Black Rose Pt. 39

(It seemed to be the time to start building bridges between different parts of this story. Now that we're firmly... in the middle.

Hence a character who was named before, but no information about them had been provided.

The title is a quote from my favourite poet.)

Chapter 39

A Toast and Tea

Then, as Freya and Five skirted around the stony hills, north of Lowgren, at the very southern tip of the Maloccas, they started to hear stories.

They reached a town that was better known for its spectacular lakeside views, than for anything else.

It had many inns, and the population swelled in the summer months, with rich folk from Memika coming to their country estates, and also in the winter months, when the same rich folk came to their hillside lodges. It had hardly been touched by the war.

The townsfolk had rather different expectations about life than those who had lived closer to the battlefields.

*** 

'My cousin had two chickens stolen by a worm,' said a woman in the market.

'How do you know it was a worm,' Five said.

'Because, when we went after it, we had this feeling on us, like we shouldn't. Renards can't do that. Only worms can.'

This seemed reasonable.

***

'It is guided by a man,' said a small dark man, rather nervous and haunted.

'How do you know?' Five said.

'Because we hear the man talking.'

'What's he say?'

'That, we could not hear. But the man controls it, or it controls him.'

'Which do you think it is?'

'I think the man controls it. Nasty voice it has. Scratchy, devilish.'

'But, you couldn't hear what it said.'

'No.'

'Why not?'

The man looked abashed.

'I was hiding in the mushroom shed.'

He looked defensive.

'It only took a chicken,' he said.

***

'It took our lovely Huffy,' said a mother, holding the hand of a glum child.

'That's awful,' said Five sympathetically, thinking: Strange name for a child. 'I'm very sorry.'

'I miss Huffy so much,' the child said, looking brave.

'Well, that's a dreadful crime,' Five said, 'we will avenge the death of your...'

Five paused, realising that she didn't know what relation Huffy was to anyone else.

'Huffy was our dog,' said the child.

'... Right,' said Five.

Beside her, Freya remained expressionless, but lifted a hand and gave Five a patient pat on the back.

***

Gradually, a picture came together.

It seemed that, in the hills, there dwelled a worm that had somehow acquired a dominie. Stories differed about which, in the relationship, was the master and which the servant. It was assumed that one of them had to be.

But everyone was sure that there was some sort of unholy alliance going on between a dominie and a, presumably, rather small worm.

Still, the rumours were vague and spectral.

Nobody claimed that the man and the worm were killing their people, or plundering their livestock to a degree that threatened their livelihoods, or destroying priceless property, or causing any kind of truly grievous mischief.

But most people in the village at the foot of the hills knew that the man and the worm were there, and now and again a small-to-medium animal might disappear or be stolen.

And there was a part of the hills that the folk knew of, but which none of them wished to visit: a cave, which was only accessible by walking along the floor of a narrow ravine.

Freya and Five travelled there, and viewed the entrance to the ravine. It was so narrow that only one person could walk abreast, and it didn't get significantly wider higher up.

It looked like it had been made by a split in the rock; a river would have carved a more v-shaped wedge in the ground, and the ravine floor was dry. Whatever the worm was, it couldn't be a huge target, and might be an easy one.

So, they undertook to sort out whatever unholy combination of man-and-worm was killing the occasional small animal, and they entered the ravine, Freya first, Five walking behind.

The townsfolk remained down in the town by the lake. Nobody wanted to come with them.

***

As they went deeper and deeper along the ravine floor, swords drawn, Five began to realise why.

It wasn't like the Provost of Venceborn, where your wits got addled. Five felt perfectly clear of head. Up ahead was Freya, strong and certain; Five felt confident that this job could be done.

But the more they went in, the more there was a sense of wrongness to it all.

Like they shouldn't be doing it.

Not fear. More a sort of... revulsion. Or even guilt.

Freya slowed to a halt and turned and looked at her. Five caught up and Freya took her hand. She looked slowly around at the steep limestone walls and then at Five, curiously.

'You feel it too?'

'I dunno how to describe it,' Five murmured. 'It's like we should leave, in't it?'

Freya nodded, and her brow furrowed, as she looked around, as if she could almost see it in the air, and then she looked at Five and gave a grim smile.

'Fascinating.'

Five raised her eyebrows.

'If you say so,' she said.

Freya cackled quietly and squeezed her hand.

She looked around again, and then let go of Five and carefully sheathed her sword. Once she had done so, an interested look came over her face.

'Put up your sword,' she said to Five.

'Really? Hadn't one of us better...'

'We can draw quickly if we must,' Freya said. 'Only put it up now, and see what happens.'

Five sheathed her sword too, and the feeling of wrongness eased somewhat.

'How?' said Five.

'I do not know, but I must find out.'

They started walking again, and very slowly the reluctance to go on with this grew and grew.

But it wasn't unbearable, and in fact, the more they went on, the more specific and less general it came to feel. It nagged more, but for that very reason, Five came to trust it less. It was less like a general uneasiness, more like someone deliberately trying to make them feel bad about coming any closer.

Finally, the ravine twisted and turned several times and then they turned a corner, and there was the mouth of a cave.

Outside the cave lay a small pile of bones, belonging, as far as Five could tell, to various small animals and, indeed, a few chickens.

Inside the cave was a dim light.

The ravine was slightly wider here, so they could stand side by side. They stared at the cave entrance.

Then, from inside the cave, came a voice. Dry, creaky; a little buzzy.

'Have you come for the worm?'

Five looked at Freya, who nodded at her.

'My mistress and I have come to see what's been killing dogs and chickens,' Five said.

'Huh,' said the voice, a little meditative. 'And I expect you want to rid the hills of whatever it is.'

'That's what we usually do.'

'Then you'd better come in.'

'Got a better idea,' Five said. 'Why don't you come out?'

There was a pause.

'I think it's probably best if I stay in here.'

'You might want to come out,' Five said. 'You could be in great danger.'

'Mmm. I'm already in great danger,' said the voice, sounding rather amused.

Five looked at Freya, who looked serious and nodded at her.

'Don't make sudden moves,' Five said, 'and we'll get you out of there, don't worry.'

'Ah,' said the voice. 'I see. That's not what's happening here.'

Five hesitated, and looked at Freya, who looked, for once, like she wasn't sure what to do.

'What's happening here, then,' said Five, beginning to get impatient. 'You're holding us up.'

'And with good reason. Why don't you come in, and we'll have some tea.'

It paused.

'And we'll talk.'

'Where's the worm?' Five said. 'Is it making you say this? They can bend minds, you know. It's tried to bend ours.'

'Well, can't be very good at it, apparently, seeing as you came this far.'

'Do not play games with us,' Freya rumbled.

'I assure you, Freya Aelfrethe, I'm not playing games with you. Nor with your... friend.'

'You need to get out of there,' Five said more urgently. 'If you keep faffing about, the worm could kill you.'

'Yeeeeaaahhhhhh,' the voice drawled, the word turning into a long, low, crackling rattle, and it seemed more weirdly amused than ever. 'That's not something I need to worry about.'

There was a pause, and then they heard the footsteps.

Not those of a person in boots or shoes. They were clacking footsteps, like the person was wearing shoes soled with bone, and there was a whiff of a smell that Five had smelled before, rock oil mingled with some kind of human scent, and they glimpsed someone moving towards the cave entrance, slowly coming out of the shadow.

It stopped.

'Now,' it said, 'the conversation up till now has been perfectly civil, so I hope we can continue in that vein.'

'Depends on you,' Five said.

Five looked at Freya and saw Freya staring intently into the shadows, not looking angry or intent on slaughter, but wanting to see who it was.

'Come closer,' Freya said, more softly.

Whoever it was seemed to nod, and then began to walk again, in a rather halting shuffle.

And then, slowly, out of the shadow, it came.

It was a worm.

The size of a tall human, walking on its hind legs. It had grey-blue scaly skin, and long forelimbs.

Its head was blunter than some, less animal, but in no way human, and was dominated by the large golden eyes with the slit black pupil, which looked up and blinked painfully against the sun and then focused on the two of them.

Its blink was a double one; an inner eyelid closed over the eye vertically, and then an outer one closed over horizontally. It was a most emphatic blink.

But what struck Five most was that the worm was wearing human clothes.

It had on a black coat, dusty and ragged, which appeared to have slits in the back, because from the worm's back, two vestigial wings dangled through the cloth. It also wore a pair of too-large brown woollen breeches, tied with rope around what would have been, on a human, its waist. The coat was too small for its long upper body, and the breeches too baggy for its slender hind limbs.

The worm's forelimbs had five digits, and Five could not help noticing that in one of its 'hands', it was holding a book, with another of its digits inserted between the pages, as if to keep its place.

It stood in the cave entrance, looking at them, its reptile face unreadable. Its tongue came out of its mouth and licked its muzzle. It blinked again.

'Hello,' it said in a level voice. 'I suppose you've come to kill me.'

*

Freya looked the creature up and down.

You are the subtlest of them all.

Compared to you, the All-father is a brute beast, and the Provost is a thug.

You can do much, can you not. Yet you are puny, compared to them. You are as close to human as you can be, without being one of us.

'That is why we came,' she said carefully.

The worm looked at her and nodded and blinked.

'Well,' it said, in its dry, crackly voice, 'this was always on the cards, wasn't it.'

Its head swayed on its long neck, as it looked at first one, then the other of them.

'Tea, first?'

*

Five was struck dumb.

Here they were, standing outside a cave, chatting with a worm that seemed to be perfectly polite and intelligent.

A worm that thought it were a human. Or seemed to be trying to be like a human.

'What are you,' she said. The worm looked at her.

'I'm a worm,' it said, and its head twitched to one side. 'Isn't it obvious.'

'You...'

'Ah,' said the worm, looking down at itself and nodding. 'Yes. The clothes. I...'

It looked up at them and blinked.

'I get cold.'

It spoke at a different pace from theirs.

Slower, as if it lived according to a different sense of time, a much, much longer one; also, as if speaking at all was something that it had to do by carefully weighing up the options beforehand, and then proceeding very carefully.

It looked up again and seemed to wince at the grey, cloudy sky.

'Look,' it said, 'I don't wish to be rude, but daylight disagrees with me. Might we continue to talk inside? I meant it about the tea.'

Freya looked at the worm, the promise of a smile on her face, and nodded.

'Splendid,' said the worm. 'Come in. Feel free to stay near the entrance if you feel safer.'

It started to back into the cave, and they went a few paces in after it.

'You could burn us to a crisp if you wanted,' Five said.

'Mmmmm,' said the worm. 'Can't do that, in fact.'

'What?'

'Breathe fire. I mean, not all of us can. But I really can't.'

'I don't believe you,' Five said.

The worm stood there, and its head swayed slightly on its long neck, and a ripple seemed to go through its body.

'All right,' the worm said, 'I'll show you.'

It paused and looked around. Five's vision was getting accustomed to the darkness, and now she could see a fire, and a kettle, and a cooking pot, an assortment of chipped cups, a couple of plates, and a loaf of bread on a platter, with a knife.

There were also a few rickety chairs, and piles of books, and in the corner, a bed of hay with a blanket on it. The books were curiously anonymous; they were of different shapes and sizes, but all had identical black covers with no writing on them.

The worm shuffled over to the bread and looked down at the knife for a moment, and then Five watched it reach forward with one forelimb and wrap its fingers, one by one, around the knife handle, like it had had to painstakingly learn to pick up a knife, which Five could do without even thinking.

Then it held down the bread with its other hand, with slightly unnecessary force, and slowly sawed a slice of bread, rather badly, so that it was too thick at the top and tapered to nothing about four-fifths of the way down, like the way a small child would cut bread.

Then it put down the knife and picked up the slice of bread.

Freya stepped back and put a protective arm before Five. The worm saw this, and nodded.

'Yes,' it said, 'don't worry. I want to show you what I can do at the peak of my power.'

It closed its eyes, opened its muzzle and held the bread before its open mouth, then seemed to hunch into itself and shudder.

Five saw the faint glow in the worm's throat, and the worm's scales suddenly gleamed, and glistened as if with moisture, and the glow appeared at the back of the worm's mouth, and the worm shut its eyes tight and made a low rumbling noise. It seemed to be making a tremendous effort.

No fire appeared. Five waited. Nothing seemed to happen.

After a moment, it stopped making the noise, turned the bread around, and then made the noise again, and then it stopped, and opened its eyes, and panted for breath, licking its lips and looking absolutely spent.

Then it shuffled over to Five and, standing as far back from her as it could, and bowing low, while looking up at her, held the bread out to her.

'Toast?' it said.

Five took the bread, and it was indeed lightly toasted.

'Thanks,' Five said. 'I'm not hungry.'

The worm nodded, delicately took the toast back, shrugged, and flicked it off into a corner, then shuffled over to a chair and flopped into it.

'Always takes it out of me, that does,' it panted. 'Anyway. Please, sit if you like. Don't if you don't.'

'Do you have a name?' Freya said.

'I've had lots. More than I can remember. Many of them on a theme of, what's the word. Illumination. I've got used to it.'

'What are you called now?' said Five.

'What are you called now,' it said to her.

'I don't have a name, but folk call me Five.'

'Hail Five,' it said, giving her a look which on a human she would have been annoyed by. 'Call me Arclite.'

Freya seemed to relax, and strolled forward, and sat down in one of the other chairs. Five remained standing where she was.

'What's going on,' Five said. 'Why haven't you killed us.'

'How would I kill you,' Arclite said, still slumped into its chair, looking genuinely tired. 'At most I could probably give you a nasty scratch.'

'Don't think so,' Five said. 'You're still an animal. Bet you can move faster than you let on.'

'Wellllllllll,' Arclite said, and it blinked, and again, the word lasted so long that before its end it had become nothing more than a series of clicking noises. 'Yes. But. I don't want to, just now.'

'Why not? You know we come here to kill you.'

'Mmmmmmm,' Arclite said. 'And I assume you will. But I thought we might talk first.'

'So you can bend our minds?'

'I've already bent your minds,' Arclite said, 'and you came here anyway.'

It turned to Freya.

'Is she always this... lippy?' it said, and seemed to relish the word "lippy", smacking its own lipless mouth and licking its muzzle with its long tongue.

'You should not underestimate her,' Freya said.

'I would never,' Arclite said, and looked at Five, blinking its enormous golden eyes with the black pupils.

'Maybe we could cut this short,' it said. 'Tell me what I have to do to make you think I'm not playing games with you.'

Five stared at the beast.

It was whimsical, and potentially deadly, but there was also something about it that was terribly old and weary and resigned.

And yet, it weren't apathetic or selfish, like the Provost. It was alert and alive, and looked at them like they were the most fun it had had in a long time.

'What sort of a name is "Arclite",' Five said. 'And where's that tea you promised us.'

'Tea,' Arclite said, sitting up straight. 'Yes. Here's a trust game, if you like, Five. Kettle there, pot there, mugs there, tea in the bowl. You make the tea, then you've got the vessel of boiling water in your hand, not I. How's that.'

Five glanced at Freya, who merely cocked her head, and Five reckoned it was her own choice.

'Fine,' she said, and set about brewing the tea.

'My name. Yes. An arc light was... it was a piece of what you call, messenger knowledge.'

Five glanced at the worm sharply. Freya was staring at it.

'Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh,' Arclite purred, 'come on. It didn't occur to you that we'd be as interested in you, as some of you are in us?'

'We?' Freya said.

'I mean my siblings. The ones you've been going around killing off, these last months.'

Five reached for her sword and Freya was on her feet and had drawn her own.

Arclite shook its head.

'Put it away,' it said. 'Did you think we have no way of letting each other know what's going on?'

'So you're in contact with all the other worms?' Five said.

'Eeehhhhhhhhhhh,' Arclite said. 'It's terribly complicated.'

'Try us anyway.'

Arclite looked down and brought its foreclaws together in a gesture Five seen on humans, the 'fingertips' touching each other. It looked down at itself, and then looked up again, seemingly pleased.

'It's not like we simply talk to one another. I have a... sense of how my siblings are doing. Some more than others. Many of them are little more than nuisances, I mean, you've met them.'

Arclite sniffed, like one who was embarrassed to have such cousins in the family.

'From them, I get not much more than vague fear, or hatred. Some are more like me. From those, I get a more vivid picture. A very, very few, we can exchange simple messages. It's to do with how we can make you folk feel things.'

Five poured out the tea and went over to Arclite with a cup, and set it down on the ground, and backed away.

Arclite looked down at it, looked up at Five, bent over, picked up the cup and said politely, 'Thank you,' and sipped it. It closed its eyes in bliss.

'I looooooove tea,' it purred. 'One of your human treasures.'

Five looked at Freya. Freya was staring at the worm with a mixture of wonder and bafflement, and then she caught Five's gaze and looked at her, and smiled with a kind of incredulity.

Five had to admit that she was starting to share Freya's odd fascination with this creature.

'Anyway,' Arclite said, 'an arc light was one of the big steps your people made, on your way to here.'

'Here,' Freya said.

'This world,' Arclilte said, and paused.

'Our world,' it added patiently.

'Your world,' Freya said softly.

Arclite looked at her, and blinked, and nodded. The nod was like it had observed humans nodding from some way off, and had worked out that nodding was how you said yes without saying anything. It went on slightly too long.

'How do you speak our tongue,' Freya said.

'If you are among humans long enough, you can pick it up. I was not always condemned to look as I do, in my true form. There was a time when I could pass for a human. I can still almost do it, but not for long enough to be useful.'

'Show us,' Five said.

Arclite looked at her, and Five could have sworn it sighed.

'Really?'

'The Provost of Venceborn could look like a human. Be curious to see you do it too.'

'The Provost,' Arclite said, and shook its head. 'That one was a glutton. And lazy.'

'You knew him?'

'We have no hims or hers. We are both and neither.'

It looked Five up and down.

'Like you,' it said.

Five didn't know whether to be insulted or flattered.

'Yes, of course I knew the Provost. A greedy pig, if you ask me. I know you slew the Provost, but I don't hold a grudge. None of us shed tears over that.'

'Do you shed tears about things?'

'Well,' Arclite said, 'no. But you take my meaning.'

'What about the All-father,' Five said. 'You knew that one too?'

'What they did to that one,' Arclite said, 'is shocking.'

'What about what it did to her,' Five said, indicating Freya with her head.

'I know what it did to her,' Arclite said quietly.

It looked at Freya, and Five was suddenly hit with the regret that came from the creature; a sense that it knew that Freya had been horribly dealt with, and that it did not truly comprehend how, but that it wished it had not happened.

Freya simply returned its gaze, expressionless, with what Five thought of as her 'card face': giving absolutely nothing away.

'Why didn't you stop it,' Five said.

'The thing you call the All-father lives in a cave more than two hundred miles away,' it said with some asperity. 'I can tell what sort of mood it's in. I can't make it not do things. Especially after your people cut and hacked it about so much.'

'How,' Freya said.

'This is all rather moot,' said Arclite, 'since you are going to kill me anyway. But that thing was once much more than a means for some of your people to make their women slightly more fertile.'

'What was it,' Five said.

Arclite sipped its tea.

'It was a creature of the soil,' it said softly. 'It revelled in life, in renewal. It did not harm others.'

'What happened.'

'Your dominies got their hands on it, and they turned it into what it is. Because they wanted you to be able to have more babies.'

'How could you know that,' Five said. 'How old are you.'

'My people have long memories.'

'Is this one in the book?' Five said to Freya. Freya shook her head no.

'What book,' Arclite said.

'We have this friend, Moyra, who keeps tabs on your lot,' Five said. 'She's got this great book of different types of worm, and...'

Arclite sat bolt upright.

'Moyra?' it said, sounding for the first time genuinely engaged. 'Moyra Sperno? You know her?'

Five felt that she'd made a grave error, and looked at Freya, who gave her a look, and gestured to keep quiet.

'Moyra Sperno?' Freya said.

'Yes,' Arclite said. 'Ex-Dominie. Very remarkable woman. Always been fascinated with my kind. You have met her?'

'We encountered her,' Freya said cautiously.

'What's she like?' Arclite said, eyes gleaming. 'Is she terribly wise? I've always wanted to meet her. Did you like her? What does she look like? Is she beautiful? I've always imagined she's sort of beautiful.'

What the shit, Five thought.

'She has no record of any worm like you,' Freya said.

Arclite looked crestfallen, then shrugged.

'Well, I have taken pains to not be noticed. I wish I could meet her, though. I fancy she might understand. I've always been interested in your kind, you see. More than most of my kind are interested in you.'

'Is that why you wanted to talk to us,' Five said.

'Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeess. I didn't want to die without having a chat about what you're doing.'

'Killing your siblings.'

'Mmmm.'

It looked at them both and sipped its tea.

'I wish you wouldn't,' it said.

'What are we supposed to do? The one in Torina was smashin up the place, killing folk.'

'Killing people who came to kill it.'

'Your siblings are eating folk's cattle. Eating folk who defy them.'

'They're hungry. There used to be more wild animals to eat, but you've eaten them yourselves, or domesticated them. Most of the animals now belong to humans, save the odd bird or loup or coney, and there's not much eating on them.'

'If your siblings attack us, ain't we got the right to defend ourselves?'

'We don't all eat humans,' Arclite said with distaste.

'Do you?'

'Oh no. Look at me. Couldn't eat a whole one. I mean, maybe a newborn. But you lot don't just leave them lying around, the way you used to. It's most annoying.'

Arclite blinked slowly, twice, and stared at them.

'So you have killed our kind,' Freya said.

'Would it really make any difference?' Arclite said, coldly. 'You know what I have done, which is nothing compared to some of my kin, yet you came here to kill me anyway.'

Freya looked at it for a long moment, and finally nodded her head; understanding, if not actual sympathy.

'All I mean,' Arclite said, 'is that life here had a kind of balance, until your kind came along, and reshaped it. We were once first among equals, of all the beasts of the world. Now we are pests.'

'Are you their leader?' Five said.

'No,' Arclite said, 'we don't really get that "leadership" stuff you're always going on about.'

It sounded like it viewed the whole concept with some distaste.

'So that's why you're holed up here, playing at being human.'

'More or less. Trying to get us to work together is impossible. We each have our own little domains. We each consider ourselves our own little lords. A pity, really.'

It looked at them both, its pupils narrowing to a slit.

'Because, while I find your people fascinating, and I regret what suffering we have caused you, Freya, and I... appreciate you accepting my hospitality, and, you two seem like no common folk, but brave and honourable...'

It paused.

'Do you remember the Polovinian you killed, at Compoy?'

Freya nodded.

'I have no love for Polovinians,' Arclite said. 'They are rare, which makes them think themselves special. Many of us despise them for not simply killing and taking flesh, which they consider vulgar. But you got past it. What did you do.'

'Got the whole town drunk and angry,' Five said.

'Clever. I felt it die, hungry and terrified, not knowing why it was powerless against you.'

'It was burning people alive in their sleep,' Five said. 'Families with children.'

Arclite looked at her.

'You think I wouldn't, if I could?' it said quietly.

It paused.

'If I could mobilise all of my kind with just a thought, and rally all behind me, I would bring us out of our caves and our holes, and we would fall down upon you people, and we would kill you all.'

It regarded them for a moment, blinking.

'And we would feast,' it said, quietly but with relish, its eyes gleaming.

Freya leaned forward and looked back at it, smiling slightly.

'Are you threatening me?' she said in a soft and dangerous voice.

Five's heart was pounding.

Arclite's glare faded.

'Because,' Freya said, 'you have had a long time, in which to do this. Yet you do not do it.'

Arclite looked at her, almost ashamed.

'It will never happen,' it said. 'And, you know why.'

'Khsudh,' Freya said. Arclite nodded.

'We are too easily pleased. We lack what you have.'

'The will to fight,' Five said.

'No,' Arclite said. 'The will to bond with one another. And to conquer.'

It seemed to sigh, and turned aside from Freya, who sat back in her chair.

Arclite picked up the book it had put down earlier.

'I've been reading some of your books,' it said in a more jovial tone. 'Messenger stuff. There's one of us in this book, except he's not really, he just takes our form, and he persuades one of you to eat a fruit you're not supposed to eat, because he wants revenge on your creator.'

Freya and Five looked at each other, and Five could see that Freya had no more clue what the book was than she herself did.

'It's good stuff,' said Arclite, 'but we would never have bothered to go to such lengths. But this book, it seems, is part of why you hate us. Because this thing that assumes our form causes you to do something something which something something... eternal suffering. I don't really understand the details. But it is a gross calumny on my kind.'

It put the book down again.

'Hadn't you better do what you came to do?' it said, not getting out of the chair.

'Arclite, you know what one of your kind did to me.'

'Yes,' Arclite said. 'I would apologise, if to do so made any sense. That one barely knows it is alive any more.'

'It seemed alive enough to me.'

'That is what your people have made it do. Left to itself, it would have burrowed the earth and brought change and new life. Your people made it into that thing.'

'I will not argue the point. But, I am not as I was, since then.'

Arclite inspected her.

'No. You are almost a sister to me now.'

Five looked at Freya, and saw a peculiar expression come over Freya's face.

Something, weirdly, like gratitude.

Like Freya was pleased that Arclite understood something that Freya was hoping it would understand.

'Yes,' Freya said. 'Which is perhaps why I do not want to kill you.'

Five was startled. And, for the first time in the conversation, Arclite looked genuinely nonplussed. Its head swivelled as it looked at both of them.

'Don't you? You should, though. Really. I know I'm a dreadful nuisance.'

'It seems to me that you are far more...'

'Annoying?' said Five.

'Useful?' said Arclite, glancing at Five.

'Valuable,' Freya said, 'alive, than dead. I have never met a worm like you, and I think that there are not many.'

'Well, no, there are not.'

'And that, therefore, if we are to better understand your kind, it seems a grave error to kill the most eloquent of you.'

Five could tell that this stoked the worm's considerable vanity; the self-satisfaction it emitted was like an almost physical warmth.

'Well,' it said, licking its lips and brushing its claws on its lower limbs. 'Maybe so. Maybe so.'

'Maybe, in time, we might even reach a place where your kind and ours may exist together, on the same world.'

It looked at Freya steadily.

'Mmmmmmmm,' it said. 'Yeeeeeeeeesss. Understand me, Freya.'

Arclite sat forward, and its wings seemed to grow a little, and beat slightly.

'I like you,' Arclite said. 'I do. Both of you. And I can honour you as almost my sister, and respect you as warriors, both. And you hold out a lovely prospect of a Yard where your kind and my kind share the sunsets together. It's very pretty.'

It looked at both of them, taking its time.

'I still hate you both, and if I could kill you as easily as you could kill me, I would. But I cannot.'

It let the words hang in the room for a moment.

'If I were a human, I would not be able to live with this. I would have to either renounce my hatred, or put it into action. But, because I am not...'

It sat back again, and unmistakably smiled.

'I could wait until you are both weak with old age, and then do it. Or something. But maybe I won't.'

It looked at them, and Five gathered from its peculiar smile that the creature was not toying with them.

It genuinely did not know what it would do. And did not seem to be bothered by the unknowing of it.

'If I let you live, would you hate me less?'

'Do you even care?' Arclite said, smiling more broadly. Freya smiled back, shaking her head.

'Very well,' it said. 'We know where we stand.'

Freya nodded.

'May I offer you some advice,' it said, tilting its head on one side. Freya nodded again.

'This "Serpent Queen" business,' it said. 'It may or may not please you, to be called that. It certainly helps to make a name for you.'

They waited.

'I would watch out, if I were you,' it said. 'Some of your people may think that you rule us, or own us. That would not be good for you, even if you wanted them to think that, for they shall be disappointed to find out that you don't. Perhaps... fatally disappointed.'

Arclite smiled mirthlessly.

'And, if you don't want them to think that you own us, some of your people will not trust you for, as they see it, associating with us anyway. You have nothing to gain from being seen as a friend of the worms. Not from your people, and not from us. And I'm yet to be persuaded that it will do me any good, either.'

Five looked at Freya, who was watching Arclite intently, and who then smiled warmly, and nodded.

'Thank you. That is... good advice. For that alone, I intend to let you live.'

'Oh,' Arclite said, its smile broadening with delight, 'did I just make a, a "bargain"? Was I bargaining?'

'Weren't you trying to?' Five said.

'No,' said Arclite, evidently pleased with itself. 'How wonderful. I've never done that before.'

'However, you cannot stay here.'

Arclite's face fell.

'Oh,' it groaned, 'don't make me leave the cave. This is a great cave. Have you any idea how hard it is to find a good cave? I like it here.'

'You have to go. The folk in the village live in fear, and we pledged to get rid of whatever was plaguing them.'

'"Plaguing" them,' Arclite snorted. 'They don't know when they're well off.'

Freya shrugged, as if she didn't disagree.

'I would take you prisoner,  but would you come quietly?'

'No,' Arclite said warily.

'I thought not. Therefore, I can only ask that you not make a nuisance of yourself. Not to the folk in these parts, at least. You have to go. Do not make me force you.'

'Typical,' Arclite said, and its nostrils flared with irritation. 'I study human ways, I restrict my appetites. I acquire knowledge. I even learn to use their tools and make their tea. Do they call me Arclite the Wise?'

'I dunno,' said Five, 'do they?'

'No,' Arclite said, glancing at her. 'But, you eat one family pet.'

Right, Five thought. Poor old Huffy.

'It is time to go,' Freya said. 'You may take what you can carry.'

Arclite sighed, and stood up, stooping slightly under the low roof.

'Fine. You don't want any tea?'

'No thank you,' Five said.

'Probably wise. You can't be sure I didn't poison it.'

'Did you?' said Five, half-joking.

'Of course I did,' Arclite said. 'I'm not very good with poisons, though. You wouldn't have died, but you'd have had a truly horrible time.'

Arclite shuffled over to the bed and picked up the blanket, then fashioned it into a crude bag.

'You really do hate us, don't you,' said Five, and yet it was kind of funny. It was hard to feel insulted; the creature lived by a different set of rules.

It went over to the books, and started to toss them into the bag, one by one.

'Yes, but that doesn't mean we may never find ourselves on the same side, some day, fighting shoulder to shoulder against some common enemy. Who knows?'

'How d'you reckon that?'

'How old are you?' it said.

'Not totally sure. Nineteen, twenty.'

'I'm a lot older. Trust me, this "life" business?'

Arclite looked at Five over one shoulder.

'Terribly complicated.'

***

They waited for Arclite to gather up such possessions as it could carry. By the time it had finished, it was dusk outside.

Freya and Five backed out of the cave, and Arclite came after them, looking suspiciously up at the twilit sky. Then it looked relieved, and took a deep breath, and looked at them.

'Why are you still here,' it said.

'We must make sure you leave,' Freya said.

'Oh,' it said thoughtfully. 'Yes, that makes sense.'

'The book you talked of. May I borrow it?'

Arclite looked her up and down.

'No,' it said. 'You wouldn't understand it anyway.'

Freya looked more amused than annoyed.

'here will you go?'

'Don't know. I'd live in a forest, but they're all owned by people now. I could go to the wild, but it's not even all that wild any more. I'll probably go higher up in the mountains. Move north.'

'Will you tell your people what we talked about?'

'A lot of them won't understand it. Most of those that will, will think it's me being too interested in your people.

'But, yes, I will let them know that... perhaps, you, personally, are not bent on slaughtering all of us.'

'Thank you.'

'Fat lot of good it will do you.'

'Why?' said Five.

'Because so many of us are bent on slaughtering all of you,' Arclite said, looking Five in the eye. 'For reasons which I feel I went into, in some detail.'

'For my part,' Freya said, 'I hope we talk again.'

Arclite went on staring at Five for a moment, and then looked sideways at Freya.

'It's not been completely boring,' Arclite said, and blinked.

'Sorry you lost the cave,' Five said.

'Sorry about the poison,' Arclite said.

'Good luck.'

Arclite lifted the bag onto its back and twitched its head and neck to one side.

'Next time we meet,' it said, 'we must discuss this "luck" business.'

'Oh yeah?'

'Another one of your things I just don't get,' it said, and then, with startling agility, it climbed rapidly up the side of the ravine to the top, and then vanished.

They waited for a while, to ensure it didn't just come back, then they went down to the village and announced that the worm would not trouble them any more.

***

The relieved townsfolk gave them praise and ale and food, and Freya listened to their tributes to their bravery with an enigmatic smile on her face.

'Well,' said the self-appointed leader of the townsfolk, who'd been introducing them to grateful citizens all night, 'all I can say, once more, is how fortunate we have been that the Serpent Queen came to our little town, and rid of this menace. We can sleep more easily in our beds tonight.'

'We are honoured to have served you,' Five said.

'Speaking of sleeping in beds,' the man said, 'I can see that you are used to roughing it, but here, I'm afraid we must insist: Jacques has said that you are to take the finest bed in the inn, in the Lord's Room.'

Looming behind him, the innkeeper beamed.

Freya frowned slightly. Five thought, Well, if she thinks no, then, a polite no it is.

'You look like you wish to refuse us,' said the leader. 'Please do not insult our generosity. It is the very least we can do for the Serpent Queen, and her brave and gallant young manservant.'

The townsfolk all twinkled at them.

Five stared at them, and then stared at Freya, who was holding her beer mug before her mouth in order to hide how much she was trying not to laugh.

They exchanged a glance. Five got the message.

'How can we refuse such a generous offer,' she said in her deepest voice.

***

Later, they were in bed. Five was pleasantly warmed by the beer. She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. Their bodies were in contact, skin to skin along their legs and hips.

'A question,' Five said.

'Mm.'

'Why'd you let it go? Don't you think it's dangerous?'

'In all of history, the worms have never fought as a group. I believed it, when it said that they cannot organise themselves, or at least no more than loups can organise themselves into packs. Arclite is intelligent and a fine talker, but if most worms cannot be talked to, how could they be commanded?'

'A lot of worms do talk, though.'

'They can trick us, and they can boast and they bully, but they do little more than that. The All-father tried to tell me that what it was doing to me was an honour. An "honour", if you can believe it.'

Freya smiled grimly at the memory, and Five thought about how far she had come since that day.

'By fuck,' Five said, disgusted.

'It made me so angry, that I found the will to fight. So much for its ability to bend minds.'

'And that one's supposedly been changed by us.'

'Indeed. The Provost felt only sorry for itself, and resented us. Everything else was that boy, collecting its sweat and doing his tricks.'

'But if Arclite said that it could send messages, there must be others who can get 'em.'

'Yes, but it is little use as long as most of them cannot receive them. And, you noticed it was too vain to tell us more of the ones like itself.'

'I saw you spreading it on thick back there.'

Freya smiled.

'Its vanity is its weakness.'

'What's yours?'

Freya looked at her.

'What is yours?'

Five thought for a long moment.

'I don't think I've been tried enough to know, yet,' she finally said. Freya nodded.

'That is very likely true.'

'I know I've got some. Before, I'd've said cowardice, definitely. Now... I dunno.'

'Nor do I.'

'What, about my weaknesses or yours?'

'Yours. I know my own.'

'What is it?' Five said, apprehensive.

'Too much faith in my own powers.'

'Really?'

Freya nodded, staring up at the ceiling.

'One day, I will try to do something which I am too weak to do. And I shall either be killed, or I will come out of it forever changed.'

'Haven't you already done that?'

Freya nodded grimly.

'That is why I suspect I will do it again.'

'At least you know,' Five said.

'And now, so do you.'

'So, you expect me to look out for it and warn you?'

'Yes,' Freya said, smiling at the ceiling.

They were silent for a time.

'What do you think it meant,' Five said, 'by saying that you're like its sister?'

Freya did nothing, and then looked at her.

'Nobody has... been so...'

She paused, thinking, and grimaced, and almost laughed.

'Let us say, "close" to a worm, as I have, and survived.'

Five put her hand on her bare shoulder.

'Hey,' she said. 'sorry, I didn't mean to...'

Five reached up and clutched her hand.

'If anyone has the right to ask me that,' Freya said, looking at her, 'it is you. You know what happened. You looked after me.'

She fell silent. Five held her hand tight.

Freya closed her eyes for a moment, and then took a deep breath and opened them, and looked at Five.

'Something of them, is in me,' she said.

Five nodded. Moyra had said so.

'Just as, something of me, is in you.'

It was true. The blood oath.

'You think that...?'

'I do not know,' Freya said. 'I only know that we are connected, you, and I, to them. As others are not. I do not know what it means, or what it says we must do. I only know, now, that we cannot go on seeing them as...'

'Pests?'

Freya nodded.

She glanced at Five.

'Do not get me wrong. I do not regret killing the ones we have killed.'

'Well, thank fuck, cause we've killed a lot of 'em.'

Freya smiled.

'But they are not vermin. They are... adversaries. You understand?'

'I think so.'

'Then tell me.'

Five looked back at her.

You had to make this a teaching moment, didn't you.

'We can't just kill 'em all off and then sleep in peace.'

Freya shook her head no.

'We'll have to learn to live with them, somehow.'

Freya nodded.

'How the fuck do we do that?'

'I do not know,' Freya said, 'but, at least I have a good counsellor by my side.'

'I'll do me best.'

'You always have done,' Freya said, and kissed her on the forehead.

They lay there for a while longer.

'I have so many questions.'

'About what?'

'Arclite said we came here. To this world.

'If so, where did we come from? What did the dominies... what did we do to the All-father, and why, to make it like that? Are the Casmans using it as... we intended, or are they perverting it?'

'Mysteries of the universe.'

'Moyra said that we could no longer let ourselves be told who to fight. I chose to hunt worms, because hunting and fighting are what I do. I was being a good soldier.'

'You are a good soldier. You're the fucking best soldier.'

Freya kept staring at the ceiling, and then looked at Five.

'It is not enough. If we want to fix this broken world, we will have to be much more than soldiers.'

Five rolled onto one side to face her, and Freya did so too. Five took her hands.

'What if we're not good for owt else?'

'Then we shall fail and probably die,' Freya said, smiling.

Five considered this.

'Yup. Well, I knew what I was signing up for.'

Freya put her arms around her and they kissed and lay there.

Five looked up at her.

'What makes you think the world's broken? I mean, not that I think it in't.'

Freya was silent for a moment.

'I helped us to win the king's war.'

Five held onto her, waiting.

'I do not know who won the king's peace.'

*** 

The next day, Freya and Five resumed their journey south towards Hargest.

The worm called Arclite never troubled the town again.