on the mud that it was perilous. ‘It’s too dangerous,’ he told her. ‘There might be shallow vaults. We could fall in and die.’
‘I don’t know what shallow vaults are. It will be hard going. But there might be paths.’
But there were no paths. The two children found themselves struggling through mud again, and after a while their legs ached and their chests hurt. There was a new enemy too: swarms of flying insects which buzzed around them, biting their skin and getting into their eyes and mouths. Neither of them had suffered these in the tunnels, and the constant persecution was almost more than they could bear.
The red light had vanished again when Elija realized he could no longer see the girl ahead of him.
‘Amita!’ he cried in panic. ‘Where are you?’
‘Here!’ He felt her hand grab his arm and she pulled him towards her. ‘Here. Hold on to this.’ He felt a wooden post sunk deep into the mud, and clung to it. ‘It’s a piece of fence,’ the girl said in his ear.
As the last light dwindled and died all he could hear was a distant squealing, like the sounds of a hundred crying babies, and his heart froze with fear.
Elija felt strangely comfortable when he awoke. He was knee-deep in mud, but it was solid enough to support his thighs and back, and he felt almost rested. He could hear the mewing sound again, but louder. He opened his eyes and was surprised to see daylight. It was a thick, soupy sort of daylight, but he could see better than he had in a long time. For all his fears, it was good to see again, and his spirits lifted a little. He raised his head. Amita was beside him, fast asleep. She had tied herself to the wooden post so she would not slip into the river in the night. Elija could see now that she was fair, and her thick blondelashes rested on her cheek as she slept. He relaxed back against the mudbank, wondering how to extricate his legs from the sludge.
Then he heard muffled voices. He tensed and, raising his head, he looked about him, alarmed. At first he could see nothing but mudbanks rolling back in the half-light. Then the twin sparks of two torches, coming towards him down the river. Stretching over he shoved Amita sharply, then put his mouth to her ear. ‘Stay still. There’s someone coming.’
He felt her start awake, then her head lifted and she looked at him, eyes wide. He nodded his head upriver and she looked past him.
‘A boat,’ she said. ‘Be quiet. They won’t see us.’
Elija had never seen a boat. There were no boats on the rivers of sewage in the Halls. He laid his head back down as Amita scooped mud over him, and over herself. They were filthy enough already and Elija had no fear they would be noticed, two muddy lumps in a sea of mud.
He heard a gentle lapping, and the creak of leather, getting louder.
‘We’re wasting our time,’ complained a rough voice, echoing weirdly in the great open space.
Another croaked, ‘Your time so valuable, Leel? What’ll you do else this fine morning? Join the emperor in his palace for breakfast?’
A woman cackled and Leel, whining, replied, ‘I’m just saying. Every morning we come this way, rowing all morning, just to see the same sight. Blockade’s been there a year or more. I’m just saying.’
‘And
I’m
saying,’ the other man told him, ‘you do what I tell you, boy, and one day you’ll be thanking me. There’ll be pickings aplenty when our boys take them on. Dead sailors are easy pickings. Live ones too. Gold rings aplenty when we slice their ears off. Wouldn’t want to miss it, would you?’
Elija lifted his head slowly and saw a wide flat shape floating on the river. So
that
was a boat. Paddles on either side moved gently up and down. The boat was getting smaller as it headed towards the light. The light was so bright now it hurt Elija’s eyes. A new ripple of fear coursed through him.
CHAPTER SIX
BARTELLUS AND THE child wandered in the halls for a long time before they saw anyone,
‘I don’t know what shallow vaults are. It will be hard going. But there might be paths.’
But there were no paths. The two children found themselves struggling through mud again, and after a while their legs ached and their chests hurt. There was a new enemy too: swarms of flying insects which buzzed around them, biting their skin and getting into their eyes and mouths. Neither of them had suffered these in the tunnels, and the constant persecution was almost more than they could bear.
The red light had vanished again when Elija realized he could no longer see the girl ahead of him.
‘Amita!’ he cried in panic. ‘Where are you?’
‘Here!’ He felt her hand grab his arm and she pulled him towards her. ‘Here. Hold on to this.’ He felt a wooden post sunk deep into the mud, and clung to it. ‘It’s a piece of fence,’ the girl said in his ear.
As the last light dwindled and died all he could hear was a distant squealing, like the sounds of a hundred crying babies, and his heart froze with fear.
Elija felt strangely comfortable when he awoke. He was knee-deep in mud, but it was solid enough to support his thighs and back, and he felt almost rested. He could hear the mewing sound again, but louder. He opened his eyes and was surprised to see daylight. It was a thick, soupy sort of daylight, but he could see better than he had in a long time. For all his fears, it was good to see again, and his spirits lifted a little. He raised his head. Amita was beside him, fast asleep. She had tied herself to the wooden post so she would not slip into the river in the night. Elija could see now that she was fair, and her thick blondelashes rested on her cheek as she slept. He relaxed back against the mudbank, wondering how to extricate his legs from the sludge.
Then he heard muffled voices. He tensed and, raising his head, he looked about him, alarmed. At first he could see nothing but mudbanks rolling back in the half-light. Then the twin sparks of two torches, coming towards him down the river. Stretching over he shoved Amita sharply, then put his mouth to her ear. ‘Stay still. There’s someone coming.’
He felt her start awake, then her head lifted and she looked at him, eyes wide. He nodded his head upriver and she looked past him.
‘A boat,’ she said. ‘Be quiet. They won’t see us.’
Elija had never seen a boat. There were no boats on the rivers of sewage in the Halls. He laid his head back down as Amita scooped mud over him, and over herself. They were filthy enough already and Elija had no fear they would be noticed, two muddy lumps in a sea of mud.
He heard a gentle lapping, and the creak of leather, getting louder.
‘We’re wasting our time,’ complained a rough voice, echoing weirdly in the great open space.
Another croaked, ‘Your time so valuable, Leel? What’ll you do else this fine morning? Join the emperor in his palace for breakfast?’
A woman cackled and Leel, whining, replied, ‘I’m just saying. Every morning we come this way, rowing all morning, just to see the same sight. Blockade’s been there a year or more. I’m just saying.’
‘And
I’m
saying,’ the other man told him, ‘you do what I tell you, boy, and one day you’ll be thanking me. There’ll be pickings aplenty when our boys take them on. Dead sailors are easy pickings. Live ones too. Gold rings aplenty when we slice their ears off. Wouldn’t want to miss it, would you?’
Elija lifted his head slowly and saw a wide flat shape floating on the river. So
that
was a boat. Paddles on either side moved gently up and down. The boat was getting smaller as it headed towards the light. The light was so bright now it hurt Elija’s eyes. A new ripple of fear coursed through him.
CHAPTER SIX
BARTELLUS AND THE child wandered in the halls for a long time before they saw anyone,
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