The Rise of the Sea Ghosts (from The Gelid Times Trilogy)

Chapter 9

The Tree of Lux Brumalis; To the North

Vega's scream echoed over the sea of gemstones and boomeranged back to her causing her to stumble until her back hit the Tree of Lux Brumalis; she clutched the topaz with both arms and held it close to her heart and closed her eyes.

Breathing heavily, Vega whispered to the topaz, 'I have to get out of here – I have to get out of here – I have to get out of here.'

Vega steadied her breathing as Mama Knowe had taught her – she counted to four as she breathed in, held her breath for four counts, and as she breathed out, she counted to four and finished by holding the breath out for a count of four. Her breathing slowed. She felt an enormous calmness wash over her and the silver aura of the tree radiate from skin and the light of winter flow in her soul. The solidity of the ancient tree against her back was reassuring – it was strong, permanent and wise. Vega nodded to herself remembering Mama Knowe's words - see what is only in front of you – reach for only one gemstone – hold it tightly in two hands – do not be tempted to let go and reach for another and finally, and most importantly return immediately – once you have the gemstone, return immediately Vega.

Return immediately, Vega thought, return immediately. Keeping her eyes closed, Vega tucked the topaz under her left arm and with her right she let her right hand feel for the trunk of the tree behind her. Keeping the palm of her hand on the silver trunk and with her eyes closed, Vega began to walk slowly, clockwise around the tree feeling her way over the gemstones with her feet. She kept circling the tree and as the air changed to a bitter cold, the ground no longer undulated with gemstones but was rather soft and crunchy with snow. Eventually she heard Fara's voice screaming at her.

'Vega! Vega! What happened – you've been gone for ages – like hours and hours!' Fara shouted at Vega as she emerged from behind the tree with the topaz. 'Oh my! Oh my! What happened? What was it like? Are you in pain?' Fara's questions were fast and high pitched.

As Vega stepped towards Fara her body felt rather transparent and she found it difficult to walk. Fara put her arm around Vega's shoulders with one hand and with the other supported her arm that held the topaz.

'Oh my! Did you nearly die?' Fara breathed heavily. 'Was it hard? Did you open your eyes?'

Vega swallowed heavily as she stumbled forward and dropped to her knees cradling the topaz. Fara ran to get her water bottle and opened the lid as she returned to Vega. Encouraging her to drink, Fara held the water bottle to Vega's lips. Vega drank the cold water greedily and eventually sat back on her heels and looked intently at Fara. Would Fara have the strength to keep her eyes closed? Would Fara heed any advice? Would she ever see Fara again once she passed to the other side of the Tree of Lux Burmalis?

'You must hurry. We must return to Terretown,' Vega said grabbing Fara's arm and leaning into her face. 'Go – go quickly. Put blinders on your eyes and if you can't do that, just close them and grab a stone! Go!'

Vega pushed Fara away, nodded her head and whispered, 'Go!'

Fara put the water bottle down in the snow, stood up and backed away from Vega towards the Tree of Lux Brumalis in fear and panic. She knew that if she did not return with a bigger and better gemstone that Vega, she would be doomed to be the second Decision Maker – she needed the diamond. In normal times, when there were ten or twelve competitors, both first and second Decision Maker would have been highly coveted positions. But now, with just the two of them, Fara wanted to be first Decision Maker and first Decision Maker only. Returning to Terretown as anything less than first Decision Maker would bring embarrassment on her and her family. While, everyone said that there were no winners or losers and they were supposed to bring harmony and balance, first Decision Maker was the only option for Fara. She hardly breathed as she began to walk counterclockwise around the tree. Her last sight of the only world she had known was Vega falling to her side and cradling the topaz in a foetal position.

As Vega lay in the snow, she closed her eyes briefly and sighed, 'I did it. I got the topaz and I am not dead. I am not a stinking fish decomposing in the roots of the Tree of Lux Brumalis. I am not a greedy, greedy stinking fish. I am not a greedy...'

When Vega opened her eyes, she was not sure how much time had passed – it could have been minutes, hours or days. What she did know was that she was very cold, very wet and very hungry. Sitting up, Vega surveyed the scene before her and Fara was nowhere to be seen. The intricate lacework patterns of the branches of the Tree of Lux Brumalis glistened celestially - it was indeed anything but ordinary and Vega felt reassured, its glow burning within her and she felt extraordinary.

Holding the topaz, Vega rose slowly to her feet and walked slowly towards her rucksack. It rested in the snow not far from Fara's. There was an ache in the pit of her stomach when she looked at Fara's rucksack. Would she return from the other side or was she already a rotting stinking fish? Vega shook her head, knelt by her rucksack and opened the top. She removed her water bottle and a package of dried meat and pecans. Taking a few sips of water, she alternated taking bites of the dried meat with the pecans. The meat was rich and salty, bursting with flavour and Vega sat back on her heels salivating as she ate. Mama's Knowe's voice circled her mind – don't eat too quickly, don't eat too much at first, take your time Vega, go slowly as not to get a stomach-ache. Vega took great care to breathe while she ate, chewing carefully, savouring every morsel.

As per Mama Knowe's advice, Vega stopped eating before she was full – always best to save a bit for later. She folded up the packet and put the lid back on the water bottle. Opening the top of her rucksack wider, Vege slipped the topaz in and then replaced her food and drink. She tightened the top of the rucksack carefully and checked for the hunting knife that hung that hung from the belt of her coat which was, thankfully, still there. She removed the knife from its sheath inspected it carefully before returning it to hang at her waist.

Vega stood. She felt tall, strong and solid. She was ready to return to Terretown as Decision Maker, but she could not return without Fara, could she?

Vega decided to wait and waiting would require a fire. She did not know how long Fara had waited for her, but she could not leave without her yet. Vega hoisted her rucksack on to her back and walked away from the Tree of Lux Brumalis to gather wood. Burning a branch from the Tree of Lux Brumalis was sacrilegious, so Vega ventured further away from the tree towards the pines and returned armed with enough wood to start a fire. Locating herself under the pine trees on the perimeter of the open space of the Tree of Lux Brumalis, she placed the branches on the ground. From this location she would be sheltered and she could clearly see when Fara emerged from the other side.

Under the pines, there was less snow and Vega was able to brush it away with her foot revealing the pine needles below. Kneeling, she let her rucksack slide off her shoulders next to the pile of wood. Vega used her gloved hands to push the pine needles away, revealing the frozen earth below. With her hunting knife, she shaved the bark off the wood skilfully as she had been taught as a young child. With several of the branches, she built a platform. With an extra branch, she flattened out one side with her knife and carved out a small round indentation. With another branch, she whittled the bark off and carved a more pointed end creating a spindle. Placing this spindle in the indentation of the other branch. Vega used her gloved hands to turn the spindle eventually creating a little pile of ash; the ash finally began to smoke. It was then she knew that the fire would start, and she blew gently on the ash until the smoke turned to fire. Carefully, Vega transferred the smoking ash to the platform of branches and watched it take. It was exhausting and time-consuming work, but Vega was pleased as the fire generated enough of heat to warm her body.

Vega pulled her rucksack closer to her as she sat cross-legged behind the fire, feeding it small branches to keep it going while she kept watch on the clearing, and the Tree of Lux Brumalis, for Fara to emerge.