Read Online Maddigan's Fantasia by Margaret Mahy - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Margaret Mahy
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signalled back along the line towards Goneril’s wagon at the rear, waving them all onwards with the map as it were a flag of battle. Garland , riding Samala, trotted forward anxious to be in the front of the procession. After all Maddigan’s Fantasia should be led by a true Maddigan.
‘I remember this part of the road,’ Yves was saying. ‘Well, I think I do. We’re on track. We wind between the hills and come to the Thelwell Gorge in a mile or two. And there’s that settlement at the other end of the gorge. We’ll be able to put on a performance and earn ourselves fresh milk and eggs. Bacon too. They run a few pigs.’
‘Eggs and bacon!’ said Nye, rubbing his stomach, and pulling a face so that those around him laughed.
A kilometre and a half later, the hills stretched themselveseven higher. Sharp rocks broke through the skin of the land as if something from deep in the dark heart of the world were gnawing its way into the light of day. The highest peaks had a little snow on them. The gorge grinned wolfishly out at them as they drove bravely towards it. The track tilted down. The rocks tilted up, and in its struggling but determined way the Fantasia tilted itself downwards too, first one van and then another. The gorge had its difficulties, but the Fantasia was glad to be in a familiar place, glad to feel sure of itself once more.
‘Careful! Careful!’ shouted Yves for, though downhill was much easier than uphill in some ways, downhill had dangers of its own kind particularly when there was ice on some corners. Garland dismounted and let Lattin lead Samala to the line of horses that straggled after the first three vans. Then she scrambled into her own van and sat beside Maddie, who was driving, inching along at the head of the line.
Garland remembered the gorge well, and felt all the familiar Fantasia relief at being in a place she could be sure of. But as they went down between the rocks she looked up and briefly glimpsed the two men on their black horses riding ahead of them along the top of the gorge. And, though she was still distrustful of the boys, she distrusted those men even more. One of them, glimpsing her upturned face perhaps, lifted his hand waving down at them. Garland did not wave back. She knew he was not being friendly.
She turned her head and found she could make out Eden and Timon, side by side, standing on the running board of Goneril’s great van, and talking up to Tane who walked beside them … but, as she watched them, Tane left the boys, striding away between the stony flanks of the gorge and the moving line of the Fantasia as well as he could, making his way towards Maddie’s van at the head of the procession. ‘Hey! Kiora!’ he shouted through the open window as they moved forward, inchby cautious inch, Garland leaning out through the passenger’s window and Yves –
Yves
– sitting between them. Suddenly Garland could not bear to ride in that van with him.
‘Mum, I’m going to walk a bit,’ she said. Secretly, almost without knowing it herself, she wanted to talk to Timon and Eden.
‘Be careful then. Don’t get under the wheels,’ was all Maddie had to say. ‘Remember it gets narrower later on.’
It wasn’t as easy to find walking room as Garland had hoped it would be. Maddie was right. The gully had been narrowing for some time. But then the track thrust out an elbow, and Garland edged into the elbow space, waiting in its ferny shadows until Timon and Eden, now walking and edging too, came alongside her. They looked at Garland cautiously.
‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘I don’t want to fight.’
‘Neither do we!’ said Timon.
‘Does it go on for long like this?’ asked Eden, staring apprehensively at the wild sides of the gully.
‘Not for long,’ Garland said. ‘You can see we’re almost at the bottom. From now on it’s more or less straight ahead. Once, years ago, there was a road that ran right along the bottom of the gully, and sometimes we
‘I remember this part of the road,’ Yves was saying. ‘Well, I think I do. We’re on track. We wind between the hills and come to the Thelwell Gorge in a mile or two. And there’s that settlement at the other end of the gorge. We’ll be able to put on a performance and earn ourselves fresh milk and eggs. Bacon too. They run a few pigs.’
‘Eggs and bacon!’ said Nye, rubbing his stomach, and pulling a face so that those around him laughed.
A kilometre and a half later, the hills stretched themselveseven higher. Sharp rocks broke through the skin of the land as if something from deep in the dark heart of the world were gnawing its way into the light of day. The highest peaks had a little snow on them. The gorge grinned wolfishly out at them as they drove bravely towards it. The track tilted down. The rocks tilted up, and in its struggling but determined way the Fantasia tilted itself downwards too, first one van and then another. The gorge had its difficulties, but the Fantasia was glad to be in a familiar place, glad to feel sure of itself once more.
‘Careful! Careful!’ shouted Yves for, though downhill was much easier than uphill in some ways, downhill had dangers of its own kind particularly when there was ice on some corners. Garland dismounted and let Lattin lead Samala to the line of horses that straggled after the first three vans. Then she scrambled into her own van and sat beside Maddie, who was driving, inching along at the head of the line.
Garland remembered the gorge well, and felt all the familiar Fantasia relief at being in a place she could be sure of. But as they went down between the rocks she looked up and briefly glimpsed the two men on their black horses riding ahead of them along the top of the gorge. And, though she was still distrustful of the boys, she distrusted those men even more. One of them, glimpsing her upturned face perhaps, lifted his hand waving down at them. Garland did not wave back. She knew he was not being friendly.
She turned her head and found she could make out Eden and Timon, side by side, standing on the running board of Goneril’s great van, and talking up to Tane who walked beside them … but, as she watched them, Tane left the boys, striding away between the stony flanks of the gorge and the moving line of the Fantasia as well as he could, making his way towards Maddie’s van at the head of the procession. ‘Hey! Kiora!’ he shouted through the open window as they moved forward, inchby cautious inch, Garland leaning out through the passenger’s window and Yves –
Yves
– sitting between them. Suddenly Garland could not bear to ride in that van with him.
‘Mum, I’m going to walk a bit,’ she said. Secretly, almost without knowing it herself, she wanted to talk to Timon and Eden.
‘Be careful then. Don’t get under the wheels,’ was all Maddie had to say. ‘Remember it gets narrower later on.’
It wasn’t as easy to find walking room as Garland had hoped it would be. Maddie was right. The gully had been narrowing for some time. But then the track thrust out an elbow, and Garland edged into the elbow space, waiting in its ferny shadows until Timon and Eden, now walking and edging too, came alongside her. They looked at Garland cautiously.
‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘I don’t want to fight.’
‘Neither do we!’ said Timon.
‘Does it go on for long like this?’ asked Eden, staring apprehensively at the wild sides of the gully.
‘Not for long,’ Garland said. ‘You can see we’re almost at the bottom. From now on it’s more or less straight ahead. Once, years ago, there was a road that ran right along the bottom of the gully, and sometimes we
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