Merry sat up. ‘Depends on your definition of real. I’m not even sure we’re in a real place. Jack was telling me last night about—’
‘Yeah,’ Finn interrupted, ‘I heard. Elves, dragons, mermaids, et cetera.’ He pushed himself up on to his elbows. ‘Maybe he’s making it up. Or he’s insane.’
‘I don’t think so. But my point is, this place is crazy. It’s not normal, even for Anglo-Saxon England. So maybe the crazy is affecting you, and once we get home again you’ll be fine.’
‘Maybe. But that still doesn’t explain why you haven’t lost your power.’ He sat up properly, wincing and rubbing his arm.
‘Well, perhaps I will. My power’s always been a bit weird; perhaps I’m just more resistant than you to whatever’s happening. Or –’ Merry fished a hairband out of her pocket and tied her hair back – ‘maybe your family wasn’t actually magical back in the Dark Ages?’
‘No, it wasn’t. Our family line only dates from 1483, apparently. That’s when Richard Lombard murdered all the other wizards operating in his territory and founded the very first Kin House.’ Finn smiled ruefully. ‘Right bunch of ruthless bastards, the Lombards used to be. Still are, some would say.’
Merry grimaced. ‘Nice. But my point is, if your family weren’t magical back in whatever year we’re supposed to be in, perhaps that’s why you’ve no power here. Right now, in this place, all the Lombards who exist are plebs.’
Finn blew out his breath slowly, considering. ‘I hope you’re right. Cos this is up there with the day my brother fell into a coma for how much fun I’m not having. It’s like some part of me has been cut away.’ He sniffed and glanced sideways at her. ‘What if my magic doesn’t return? What if I have to feel like this every day for the rest of my life?’
Merry pushed away the alarm building in her chest.
‘You won’t. We’re going to find Leo and get out of here. And then you’ll be fine.’ Finn didn’t look convinced.
But he should be. Because that’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to make sure of it.
Merry disentangled her legs from the blanket and stood up. ‘I’ll go and find Jack. Back in a minute.’
After the dim interior of the inner cave, the daylight nearer the entrance made her squint. And then she pushed past the curtain of ivy and had to shield her eyes with her hand. A red sun was rising, making the snow sparkle. Jack was a little distance from the cave; he’d taken Sorrel’s saddle off and was rubbing a cloth over the horse’s back. He turned and watched Merry approach.
‘Did you sleep well enough?’
‘Yes. But you should have woken me. Have you been up all night?’
‘I’ve become used to not sleeping much, over the last few months. Although …’ Jack picked up a comb and began running it through Sorrel’s mane.
‘Although what?’ Merry prompted.
‘I may have slumbered a little while. I think I dreamt of you.’
‘Of me?’
‘It was dark. We were sitting on a blanket next to a lake, and I was wearing …’ Jack’s fingers moved to touch his shoulder, ‘a brooch of some strange design. And you had been weeping, because I could see the traces of tears still on your face. And then –’ he raised his hand as though he were about to brush imaginary tears from Merry’s cheek, before dropping his arm abruptly and turning away. ‘I don’t remember any more.’
Merry froze to the spot. What Jack was describing wasn’t a dream – it was a memory. She remembered the exact evening he was talking about. It was the first evening she’d spent at the Black Lake alone with him. It was the first time she and Jack had kissed. But this man standing in front of her now – this different Jack – hadn’t been caught by Gwydion or possessed by the King of Hearts. He hadn’t been forced to cut out people’s hearts for Gwydion to use in his dark magic. And he’d never held her in his arms as she’d cried about her life falling apart. So how could he be remembering it?
The anxiety was back, twisting her guts. She moved further away from Sorrel; horses made her nervous. ‘So, what’s the plan? Did you think of anyone who might be able to tell us where Ronan is, or who might have seen Leo?’
‘There is – or was – a large settlement a few hours’ ride from here. The local lord is a good warrior and has led ambushes against Ronan’s followers. I will go and see him. I hope he will have some news.’ His eyes narrowed as his gaze slid past Merry’s shoulder.
She turned to see Finn walking towards them.
‘What’s going on?’ He looked from Jack to her.
‘Jack’s going to find the local lord – he might know where Ronan is.’
‘OK. I just need a minute to repack my bag—’
‘No.’ Jack shook his head. ‘I can travel faster alone. Stay and rest; I’ll be back by tomorrow morning.’
Merry could see the muscles in the side of Finn’s jaw twitching. He obviously didn’t trust Jack. And she wasn’t entirely comfortable with just waiting around for Jack to return, either. This Jack seemed like a decent guy, but if there was a chance for him to save the king, his blood father, by turning her and Finn over to Ronan, was she absolutely certain he wouldn’t take it?
Perhaps Jack sensed her doubt. He clapped a hand on her shoulder before mounting his horse. ‘I promise, I will return. I owe you my life, remember? We South Saxons do not dishonour blood-debts.’ He unhooked a bag from the saddle and tossed it to Finn. ‘There is extra food in there. Merry, protect the cave, but do not use your power more than you must. Each spell twists and taints the air, or so I’m told, and I fear there are already watchful eyes drawn towards you.’ With a twitch of the reins Jack urged Sorrel into a trot; a minute later he emerged from the fold of land around the cave on to the higher ground of the surrounding plain, and disappeared from her sight.
Merry frowned up at the sky. There were black dots, high in the clear air. Birds, or something more sinister? She shivered and caught hold of Finn’s hand.
‘Come on. We should probably collect some more firewood before we get inside.’
Protecting the cave was straightforward enough. Merry decided to use the same spell she’d cast before to weave a shimmering, silver net of filaments across the entrance, strong enough to resist magical or physical attacks. She made one amendment, though, waving her hand to make the net transparent, just in case anyone (or anything) was spying on them. More of a problem was what exactly she and Finn should do with themselves for the next twenty-four hours. It was the most amount of time they’d ever spent together. And there were literally no external distractions. Even going for a walk seemed like a bad idea given Jack’s dire warnings. After a few attempts at conversation they slipped into an awkward silence, Merry hunched on the floor near the rebuilt fire, Finn leaning against the wall nearer the mouth of the cave, hands in his pockets, staring at the dreary landscape.
In the dim half-light it was difficult to keep any sense of time. As she listened to the crackling of the fire, Merry’s eyelids began to droop. Despite her efforts to stay awake, she drifted towards sleep, her head nodding.
‘Hey.’ Finn’s voice, loud in the stillness of the cave, made her jump. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. But I think we should get some fresh air.’ He gestured at the pall of woodsmoke; the cave was large and high-ceilinged, but still it hung in the air like a cloudbank.
‘Oh, yeah.’ Merry waved a hand to extinguish the fire, then pushed herself up, coughing a little. They both walked towards the cave mouth. From the very slight shimmer she could tell that the net was still in place.