‘But you saved them - you broke the blackbirders when you shot them,’ said Tiz. ‘Without you the Clans would have lost.’

‘You should have shot Grey with it,’ said Walt just loud enough for Peter to hear.

‘It doesn’t matter now,’ said Peter. Girl had slowed from her initial run and they now walked towards the mountains. From the west came the iodine scent of the sea and a haze hung over the sky. Their way north would need to turn towards the mountains and over a pass, or they would be squeezed against the ocean.

‘The Clan can not see what they do not understand,’ said Peter. ‘They believe Grey, despite what really happened. Truth is the first victim of war, and politics.’

‘But it’s so unfair,’ said Walt. ‘And we saved the grazing animals. Kept them safe and with the Clan.’

‘I’m hungry. They ran us off without any breakfast.’

‘That happens.’ Jan had been quieter than the boys. She had spent more time with the Clan, and with Sarah. If she had felt more accepted then it did not surprise Peter she had been more upset.

‘That was the point I think,’ said Tiz. ‘It’s not good is it? No food or supplies. Not even a tent.’

Girl grumbled. She had eaten along with the other mounts on some of the herd sacrificed after the battle.

Peter didn’t know what to say to that.

My fault again. Except it’s not. It’s Grey.

‘I shouldn’t have said all that to Grey. Should have pretended he’s the best thing that had happened to the Clan. Saying I knew he’d been speaking to the Arthan blackbirder aliens…’ Peter sighed. ‘I didn’t realize the truth had died yet.’

They trudged on as the morning wore on. The flat stoney grasslands gave way to scrub until they came to the river. Away to the west a delta fanned out hung with haze and low cloud. Birds wheeled over a marshland.

‘There’d be food in there,’ said Jan.

‘But no way through it,’ Peter said. ‘We have to cross the river where it runs flat and wide near the mountain. We need to find somewhere we can cross it on Girl, without swimming.’

‘Peter. Where are we going?’ Walt whispered as if afraid to ask.

‘Where are we going? We’ll still try to cross the mountains into the north. Then find out way to the portal where we can get home. If we get there in time.’

’How long do we have?’ said Jan. Peter knew she, of the three, had been the least adventurous. Now she had lost her warrior friend Sarah her fears for the future had increased.

‘Less than ten days now. Which is no time at all.’

‘We won’t last that long.’

‘Jan. We’re riding a fearsome carnivore. Worst thing, she catches something for us.’

‘She’d do that?’

‘So Girl? Do you reckon you’d be able to keep us fed? And would you share it?’

Peter didn’t expect a reply but Girl stopped and twisted her head around to look at him sidelong in a way she had not done before. Her large eye blinked once then she lowered her head close to the ground and let out a crooning mewl and set off at a faster pace.

‘I don’t understand her language, but did she just mother us?’ Jan said. ’I mean… that almost sounded friendly and caring.’

Peter laughed. ‘I don’t know. I thought the imprint the Clan set on their mounts came from the riders being the dominant father-mother figures. But I think you’re right. The blackbirders really messed with her mind.’

‘So Jan? Does that make you more chill?’ said Tiz.

‘I guess so.’

‘Then can you relax your grip on my shoulder? You’re making my arm go to sleep.’

They laughed then, while Girl hooted approval.

Peter had not told the others, but heading for the mountain pass meant converging with the blackbirders. If Varuq'hat’s plan to escape his enemy and take the zharaqsa north, then that meant crossing the mountain.

‘Not many places to cross.’

‘What’s that?’ Tiz tapped him on the shoulder.

Peter had not meant to say anything aloud. They had followed the river upstream to find a ford.

‘Eventually we’ll find somewhere. This is a braided river. It’s just we don’t want to back track too far upstream.’

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He didn’t share his worry for what might happen at the mountain pass. They kept moving past midday as Girl had not slackened her pace.

‘We can cross the river here,’ Peter said eventually.

The river had widened out and split into several shallow streams that wound across an expanse of gravel. Girl took to the water reared on her hind legs and waded across without hesitation. The spray from her strides flew up and chilled his face.

Walt had dozed off in front of him but now he jumped and pointed off towards the north.

‘The skyship.’

‘You’ve got good eyes Walt.’ Peter saw the skyship just above the foothills. The mountains behind climbed to higher peaks than elsewhere, but a bright slash of light reflected from a river flowing from the north.

‘That’s the mountain pass to the north,’ said Peter. ‘That’s why the blackbirders are there. They can’t fly over the mountains, they need to be towed through the pass too.’

‘But if we can see them…’

‘They can see us.’ As Girl crossed the gravel bed to the second stream Peter saw now how exposed they had become.

‘Do we turn back?’

‘Too late. We need to cross the river anyway.’

Should have waited to look around more before crossing.

‘Peter,’ said Tiz. ‘There’s something in your bag making a noise.’

He felt the buzzing, like a phone. He swung the bag around into Walt’s lap. The younger boy opened it and after rummaging around in it pulled out a round object.

‘Is it a phone?’ Walt examined the alien device. ‘Who’s calling you?’

‘I’ve no idea.’

‘Are you going to answer it?’

‘Not sure I know…’

Walt pressed a button and the buzzing stopped. A voice spoke in a squeaking burble that made no sense.

‘Who is it? Blackbirders?’

‘If it is, we’re in even more trouble.’

The radio phone device squabbled and burped as the person on the other end became frustrated or urgent. Without tulanvarqa Peter had no chance of understanding.

‘This might be like the device Grey had,’ Peter said.

‘He worked out how to use it,’ said Tiz.

‘He had help I think. But if it is the same, there must be a translator…’ Peter pressed the center button and the voice changed to the chilling guttural sounds of the Arthan language.

‘If that’s blackbirder, then the other language can’t be,’ Peter said.

‘Try transmitting. Is there a button on the side?’

Peter imagined where a manisaur or blackbirder would put their hand and pressed.

‘Hello?’

‘The voice burbled more excitedly still.’

‘How would it even be able to translate English?’ said TIz. ‘They’ve never even heard it.’

‘But they do know Clan. Grey spoke it.’ Peter switched to Clan and said, ‘Hello? Who is this?’

Instantly the voice on the other end took on a different timbre and tone and spoke in halting Clan.

‘Finally. You’ve got to help me. The evil invaders are…’

‘Is that Grey?’ said Walt.

‘No. Just his voice. I think,’ said Tiz.

‘Who is this?’ Peter said again.

‘Glade of Trees. And you are Rock I think. I saw your mount crossing the river.’

‘Varuq'hat?’ Peter realized as he said it but that name was Thaluk, and the imp did not speak it.’ What’s happening? Over.’

‘The invading aliens can somehow sense the catalyst. They are getting close to me.’

‘They can detect it from a distance? But how can we help? We’ve almost no weapons.’

‘You have your mount, your lance. But you also have my shooting device.’

‘The gun? I thought you had more than one.’

‘No. You had more need than me.’

Peter understood then that Varuq'hat had not abandoned them. And by taking the zharaqsa catalyst he had led the blackbirders away from the Clan. He had made them all safe.

‘We want to cross the mountains. Is that the pass ahead?’

‘Yes. They are coming close to me. I will try the pass tonight.’

‘We will follow, but I don’t know what we can do.’

‘More than me alone. They must not get the catalyst. Their skyship must be running low by now.’

‘Varuq'hat. Is this one of the Arthan’s devices? Or is it yours?’

‘Oh. I see your point. We talk too much,’ Varuq'hat said.

‘We will follow you towards the pass. Watch for us, but we will hide from the blackbirder invaders.’

Peter put down the device and looked towards the pass. The skyship had slipped down below the foothills.

‘What was that all about?’ said Tiz.

‘The imp obviously,’ said Jan. ‘I heard his name.’

Peter filled them in. All this time Girl had been trudging across the gravel, she now entered a section of scrub just before they entered the forest that covered the foothills.

‘Is this a good idea? Don’t we want to avoid the blackbirers?’

‘Yes. But they’re not after us. They are hunting the imp.’

‘Who you said you’d help,’ said Jan.

‘He told us where the pass lies. We can slip past the blackbirders and maybe help Varuq'hat. There’s no time. We have to be across in the next day while the weather is fine, and before the rivers rise.’

‘What makes you think that’s going to happen?’

They entered the thick wet forest. It glowed a green in the late afternoon light that verged on glowing.

‘This place is so wet it’s almost like a rain forest.’ Peter waved about at the thick ferns and bright green moss. ‘Where do you think the water comes from?’

‘The river?’

‘Exactly. The river that runs down the mountain from the pass. When it rains, this place probably floods.’

‘It’s dry now,’ said Walt.

‘Exactly. This place must be due some wet weather. We’ve got to get to the pass as soon as we can.’

The radio burped again. ‘I can see the Clan,’ said Varuq'hat. ‘They’re coming up further east of you.’

‘Great. This pass is more a trap than a way to escape into the north.’

Girl pushed though the edge of the trees and they found themselves on the edge of a wide lake filled with dark brown water that swirled with foam. The stumps of trees fringed the edge of the lake as if it has flooded and killed part of the forest, but the water level had dropped.

Girl grumbled but made her way around the lake fringe, between the black stumps until they reached the river that ran from the mountain. It wound between huge white boulders and tumbled its brown water down the steep grade in a series of rapids between wide flowing pools.

‘When can we stop?’ said Walt. ‘I’m still hungry.’

‘Look in the bag,’ Peter said as he pressed Girl up the river to step between the stones and boulders, then around the edges of a wide slow flowing section of river.

The young boy pulled out a fruit and nut chocolate bar. ‘Where did you get that? It’s big enough for all of us.’

‘It was in my bag the day we fell into Eoth. It might keep us going for a bit longer.’

As they munched on the rich creamy chocolate slab Peter felt a growing sense of unease.

Paranoia, or does Girl sense something?

The mount had just stepped ashore to follow a game trail over a bluff when the ravening beasts exploded out of the bushes. Girl reared up so fast that Walt tumbled back upon Peter and lost his hold of the bag and nearly followed it onto the ground, but Peter grabbed him and Walt got a hand into the flank webbing.

A ravening beast leapt upon Girl’s rear haunch and scrambled towards Jan.

Peter had one thought. Get to the ground and get the gun. So he jumped the five meters to the ground even as Girl spun to face her attackers. Peter went flying straight towards a tree fern.