Rieka frowned again. “Is it?”
Coll didn’t answer. The last light went and a cold breeze came through the air. He shivered and rubbed his arm. “Anyway, what other plan is there? Let’s go to Scatter and see what they can tell us.”
Rieka shrugged. “All right.”
By the next day Cub was walking better, even trotting along quite happily. Brann was still counting legs under her breath but less often. Once or twice they even managed a little half-run for a few steps, bouncing as the suspension adapted to them. Soon they could make out Scatter’s buildings sprawled on the side of the hill. The sharpened posts of its stockade wall gleamed pale in the morning sunlight.
“They’ve seen us,” said Rieka, pointing. As Coll looked up, figures appeared along the walls, and the front gates pulled half closed.
He nodded. “What do we do?”
Rieka shrugged. “Don’t know. All go in?”
Coll looked back at the others. Fillan was staring at the town with wide eyes, his face pale. It hadn’t occurred to Coll before, but this must be the last place he would ever want to see again.
“I’ll go,” he said. “Mayor Ruprecht knows me.”
Rieka gazed at him. “Sure?”
“Sure.” Coll tried to seem confident. “We’re just looking for directions, right?”
They were close now, just a hundred metres away. There were no flags and banners this time. Cub pulled to a halt and managed not to fall over, and Coll climbed down.
As he walked towards the gate, he passed the sign again.
SCATTER
UNDER WOLF
He was aware of the people watching from the walls, holding crossbows ready. He tried to remember how Alpha walked – that confident, arrogant stride that showed she wasn’t afraid of anything. He kept as straight and tall as he could and pretended he didn’t notice the weapons.
Mayor Ruprecht was waiting, still in his dusty top hat and long coat. As Coll neared, the mayor held up a metal loudhailer and bellowed, “That’s close enough!”
Coll stopped.
“This is a Wolf town!” shouted Ruprecht. “We are under Wolf’s protection! You have no right to be here!”
“Mayor, it’s me!” called Coll. “Coll, remember? I was here before with Alpha. I’m Wolf!”
The mayor lowered his loudhailer and peered at Coll. He stepped forward. “Coll?” He glanced at Cub uncertainly, but then turned to the others. “Weapons down! This is Alpha’s boy! Open the gate!” He shook his head. “Coll, my lad, what in the moon is going on?”
“…but now we’ve lost her trail,” said Coll, later.
He and the mayor sat in the parlour where they had met before. Ruprecht had summoned up more of the little teacups, and now he gazed into his cup with an expression of worry.
“And Dragon,” he said. “It’s really become so powerful?”
“It destroyed Raven,” said Coll. He coughed. “Alpha will figure out a way, though.”
The mayor looked serious. “We’ll do everything we can to help, of course. Excuse me.” He stepped outside, and Coll heard him talking urgently to someone. When he returned, he was nodding. “I’ve sent a signal to recall our scouts. If Wolf has passed, they’ll know.”
He gazed out of the window. “And that … Cub, did you say? That was actually Raven, before?”
“Yes,” said Coll. “Rieka is a Tock. She showed us how to use it.”
“Extraordinary.” Ruprecht shook his head. “But vulnerable. You must beware – there are those who would do almost anything for wealth like that. Why, the anthryl alone…” He turned. “Do you need weapons? Do you have any way to protect yourselves?”
“I… Not really. Cub’s based on Wolf, so he has claws, and teeth…” Coll thought about Cub’s short stubby legs, the big, rather friendly face.
There was a knock at the door and a man entered. He wore a long brown leather jacket, dusty and out of place in the neat parlour, and he had a thick black moustache that drooped around his grim mouth. The man closed the door with a careful click, then muttered something in the mayor’s ear. Ruprecht nodded.
“This is Samson,” he said, gesturing to the man. “He tells me we’ve seen Wolf.”
Coll felt a flood of relief. “Where?”
“Heading south,” said Ruprecht, and frowned. “Towards the Glass Lands apparently, but we’ll know the details soon. All we have to do is wait. More tea?”
Coll grinned. “Sure!” He looked at the man. “Anything about Dragon?”
Samson stared at him with no expression.
The mayor said, “Not yet.” He turned and poured two more cups of tea and held one out. “Here you are.”
As Coll took the cup, a little of the tea slopped out and the mayor scowled.
