the light of a thing like that? Even the loss of grown-up sprites, who had taken risks knowing what they were doing, was not so dreadful as that.
Clover wondered what Madge would be doing. And the Commander, she was free now, what would she be doing?
If I were them, Clover thought, I wouldn't have a clue. I would wish and hope that somehow, I would get some clue.
Then she had another thought. Feedback, that was what David called it. That was what phones could do. You could tell each other what you thought, quickly and easily.
“If it gives away our location, what does that matter?” she said.
The other fairies looked at her, surprised.
“I'm going to type a response,” she said.
“That's good,” said Rose. “They'll be desperate to know what everyone thinks we should do.”
Slowly and carefully, Clover typed : Justice, not revenge then read it out loud.
Everyone nodded, very seriously, and Rose smiled.
“You sounded just like Madge then.” Suddenly she sat up straight and peered into the darkness. “There's Bella!”
They all stood up and waved, and Bella changed direction slightly, heading straight for them. She was wet and bedraggled and looked very tired, but she was smiling.
“Oh, it's so good to see you! It's all right, Debin and Tomasz found us. Jakub has a broken ankle, we think. Sosna, Debin asks if you will meet them across the car park and help them get him across.”
Sosna beamed and nodded, and at once began to clamber down to the ground.
“Are you all right?” said Clover.
“Oh yes, thanks. That was some storm, wasn't it? So sudden! Jakub got blown off the roof and of course I flew after him. When we realised he was injured, I stayed with him, I knew you'd come and find us.”
“Well done, Bella,” said Clover. “I'm just glad you weren't too far away when it happened. How did you get on at Diolkos, did you find it?”
Bella frowned.
“We didn't find a colony, or any sign of one,” she said. “And it didn't look the sort of countryside where there would be one, either. And Diolkos isn't even a place. It is called 'the' Diolkos, it's just a way to get from one place to another. An ancient sort of railway, they said. Not for trains, but for wagons or something, so they could be pulled across more easily. All the tourists were taking photos of it, but it looked pretty boring to me.”
“How strange,” said Clover. “Perhaps there is a completely different Diolkos somewhere else, that does have a colony.”
She put it out of her mind. There were more pressing matters.
“Let's find you some dry clothes, Bella,” she said. “And the elves won't be able to get Jakub onto the roof. Let's see if we can find a dry spot at ground level, and fix up a bit of a bed for him.”

Next morning, it was as if the rain had never been. The world was hot and dry again, and Jakub's ankle was fixed, though still stiff. He was moving as carefully as possible, to rest it. As smartly dressed as they could manage, the sprites were on the coach roof again, as excited as the tourists inside. Their first sight of Delphi almost made them forget why they had come. The pillars and temples were white against the blue sky and their beauty was breathtaking, awe-inspiring. Instinctively, they headed away from the humans and worked their way up from one plateau to the next, often pausing to get their breath back and let the astonishing views sink in. They didn't talk much. They knew they had to get up high, beyond the ancient buildings, and it was just too good simply listening to the birdsong and breathing in the good scents of thyme and myrtle.
Finally, they found themselves in the shade. It was a little cooler, the view had closed off behind them and there was complete silence. The sound of birds, the chatter of tourists had died away far below them.
“So this is as far as I can bring us,” whispered Debin. “Now we must use our wits.”
“What do you feel?” Clover whispered back.
“Feel?”
“Yes. In your heart, or mind, or gut feeling in your belly, whatever you like to call it.”
“Ah,” said Debin. “I feel strongly that the right thing to do is follow you, Clover.”
Clover's face said, thanks a million! but her lips didn't. She noticed that Rose had sensed something. Rose glanced at her, questioningly.
“Yes,” said Clover. “Follow your instincts, Rose. And the rest of us will follow you.”

In single file they crept respectfully through the unfamiliar woodland. It wasn't dense; here and there, tall trees were growing, holm oak and cypress, juniper and pine, but mostly it was shrubby olive and myrtle. On and on Rose led them, going faster as she grew more confident of the direction, until she stopped and Clover realised that Rose hadn't led them to a tree at all, but to a cave. And there was someone in that cave, and the someone had realised they were there.
A voice called out to them, an old voice, quiet but strong.
“I think she is telling us to come in,” said Clover. “You go first, Debin.”
“What! No, she is a fairy, it is more respectful if you or Rose goes first.”
Clover and Debin had been whispering in English. The voice inside the cave changed at once to that language.
“Don't stand on the threshold when you have travelled so far.”
Rose didn't hesitate any longer, but entered the cave and the rest of them followed. Clover was surprised how nervous she felt, and told herself not to be silly, but really, it was all so very strange, like something familiar that feels wrong, like something in a dream, or in a mirror.
“Nine!” said the voice. “Can it be? Stand still while I count you.”
Clover couldn't see where the voice was coming from, it was too dark in the cave, but she detected a rustling sound and then made out a dim figure rising from a bed of leaves, a figure bent with age and wearing more layers of clothing than Clover would have thought possible.
“You are Calla,” she said. “We have found you.”
“Yes, yes, I am Calla,” said the voice, coming closer. “But who are all of you, that is the question. Are you a prophecy, or a coincidence?”
Calla stumbled as she moved, and at once Rose caught her arm to steady her.
“Thank you... you are a rose, of course. They are always kind. Come out into the light of the sun, all of you, so I can look at you. Bring the water, please, little rose. I must not neglect my hospitality.”
Clover saw Rose look around and pick up a stone jar with a ladle sticking out of it. When they'd all gone back outside, blinking into the sunlight, Rose carried the water round and everyone gratefully took a drink from the ladle. It had been hot work climbing up the mountainside. Now Clover could look at Calla properly she saw a brown face, its streaks faded and hidden by lines and wrinkles, with thin lips and wisps of grey hair poking out from under a shawl. But it wasn't really any of that you noticed. It was the eyes. Dark brown, almost black, they were so serious. There was no humour there, no wit. But no malice, either. It wasn't wisdom you sensed so much as knowledge. This fairy knew things... knew so many things that everything was what it was. Compared to Calla, even Madge would seem like an infant. You would never be able to fool this fairy, but she would never fool you either. Anything less than the truth would be idle, a waste of time. Calla turned her eyes on each of them in turn.
“Oak... silver fir... white poplar... alder... pine... you are all Polish, aren't you?”
“Yes ma'am,” said Debin. “And all Special Brigade.”
“And you fairies are all English? Rose, Clover, Daisy and Stitchwort.”
“Yes ma'am,” said Clover. “From the army.”
“Have you been recently in Fjaerland? I have never been there. The army keeps the talking Tree to itself.”
“Oh, it doesn't!” exclaimed Clover. “Anyone can come to see the Tree.”
“Only in theory,” said Calla. “In practice, there are obstacles. Maybe not deliberate, but they are there. But tell me, who damaged the Tree?”
She looked now to Clover for answers.
“Lars Huskvarna. With a chainsaw.”
This answer caused Calla so much pain that Rose got up to comfort her and take her some water.
“Who is worse, the evil one or the one who senses evil in another but does nothing? Vinco detected evil in Huskvarna, but nevertheless he was prepared to use him. Foolish elf. But it was not Vinco who hurt the Tree? You relieve my mind. When I detected he was at Fjaerland, I thought he had committed this crime himself.”
“Vinco?” cried Debin. “The Premier is at Fjaerland?”
Clover was shocked at herself. She'd never thought to ask the Premier's name. But Calla was talking as if she thought he'd been there during the battle.
“He is there. That is what you came to ask? Yes, if you need this elf, that is where you will find him.”
“But I don't understand,” said Clover. “Are you saying he was there at the battle and has been there ever since?”
“I know nothing of a battle,” said Calla. “This happened at the same time as the damage to the Tree? Four moons ago, in the dark of the moon?”
Clover did a rapid calculation.
“Yes,” she said.
“Then yes, he was there, and he is still there now.”
“Goodness,” said Rose. “Are you twins?”
“No, no,” said Calla. “But I love the fool, and I know.”
“But we were there at the battle,” said Clover. “There was no sign of the Premier, only of Huskvarna and another senior officer, er...”
“Zsennye,” supplied Debin.
“Yes, him, thanks.”
“That no-one saw him, does not mean he was not there. He is old, and a politician, not a fighter. He was there. He is there now.”
“Then that is where we must go,” said Debin. “The General Herdalen has said that when the Premier is found, many things will become clear. It may even help to bring the war to an end.”
“Wars, or not wars, of course you care about such things. You are young, and you don't know yet that everything is happening at the same time. But all that really matters is that the Enlightening Tree is dead. Without him, it doesn't really matter who wins or loses wars. The realm will fade away, eventually.”
“Where is he?” asked Rose quietly. “I would like to see him.”
“Above you. The cave is below his roots. Look up and you will see him.”
They had to put their heads right back to be able to see right to the top.
“Oh no,” said Debin sadly.
An ancient oak, its great roots twisted and turning, not greatly tall but enormously wide. Deeply fissured bark, as grey as the Greek mountainside and probably as ancient. But dead. Dry as dust, with no shoot anywhere. Without knowing why, they all clambered up to the tree, surrounding it, touching it and then, joining hands with each other, enclosing it in a circle.
“You were a great tree,” said Debin.
Rose started singing the song for a dead sprite and at once the other fairies joined in with her. And when they had finished, they unclasped their hands and climbed down again, to see Calla staring at them in wonder.
“It is you,” she said. “The nine that I saw in a dream, the first night I came here. That is what I saw, and I thought you were singing for me. I did not think it was for the death of the tree and the death of the realm. It is the end. Everything is finished.”
The young sprites looked at each other. They didn't want to argue with such a wise old fairy, but none of them felt this could be true.
“There may be hope,” suggested Debin. “Look at us. We were enemies, but now we are friends. Dreadful things have happened in the realm, it is true. But good things are happening too. There is a chance for peace, there is hope for the future.”
Calla shook her head.
“For a little while, maybe. But without the Enlightening Tree, it will all be in vain. He was the source that connected every plant. Already, there is a weakening. Without his power, a plant is only one plant. No more buds will be born. And so, in a way, the death of the realm has already begun. In two hundred years, sprites will have vanished for ever.”
Overwhelmed with emotion, the elves were silently weeping. Rose, Stella and Bella looked upset, worried and confused. But Clover Moseley was made of sterner stuff than that. Taking a deep breath, the little weed from Wildside stood up straight and told the oldest, wisest fairy in the world that she was wrong.
“No,” she said. “I'm sorry, but you've got it wrong. The Talende Tree isn't dead. He was desperately wounded, yes. Early in June, it was. That started the weakening. A shock went out, everyone could feel it. It killed this tree. This venerable tree, which doesn't deserve some of the bad things that have been said about it. He was a great tree. But he is not, was not, never has been, the Tree. It's like one of Will's booster signals. Very powerful and useful, but totally dependent on the main signal. The Talende Tree was dying of his injuries. But on Midsummer's Eve, something happened. The power – the love, if you like – that he gives out, it was reversed. The realm gave it back to him. And it made all the difference. He turned from dying to regaining his strength. He is mending, he is growing, and while he lives, so will the realm.”
Trembling at her own daring, Clover sat down suddenly on a stone, while Calla just stared at her, for what seemed like ages.
“You believe this,” she whispered. “I see that. You have not seen for yourself? No... word has passed on. Who saw this? Tell me the name of the sprite who passed on this news.”
Clover was so overcome she would have had trouble remembering her own name at that point, but Stella spoke up.
“His name is Pice Inari. He is from Finland. A major, and the senior army Signals officer. When Fjaerland was evacuated after the battle, he volunteered to stay with the Tree and watch over him. He saw what happened on Midsummer's Eve. He told an Ally, and that Ally passed on the good news to the rest of the army.”
“I know this elf of whom you speak. His reputation is good.”
Calla wandered off a little way, holding her head in her hands. She cast off some of her shawls, walking more briskly to and fro, and now they could see her wings, shining silver. It made her look stronger.
“She needs time to think,” said Jakub. “It seems very clear to me, but I can see that Calla needs time to take this all in.”
“We must wait patiently,” said Olcha, picking up the stone jar. “Meanwhile, I am sure we may have some more water.”
“What do we do next, Clover?” said Debin. “I hope we can all go to Fjaerland, even though it will be a very long journey.”
“I hope so too. And I think that Calla will want to come. She will want to see for herself. But I think she would want to fly. I think you elves ought to catch the coach back to Athens and then make your way across Europe by train. We can meet up on the way, surely? Do you have your map, Tomasz? Yes, look, this is the way to fly, up this coast and Slovenia is there. From Athens you can get back to Ljubljana, you remember the big station where we got confused? We could meet you there, say, two weeks today? Then we can plan the rest of our journey to Norway.”
“Agreed,” said Debin. “Then we will find Vinco Gennargentu, once Premier. And I have a great wish now to see the Talende Tree for myself.”
“You'll be glad you did,” said Clover.
When Calla wandered back, the elves bowed respectfully and took their leave of her. Then they hugged the young fairies and jumped off down the mountainside. Calla looked at the fairies.
“It is full moon tonight,” she said. “I will listen. It may be my part to stay here, to end my days in this place. But if there is still something left that I have to do, I will know it, and whatever it is, I will do it. Will you spend the night of the full moon here with me, listening?”
“Of course we will,” said Rose. “Dear Calla, you must be tired. Won't you rest now, and we will wake you when the moon rises?”
So Calla rested, and the other fairies sat on the sweet-smelling Greek mountainside and watched for moonrise. And in that beautiful place, that had once graced a special tree, each one heard good things, things to treasure and think about. They didn't talk about those things, but in the morning Calla had a look of new purpose in those dark eyes. As soon as it was light, all five of them flew north-west, towards the Tree, towards home.


The Gruski party had now been travelling for three weeks. Wayne had stopped feeling in awe of Jesion and Wici – though he wasn't sure Stan had – and just thought of them as older friends. They were travelling mostly by train. It was because of trains, Jesion told them, that the founder colonies had been able to get in touch with one another and organise the foundation of parliament in the first place. It seemed right to use them again now. Wayne was enjoying himself. He was really seeing the world on this journey and he didn't have to worry about knowing the way to the next destination. Jesion had a good knowledge of railway lines, though it was many years since he'd travelled this far. He was amazed how many more humans there were, and how much the clothes they wore had changed.
His plan, he explained, was to get a couple of sprites from each of the twelve colonies to meet him at Uetliburg, the colony located right next to the Hill at Zurich, just as they had at the beginning.
“I don't actually know if any of them have changed allegiance over the years,” he said. “They might be supporting the army now. But it doesn't matter. What matters is putting parliament right.”
“And saying what parliament is,” said Wici. “Parliament is more than Special Brigade, for a start.”
“Exactly,” said Jesion. “Now I am sure that other colonies, and Hills too, are asking these questions. But first, I want the twelve to agree on what they want.”
Wayne and Stan listened to all this with interest, while enjoying the views from train roofs with enormous pleasure. The first week had taken them south to Kysuce colony in Slovakia, not too far from the station at Žilina. That had been a beautiful place. From its thickly-wooded mountain slopes they had seen the full moon that Clover had seen in Greece. While they were there, they heard some news. Invitations arrived from the army, for the colony to send people to a peace conference in the Bohemian Forest. Wayne and Stan had gone a bit crazy with joy when they heard that, because it could only mean that the army had liberated the camp. Jesion and Wici had urged the Kysuce sprites to send their delegates, but also to send a couple with them too. They had been happy to do that. There was a sense of purpose, of history being made, and everyone was optimistic. The two going to Zurich agreed to go on ahead and try to get messengers who would go west and take letters to Pentreath in England and Minius in Spain, while Jesion's party travelled east for a while to Lacul Bodi in Romania.
When they arrived at Lacul Bodi, they found no-one there who was happy at all. The colony was situated in an idyllic position on the shores of a beautiful lake, but Wayne knew that every time he thought of that view for the rest of his life, he would remember the anger and grief he had felt there when they heard about the murders.
Neither Wayne nor Stan could understand the language here, but they could see there was a lot of discussion going on, and a lot of disagreement. Jesion and Wici were speaking in Russian, which wasn't easy for them. They didn't have time to translate, but they had explained it all to Wayne and Stan when they were on their own.
“The Judge from Virful Hill sent a team to pursue the gang and capture them. Worth a try, though unlikely to be successful. All the arguments here at Lacul Bodi are about who is to blame. Some are saying it's the army's fault, because their victories have just caused chaos and gangs are taking advantage of it. Others are saying it's rogue elements from one side or the other, intent only on stirring up trouble.”
“I think that's more likely myself,” said Wici. “Gangs wouldn't do a thing like that, what would they have to gain?”
“They might have been bribed,” said Stan.
“True. Well, it seems that they finally came to a conclusion. The senior sprite did send two people to the peace conference and he has agreed to send two people to Zurich for us, but he will not go himself. To him, this atrocity is his priority and I don't blame him for that. He's going to the Hill tomorrow to demand the release of all prisoners. He wants them to form a unit to support the Lord Protector in keeping order.”
After that, it didn't seem such a mystery to Wayne. That was probably what Huskvarna had wanted all along.

Next day, the two chosen to go to Zurich travelled with them from Baia Mare station all the way to the Danube. Here they split up, and Jesion led his party now onto boats. It was on the roof of a cargo barge that Wayne and Stan heard what the older sprites had been talking about. Details had been passed on about the day of the murders, minute details that didn't mean much to Wayne and Stan, who didn't know the places or people. But one thing, a description of one of the culprits, made them bounce up so quickly they were nearly spotted.
A dark-haired hawthorn with quite a sharp nose, who spoke perfect German with a slight French accent?
“What? You know this elf?” demanded Jesion.
“Not for sure,” said Wayne. “I wouldn't accuse anyone without proof. But we both know one elf who fits that description perfectly. He was a guard at the re-training camp, and his name is Bépin Étretat.”
“Hmm,” said Jesion. “If he was at the camp, and the army has taken it, then he must have escaped after the battle. And when people are on the run after battles, they can do foolish and desperate things.”
“There's something else,” said Stan. “Of all the elves I have ever met, only two could be nasty enough to murder little ones, and he's one of them.”
“I advise you both not to speak of this yet,” said Wici. “If he knows his name is known, he will lie low. Unaware, he may yet be captured.”
“This other atrocity at the camp, the attempted murder of inmates, that led to your escaping yourselves, who thought of that plan? Was it this same elf?”
“It certainly was,” said Stan.

All that had given them a lot to think about, but they had plenty of time for thinking now, as they headed south by river, first along the Danube and then the Drina, with Bosnia on their right and Serbia on their left. Jesion was an excellent leader, remembering places he hadn't seen for years and always making good choices about which boats would be good ones for them to ride on. Wayne got quieter and quieter, until Jesion noticed and asked Stan if he was all right.
“Oh, yes, it's just the scenery,” Stan explained. “He never complains, but I get the feeling that London's not much to look at. He's never seen many really unspoiled places before.”
“Oh, the poor elf!” Jesion exclaimed quietly. “Then we must let him drink his fill. He will like the Drina Gorge when we get there, I am sure.”

When Wayne saw the steep gorge begin to rise from the river banks, covered from shore to peak with trees of every kind, it brought tears to his eyes. Finally he understood why sprites had been leaving London, leaving and never coming back, more and more every year. He loved his home, he would always love it, but he wasn't sure he ever wanted to go back. How could you ever be content again when you knew how many beautiful places there were in the realm, places that humans hadn't spoiled? He'd always thought that sprites should be doing all they could to make things better, but he was beginning to think that London was a lost cause. While he'd been in Special Brigade he'd met plenty of sprites who hated humans for all the destruction they'd caused, and he could sympathise with that. But then, humans had a right to live the way they wanted, too. And you couldn't have it both ways. You couldn't use their roads and their railways and then complain when trees were cut down to create them. So he just gazed in wonder at the blazing autumn colours and the blue waters, until Stan tapped him on the shoulder.
“Glorious, isn't it?” he smiled. “And we'll soon be inside it. Jesion says we're nearly there. But it's going to be a huge leap to the bank, so you might want to stretch your legs a bit.”
When Wayne saw how long a jump he was going to have to do, he put his boots in his backpack. It seemed to him if he was going to fall in and have to swim, it would be easier with bare feet. When Jesion and Stan saw him do that, they looked at each other and followed his example. In the end, only Wayne and Jesion fell in, but they swam strongly to where Wici was standing on the bank to guide them, and Stan helped them haul themselves out. A quick change into dry clothes, and they were off.
“I miss Sosna,” said Jesion. “When he and I travelled together, he was always better at spotting sprite paths.”
“Is the colony on the banks, or higher up?” asked Wici.
“About half way, I think.”
“Then let us climb,” she said, “and with a bit of luck someone will spot us and escort us to the centre.”

Wayne said later that he'd been lulled into a false sense of security by the beauty of the place and by Jesion's confidence that the founder colonies were all still the honourable places they had once been. Otherwise, he felt, he might have been quicker to notice how much litter there was around. As it was, the first sign he had that something was wrong was when a goblin jumped out from behind a tree and thrust a bag down over his head. It wasn't a horrible bag and if it had just been for security, Wayne wouldn't have minded much, but when his knife was taken and his hands were tied behind his back, his natural pessimism rose to the surface. This didn't look good. By the time he'd been kicked and pushed further and further up the side of the cliff, he felt sure they were not going to find a warm welcome here.
As far as he could tell, Jesion, Wici and Stan had received similar treatment. He had heard a few muffled squawks and indignant comments, but also a lot of unfamiliar goblin voices – there were about eight of them, he thought – and he had no idea what language they were talking, though as they had climbed the east bank of the gorge it was probably Serbian. All he could do at the moment, he felt, was listen carefully and be prepared to follow Jesion's lead. Maybe they'd be taken to someone with a bit of authority and Jesion would be able to explain who he was, and all would be apologies and back-slapping.
He had a feeling Jesion was hoping the same thing, because there were no more comments from him or the others. They were all co-operating, as far as they could when they couldn't see where they were going, and trying to avoid any more kicks and pushes. Wayne stumbled and fell several times, but each time a strong hand grabbed the neck of his clothes and hauled him to his feet. After about half an hour the path got less steep. They seemed to have reached some kind of plateau. You noticed less of the gentle woody smell of autumn and rather more of rotting. There were flies buzzing around, and it was a little lighter, as if the trees were letting more sunshine through. There were also more voices around; from the tone, they were passing comments and asking questions. The trouble was, they were all goblin voices and the voices were coming from quite high up. They weren't going to be able to fight their way out of this.
Then the ground became rockier underfoot and the sounds changed, became more echoing. The bag was pulled off his head and Wayne saw they were in a cleft in the rocks, a really big one, as good as a cave to sprites. Straight away he looked round to see if the others were all right and saw them meet his eyes looking dishevelled, rather indignant and rather afraid, as he was sure he looked himself. Then he saw a young and fierce-looking goblin sitting on a tree root with his arms folded, staring at them, and felt sure that this was the one they had been brought to see. Wayne noticed two things about him. The first was his extraordinary hairstyle, his head shaven except for a narrow bristly strip in the middle. Wayne knew it was called a mohawk but he felt pretty sure his companions would never have seen one before. The second was a look of uncertainty in his eyes. This was the senior sprite, probably, but he hadn't been so for long. He didn't know how to tackle this situation.
Wayne looked around to see what else was going on. The goblins who had captured them were standing behind them, and other goblins and also imps were gathering close behind. There were a few elves and fairies but they were hanging back as if they didn't expect to be allowed any closer. Then Wayne had his head slapped so he looked forward again. The senior sprite was asking questions, and other goblins were answering respectfully, pointing down towards the river, explaining. The senior sprite looked at them all carefully, then addressed himself to Stan, who was clearly the youngest, but also the tallest and strongest of them. That wasn't a good sign. Age and experience were not valued here, only strength. Unfortunately it was clear that Stan had no idea what he was saying. He answered politely, and spoke in Polish, so slowly and clearly that even Wayne understood what he was saying: I am sorry, I don't understand you, do you speak any Polish, German, English, Russian?
The senior sprite just looked disgusted. Then Jesion spoke and Wayne recognised the sounds of hesitant Russian, the language he and Wici had coped with in Kysuce colony in Slovakia, and Lacul Bodi in Romania. It seemed you could count on finding someone with a bit of Russian here in the east, just as you could usually find someone with at least a bit of English in the west. At first it seemed as if this place was the exception, but then a quiet voice spoke from the edge of the crowd and Jesion's face lit up. Grudgingly, the senior sprite gave an order and the crowd of goblins parted to make way for an elderly fairy, who curtsied then listened while the senior sprite gave instructions, perhaps about what questions he wanted asking. Wayne still didn't understand what was being said and he didn't think Stan did, either. All he could do was watch carefully and try to pick up clues.
At first, it was simple enough, she was asking and telling their names and Wayne thought the goblin did recognise the name Gruski, so that was a start. But when they got on to Huskvarna and Uetliburg, his face changed, hardened, looked more sure of himself. He had understood, Wayne thought, but he didn't like what he was hearing. The senior sprites at Kysuce and Lacul Bodi, when they had understood, shared Jesion's opinion of Huskvarna. This one didn't. He nodded firmly and gave orders to his goblins. The bags were put back on their heads and as he was led away, Wayne heard the old fairy talking hurriedly to Wici. They were pushed through a trapdoor into an underground cell, dry but earthy and cold.
“What did she say?” asked Wayne.
“Grak supports the Lord Protector. Grak will earn honour by giving you all to the Lord Protector.”
“Oh dear,” said Stan.
“I can't believe this!” said Jesion. “A founder colony being led by such a fool!”
“We have to escape,” said Wayne. “Fortunately Grak doesn't seem to have considered the possibility of co-operation. I'll kneel down behind you, Stan, see if you can pull the bag off my head with your fingertips.”
That part was easy enough. But when Wayne tried to expand the rope around Stan's wrists, he found it was just too dark to see properly. After one slight movement, it refused to budge any further and Wayne gave up and used his teeth. It took a while, and Stan had to brace himself to avoid falling, Wayne had to tug so hard, but they did it. Stan whipped the bag off his head, untied Wayne's wrists and turned to help the others, who had been following their example but hadn't quite finished. Wayne was trying to see the trapdoor when Wici joined him.
“I'll fly up and investigate,” she murmured.
She landed softly and began to whisper, while rubbing the white weals on her wrists.
“There are cracks in the wood. I can see through them. The trapdoor rests on the ground. On that end of it is a large stone and on the stone sits a large goblin.”
“How is the other end fastened?” said Wayne.
“Of course,” said Wici. “What a brain. I will look.”
This time she reported two hinges, rusty but immensely thick and strong.
“If we shrink them, the trapdoor will fall?”
“Yes, I think so, and the rock and goblin with it. I can shrink them alternately, I think, so that both break together. Then if I fly swiftly aside, you elves can be ready to jump up through the hole and get away as fast as possible. I will follow you, and if we are fast we will be away before they realise it.”
“We'll need a rendezvous point,” said Jesion. “Ah – you remember the waterfall we passed? Keep to the canopy, obviously, until you reach the waterfall then meet up again on the other side of it. That will be someone else's territory, for sure, and they won't follow us there. Goblins are nearly always on bad terms with the neighbours.”
“Understood,” said Stan. “When shall we start?”
“Soon,” said Jesion. “Let us all limber up and also think carefully. Anything we haven't thought of?”
Stan and Wayne did a few small jumps and at once Stan thought of something.
“What order shall we jump in?”
“Oh, good point,” said Jesion. “We will not all fit through at once.”
“You first,” said Stan. “Then Wayne, then me.”
“I agree,” said Wayne.
If anyone had to fight an angry goblin, it was better if it was Stan. Not that he'd have much chance, but his chances were probably best.
It was a long, tense wait while Wici was working. To be patient, and yet also be ready for action at any second. To keep calm, and yet to be prepared for the insane race of escape. Wayne found his thoughts going back to Betch and his escape. He'd done it, and Wayne was determined to match him. It was a pity they'd have to leave their knives behind.
Then suddenly, there was a shriek of metal and daylight flooded in, followed by a rock and a yelling goblin. Wayne watched him fall. Jesion was already jumping up. Wayne darted aside, grabbed the goblin's knife from his belt and followed him. He bent his knees and jumped with all his might, cleared the hole and let himself land again before leaping off towards the trees. Hands that were trying to grab him slipped aside as he leaped. He glimpsed Wici above him and he thought she was hesitating, to make sure the elves had all got away cleanly. His job now was to get up in that canopy and jump, keep jumping north until he reached that waterfall. He gave it all his concentration. After an hour, he caught sight of Stan and with great relief they stopped to greet each other before jumping on together. And finally, just as it was beginning to go dark, their path crossed with Jesion's and the three elves reached the waterfall together. Gratefully, they headed to a pool where they could drink, and looked around them for Wici. Where was she? Surely she had arrived first?
“Don't worry,” said Jesion. “The important thing is to stay here. If we search, we could keep on missing each other. She will find us.”
So they drank the delicious water and waited patiently, and presently they saw her. She was flying very slowly down the waterfall, and someone else was flying with her. They seemed to glow, like white flowers do just when the light is fading, and they looked so fragile and small against the background of fiercely tumbling water.
“Oh, there you are!” said Wici, landing. “That's wonderful. This is Telekia. She will go to Zurich, to represent Drina.”
As the elves greeted her, they all realised that she was the fairy who'd translated for them back at the colony.
“She tells me the goblins are not bad,” said Wici. “The colony is happy enough led by Grak. He is good at defending them, and they have all been glad of that. It's just that he is too simple to understand politics.”
“He will follow whoever is in charge,” said Telekia. “If the realm decides on a change, he won't have a problem with that. The sprites here that do understand the issues want someone to represent them, and I said I would go. We want to see a real parliament restored. Reformed, maybe, but definitely restored.”
“Then your voice will be welcome and needed at Zurich,” said Jesion, smiling at Telekia. “What a day! Let's sleep now, and tomorrow we will all head west. Our next target is Bled in Slovenia. And if my old friend Bukev is still in charge, we will find a very warm welcome indeed.”