‘Tomorrow.’
‘I wish he’d chosen a more hospitable meeting place.’
‘It had to be here,’ she said. ‘He knew what the Pallides would ask of me.’
‘Madness!’ snapped Ballistar. ‘Who do they think they are? Here we sit on the verge of war and they play games. Do they believe they can win without us?’
‘No, my friend, they don’t think that. Their Dreamers have told them that the leader will wear the Crown of Alwen. If that is true, then I must find it. Taliesen will have a plan.’
‘I don’t like wizards,’ said the dwarf.
‘I remember you saying that about Asmidir. A black sorcerer, you called him.’
‘I still don’t like him. Are you still lovers?’
‘No!’ Her voice was sharper than she intended and Ballistar gazed at her quizzically.
‘Did he wrong you?’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t want to talk about it. I want your help before dusk. I want you to come with me to the far side of the pool and break the ice.’
‘Why?’ he asked, mystified.
‘I need to swim.’
‘That’s ridiculous! The cold will kill you.’
‘You can wait for me with a blanket,’ she said.
‘There’s something you are not telling me. What are you looking for?’
Sigarni stretched out her hand to the fire. The cave was glowing now in the firelight, and the sounds of winter outside only served to make it seem more cosy within. ‘I am going to find a small bone,’ she said. ‘A talisman if you like, a good luck charm.’
‘Whose bones?’ he asked, wide eyed.
‘Ironhand.’
Ballistar’s jaw dropped. ‘You found his bones? He didn’t pass over the Gateway?’
‘No. He died here fighting his enemies.’
‘How will a bone help you?’
‘Enough questions, Balli. Come on, we’re warm enough now.’
Together they left the cave and trudged across the snow-covered ice of the pool. Sigarni found the boulder under which the bones lay, and she and Ballistar began to chip away at the surrounding ice with their knives. It was slow work and Ballistar lost his patience. Climbing to the top of the jutting boulder he jumped to the ice, landing hard. Four times more he did so, then on the fifth a large crack appeared. ‘Almost there,’ he said. Suddenly the ice gave and he fell through into the dark water beneath. Sigarni dived across the ice, her hand snaking out to grab his collar just as he was about to sink. With a great effort she hauled him back.
‘You’d better get back to the cave,’ she said.
‘No, no, I’m all right,’ he said, shivering. ‘Can you reach the bones from here?’
‘I don’t know. I’ll have to be fast.’ Slipping out of her clothes, she slithered into the water.
‘Be careful, there’s an undertow,’ warned Ballistar.
The cold chilled her to the bone, and all was darkness. Holding to the boulder, she released some air and dived deeper. Her hand touched the bottom and she scrabbled around, but could feel nothing but stones. Something sharp cut the palm of her hand. The sudden shock caused her to breathe out and, her lungs aching, she rose towards the surface. Her head thumped against ice.
She had missed the opening.
Holding down panic she rolled to her back, pushing her face towards the ice. There was always a tiny gap between ice and water, and she breathed in deeply. The cold was bitter now and she could not feel her fingers.
‘You stupid woman!’ she thought. ‘To come so far and die so stupidly.’
A faint glow surrounded her. ‘Why do you never call for me, child?’ asked Ironhand. ‘Dive to the bottom and collect what you came for, then follow me to the surface.’
Filling her lungs with air she rolled and dived, kicking out against the ice to propel herself down. In the glow she saw Ironhand sitting on the pool floor; beside him was a human head but she did not recognize the face. On the other side of the ghostly giant lay his bones. Swiftly she grabbed a finger-bone and rose towards the surface.
As she broke clear Ballistar took hold of her arm and dragged her on to the ice.