The Knave of Souls - Fantasy - Sequel to The Jack of Souls

Chapter 35

Bright Mother, Mad Father, Hag

A white maiden in a black bag.

Old crone

Old stone

Where did she go?

I'll never tell

She's in the well

As bright as new snow.

—Arkendian Children's rhyme referring to the Bright Mother's eclipse during Krato's Moon

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HARD LESSONS

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Just as Harric's eyes began to win a tedious tug-of-war with his will, something pinched his arm. He looked for the source, but saw nothing. When he opened his oculus he found Fink's protuberant nose jutting dangerously close to his eyes.

Fink clapped his chubby invisible hand over Harric's startled cry. The imp grinned, and plucked at the top button of Harric's shirt to indicate he should strip and join him in the Unseen. He pointed off beyond the horses, and mimed something like a walking wooden puppet, which Harric guessed meant Mudruffle was scouting nearby.

Harric walked out of camp as if to piss, then stripped and joined Fink in the Unseen. When they were well away from camp, Fink finally spoke.

"Yeah, twig-boy is all fancy tonight. You should see him: his eyes bugged out, ears the size of soup bowls."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean he's playing watchman, so we need to be extra careful getting you in and out of camp."

"You mean he altered his...head? To see and hear better?"

Fink nodded, jiggling his multiple chins. "Think of a bug-eyed, bat-eared apple and you have the right idea."

"If Kogan sees that, it's the end for Mudruffle. Where is Mudruffle now?"

"Last I saw, he was off to the north, examining a circle of toadstools." Fink shuddered. "Souls, those White Moon spirits are creepy."

"Right. Because you and your sisters aren't creepy at all. Speaking of which, are we in for the treat of seeing Missy tonight?"

Fink frowned. "She's out. But I have three days, remember? I sent her messages. She should be here by tomorrow night or the next night."

"Three days as long as nothing changes."

#

An hour later, Harric was hiking south down the Yoab Highway in nothing but boots and shorts. Fink hop-flapped alongside him as Harric concentrated on holding himself in the Unseen while navigating the trees and boulders and keeping his occulus shut. It was not easy. Though the late summer evening would normally require an extra jacket, this exertion was enough to keep him warm without a shirt.

"You're doing well," Fink said, "but you're still making a racket like a one-man market up above us. It's like a dinner bell to the scavengers every time you move."

Harric blushed. "You never told me what you meant by that."

"You weren't ready." Fink grinned at some private humor, and drew Harric to a stop. "Look behind you and see for yourself."

Behind them, the placid upward-soaring strands of plant and tree looked like a forest of ghostly sea grass streaming to the sky, but where he had passed, the strands swirled and wavered as if they'd recently been thrashed by a rogue wind. Harric winced. "Oops. At least they're calming down, right? No harm done?"