THE news about Uncle Axel greatly depressed them. They wondered how on earth they could ever get in touch with David, to break the news to him, but there seemed to be no way—unless it were to be via Petra, and they weren’t going to involve her in this! It also set them worrying afresh about the fate of Mark and Stephanie: not a word from them since Michael and Rachel had reached Rigo. Of course, Mark’s thought-shape powers would still be rather weak, and Stephanie’s—if she had them—even weaker.

Peter and Samuel joined them again for breakfast, and asked how they had fared the day before. Michael was able to announce that they had not only secured accommodation for themselves, but that he had found himself a job in the shipyard as a carpenter. So they would be moving out of the inn later that day.

“Well done! What sort of accommodation, if I may ask?” put in Samuel.

“Just a rented room, in a house in the north of the city.” And Michael named the street.

“Hmmm. Not a very salubrious quarter, if you don’t mind my saying so, but I suppose it’ll be cheap enough. You’d better let us have the address, in case we need to contact you. I’m busy with one of my other authors today, just about to go to print, so Peter will be free to look after you for a while.”

“What’s your other author written, if you don’t mind me asking?” said Michael, who was developing an interest in books in general.

“Oh, a sort of anthropological study, going into the communities of French-speakers in Newf and Skota…”

“So there are French-speakers even today? Rachel and I have learnt a few words, but I thought Peter said it was a language spoken in these parts only pre-Tribulation.”

“Oh no—there are a few left: not many.”

“And where on earth is Skota? We know about Newf.”

“It’s a peninsula—a piece of land jutting out from the mainland but not quite an island. It’s to the south-west of Newf. Hadn’t you been taught about it at your school? Not many people live there: only the northern part is habitable at all, and they have a lot of trouble with Deviations—like you had in Kentak, or even worse. But there’s a small community there who keep up the French language among themselves. My author lived amongst them for a while, and speaks French fluently. She also lived in Newf for some years.”

“Skota was called Nova Scotia before Tribulation,” added Peter. “There’s a theory that it was named after a land across the ocean, called ‘Scot Land’ or something similar, but there’s no proof of this. ‘Nova’ is a word from a very ancient language, meaning ‘new’—that much I was able to discover.”

“Well, back in Kentak,” put in Michael, “we were never taught about that. As far as my teachers knew, or at least what they chose to tell us, only Labrador and Newf, and the Indies down south, were habitable at all.”

“Skota hasn’t been habitable for very long,” explained Samuel. “It’s frontier country, pushing back the Badlands and Fringe territory, over the past hundred years or so. Perhaps the books your teachers used in Kentak were out-of-date?”

“We had very few books to refer to, especially those on history or geography. Most of the teaching was done by word-of-mouth.”

“Ah well—that explains a lot. You’d have done far better if you’d been sent to the University, here in Rigo. I studied there myself when I was younger, as it happens. So did Benjamin.”

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Michael was somewhat crestfallen to realise how far his own education—for all that it was far superior to what he could have had in Waknuk—fell short of what could have been got in Rigo. But it was too late to dwell on that.

“Anyway,” continued Samuel, “I must be going: a lot of work to do today. I take my leave of you, and wish you good luck, Michael, with the new job.” And with that he got up and left them.

Breakfast being finished, the others also stood up. “I’m not tied up with Samuel today, as he told you,” announced Peter, “but there is a bit of re-work I have to do on my manuscript. I can spare you a few hours if you like. I’ll be starting back for Ragnarok in about two days’ time. Is there any part of Rigo you still want to explore?”

Michael and Rachel said no, they thought they had learned enough to navigate themselves around Rigo for the present—but they’d be glad of his company if he’d walk with them for a while. They had many questions they still wanted to ask him—Michael especially had taken quite a keen interest in his and Samuel’s historical and geographical knowledge.

So they went out. It was still chilly weather, so they wore their furs. They were just a few hundred yards from the inn when Rachel suddenly slapped her forehead.

“The horses! I’ve clean forgotten about our horses! Did you remember, Michael?” “No,” he put in, rather embarrassed. Rachel continued, “They’re still in the stables back at the inn. We shan’t be using them here in Rigo, and they’ll cost us if we keep them in the stables. What shall we do? Can we sell them?”

“They’re not really ours to sell,” said Michael. “Mine properly belongs to my parents, and didn’t you borrow yours from your Mum?”

“Oh dear! Yes—and we haven’t been in touch with them for ages. My Mum—who will almost certainly have moved to live with my aunt, some miles away. And put the farm up for sale. She must be worried sick, wondering what’s happened to me. At least, if someone does make an offer for the farm, she won’t be hard up…”

“My parents must think I’m still in Kentak” added Michael. “They too will be wondering why I haven’t written for so long.”

At this point Peter cut in, rather crossly. “You two may have forgotten, but I remembered about your horses. Been to the stables night and morning checking them over—along with my two. They seem to be well looked after. But I tell you what I propose. I’m quite happy to buy the horses off you—or rather, off your parents. If you give me their addresses, I’ll write to them, enclosing the money, and explain. But you two ought to write to your parents too. You’ve left it long enough—and I think it’ll be safe enough to send a letter by the mail-coach. There’s always a risk, of course, so be careful. Explain that you’ve moved to Rigo and Michael’s now working here—but don’t say too much—in case the letters are intercepted.”

“Should we tell them that Michael and I were secretly married,” asked Rachel. “Michael’s parents were dead set against the marriage: they won’t be pleased.”

“Yes, I think you should. That’s not something that’ll arouse the Inspector’s curiosity! Didn’t you say, Michael, that your father’s quite a reasonable man, if faced with a fait accompli? Circumstances have changed since he put a stop to your wedding plans. The main things you should hold back on, are your thought-shape powers and your wanting to leave Labrador altogether. And don’t give your address. If you want to ask them to reply, tell them to send to—shall we say Benjamin’s house? I hope he won’t mind. Of course that puts him and Laura at some risk, but far less risk than giving out your address.”

So they retraced their steps to the inn and asked the landlord for some paper and envelopes. All three of them settled down in the lounge to write their letters, Michael and Rachel being careful to say no more than Peter had advised them. Peter also wrote briefly to Justin. Peter thought it was best to take them to the mail-office themselves, rather than entrust them to the innkeeper, so Michael and Rachel went to their room, collected their few belongings, and settled the bill with the inn—explaining that Peter would be taking charge of their horses from now on.

Peter came with them to the mail-office, where they had no difficulty posting their letters; then he came on with them to their new lodgings. Mrs Norman greeted them quite cordially, and said they were welcome to use her kitchen—so long as they cleaned up after them! They were soon installed in their new room. At this point Peter said he proposed to return to the inn after lunch, reminding them that he had some work still to do on his manuscript.

So they had lunch at a café a few streets away, then Peter said goodbye, Michael went to the shipyard to start work in earnest, while Rachel went to buy some provisions. They were well settled in Rigo, and seemingly safe for the time being—for how long, they didn’t know.