Chapter Fifteen
Shade filled the crevice as the sun disappeared through the trees beyond the patient boar and a thin cold wind began to blow towards them. Night would come soon. Wrapping her arms around her, Jay bent her thoughts to finding a solution to her dilemma. She cast her mind back over her adventures, sure there was something she'd forgotten, something that would help her get out of this predicament without being hurt or having to give up her precious gift. She had taken the talisman out of her band and clasped it tightly in her fist; she looked at it in the fading light. Suddenly she remembered what the dragon had said, that it would - what was the word? augment - what she could do. Maybe, if she played it cunningly, she could get away; but there was no way round the fact that she would have to confront the Barnaby boar.
Her mind reeled at the plan which was beginning to form in her head. She had never had to fight for real before, only a wrestle or two with bullies at school. Well, they hadn't come off best, after all, even though she hated fighting. What was more, she'd gained enough respect by standing up to them that they didn't interfere with her any more.
She tucked the talisman back into her band and, picking up the rock which had come to the top of the boulder with her, she stood up and began to taunt him.
“You can't catch me! You know you can't! I've got the stone, I've got the stone!”
The boar got to its feet. Jay took a great leap and landed beyond him, then as he turned to face her preparing for the pursuit, jumped back onto the rock.
“See! I've got the dragon's stone and I can do whatever I want!”
Furious and helpless to stop her, the boar turned and turned as Jay jumped over him and back again and again. Finally, he turned back into Barnaby, which was what Jay wanted, although she'd rather have tackled the boy than the man.
“You stupid child,” he shouted. “You can't get away. You might as well give it to me now. I can stay here forever, but you, you will need to eat. Then you'll be too weak to make fun of me like this!”
Jay pretended to be embarrassed.
“Oh,” she said, meekly, “I suppose that's true. So I could save myself a long and uncomfortable wait... If I come down and give you the stone, will you promise not to hurt me again? Promise as one of the Old Ones?”
There was a pause. Barnaby scowled at her, at the rocks around them, then back at her.
“I promise. I give you my word as one of the Old Ones,” he eventually replied. “But no tricks, mind. Come down and give me the stone and you can go free.”
Jay jumped down, over him so that she was at the open side of the gully, and took out the talisman. This would be the difficult bit.
“Slowly,” she said. “Don't rush me.”
He came towards her, his hand held out. Jay held the stone in one hand and still had the rock in the other. She backed, he came on.
“I think I could give you the stone if you looked more like my friend,” she remarked, her heart thumping in her chest.
Obligingly he became younger, more her own size - and she made a small jump towards him, avoiding his still outstretched hand, and walloped the side of his head hard with the rock. Straightaway jumping back onto the boulder, she turned and watched, horrified at what she had had to do. The boy, who had dropped to the ground after the blow, writhed as he changed shape. The boar struggled to its feet, blood pouring from its ugly head, and ran off down the gulley, squealing, howling and grunting as it ran.
Well, that's that, thought Jay, relieved that she hadn't killed it. As though in response to her thought, the constant drumming changed its pitch and rate, the beats speeding up and becoming more insistent. Home! they seemed to say.
Jay leapt off the rock and started trotting towards the stream and the path.
Soon she found her trot becoming an impossibly long lope, each pace longer than the last until she felt like a dream kangaroo, with only bounce and no footfall. The land in front of her began to turn and spin, slowly and then increasingly faster, although she remained upright to herself and not giddy at all. The drums, which she had become so used to, increased their tempo and volume, and now sounded really insistent, almost urgent: she was travelling through a throbbing, spinning whirlpool of noise and darkening colour. To her left she heard a sharply different texture of sound and turned her head. The whole pack of wild dogs had, it seemed, come to keep her company. They chattered and whistled at her, but the wind through her ears and the intense drumming meant she could only make out a little of what they were saying.
“HeyJay, you go fastfast!” (whistle, yap) “you going home now girl” (chatter, yip, yap)
“not forget”
“not forget!”
and the pack of dhole spun away and disappeared. Disappointed, Jay tried to concentrate on Barnaby's instructions, but couldn't make enough sense of what was happening to think about any of the places she had come from. All she could think of was the Bear. How she wished for her company now, that warm, earthy, sensible animal. She tried to picture how it would look if the Bear was beside her, imagined so clearly that she could hear her deep female voice saying, “Don't panic, Jay dear. All will be well,” that suddenly there she was travelling in the swirling air beside her, solid and amused.
“I told you that in this world all you have to do is need me and I will be with you, and here I am. Not for long, Jay, for you are nearly at the portal to your own world. The dogs are right, you must try to remember your time here. The talisman will help. You have it safe?”
Until Bear had arrived, Jay had not really felt much emotion, nor really taken in that she was on her way back to the world where unhappiness was waiting. She reached out and grasped the long coat, pulling herself in until she was almost enveloped in hair. It tickled her face, and she sneezed.
The drums paused, gave four loud, slow beats and stopped completely.
Shade filled the crevice as the sun disappeared through the trees beyond the patient boar and a thin cold wind began to blow towards them. Night would come soon. Wrapping her arms around her, Jay bent her thoughts to finding a solution to her dilemma. She cast her mind back over her adventures, sure there was something she'd forgotten, something that would help her get out of this predicament without being hurt or having to give up her precious gift. She had taken the talisman out of her band and clasped it tightly in her fist; she looked at it in the fading light. Suddenly she remembered what the dragon had said, that it would - what was the word? augment - what she could do. Maybe, if she played it cunningly, she could get away; but there was no way round the fact that she would have to confront the Barnaby boar.
Her mind reeled at the plan which was beginning to form in her head. She had never had to fight for real before, only a wrestle or two with bullies at school. Well, they hadn't come off best, after all, even though she hated fighting. What was more, she'd gained enough respect by standing up to them that they didn't interfere with her any more.
She tucked the talisman back into her band and, picking up the rock which had come to the top of the boulder with her, she stood up and began to taunt him.
“You can't catch me! You know you can't! I've got the stone, I've got the stone!”
The boar got to its feet. Jay took a great leap and landed beyond him, then as he turned to face her preparing for the pursuit, jumped back onto the rock.
“See! I've got the dragon's stone and I can do whatever I want!”
Furious and helpless to stop her, the boar turned and turned as Jay jumped over him and back again and again. Finally, he turned back into Barnaby, which was what Jay wanted, although she'd rather have tackled the boy than the man.
“You stupid child,” he shouted. “You can't get away. You might as well give it to me now. I can stay here forever, but you, you will need to eat. Then you'll be too weak to make fun of me like this!”
Jay pretended to be embarrassed.
“Oh,” she said, meekly, “I suppose that's true. So I could save myself a long and uncomfortable wait... If I come down and give you the stone, will you promise not to hurt me again? Promise as one of the Old Ones?”
There was a pause. Barnaby scowled at her, at the rocks around them, then back at her.
“I promise. I give you my word as one of the Old Ones,” he eventually replied. “But no tricks, mind. Come down and give me the stone and you can go free.”
Jay jumped down, over him so that she was at the open side of the gully, and took out the talisman. This would be the difficult bit.
“Slowly,” she said. “Don't rush me.”
He came towards her, his hand held out. Jay held the stone in one hand and still had the rock in the other. She backed, he came on.
“I think I could give you the stone if you looked more like my friend,” she remarked, her heart thumping in her chest.
Obligingly he became younger, more her own size - and she made a small jump towards him, avoiding his still outstretched hand, and walloped the side of his head hard with the rock. Straightaway jumping back onto the boulder, she turned and watched, horrified at what she had had to do. The boy, who had dropped to the ground after the blow, writhed as he changed shape. The boar struggled to its feet, blood pouring from its ugly head, and ran off down the gulley, squealing, howling and grunting as it ran.
Well, that's that, thought Jay, relieved that she hadn't killed it. As though in response to her thought, the constant drumming changed its pitch and rate, the beats speeding up and becoming more insistent. Home! they seemed to say.
Jay leapt off the rock and started trotting towards the stream and the path.
Soon she found her trot becoming an impossibly long lope, each pace longer than the last until she felt like a dream kangaroo, with only bounce and no footfall. The land in front of her began to turn and spin, slowly and then increasingly faster, although she remained upright to herself and not giddy at all. The drums, which she had become so used to, increased their tempo and volume, and now sounded really insistent, almost urgent: she was travelling through a throbbing, spinning whirlpool of noise and darkening colour. To her left she heard a sharply different texture of sound and turned her head. The whole pack of wild dogs had, it seemed, come to keep her company. They chattered and whistled at her, but the wind through her ears and the intense drumming meant she could only make out a little of what they were saying.
“HeyJay, you go fastfast!” (whistle, yap) “you going home now girl” (chatter, yip, yap)
“not forget”
“not forget!”
and the pack of dhole spun away and disappeared. Disappointed, Jay tried to concentrate on Barnaby's instructions, but couldn't make enough sense of what was happening to think about any of the places she had come from. All she could think of was the Bear. How she wished for her company now, that warm, earthy, sensible animal. She tried to picture how it would look if the Bear was beside her, imagined so clearly that she could hear her deep female voice saying, “Don't panic, Jay dear. All will be well,” that suddenly there she was travelling in the swirling air beside her, solid and amused.
“I told you that in this world all you have to do is need me and I will be with you, and here I am. Not for long, Jay, for you are nearly at the portal to your own world. The dogs are right, you must try to remember your time here. The talisman will help. You have it safe?”
Until Bear had arrived, Jay had not really felt much emotion, nor really taken in that she was on her way back to the world where unhappiness was waiting. She reached out and grasped the long coat, pulling herself in until she was almost enveloped in hair. It tickled her face, and she sneezed.
The drums paused, gave four loud, slow beats and stopped completely.