Just Beginning to Open

Something of the magic of the dance made its way into the next day for all of them. Illumina was still upset by the idea of what the following was doing to the countryside but something in her still remembered the circle round the fire. She remembered the sense of isolation; the sense that the only things she needed to pay attention to were those encompassed by the light of the fire. The only dance that mattered to her was the dance they did to Cosimo's tune and the counter melody made for them by Wals; the only steps they needed to know were the steps she danced and showed to the others. At least for a time, everything else was outside and not their concern.

There was a pervasive sense among the company that Illumina was leading them. Illumina held the key to what would happen next; what they would do when they got to Norton and how the people of Norton would react to the following. Their sense of her leadership forced her to look outward, even as she remembered the circle round the fire. They all understood her position and their dependence on her, accepting it and its implications despite the reluctance felt by many of them.

Wals was emerging from the darkness that had come over him when Mab left him and felt uneasy that he was coming to rely on Illumina as much as he had previously leant on Manueline though he was only beginning to realize just how much she had carried him. Something in him knew that Illumina was different for him. Not that she was different from Manueline, in fact they were almost indistinguishable as far as he was concerned. There was the difference that they were both strangers to the same courtyard.

Libby felt guilty in that he was the Prince. He knew that he had looked to Illumina for direction and advice but could not continue to do so indefinitely, not without them both committing to a much deeper relationship and he was coming to believe that Illumina would never close that distance between them. Manueline offered an easy alternative and Libby was starting to feel nervous about that as well. He was just beginning to open himself to the people around him, really seeing people for the first time. Seeing them as he had seen Nina the previous evening; dancing with her as she wept, holding her and comforting her simply because she needed something. He had no idea why she was so troubled. It was enough that he saw the common humanity that lay between them and reached out to her because of it. He amazed himself in how much that reaching out affected his feelings for her, for himself and for the others round the circle, especially Manueline. Something of the old prince seemed to come back, telling him to distance himself, to be careful. The new prince also saw how much he might hurt Manueline and it worried him profoundly. He found himself looking back to Illumina, wishing he could talk to her.

Nina did not seem to come out of the darkness at the edge of the circle. She watched from the outside, recognizing that the others acknowledged her presence but did not know what to make of it. In dancing with Libby she almost broke out, almost felt herself reaching for him as she felt him reaching for her. The tears were in the way, she could not speak and weep and the weeping overwhelmed her. She allowed Libby to lead her back to the edge of the circle. She saw how much he had changed and it comforted her. She knew that now he would never deliberately leave her alone in the dark. At the same time, she saw how much in the dark she was, so much so that none of them truly saw her, though Illumina, of all of them, knew the most. Illumina never gave up, she never accepted the idea that someone could walk off and never be seen again. She would not let go of Nina any more than she would let go of the prince under the ice.

The others, in various ways, revolved around Illumina as well. Cosimo and Felice were loyal to her at the beginning of the journey but found themselves bound to her now by their acceptance of her. She had redeemed the trust they had given her, doubling and tripling the bond between them. Each act of trust between them building on the one before and adding its own strength until now they were reaching the point where the bond was unbreakable. Both men recognized they would not even consider following anyone else, the Margrave, the King, an impulse of their own, life or death, nothing they could imagine would drive a wedge between them.

Drem and Brac still remembered Manueline on the island and the strength she had in touching the water when the wolf howled for her at midday. They saw the parallels between Manueline and Illumina and accepted that Illumina, for the time, had the ascendancy or rather that she was the current manifestation of what made the wolf howl. Manueline was undiminished but Illumina took on all they ascribed to Manueline and more besides, as they saw her leading and being led by the flood of events that swept them all up and everything around them along with it. Drowning was rare among the forest people but they lived with it every day. They knew what water could do to them. They instinctively understood the part Illumina had to play.

They broke camp. Illumina rode Cavalla, leading them down the hill and through the following, making her way back to the Norton road. Cosimo and Felice started the day walking, telling Illumina they did not mind running for a while. Illumina urged Cavalla into a gentle trot; Drem and Brac made their way ahead of Illumina and cried out a warning of their coming. People stepped to the side of the road letting them through. As they passed, people turned and bowed. Many of them getting to their knees or even touching their heads to the ground as the company passed by. It quickly became obvious that many people had left during the night. While they did not travel fast they had a long head start and it took a long time for the company to get to a point on the road where there was no one ahead of them. Illumina hoped the herdsmen had traveled late and started early as she had advised; there would be no hope for them if the crowd once got a clear idea of their presence on the road.

As they made their way through the following, an increasing sense of urgency came over her. She recognized the sense was just a reaction to all the uncertainty that surrounded them, that getting to Norton ahead of the following mattered but it would probably make little difference by how much. In fact, Illumina realized that without the following it was unlikely the people of Norton would take her seriously. Even if they came out and talked to her, she would probably have to wait until the following arrived before they would contemplate any specific actions.

Once there was no one ahead of them on the road, Illumina forced herself to moderate the pace. She got off Cavalla and persuaded Felice to ride, though he was reluctant to do so, knowing how Illumina felt about other people riding Cavalla. Curiously, it was obvious to everyone that the one exception was Manueline. Everyone including Illumina, including even Cavalla herself, seemed to feel differently about Manueline. Wals gave his horse to Cosimo and Wals and Illumina walked side by side at the head of the company.

They stopped briefly at midday, mostly to give the horses a rest and a chance to graze. They were still surrounded by hills and could not see very far, they all had the sense that Norton was close by.

A short time after they got going again, they came across a small herd of cattle grazing on the hills. Felice went off to warn them, telling them they should either get into Norton or get well away from the road. The herdsmen were reluctant to go. Felice said, "They were obviously warned by the people Illumina spoke to yesterday but discounted the warning. I think getting the same warning again from us was enough to make them move." Even as he spoke, the herd disappeared over the hill heading away from the road and away from Norton. "Apparently the man you spoke to yesterday has been giving the same warning up and down the road. Most people listened to him, either following him to Norton or getting away from the road. I asked him how far Norton is. He said it is just beyond the next hill. We'll be there by mid afternoon."

Illumina felt a heightened sense of expectation as they climbed the hill, expecting to see something beyond it though she had no idea what it might be. They crested the hill, Illumina and Wals walking ahead of the company. It was an overcast day, threatening rain; cool after the warmth of the previous evening. Illumina stood at the top of the hill looking at the river and the valley below them, grey under a grey sky.

To follow this thread in the story go to: Defense against Thieves

Table of Contents