Late that night, I heard Harry Two bark. That was actually the second noise I heard. The first was my door crashing inwards.
I sprang off my cot, my heart pounding painfully in my chest.
I saw Harry Two fly backwards and strike the wall next to my cot. He lay there stunned even as I looked around and saw what was happening.
Jurik Krone stood before me. Behind him were Non, Ran Digby and Cletus Loon. Their mortas were all pointed at me.
‘What is going on?’ I shouted as I ran over to Harry Two and made sure he was OK. He lay there, his tongue hanging out and his breathing heavy, but nothing seemed to be broken and he did lick my hand.
‘We are here to take you to Valhall, female,’ announced Krone.
‘You are not taking me anywhere. I’ve had quite enough—’
Krone held up Quentin Herms’s book of the Quag.
His smile was as triumphant as it was cruel.
I made the mistake of glancing at the floorboard where I had hidden it.
‘This was taken from your digs earlier this night during the meeting at the square,’ said Krone. I winced at the utter glee in his voice. That explained why he was not at the meeting. He had been here, searching.
Krone continued. ‘It appears to be a book on the Quag. An illegal thing if ever there was one. Was it the Outliers that gave it to you, Vega? Does it show the routes they will use to attack us? How much are they paying you for your treachery? Or have they simply taken over your puny mind?’
I looked at each of them, my heart pumping so fast I had to steady myself by holding on to the wall. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not a traitor. And I’m not working with any Outliers.’
Krone drew nearer and held the book close to my face. ‘Then explain how you came by this.’
‘I found it.’
‘You found it!’ exclaimed Krone. ‘Then why did you not report it to Council?’
‘I . . . I was going to,’ I said lamely.
‘You lie,’ he snapped, his features twisted into an ugly ball of fury.
He looked at Digby and Non. ‘Take her.’
They came forward and seized me by the arms. Harry Two started to attack them, but I ordered him back. Cletus had taken aim at my canine’s chest and I was terrified he would shoot him.
‘Don’t!’ I screamed. ‘I’ll come with you. I won’t fight. Harry Two, you stay here. You stay!’
I was hustled out of my home and down the Low Road. All the noise must have woken everyone up, because many Wugs in their nightclothes were out on the cobblestones as we reached the high street and witnessed what was happening.
A sliver later, we were outside Valhall. Nida had evidently been forewarned and placed back on duty, because he had the cage door open. The shuck stood next to him, its ferocious eyes on me, its nostrils quivering as though it were taking in my scent in case it had to run me down later.
I was thrown inside the cage, and the huge door slammed shut behind me. Nida securely locked it.
Krone stared at me through the bars. ‘Formal charges will be brought against you this light. And those charges will be proved. And the penalty for treason of course is beheading.’
I looked at him in disbelief. Beheading?
As he turned away to speak to Nida, my mind raced. It was stupid for me to have kept the book, but there was nothing in it to suggest attack plans against Wormwood. It was information about creatures that existed in the Quag. My spirits sank as I thought about this. How could I explain having such a book without revealing that I had taken it from Quentin’s cottage? And how could I explain him even having such a book? I glanced down at my arm. I thanked Steeples that I had fallen into an exhausted sleep this night and not bothered to take off my clothes. If they had seen the marks of the Quag map on my body, they would probably tear me limb from limb here and now. I pulled my sleeve down further and made sure my trousers were securely fastened and my shirt tucked in them.
Krone drew closer so that his mouth nearly touched the bars. ‘And not even Madame Morrigone can get you out of this, Vega.’
I reached through the bars in a futile attempt to hit him. Then I jerked my hand back as the shuck snapped at me with his teeth. I came within an inch of losing my fingers.
Nida’s club hit the bars with a powerful whack. He roared, ‘Never reach through the bars, female. I will not tell you this again.’
I crawled to the centre of the cage and sat there, dazed by what had happened. I was hoping this was simply a nightmare from which I would soon wake. But as the darkness deepened and I lay there shivering in the chill, I had to accept that this was real.
For a time, I watched Nida and the shuck patrol up and down the cobblestones. Then Nida went into his little shack, and the shuck became the sole sentry. If I moved even a muscle, it would stop its pacing, turn and make such a menacing growl that my arm and neck hairs would rise heavenward.
I watched the black of night turn to grey and then deepening red and then brilliant gold as the sun began its climb into the sky. Finally, I fell into an exhausted sleep, which allowed my mind and body a bit of a reprieve.
When I awoke, the sun had brightened Wormwood. I blinked heavily as I saw Delph near the cage.
He had Harry Two with him. The shuck instantly started to growl. Nida came forward and stared up at Delph.
‘You will move along, male,’ said Nida. ‘And the canine too.’
‘I want to talk to Vega Jane,’ said Delph forcefully.
‘You cannae talk to a prisoner. Now move along.’ Nida slapped the club against the palm of his hand.
‘I saved your life once, Nida. And you will not grant me this?’ said Delph sternly.
Nida stared up at Delph. I could see the conflicting thoughts racing across his small, brutish features.
‘You have five slivers, no more. And our debt will be settled.’
Nida stepped aside and whistled at the shuck, which stopped growling and drew next to his master as Delph and Harry Two passed by to the cage door.
I flung myself against the bars. ‘Delph, you have to help me.’
‘What be the charges against you, Vega Jane?’
I couldn’t look at him as I said in a low voice, ‘They found the book about the Quag.’
He sucked in a breath and looked nervously over at Nida.
I said, ‘Krone is saying I’m a traitor. That the book is a way to help the Outliers attack us.’
‘Rubbish.’
‘I know, Delph. But Krone said I could be put to death for this. I’m really scared.’
He reached out a finger and touched my hand.
An instant later, we had leaped back because Nida’s club had come down on the bars, nearly crushing our fingers.
Nida barked, ‘Talk, not touch. And your slivers are almost up, Delphia.’
I looked down at Harry Two. ‘Delph, can you look after Harry Two?’ I swallowed a huge lump in my throat. ‘Just while I’m in here.’
He nodded. ‘O’course. What’s one more beast to the Delphias?’ He tried to smile at his little quip but couldn’t quite manage it.
I looked at Harry Two. ‘You’re going to go with Delph, OK?’
Harry Two, I thought, shook his head, but I pointed my finger at him and told him again. He finally lowered his head, and his tail tucked between his hind legs.
‘I have to get on to Wall building,’ Delph said. ‘I’m already late.’
I nodded.
He glanced over at Nida, who was busy adjusting the shuck’s spiked collar.
Delph reached in his pocket and handed me a hard roll, a bit of meat and an apple.
‘I’ll be back soon as I can.’
I nodded again. With one more look back at me, Delph and Harry Two disappeared down the cobblestones.
I retreated to the far corner of the cage, squatted down with my back to Nida and had my meal. My belly was hungry, but my mind refused to focus on the food in front of me.
I couldn’t believe they would kill me for merely possessing a book. But the more I thought about it, the worse my thoughts became. Would they accuse me of actually going into the Quag to learn this? Should I tell them I had nicked it from Quentin Herms’s cottage? Then they would want to know why I was there. No answer I could give would help me.
As the light wore on, eventually I heard wheels rumbling over the cobbles. What turned the corner and headed to Valhall was a wagon with a cage set in the back. Two Wugs who I knew worked for Council were in the driver’s box. A single old slep was pulling it.
They stopped in front of the cage door and one of them jumped down. He handed Nida a parchment. ‘The prisoner is wanted at Council.’
Nida nodded, glanced at the parchment and then unhooked the large key from his wide belt. He unlocked the cage door and said, ‘Come, now!’
I stumbled forward and the Wug shackled my legs and hands. He lifted me into the back of the wagon and I was forced into the cage, which was bolted after me.
The Wug got back in the wagon, and the other Wug whipped up the slep.
And off I went to Council.
Off I went, perhaps forever.