LITMIR.BIZ

      I didn’t get a chance to talk to Mom until we were back on the road the next day. I slid Acorn up next to her and asked, ‘What was that thing you pulled out of the wolf last night? It looked like it really spooked you.’

      ‘Yes, I was certainly freaked up.’

      ‘Out.’

      ‘Damn, I thought I had that one right,’ she said with a smile. ‘No matter. The necklace I pulled out of the wolf was an athrú.’

      ‘An athrú?’

      ‘Do you remember the Pooka that died when you were first in the Fililands?’

      ‘How could I forget.’

      ‘Do you remember the piece of gold I placed in his mouth before he died?’

      ‘I do, it scared the hell out of me. You put the disc in his mouth, then he changed into a wolf, howled, died and changed back.’

      ‘Well, the disc I put in his mouth was his athrú – a Pooka amulet. The Pooka wear them around their necks, it helps them change. The wire it hangs from expands and contracts so it doesn’t fall off during the metamorphosis.’

      ‘Like Banshee blade wire?’

      ‘Exactly,’ Mom said. ‘The wolf that Spideog killed had an athrú in its stomach.’

      ‘That wolf was a Pooka?’

      ‘No, if it had been a Pooka it would have changed into a man when it died.’

      ‘So where did the wolf get the amulet?’

      ‘I can only conclude that that animal ate a Pooka but that just does not make sense.’

      ‘Why not?’

      ‘The Pookas are very secretive with their lore but I know a small bit.’

      ‘You once told me that one of your tutors in the Hazellands was a Pooka.’

      ‘Well remembered, son; yes, she was. She told me some things she probably should not have. One thing she taught me was that each athrú has a marking for each creature. The athrú I found in the wolf was marked Gearr. It was worn by a Pooka that could change into a hare.’

      ‘So a crazy wolf accidentally wolfs down a Pooka hare. That sounds plausible to me.’

      ‘But it is not,’ Mom said, looking perturbed. ‘Pookas have an almost telepathic control over animals, and the Pookas that change into small creatures always change back when threatened.’

      ‘So what’s the answer?’

      ‘I do not know, my son. I do know that no Pooka has come to Castle Duir since your father took the throne and you said you were attacked by boar in the summer.’

      ‘So you think there is something wrong in Pookaville?’

      Mom gave me her quizzical look, ‘How do you come up with these words?’

      The Land’s fall colour spectacular continued throughout the day. Brendan, it turned out, was quite the equestrian. It made me regret letting him ride Cloud. Don’t get me wrong, Acorn is a great horse and the best mount a man can have when the chips are down, but Cloud is a much easier ride, like having power steering in a car.

      Our second night’s camp was uneventful. I kept an eye on Brendan at dinner and followed him when he left early. As he approached my tent I said, ‘That would be my tent.’

      ‘Oh,’ he said, ‘I thought it was for guests.’

      ‘Yeah, right. It’s mine and if you steal it again, I’m going to tell my mother.’

      ‘Oh,’ Brendan said, ‘I guess I’ll find somewhere else.’

      Sometimes it’s handy having a warrior queen for a mother.

      Acorn got jittery when we crossed the border into the Hazellands but it wasn’t as bad as the last time. Mom rode up next to me and spoke into my horse’s ear and settled him down. I think another reason why Acorn calmed down was because the Hazellands were starting to look a lot better. The first time I was here it seemed as if the life had been sucked out of it – now it felt as if the place was on the mend. Like fresh new skin growing on a bad wound. Fallen trees had been cut for wood and charred branches had been cleared away. As we climbed a small hill I remembered where we were. The top of the rise was the spot where Araf had first laid eyes on the destruction of the Field – the Imp garden

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