*****
Brynn’s soft call cut short whatever explanation Jade had been about to embark on - which was good, as Phoenix regretted his impulsive question the second it left his lips. He didn’t actually care what an Equinox was, as long as it wasn’t going to attack them. Brynn was crouched behind a tree, waving frantically at them to take cover. Phoenix hurried to his side and peered around the bole of the tree. Below, cleared ground sloped away from the forest, down toward a fortified village. They had approached the town from the south-west through the last stands of trees.
Brynn pointed and whispered. “We’ve been lucky. The Dryads have brought us over the Plowonida, through the worst of the Dywyllwch Brennau and out the other side. That’s the river Kennet, just north and the village is Cunetio. It used to be just farmland but now it’s Roman. See?”
Surrounding the small settlement was a two metre high defensive wall of earth with a deep ditch on its outside. Marcus informed them there would be a similar ditch directly inside the earth wall. Peaked, red-tiled roofs of at least twenty stone and wood buildings were visible neatly lined up inside the fortified area.
Two major roads bisected the town, one leading east-west and one north-west to south-east. Brynn pointed to the latter. “That’s the road we’ll need to follow to get to the Great Stone Circle. We follow it for about three hours then turn south-west, cross a small river and we’re there.” The boy glanced up at Phoenix. “If we leave now, we could just about make it by nightfall even if we stick to the fields.”
Phoenix looked longingly at the town, thinking of beds, decent food and shelter. He heard dogs and children running about with barks and shrieks of laughter. A group of four women walked into the village carrying buckets made of animal hide. Water slopped on the ground as the women chatted and laughed. A farmer led a plow-beast out to a nearby field. The scene looked harmless: domestic and peaceful. Surely they could risk one night for the sake of a decent sleep and full stomachs?
He looked at his companions, intending to announce that they should spend the night in Cunetio. Jade’s face was drawn and resigned; Brynn eyed the town with yearning and fear; Marcus’s handsome face was hard, his return gaze unblinking. Staring at their expressions, Phoenix abruptly realised something vital: the decision wasn’t his alone. If he were captured, the worst he could expect was to be forcibly drafted into the Roman army. Jade and Marcus would suffer far worse fates. Brynn would probably be made into a slave or servant, at best. As much as he wanted to, he had no right to make this decision for them. Reluctantly, he pushed aside his own desire.
“What do you guys think we should do? Should we stay here and get some rest? Or should we push on and try to get closer to Carega Amgarn?”
There was approval in Marcus’ dark eyes. Jade and Brynn exchanged looks before replying together.
“We push on.”
Marcus nodded his agreement.
Phoenix suppressed a sharp twinge of regret. “Fair enough but we need to find somewhere warm, comfortable and safe to sleep, agreed?”
“Agreed,” the others chorused wholeheartedly.
So, they shouldered their burdens once more and gave Cunetio and its promise of comfort a wide berth. As they slipped away, Jade reached out for Phoenix’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze. Phoenix gripped her slim fingers in return, feeling more at peace with himself than he had for many months. Perhaps his father had been onto something about this ‘do the right thing’ business.
Two nights before, Marcus had assumed him to be the leader of this expedition. At the time, Phoenix had almost laughed. He’d never been the leader of anything – not even his football team. It had been an attractive idea, though. Leader. He’d spent quite awhile in the Bag, thinking about it. After all, leaders got to tell people what to do and they had to do it. They had control; they had power. That was what he’d wanted when he started this game: control over his own life; the power to make his own decisions.
Now he had to rethink the whole thing. Maybe being a leader wasn’t just ordering and being obeyed. Maybe it was more…
Phoenix frowned, unable to follow the thought through to completion. He didn’t know what it was; only that it wasn’t just being a bossy control freak. Leadership was something entirely different. But what?
Unable to come to a conclusion, he sighed and shelved the idea for later thought. Right now he just had to make sure they all made it to Stonehenge before the Romans and before the Spring Equinox thingy.
In spite of the lack of covering forests in this part of the country, the travellers made good time. They stayed away from the road, moving along edges of fields and keeping a close eye out for Roman Centuria. Whenever those distinctive scarlet and leather uniforms appeared, the four immediately sought cover.
Since it was spring, the field crops weren’t yet high enough to hide in but there were plenty of hedges, stone walls, small shepherd’s huts and groves of trees. Once, however, the party was obliged to throw themselves flat amongst the ploughed furrows and stay perfectly still as a Roman runner-messenger sped past in the distance.
When the sound of running feet disappeared, Jade raised her head and stared down the road. “I wonder why he was in such a hurry.”
“What do you mean?” Phoenix wasn’t particularly worried by a non-threatening runner.
Jade frowned. “I might just be paranoid but that’s the third messenger we’ve seen on the road this morning. I’m just worried that Feng Zhudai might be on our trail.”
Phoenix looked at her in astonishment. “But how could he?” He glanced around the open fields, hands spread. “You cut two days off our trip. How could the Cohort looking for Marcus possibly catch up to us – or even know where we’re going in the first place?”
She grimaced. “I don’t know. I just know there’s something wrong. I feel...uneasy.”
He chuckled. “That’s an understatement. Of course there’s something wrong. This whole place is wrong on several levels.” He grinned at her. “If you’ll forgive the pun.”
Jade didn’t respond in kind. She just shook her head. “Don’t forget that Zhudai is some sort of arch-wizard. If we do have to win through all five lev...quests, - and we succeed by some fluke - then he’s in big trouble.” She gripped his arm and dropped her voice to a whisper. “Is it possible that he could know what our task is for each level of the game and try and stop us?”
Phoenix stared at her for a moment, deciding she looked so worried he should at least consider her words. Then he shook his head firmly.
“No, that’s just paranoid. There’s hundreds of players, remember? Zhudai couldn’t possibly be in all places trying to thwart all of them at once.”
“Yes,” she said slowly, “but they’re not here yet and we are. We’re here for a reason, remember? We’re the only ones with...” she tapped her chest and raised an eyebrow significantly, reminding him of their amulets.
“As far as we know,” he returned. “Let’s get moving and stop trying to second-guess ourselves. We have a Jewel thing to steal, remember?” He gestured for Brynn to keep moving and they all fell into line again.
“Oh, I remember.” Jade nodded vigorously. “And do you remember that we still have no idea how we’re going to steal it or even what it looks like?”
“I know, I know.” He flicked a hand at her, irritated by her persistence. They’d work it out as they went.
Jade wouldn’t let it go. “Phoenix,” she insisted grabbing his arm and pulling him up short, “we have to have a plan. We can’t just run in waving swords around like idiots and expect the Jewel to fall into our laps. At least we know the Keepers are the Druids but how are we going to get the Jewel from the Druids?”
“I could always just ask Dewydd to get it for us,” Brynn’s clear voice piped up.
****