Read Online Night Gate by Isobelle Carmody - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Isobelle Carmody
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distance, calling her name, but no matter how long she walked, she never seemed to get any closer.
Sunlight woke her, slanting through the leaves and into the hollow, insistently poking at her eyelids. Rage found herself cuddled warmly between Billy and Bear. It felt so safe and nice that she wished she could stay like that forever. Mr. Walker was asleep in Billy’s lap, snoring.
None of them woke as she eased her way out from between them to go to the toilet. She found a place a short distance from the others and dug herself a shallow hole. It was a nasty, messy business. Covering it over, she thought it was much better in stories, where no one ever had to go to the toilet or eat or bathe. The need to wash her hands drew her to the river, and she was startled at how close it was to where they had slept. The bank was steep, but she found a flat stretch where the river had slopped over the bank to form a quiet lagoon. The river was wide and the current looked strong and swift, but the lagoon was calm and inviting.
She stood gazing at it for a time, remembering Mr. Walker’s words about the dangers of unknown rivers. A poisonous river seemed unlikely, but where there was magic, anything might be possible, even if the magic was dying out. It would be truly awful if she found the wizard only to discover he had no magic to send them home or save Mam.
Sitting on the bank, Rage took out the hourglass again. As before, the grains floated from one end to the other without interruption, no matter which way she held the hourglass. Even when she shook it gently—thinking about Mr. Walker saying that the fall of sand might measure something other than time—it did not seem to affect the inner motion of the sand at all. If it was sand. She held the device close and peered into it, wondering if the grains of sand were magic and what would happen if the glass broke.
“Has Ragewinnoway guessed riddling of wizard yet?” a familiar smoky voice asked.
Rage started violently. “I wish you wouldn’t creep up on me!” she snapped. “I’m not talking to you anymore unless you show yourself.”
There was a faint sizzling noise, and the water in the lagoon began to boil. Rage stared warily into it as the bubbling subsided, but instead of seeing her own face peering back up at her, the water was stained red and orange and flecked with slivers of light that might have been eyes or sharp teeth.
“What does seeing say to Ragewinnoway?” the firecat asked, and the water seemed to shimmer mockingly.
“I can’t see you properly,” Rage complained.
“Ragewinnoway seeing only what is to be seen.” There was the suggestion of a shrug in the voice. “But does she see what wizard is telling in tricky words?”
“I haven’t figured his riddle out yet. But there are some things I want to ask.” Rage was determined to get some clear answers from the elusive creature.
“Maybe answering and maybe not answering,” the firecat said contrarily.
Rage counted to ten. “Where is the Endless Sea? Is it beyond the mountains?”
“If firecat knows where is Endless Sea, firecat can bring hourglass to master,” it sneered.
Rage blinked. The firecat had called the wizard its master! “How long has the wizard been missing?” she asked.
“Long time,” the firecat said vaguely.
Rage guessed from this that it didn’t understand how to count time. “They say here that he disappeared from his castle. Is that true?”
The firecat made no response.
“Did he ask you to bring the hourglass to him before he went, or did he send a message to you?”
“Hourglass belonging to wizard. But is dangerous. Be careful. Not breaking,” the firecat warned, and for the first time there was nothing but seriousness in its tone. Perhaps it was even telling most of the truth for once.
“What does the hourglass do?”
There was a hesitation. “All wizard knows is in hourglass,” it answered finally in a purring voice.
“Why didn’t the wizard
Sunlight woke her, slanting through the leaves and into the hollow, insistently poking at her eyelids. Rage found herself cuddled warmly between Billy and Bear. It felt so safe and nice that she wished she could stay like that forever. Mr. Walker was asleep in Billy’s lap, snoring.
None of them woke as she eased her way out from between them to go to the toilet. She found a place a short distance from the others and dug herself a shallow hole. It was a nasty, messy business. Covering it over, she thought it was much better in stories, where no one ever had to go to the toilet or eat or bathe. The need to wash her hands drew her to the river, and she was startled at how close it was to where they had slept. The bank was steep, but she found a flat stretch where the river had slopped over the bank to form a quiet lagoon. The river was wide and the current looked strong and swift, but the lagoon was calm and inviting.
She stood gazing at it for a time, remembering Mr. Walker’s words about the dangers of unknown rivers. A poisonous river seemed unlikely, but where there was magic, anything might be possible, even if the magic was dying out. It would be truly awful if she found the wizard only to discover he had no magic to send them home or save Mam.
Sitting on the bank, Rage took out the hourglass again. As before, the grains floated from one end to the other without interruption, no matter which way she held the hourglass. Even when she shook it gently—thinking about Mr. Walker saying that the fall of sand might measure something other than time—it did not seem to affect the inner motion of the sand at all. If it was sand. She held the device close and peered into it, wondering if the grains of sand were magic and what would happen if the glass broke.
“Has Ragewinnoway guessed riddling of wizard yet?” a familiar smoky voice asked.
Rage started violently. “I wish you wouldn’t creep up on me!” she snapped. “I’m not talking to you anymore unless you show yourself.”
There was a faint sizzling noise, and the water in the lagoon began to boil. Rage stared warily into it as the bubbling subsided, but instead of seeing her own face peering back up at her, the water was stained red and orange and flecked with slivers of light that might have been eyes or sharp teeth.
“What does seeing say to Ragewinnoway?” the firecat asked, and the water seemed to shimmer mockingly.
“I can’t see you properly,” Rage complained.
“Ragewinnoway seeing only what is to be seen.” There was the suggestion of a shrug in the voice. “But does she see what wizard is telling in tricky words?”
“I haven’t figured his riddle out yet. But there are some things I want to ask.” Rage was determined to get some clear answers from the elusive creature.
“Maybe answering and maybe not answering,” the firecat said contrarily.
Rage counted to ten. “Where is the Endless Sea? Is it beyond the mountains?”
“If firecat knows where is Endless Sea, firecat can bring hourglass to master,” it sneered.
Rage blinked. The firecat had called the wizard its master! “How long has the wizard been missing?” she asked.
“Long time,” the firecat said vaguely.
Rage guessed from this that it didn’t understand how to count time. “They say here that he disappeared from his castle. Is that true?”
The firecat made no response.
“Did he ask you to bring the hourglass to him before he went, or did he send a message to you?”
“Hourglass belonging to wizard. But is dangerous. Be careful. Not breaking,” the firecat warned, and for the first time there was nothing but seriousness in its tone. Perhaps it was even telling most of the truth for once.
“What does the hourglass do?”
There was a hesitation. “All wizard knows is in hourglass,” it answered finally in a purring voice.
“Why didn’t the wizard
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