Page 130 of Earthbound

‘Why?’

‘You will build a life in a mountain far from home. One day, when your muscles ache and your hair is grey, No One will appear. You must first see them. Then guide them. Then bleed for them. Without you, humanity will be lost.’

Lettle’s eyes widened as Mortah spoke. She had rarely heard of a prophecy so long.

‘Bleed for them?’ Lettle repeated. ‘That’s why you came with us, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, I think protecting Alder will be my final task,’ Mortah said. Then she lifted her chin as if daring Lettle to pity her.

‘There is some comfort in knowing your life will have purpose,’ Lettle said softly.

‘Yes, though I was resistant to it for a long time. My father foretold those words the day I was made captain of my regiment. For years we fought about it. I had just been granted the biggest promotion of my life. Why would I throw it all away for a prophecy I didn’t understand?’

‘That’s why you fought for Alder to be recognised in the council, that’s why you helped him.’

‘Yes.’

Lettle picked up her talismans and cradled them. Sometimes it was hard not to feel like a token herself, her body carved by hands she didn’t see, its movements controlled by something other than herself.

Were the Fates as dangerous as human magic?

But without them Mortah wouldn’t have left Waning and helped Alder.

‘It is good that you listened to your father, in the end,’ Lettle said.

‘It became all he could talk about, all he could think about. It ruined our relationship. So I’m not sure “good” is the word.’

‘I’m not sure it is either,’ Lettle admitted. ‘But at least you were here when it mattered.’

‘What are you both doing?’ Alder said, yawning, from his bedroll.

‘Sorry, did we wake you?’ Lettle said.

‘It’s fine. I feel like I’ve slept half a year. Did I sleepwalk?’

Lettle shook her head. ‘No, I don’t think you’ll sleepwalk again. Afa has told me all he needed to. He’s no longer warring for your consciousness.’

Alder shivered and drew his blankets around his shoulders. Then he walked over and joined the two of them at the edge of the sky camp.

‘I had a dream,’ he said wistfully into the cool air. ‘I dreamed the spell was done, and humans lived in Caperly once more. Golan and I were staying one winter, and the children, Mia’s and Dart’s children, refused to fall asleep until we read them a story.’

He was crying, but the tears were happy.

‘And you know what story we told them? The tale of the wandering human. ‘He chuckled. ‘Golan was reading it and laughing at all the inaccuracies. When he got to the end, the children asked us what happened to Afa.’

‘What did you say?’

Alder turned to Lettle with a sad smile. ‘I told them Afa became changed, and continued life in Caperly as a happy man, fulfilled by all the people around him. Then I kissed them both on the head and told them I loved them.’

‘Oh, Alder.’ The dream was a wonderful premonition of the future.

‘In the dream I was just me. Not a vessel, not Afa. Just Uncle Alder.’

‘That’s good,’ Mortah said, her voice thick with emotion.

Alder wiped at his eyes, which seemed brighter than they had in weeks.

‘Now all we have to do is get into Mosima, so I can make that dream an actuality,’ he said with a smile.