Sorrow's Isle Read online

  ‘Ah, we might have heard those particular rumours.’ Sebastian cleared his throat.

  ‘Aye, well, the dragon might be gone now – I saw it go myself, falling into a hole in the sky – but it ain’t the only thing. I’ve heard tell of old stories coming to life all over. Dormant places that haven’t stirred in hundreds of years. The Singing Catacombs in Creos are filling the moonless nights with their music again, and the plains of Pathania are said to be haunted by strange lights.’ Jayne coughed a little, worn out by her own poetry. ‘These are strange times.’

  ‘You could say that,’ said Wydrin. Sebastian stifled a smile. ‘But what does that have to do with the statues?’

  ‘People are afraid.’ Jayne took her hipflask back and swallowed down a large gulp. ‘If the old gods are returning, maybe it’s time to bring back the old ways of worship.’ She lowered her voice. ‘It’s not so bad here. Here it’s flowers and grain and wholesome things. Out in the wilds of Briskenteeth and Tsold I’ve heard that the sacrifices are . . . fresher.’

  ‘That seems a little extreme.’ The hills were covered in trees now, and they passed tall pines and oaks on either side. It made everything a little darker, and in this cold land the light was already draining from the sky. It occurred to Sebastian that thieves could easily hide in those trees, and take a passing river boat with barely any fuss at all. He shifted, feeling the weight of his broadsword at his back. ‘What do they believe is coming for them?’

  Jayne shrugged. ‘This land is full of magic, deep magic that goes right down into its bones. My ma used to say that the stones was haunted. That it was a natural place for ghosts. Some places are more magical than others, you know that?’

  Sebastian nodded, thinking of what O’rin, the god of lies, had told them about magic. Edenier, the magic of the will, used by the mages and lately by one Lord Aaron Frith; and Edeian, the magic that was inherent in the soil and air of Ede. He had felt it too, down in the tunnels under Pinehold and in the Citadel itself, where the dragon had waited for them.

  ‘Strange places, yeah, there’s loads of them,’ said Wydrin.

  ‘And it’s been getting worse, too.’ Jayne fixed them with an ominous look. Sebastian suspected she used the same look when trying to shift a few bottles of ointment or a dubious good luck charm. ‘Ever since the dragon, the strange places have been getting stranger. And it’s like I said: this is a haunted land.’

  It was dusk before the river took them out of the hills and the landscape opened up again, revealing the mountains, now impossibly close. Nestled at the bottom of the closest one was the city of Skaldshollow. The full moon hung over it like a wart, bloated and strange.

  ‘There it is,’ said Frith. He had stalked out onto deck as the sun set, apparently eager to see their destination. ‘A long journey, on a few words and a promise of gold.’

  ‘That’s how adventurers work, Frith.’ Wydrin smiled a little. ‘The copper promise. The fun is in finding the adventure as you go.’ Her smile faded. ‘Not that you’ll need to worry about that much longer.’

  Sebastian cleared his throat and pointed. ‘It looks to be carved right into the bottom of the mountain. It must be a cold place.’

  It was too dark to make out much, but Sebastian could see clusters of stone buildings and steep roads like scars leading up out of the settlement towards the mountain peak.

  ‘This entire land is too cold,’ said Wydrin. ‘Who would want to live in a place where it’s always winter?’

  There were lights too, lights everywhere; red, orange, white and green. And a lot of them appeared to be moving. Lights, and the darker spaces behind them. Sebastian frowned.

  ‘Is it me,’ he asked, ‘or are parts of the mountain walking around?’

  Next to him, Wydrin sighed. ‘But of course. We wouldn’t journey to any old normal city in the middle of nowhere. I wonder what weird crap is waiting for us this time?’

  Sebastian shook his head. Looking at it made him think of his last journey with the brood sisters – a different mountain, not so long ago. The dangers there had been obvious, but he had been a fool. He turned away from the view.

  ‘We’d best get ready. We’ve a long journey ahead of us.’

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