Cassandra

  ‘You maintain them?’

  ‘Yep, That’s my job.’ Ilvi began to walk around the circle of kilns.

  Cassandra followed her. ‘So, you’re an apprentice artisan?’

  ‘No. I’m just happy helping out.’ Ilvi stopped where a lady was using a long metal pole to turn a bubble of pink and white glass inside a superheated kiln as though she were toasting a marshmallow.

  The lady showed not even the flicker of an eyelid’s awareness of their presence, so focused was her concentration, but she said, ‘Come on Ilvi.’

  ‘Oops, gotta go.’ Ilvi jogged forward, picked up a pair of thick gloves and pulled them on. Cassandra watched, enchanted, while Ilvi and the lady heated and blew, reheated and rolled and rubbed at the glass until it grew into an elegant jug.

  Cassandra made up her mind very quickly that she liked Ilvi, particularly since she didn’t seem bothered that Cassandra was human – merely sympathetic. Her clothing was unpretentious (though perhaps that had more to do with a desire not to go up in flames while she tended the ovens than fashion choice) and her fiery red curls were cut short, probably in an attempt to minimise them, although they still appeared to be having a party up there. Her long, narrow wings were similar to Ith’s dragonfly wings but far more beautiful, gleaming an iridescent rainbow of colours when any amount of light hit them. Cassandra suspected that Ilvi would have happily tucked them away into the back of her pants if she’d thought they would fit. She also noticed that they fluttered whenever the work became challenging, as though Ilvi was preparing to take flight.

  It was late afternoon by the time Ilvi had finished assisting with the jug and had started cleaning up. Cassandra helped her collect the tools and put them away. Her eye was caught by an opal pendant hanging from an entwined gold and silver chain around Ilvi’s neck. It was similar to Eerin’s, but dominated by emerald green and electric blue with a flash of red. Even from Cassandra’s short acquaintance with Ilvi, she was surprised to see her wearing any jewellery at all.

  ‘That’s pretty,’ she said, pointing to it.

  Ilvi looked down as if surprised and annoyed to see it there, and grunted. ‘That’s just my kindred stone.’ She tucked it away inside the neck of her top.

  Cassandra suddenly remembered that she needed to get home before darkness made finding her way even more difficult. ‘Which way is the agora from here?’ she asked.

  Ilvi pointed towards the bush in the same direction that the weaver had indicated. ‘See the track? Follow it.’

  Now that Ilvi pointed it out, Cassandra could see a break in the undergrowth. ‘Thanks. I might see you at the revelry, then.’

  ‘I doubt it,’ Ilvi called out as Cassandra headed for the track. ‘But you can try.’

  — CHAPTER 40 —

  Special Invitation

  Cassandra did see Ilvi that night at the revelry, but only because Ilvi dive-bombed her.

  A gleeful war cry was her only warning before something large and fast whooshed over the top of her head. She looked up just in time to see Ilvi’s flaming curls disappearing into the darkness as her laughter faded. Cassandra knew that the hooligans were part of the larger group of centenarians who spent all of their revelry hours in the air, chasing and apparently trying to kill each other, and she now discovered that Ilvi was one of them, too. That explained why Cassandra had never noticed her before. It was difficult to identify anyone at the speed they flew.

  Cassandra also discovered at that moment that Tani’s friend, Ralina, who Cassandra had never really liked (not that there were many centenarians that she did like, given that they didn’t like her), was Ilvi’s sister. They were as different as could be. Ralina was always beautifully dressed, serene yet confident, and very popular. The one thing they shared was their brilliant red hair, but instead of trying unsuccessfully to minimise it as Ilvi did, Ralina allowed hers to cascade down her back like wildfire. Ralina was apprenticed to their father, a healer. She seemed to be both intelligent and conscientious. Cassandra could image what growing up under that shadow must be like. No wonder Ilvi was mucking around up in the air.

  Ralina rolled her eyes. ‘She’s so irresponsible.’

  ‘She’s just having fun,’ said Tani.

  ‘She needs to focus a little less on instant gratification and a little more on building herself a future. She can’t be a child forever.’

  ‘Has she chosen an apprenticeship yet?’

  Ralina tutted her tongue and shook her head.

  ‘Why doesn’t she do an artisan’s apprenticeship? She seems to enjoy working with them.’

  ‘She doesn’t want to be an artisan.’ Ralina shrugged. ‘Probably just as well, because she has zero artistic talent.’

  Tani glanced skyward. ‘Can’t she just keep doing what she’s doing?’

  ‘I think it’s unlikely to satisfy her for long. Anyway, one of these days someone’s going to want a glass-blowing apprenticeship and she’ll have to move over because it’s an important part of their training.’

  ‘What do your parents think?’

  ‘They’re completely baffled. I feel sorry for them.’ Ralina shook her head sadly. ‘They try to support her in whatever she chooses to do, whatever way the wind’s blowing on any particular day. Opposition just makes her more stubborn.’

  ‘She could become a builder – she’d be good at that.’

  ‘Mmmm.’

  ‘Or a ranger?’

  ‘Mmmm. Maybe a watcher.’

  A shriek from the sky suggested somebody had just been caught. Ilvi zoomed past, laughing: it hadn’t been her.

  ‘She’s got more than enough energy and bravery for it,’ Tani said, ‘and she likes taking risks.’

  ‘That she does. And, as much as she pretends to be stupid, she’s a very quick thinker – even more so under pressure.’

  ‘So why doesn’t she do that?’

  Ralina shrugged. ‘I think she doesn’t want to turn into our mother.’

  They stood in silence for a while, looking up at the aerial battle. Cassandra watched, too. Ilvi certainly was fast … and wily. The whole time Cassandra watched, no one came close to catching her.

  ‘You know she’s trying to train dragonflies?’ said Ralina.

  ‘Dragonflies?’ Tani stared at Ralina, trying to judge if she was joking. ‘Whatever for?’

  Ralina shrugged at the sky. ‘Your guess is as good as mine.’

  Cassandra saw Ilvi every night at the revelry now that she knew to look skyward for a flash of red curls, but it was a week before she talked to her again. On her next day away from Ith and Iznaya, she visited her at the kilns. Ilvi was unloading a set of plates from the pottery kiln. Cassandra stood watching for a while until Ilvi said, ‘You can help if you want.’

  ‘They look so fragile; I don’t want to break one.’

  Ilvi straightened up and looked down at the plate in her hand. It had been glazed with a textured white-on-cream pattern, giving it the appearance of a delicate lace doily. ‘They’re pretty strong.’ She let go, and the plate hit the sand without breaking. She picked it up and added it to the pile. ‘See?’

  Cassandra stepped forward and began removing plates from the kiln and adding them to Ilvi’s pile, but they were in each other’s way and, as Cassandra lifted a plate out, Ilvi turned to reach in and knocked Cassandra’s elbow. The plate Cassandra was holding smacked against the edge of the kiln door and broke in two.

  Cassandra wondered how much trouble she was in. ‘I thought you said they were strong.’

  ‘I didn’t say they were indestructible.’ Ilvi reached in and retrieved the two pieces.

  ‘What do we do now? Do you have to tell someone? Or,’ please, God, ‘do we just throw it in the bin?’

  Ilvi looked confused. ‘Bin?’ She stacked the two pieces beside the kiln. ‘I’ll grind it later and spread the dust back over the ground.’

  Cassandra stepped away, certain that her assistance was no longer required, but Ilvi said, ‘I’ll hand t
hem to you and you stack them.’

  As they stacked the plates, Cassandra said, ‘I’ve never seen you doing the chasing at the revelry. You’re always the one being chased.’

  ‘That’s not true. I start off as ‘it’ every night. It seems fairest that way. It just never lasts long.’

  ‘So, no one ever catches you?’

  ‘I used to get caught all the time when I first started, but I was pretty young. I used to annoy the older kids by insisting on playing almost as soon as I could fly. They’d tag me and then keep playing as if I wasn’t there while I flew around trying to get one of them back. But it wasn’t long before they realised how tenacious I can be and how badly they’d underestimated me.’ She grinned at Cassandra.

  ‘And what about now?’

  ‘Now?’ Ilvi resumed passing plates. ‘No. I don’t often get caught. Although, lately there’s a tricky little bugger who’s got me a couple of times. I may have to kill him.’

  Cassandra thought about the hooligans and who the tricky little bugger quick enough to catch Ilvi might be. She didn’t have to think very hard. ‘Let me guess: Treus.’

  ‘Got it in one.’ Ilvi handed Cassandra the last plate and closed the kiln.

  ‘I heard you’re training dragonflies.’

  ‘Did you?’ Ilvi turned to face Cassandra with her arms crossed over her chest as if she was bracing for Cassandra to make something of it.

  ‘It sounds like fun.’

  Ilvi’s posture relaxed a little. ‘It is.’

  ‘I love dragonflies.’

  ‘So do I. I love watching them move. They’re inquisitive and direct, no nonsense. They decide what they want and they go straight for it.’ Ilvi walked between the kilns, gesturing for Cassandra to follow her, and sat on a circular stone bench that had been built in the centre of the ring. It was a peaceful place to sit, hidden from the rest of the world.

  ‘I just think they’re beautiful,’ said Cassandra.

  Ilvi shrugged, adding certainty to Cassandra’s notion that Ilvi wasn’t someone who was the slightest bit concerned with appearance.

  ‘They’re aloof. You’ve got to respect them for that. They’re not interested in pleasing anyone but themselves. Not like butterflies, who’ll do anything for attention. To be able to train a dragonfly to do what you ask of it would be a huge triumph.’ Ilvi shrugged. ‘Everyone says it’s impossible.’

  ‘That will make your triumph so much sweeter then, won’t it?’

  Ilvi swivelled around to smile at Cassandra and leaned forward conspiratorially. ‘I’ve actually got three already obeying basic signals. I want to see if I can ride them.’

  ‘Wow!’ Cassandra had no idea Ilvi was so far advanced with this. It was certainly not the picture Ralina had painted. ‘Can you do that?’

  Ilvi shrugged. ‘That’s what I want to find out. Do you want to come and help?’

  ‘I’d love to.’ Cassandra would almost have delayed a trip home, if one had been on offer, to see Ilvi attempting to ride a trained dragonfly.

  ‘Okay, I’ll meet you in the agora first thing tomorrow morning.’

  — CHAPTER 41 —

  The Dragonflies

  Cassandra arrived at the agora the next morning before Ilvi did, weighed down with a basket of food that Oonnora had insisted on giving her – a clear indication of her relief that Cassandra was beginning to make friends.

  It was a beautiful morning: the sky was flawless, and only the vaguest puff of breeze rustled the leaves of the trees. There had been a light sprinkling of rain overnight, so the air was fresh and cool. Cassandra closed her eyes and dropped her head back, letting the sunlight warm her face.

  A rustling nearby made Cassandra open her eyes. She was startled to see a willie wagtail standing close by, watching her. It fanned its tail, fossicked on the ground with its beak, then stopped to look at her again with its head tilted slightly as if it were trying to work out who she was. Cassandra loved willie wagtails; aside from being beautiful, they were confident and cheeky and known to be quite intelligent.

  The bird flicked a ti-tree flower over and, with one swift peck, had hold of the end of a fat earth worm and was pulling it from the safety of its hole. The worm didn’t stand a chance. It stretched and wriggled and tried to stay in its hole, but it was no match for the willie wagtail. In a moment, it was all over. The worm had become part of the food chain, and the intimate perspective made Cassandra feel sorry for it. The bird, satisfied from its meal, raised its head and sang a sweet, tuneful song, then flitted into the air and disappeared into the bush.

  Cassandra heard Ilvi calling out and looked around to see her soaring low across the agora. Ilvi never fluttered like the girls in Tani’s group. In a couple of seconds, she had landed beside Cassandra and said, ‘Watch this.’ She whistled a vibrating whistle. Almost immediately, a dragonfly appeared. It swept over their heads with a loud buzz, making Cassandra duck in fright. Ilvi stood her ground, laughing and trusting the dragonfly to miss them. It disappeared into the bush only to re-emerge a moment later with two more following. Still more appeared, and soon they were surrounded by dragonflies. The noise was almost deafening. Their transparent wings with complex patterns of venation flashed a rainbow of colours when the sun hit them. Their bodies were more brilliantly and beautifully coloured than Cassandra had ever realised. She counted seven, although it was hard to be sure because they were moving so fast and so erratically. They seemed to appear and disappear, as if they were nothing more than optical illusions. Cassandra was glad that the willie wagtail had gone away. Would a willie wagtail eat a dragonfly?

  Ilvi whistled again. Three of the dragonflies landed nearby, a couple took off into the bush and two continued to buzz around their heads. Ilvi whistled again, more loudly this time, and the two buzzing around their heads landed.

  Cassandra looked down at the dragonflies, parked like airplanes with their wings outstretched. They were staring back with huge multifaceted eyes which took up most of their heads and met in the middle so that they looked like they were wearing flight goggles.

  ‘Okay, show me what they can do,’ Cassandra said.

  Ilvi called out, ‘Up,’ and the dragonflies took flight. She whistled and made a circle in the air with her hand and had them flying in a reasonably orderly circle around herself and Cassandra. She called out, ‘Stop,’ and they landed. Then Cassandra had a go, and was delighted when she had them obeying her commands.

  ‘I’ve even got this one, ‘ Ilvi pointed to the smallest dragonfly, ‘obeying basic psychic commands. See?’ The dragonfly took off, flew once around them, then landed. To Cassandra, it appeared to have been the dragonfly’s own idea.

  They spent a couple of hours playing with them in this way: up, down, forwards, backwards, right, left. Ilvi even managed to teach the largest dragonfly to loop-the-loop.

  They took a break and sat down on pigface leaves to eat half the food Oonnora had packed for them. The dragonflies remained parked in front of them. Ilvi said it was because they were too tired to bother flying away, but Cassandra preferred to think they liked the company.

  ‘What are their names?’ asked Cassandra.

  Ilvi looked confused.

  ‘Haven’t you named them?’

  ‘Why would I do that?

  ‘What if you want to call them?’

  ‘I whistle.’

  ‘What if you want to call a particular one?’

  ‘Why would I want to do that?’

  Cassandra gave up trying to explain and stood up. She pointed to the largest and most lively dragonfly. ‘This one is …,’ Santa’s reindeer came to mind, she had no idea why, ‘Prancer.’ She nodded. Good start. Now, what were the other reindeer names? She couldn’t remember all of them, but she knew enough for these five. She pointed to the brilliantly coloured, fast moving one and said, ‘Comet,’ then the smallest one, ‘Cupid.’ She struggled to differentiate between the other two, so she waved her hand at both of them and said, ‘Dasher and Dance
r.’

  ‘Okay,’ said Ilvi, ‘now that we know their names, let’s try riding them.’ She slid off her seat and walked over to the largest dragonfly, who was as long as she was tall and reached to just above her knees. ‘What’s this one’s name?’

  ‘Prancer.’

  ‘Okay, Prancer, where should I sit?’ She stepped one foot over his long abdomen, directly behind his wings and started to ease her weight down, but when he felt her weight, he flitted up into the air, allowing his abdomen to drop down so that Ilvi slid smoothly off on to the ground. It looked so hilarious that for a while Cassandra could barely draw breath, she was laughing so hard. Dasher and Dancer flew away.

  ‘I think you scared them off,’ said Cassandra.

  Ilvi was not to be deterred. Prancer had landed close by, so she walked slowly towards him, murmuring words of encouragement. She stood beside him for a moment stroking his back, and then slid a leg over his body in front of his wings, directly behind his head. He remained still.

  ‘Up,’ Ilvi said, and Prancer took flight.

  This flight was more successful. Ilvi stayed on for about ten seconds before Prancer changed direction abruptly to catch a mosquito. A huge advantage to wings, Cassandra thought, watching Ilvi come in to land independently, was that a fall was not really a fall at all. Ilvi tried a few more times and was undoubtedly improving, but it became obvious that some way of holding on was required.

  ‘Humans use a long strap called reins to help them hold on and steer a horse when they ride it.’ said Cassandra.

  ‘What do they attach it to?’

  Cassandra had to think about it for a moment. ‘It sort of ties around their head.’ She started to gesture to her own head and then realised that hers wasn’t the same shape as a horse’s. ‘And their nose … and it goes in their mouth, too.’ Okay, so that was actually a piece of metal, but it seemed a bit barbaric now that she was trying to describe it, so she left that detail out.

  Ilvi looked at the dragonfly doubtfully. ‘Maybe just a loop around its neck. What do you think my chances are of getting one of the weavers to make me one?’

  ‘Are you planning to tell them the truth?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘Zero.’