Jack Shian and the King's Chalice Part 26

"Then they could attack us in the winter time, when we're all sheltering."

"Well, that's possible, but I think we can manage them. There's only a handful of them. They're also sworn enemies of the Brashat, so you've something in common there."

"Our enemy's enemy?" asked Lizzie.

"How come you've never mentioned them before?" demanded Jack. "And where are these islands?"

"Let's find the Blue Hag first, shall we?" said his grandfather. "We should see if we can't get her on the hills again."

"She went down that way," said Lizzie. "D'you think she'll come back?"

Grandpa led the two youngsters down the hill, but away from the woods into which the Kildashie had vanished. A few minutes later they came upon the Blue Hag. Wrapped in her cloak, she was huddled down, muttering to herself, and fingering a small wooden wheel. Grandpa held up his hand to stop Jack and Lizzie. Slowly he edged forward.

"Cailleach," he began, at which she raised her head. "We have seen your power in putting the snows of winter to flight. The Kildashie lack the understanding of your ways, but they have left. Will you continue now?"

The old woman looked at Grandpa Sandy for a moment, then snorted derisively and turned her face away. Grandpa Sandy returned to Jack and Lizzie and ushered them quickly away.

"We can stay in the bothy tonight. By tomorrow she may have forgotten the Kildashie."

He led the youngsters along the edge of the trees to a small wooden hut.

"Grandpa, d'you really trust the Kildashie?" asked Jack as Grandpa kindled a fire. "I got a bad feeling about them."

"I want to know how they stopped the echo," said Lizzie.

"It must be to do with the wind," said Grandpa. "They live with it."

"I got a funny feeling, like I was empty inside."

"It made my ear bleed," moaned Lizzie.

"The Kildashie are strange; their islands are far out into the western ocean. Living in such a bleak place has made them ... shall we say, uncivilised? By reputation, all they fear is another Norse invasion."

"You mean like at Dunvik last year?"

"That's right, Lizzie. And you saw how fierce those warriors could be. But they only came because of the Chalice."

"Do the Kildashie mix with the humans, Grandpa?" queried Jack.

"The humans left the islands many years ago. The living got too tough for them or maybe the Kildashie did. The Kildashie were forced onto the islands by the Brashat. There's no love lost between them."

Jack thought that he ought to feel more kindly towards the Kildashie, but he didn't.

"There's something about them I didn't trust. Controlling sound could be dangerous. And interrupting the Blue Hag, that's wrong, isn't it?"

"What they did was quite impressive. But you're right: breaking the Spring rite was infama. They should have had more respect."

Jack scowled. The way Boreus had moved towards him had definitely been threatening. Grandpa, however, would hear no more about it, and instead turned to the stories about the Blue Hag.

"Tell us how she becomes young again," pressed Lizzie.

Grandpa smiled at her. "When the last of the snows have gone, the Blue Hag raises her staff aloft and sings out a long note that carries from one hill to the next. When the sound dies away, she is transformed, and walks off the hill a beautiful young woman. Then Spring has returned. It's the turning of the year the season wheel has moved on." He paused. "We'll catch up with her tomorrow."

The next morning was dismal and damp, which set the pattern for the day. The Blue Hag showed no sign of coming out, and reluctantly Grandpa suggested that they would be as well to return to Edinburgh. Packing their things, they headed back for the low road.

Find out more about the magyckal Shian world and keep up-to-date with news of the second and third books in the trilogy!

www.shianquest.com.

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