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Chapter 6

New Ulffinnr was growing. It was not the structured city of the auchs but a sprawling accumulation of shelters and dwellings made from whatever came to hand. Timber, stone, furs, all was used, everything except rainbow wood. Every precious piece of that was sent to the fire pits in the valley. Camille and Aiyu walked through the ramshackle city that now spread far into the distance in each direction and was home to more than nineteen thousand auchs and their number was growing each day.

“I know I am right,” Camille repeated for the third time.

It was not that Aiyu disbelieved her. He had accepted her words as truth the first time he heard them. He just did not understand. Things were better if he left such matters to the witches and spirit-talkers. But he could see that the little human needed to talk and for the sake of their friendship he obliged. “You say Camille talk to rocks. Aiyu no argue. Aiyu talk to rocks too if want to. But Aiyu no think rocks talk back.”

“But they do,” she insisted.

Aiyu looked about. “Many rocks here. If rocks talk, make much noise. Aiyu no hear noise.” He was not trying to be difficult, or dismissive, or disbelieving. He just knew his friend needed to learn more of what she had discovered and by acting this way he could make her think.

“Because you don’t listen properly. The rock speaks slowly and with great care. Things that happened long before our time are only moments ago for a being that watched the birth of man and auch.”

“What rocks say?” Aiyu asked while picking up a small rock.

“The pieces of rock do not speak. To hear I must listen to the bedrock, the heart of the world. To ask these small rocks to speak would be like asking a clipping of a man’s fingernail to talk. Once it has left its host it has no voice.” She lifted her arm to take the auch’s hand. “The world does not speak to us as you and I speak. If it tried, we would be dead and forgotten before it finished the first sentence. It talks in feelings that can be understood if you take the time to appreciate them.”

“What rocks feel then?”

Camille thought for a moment as to how to explain what she knew. “I can sense its struggle as it bent to make these mountains, and its pain as the rains cut deep into its flesh to make the valleys. But mostly I feel the agony of when the pressures and its efforts became too much for it to bear and the rock broke to create The Edge, just as a person’s arm would break with too much strain.”

Aiyu looked about in wonder. The mountains and The Edge were here long before Ngai led his people into their shadows. The immensity of time was too great for him to comprehend. Then a thought came to him. “Something wrong.” Camille walked quietly beside the big man while he put his thoughts into words. “Camille say dwarves talk with rocks. That why they live under mountains.”

“That is what I believe,” she agreed.

“Then Aiyu no like dwarves.”

The statement took the young witch by surprise. She did not believe that Aiyu held ill-will for anyone. She did not think any auch did. He had rushed off in his grief to find those who had slaughtered his family and though he sought revenge she did not think he had any personal bad feelings for the humans. He was only reacting to events that overwhelmed him. While he still felt the loss of Bhata and the children she did not believe he ever hated their attackers. To think that way would change her view of the world.

“Why? What did the dwarves do?” she asked, curious as to his thinking.

“Dwarves feel earth pain but still cut holes in mountains. Hurt earth more. Then live in tunnels. Listen to pain. Dwarves very cruel.”

Camille had not thought of the tunnels or the dwarves in that way. But with Aiyu’s words her mind rushed to find answers. Her words came slowly as the ideas entered her mind. “I do not believe the dwarves are cruel. In fact, I think they are the opposite. There is something my mother taught me that may explain their actions. If a farmer is clearing some tree stumps from his field he could sometimes put more strain on his muscles than they could take. His body would tighten until he could not move. He would be unable to continue until his muscles were relieved through time. But my mother could find the place of most stress and press. Sometimes she would even spear the muscle with a needle. It would cause pain but then the tightness would be gone and the farmer could go back to his fields. I think it is the same with the mountains. If the dwarves only wanted to live beneath the ground, they could make their homes anywhere. Instead they choose to live beneath the mountains because that is where the earth is most stressed and where they can do the most good.”

Aiyu pondered the ideas Camille presented and was happy to accept her explanation. He did not truly care either way. And she was much wiser in the ways of the spirits and while Holdbori was the guiding spirit of the auchs he was certain that the humans must have their own. They had witches, so someone must speak to them. But he could not understand how any person could deny their own spirits. And for the same reason he could accept that the guiding spirit of the dwarves lived in the rocks of the mountains.

After a few moments silence, Camille offered her thoughts. “I have been practising speaking with the rock but it is difficult. It is as if we are a fly on the backside of a horse. The horse does not even know it is there until it bites and then it is only a nuisance to be brushed aside by the flick of a tail. I can feel the rock but it does not know I am there unless I do something to attract its attention.”

“When time come for rocks listen, they hear you,” Aiyu suggested confidently.

Their discussion was interrupted by Shirlee, who approached and asked Camille if she could spare the time to speak with the witches about their powers. Camille apologised to Aiyu and explained that if she were in their position she would also be equally keen to gain access to the powers that sat just beyond their reach but she added for them both to hear that they must be patient and allow her to choose the time.

~

The witches were gathered in a small open area around a cooking fire. The tang of spiced stew drifted heavily on the air from the pot bubbling over the dancing flames stinging Camille’s eyes. But with the increased numbers in the city and their straining food supplies everyone was forced to eat whatever was available and if that meant vegetables that had begun to rot, then spices could disguise the taste. An auch ran towards them but when he saw the witches sitting in conversation he changed direction to give them a wide berth, all the while watching them closely. They watched him as he disappeared back into the city.

“Dniat still holds all humans responsible for the death of his sister,” whispered Camille. “He was very close to Bhata until she moved away and her loss cuts him deeply. It hurts me to see an auch feel the way he does. If it were not for the life of acceptance that the elders maintained I think he would be in the lowlands and the war we fear would have already begun.”

“Will he cause us trouble?” asked Lysandra.

“No. He is angry but he is still an auch. His life is ruled by the decisions of the elders and they have declared us honorary auchs. He will not risk going against that.”

“Then let us get back to why we are here,” prompted Elizabet.

Alayna took control on behalf of the others. “We have waited and nothing has happened to Lysandra. Her strength is amazing and she has not attracted the attention of the one you fear. What reasons can you now have to prevent the release of all our abilities?”

“I have great reason,” countered Camille. “I have been watching and although no one has attacked I feel a presence watching her.”—Lysandra was startled by this news but Camille ignored her alarm and continued— “The walls that held back Lysandra’s powers were of her own making and now they are gone. This has been noticed. I am concerned that whoever watches may accept that one witch may be able to overcome her own barriers but if others appear, particularly when those barriers have been constructed by this entity, we may cause them to take action when we are not ready.”

“I am being watched?” asked Lysandra.

“Yes, if you look you may feel it too. That is why I have stayed away. If your growth is only as you could achieve without help, our hidden being may be satisfied and leave us alone,” Camille explained.

“Who is this being? Who is watching?” Alayna demanded, unsure how far she was prepared to believe in this superior being.

“I don’t know. If I did I might be able to plan what we must do. But I promise, if anything changes and attention turns this way I will release you all immediately.”

The women had to satisfy themselves with Camille’s answers and those that were honest with themselves admitted concern at being watched also. Their attention turned to the training of the three covens.

“It is just not working,” complained Shirlee, shaking her head in disgust. “We all know what we are supposed to do, but we cannot manage the abilities we have now if we try to work together. I am worried that when you release our full abilities we will be of more danger to ourselves than to anyone else.”

Camille looked about the group. “Why? How is it not working? I know I have been occupied, but some results should be happening by now.”

Alayna answered. “I will be honest. I think we all have our own egos and find it difficult to listen to others when we believe within that we know better. It is a terrible thing to say but I admit that I am also guilty of these thoughts. And it is also difficult to work with others when our minds are fully occupied with controlling our ability.”

Camille had a thought. “Show me.”

“What?” asked Shirlee, surprised at the reaction.

Camille was already on her feet and excited to begin. “Come with me outside the city and show me how you work together.”

They moved the meeting to some vacant space in the lower valley where Camille asked them to mount an attack against a stone sitting at the edge of the river. She watched as each coven took turns in organising themselves and when all had tried, without success, she spoke with them again. She began with Shirlee’s coven. “Why did I put a Yellow in charge?” she asked.

A number of women replied all expressing the opinion that the Yellows had no ability that could be used in attack so they were asked to command. Camille paced the rocky shore before turning on the women. “No, there is where you go wrong. The Yellows possess the most important of the skills required for your success.” This surprised all the witches but Camille challenged them again. “Shirlee, why do you stand and call to your group? Why not use your ability?” Everyone appeared confused and Camille changed her approach. “When you look to heal, what do you do?”

“I try to see inside the person, and find the injury so I can decide how it needs to be healed,” the Yellow replied as if stating the obvious.

“It is no different. Look inside and guide them. You must open yourself up to them to do this but only then they will understand your desires and your commands can be followed. Let me show you. Search inside each of your coven and think how you wish them to act but have your target in mind at all times or you will distract them. Now begin and I will follow.”

Camille watched and helped as Shirlee gradually took control. Then at her command Vanessa moved the water to eddy beneath the edge of the rock, an effort that continued for some minutes. Then to Katryn she asked for a shift of air and the rock rolled gently into the swirling water of the river. It was a simple task but the women were jubilant at their success and after the other covens had their own minor breakthroughs Camille left them to their training. She walked back into the city to seek out Aiyu and continue their conversation.