I opened my eyes quite suddenly and tried to sit up, but a hand pushed me back down. It was Delph.
‘Wotcha, Vega Jane?’ he said, his voice weary but filled with relief.
I blurted out wildly, ‘Where am I? Hospital? The Care? The Hallowed Ground?’
He touched my forehead as though to test for its warmth. ‘You jargolled?’
‘Where, Delph?’ I persisted.
‘Your digs.’
I looked around and saw that this was so. ‘How did I get here?’
‘Carried you.’
‘I remember hitting something really hard.’
‘Spot on – that was me you hit.’
I sat up slowly to see a welt on his forehead the size of a hen’s egg.
‘How did I hit you? I was thrown far away from all Wugs.’
‘Well, I sort of ran to . . . to catch you when you got blown.’
‘The jabbits?’ I said. I could feel my face paling as I uttered their name.
‘Dead and gone. You took care-a that.’
‘No Wugs hurt?’
‘Just the ones who trampled each other getting away. They’ll be OK.’
‘Ladon-Tosh had jabbits inside him,’ I said slowly, as though trying to make myself understand what I was saying.
Delph grimaced. ‘Well, what I’d say is jabbits had Ladon-Tosh outside of them.’
Something occurred to me. ‘My cloak? That’s where I hid Destin. And the Elemental? Where are they?’
‘Don’t you worry ‘bout that. There and there,’ he added, pointing.
On a peg on the wall was my cloak. I could see the bulge of Destin inside it. Standing in one corner was the full-size Elemental.
Delph said, ‘Almost forgot to put the glove on before I picked it up.’
My next words carried a heaviness that I found nearly unbearable. ‘Delph, Wugs must have seen what I did.’
‘What Wugs saw was two jabbits coming out another Wug. After that, they didn’t see nothin’. ’Cept you killing the pair of ’em. And they ain’t too clear on how you done it. But I don’t see no Wug holding that against ya.’
‘So what do the Wugs say about it all?’
‘Outliers. They was shouting it when it was happening. “Outliers got Ladon-Tosh. Got inside-a him.” That’s what they said.’
I sighed and sat back. I was just so tired.
‘You feeling up to snuff, Vega Jane?’
I glanced over at him. ‘Why?’
‘Well, they’re waiting, ain’t they?’
‘Who’s waiting?’ I said suspiciously.
He held out a hand, which I slowly took and rose off the cot. He led me over to the window. I peered out and my jaw dropped.
‘They are,’ said Delph, smiling.
When Delph opened the door to my digs and I stepped out, the cheers started and hats were flung high into the air. It looked like every Wug was in attendance.
‘Ve-ga Jane. Ve-ga Jane,’ the crowd started chanting over and over.
I heard a canine bark and looked down to see Harry Two next to me. He apparently had been guarding my privacy. I stroked his head and then gazed up at Delph.
‘What is all this?’ I asked in bewilderment.
‘Are ya serious? Time for the prize. You’re champion, you silly goose.’
I had forgotten that with the defeat of Ladon-Tosh, I was the champion.
‘Quiet, please. Quiet.’
The voice belonged to Thansius. As the crowd parted and became silent, he came forward holding two objects. One was a metal figurine. The other a large woollen bag with a cord tied firmly around its neck.
Thansius motioned to me. ‘Vega, please step forward.’
I let go of Delph’s hand and walked towards the Chief of Council with hesitant steps.
Thansius turned to the crowd and proclaimed, ‘I officially declare Vega Jane the champion of the Duelum.’
A huge cheer went up again.
As the crowd quieted, Thansius said, ‘I now present you with the trophy.’
He handed me the figurine. They must have made it special because it was a female holding a male over her head.
I took it and my smile widened to my ears.
I held the figurine over my head, and the huge crowd of Wugs roared their approval.
When they had settled down, Thansius said, ‘And now the one thousand coins.’ He handed me the woollen bag. ‘As the first female champion in the history of the Duelum. And on a job exceptionally well done.’ He peered at me. ‘Where not only a prize was won but a great many Wug lives were saved.’ He put out his hand. ‘Thank you, Vega Jane. All of Wormwood thanks you.’
As I shook his hand, I looked over at Delph, who was smiling, it seemed, with his whole body.
Thansius turned to face the crowd. ‘Now it’s time to celebrate. There will be free food and drink for all at the Golden Cask. Off you go.’
Once the crowd had dispersed, and we were alone again, I touched Delph on the arm. ‘Can we go and see your dad?’
‘Don’t you want to go and celebrate, like Thansius said?’
I looked down at the bag of coins in my hand. ‘Let’s go to see your dad first.’
Duf Delphia had stayed at his cottage because one of his timbertoes had developed a crack. Delph had told me on our walk there. Duf was sitting out on the steps with the bad timber off and hailed us as we got closer. I saw that his corral was empty of beasts.
Duf grinned and pointed at me. ‘I knew it,’ he said. ‘You done did it. You won it, didn’t-cha? Course you did. Knew it, didn’t I?’
‘How did you know?’ I called out, though I couldn’t keep the grin off my face.
‘Cos you ain’t dead, that’s why.’
‘Dad!’ exclaimed a mortified Delph.
‘He’s right, Delph,’ I said. ‘I’m not dead, therefore I won.’
‘What you be doing here, then?’ asked Duf. ‘Should be, I don’t know, celebrating.’
I walked up to the steps and sat next to him. Harry Two, who had come with us, let Duf scratch his ears.
‘Right good canine there,’ said Duf. ‘He was here this light, weren’t he, Delph?’
‘He was,’ said Delph. ‘But now he’s back with Vega Jane, right and proper.’
I said, ‘How are the timbers coming? Delph said one has a crack.’
‘Aye, but it’ll be fine, don’t you know. Getting used to the things, I am.’
I took the bag of coins from my cloak and held it up. ‘The winnings,’ I said.
‘Har,’ he said, pointing at it. ‘Now, that’s some winnings, I tell you. Thousand coins. Right, Delph?’
‘Right.’
‘Well, it’s our winnings,’ I said.
‘What?’ said Delph, looking gobsmacked.
‘Delph helped train me up, Duf. Never would’ve won without his help.’
‘G’on with yourself,’ said Duf. He studied me curiously.
‘And since I’ve no head for coin, I want you and Delph to take it. You’d be doing me a favour, actually,’ I said. I looked around the land. ‘Where are the beasts?’ I asked. ‘The adar and the young slep?’
Duf slapped his timber and for the first time, I saw the hopelessness in his expression. ‘Gone, ain’t they?’
‘Gone where?’
‘To a Wug can train ’em up proper, that’s where. And that Wug ain’t me.’
‘What Wug?’ I said.
‘One who’s got two good legs.’
I held up the bag of coins higher. ‘Then what we’re going to do is bring a young Wug here, pay him a proper wage and train him up.’ I looked around at the empty corrals. ‘And we can turn it into a business.’
‘Bizness? What d’you mean?’ asked Delph.
‘I’ve already talked to Thansius about this. I gave him the name of a Wug who I know likes beasts. He said he was all in favour of it.’ I paused, thinking through my next words as Duf and Delph continued to stare at me, open-mouthed. ‘They sell beasts around here. Cretas and sleps and whists and adars and more. And Wugs with coin want them. Need cretas and sleps at the Mill and for the Tillers. Wugs like Roman Picus need the whists. And who wouldn’t want to pay good coin for an adar that can keep ’em company and carry messages and the like?’
Duf sat a bit forward. ‘But Wugs just give me the beasts to train up.’
‘So now you can sell ’em the beast along with the training. Bet it’ll be worth more coin to Wugs if you supply a handpicked beast too.’
‘We don’t know nothin’ ’bout no bizness,’ protested Delph.
‘You know beasts, don’t you?’ I pointed out. ‘That’s what’s important.’
Duf’s eyes twinkled. ‘She makes a right good point, Delph.’
Delph still looked confused. ‘Then you got to share in the coin we make.’
‘Oh, you bet I will,’ I lied.
I must have said this too quickly, because Delph eyed me funny. I gave the bag of coins to Duf, rose and said my goodbyes. As I walked off, Delph caught up to me.
‘What was all that chuff back there?’ he asked.
‘Duf and you can really make a go of it. You just needed a bit of coin.’
‘OK, but we need to talk about this.’
‘We will. Next light. Now I just need some rest.’
I knew I would never have that conversation with Delph.
Because I was going to leave Wormwood and enter the Quag. And I was going to do so this very night.