Swan on the Moor

Chapter 21

Jessie could sense Aine's alertness as she slowly, so slowly, inched her way down the slope, pressing herself to the wall. Jessie tried to do the same; it was earth, perhaps, but it was a colder version of the burned-out dirt from above ground and it felt, frankly, horrible. She made sure to look behind her often, still a little bothered that she had let her guard down so much, and been so distracted by this place. Still, it shouldn't be a surprise. She was in another world. She figured to herself it was alright to allow for a little indiscretion...as long as she got a hold of herself in a place she felt sure was saying to them, danger, danger.

Aine suddenly pulled up in front of her, and Jessie slung herself back against the dirty wall, ignoring the seeping coldness.

"What?" she breathed, low as she could manage.

"I can see...something..." Aine whispered in return. "I think there's...someone there..." She closed her eyes for a moment. "There's...power. You can always sense what someone else's powers are...their nature. I feel..." she shuddered a little. "Anger. Battle lust. Heady..." She turned to look at Jessie, fearful. "The magic of fae, the aura, always affects humans strongly. That's how the fae have such a hold. If you feel...unusual..."

"I'll let you know," Jessie said without humour. "I'll...be aware, now." She paused, and added, "Do you want to go forward? Is it such a good idea?"

"I don't know," said Aine. "There's something there though, someone there. Let's...at least..." she made a half-step forward, looking again more animal than human as the two sides warred in her. "Run or hide?" she murmured to herself, and Jessie leaned forward to look over her shoulder, squinting again, the tiny voice of the scientist again pressing forward, telling her to go to the optician's as soon as she got home. If you get home, said an older voice, and she sighed, willing the unconscious thoughts away.

There was something there. There were columns and arches, not entirely dissimilar to the faint sights of the underwater city, but these did not glow with marble and coral; rather, they were crumbling and coloured the same ugly rust red-black of the earth above. Links of chains hung from the odd stone. The place seemed more open – or, more accurately, larger, as if there was something there. Jessie frowned. The first word that sprung into her head was...

"Prison?" she said, making it a question. Aine turned a greying face on her. "It just looks like a prison," Jessie repeated, weakly. "We really shouldn't be here, you know..." It did make a sort of sense. This forgotten place was a prison world with all the desolation and disgrace that implied.

"It feels old..." Aine offered, feebly. "But...I know what you mean...it's..." A sudden sound behind them made them freeze.

"A crow?" Jessie analysed without thinking. "It was a crow. A return-call..." Her head spun sharply to the column room ahead, and there was definitely movement now; distant, but coming closer.

"We have to hide!" Aine's voice rose with panic. "We have to..." Jessie felt her limbs lock up and the flight response beginning to kick in, just as it was rising in her own heart.

"Don't...run," she breathed as firmly as she could. "Careful, quick..." the crow's call sounded again, and closer, this time. "Forward, there's nowhere else to go. Before...whatever it is...gets here..." She summoned all her training. You move naturally, without sharp movements, fluidly, and don't creep. That is obvious. Just move like air might; glide without suspicion, so that you don't alarm anything. "Remember what it's like to be hidden, pretend it's just humans and no one will see you. Look, we'll get behind that column..."

She pushed Aine gently forward, willing her to relax, listen to her words, and let her muscles and years of practise take over. Move calmly, smoothly. There's nothing there to look at. Look away...something in her tone must have soothed Aine, at least enough to move, and she began to slip forward, flickering in and out of Jessie's vision. She was good, it had to be said. If Jessie hadn't known she was there and been used to focussing on things that were trying to hide, she would have looked right past her, even so close. By comparison Jessie felt obvious and unsubtle, but she kept her speed and smoothness and let herself slide forward as well.