‘Don’t put too much hope in the Source, Reeth. Chances are you’ll be disappointed.’

‘Then I’ll be no worse off than I am now. Better. I’ve got you.’ He made to kiss her cheek. She turned and waylaid his lips.

After a moment, she said, ‘Do you really think we’ve a chance of finding the Clepsydra, and whatever the Source may be?’

‘I wouldn’t have set out if we didn’t. Though granted it’s a slim chance.’

‘Do you reckon it’s going to be guarded?’

‘We have to assume it will be. But you know all this, Serrah. Why the inquisition?’

‘I like to understand what I’m getting myself into, believe it or not.’ She paused for a second. ‘And I suppose I want convincing. No. Reassuring. I need to be reassured that what we’re doing makes some sense.’

‘I’m not certain I’m the one to do that. But I think this makes as much sense as anything we’ve done.’

‘That isn’t saying a lot, Reeth.’

‘No,’ he agreed, ‘it isn’t, is it?’

They laughed.

The packet kept moving, slowly, through lessening rain. Dawn was in full flush now, though its light was dismal. The islands they passed, dark bulks rising out of untrustworthy waters, grew larger.

Kutch hurried back, his breath white steam.

‘Learn anything?’ Caldason said.

‘I didn’t bother casting more than a couple of the spells, but they confirmed the high level of magic around here.’

‘What about the direction it’s coming from?’

‘There are no specifics on that. The atmosphere’s so saturated, it’s hard even for a clever spell to locate,’ Kutch said, frowning.

‘Isn’t it logical that the origin of all this magic is going to be at the centre of the island group?’

‘Logic doesn’t necessarily come into it. The magic could as easily be coming from the outskirts as the heart. It could be a speck of land or one of the biggest islands. It could be coming from a number of islands. The size or location doesn’t really matter; it’s the nature of the magic that’s important. Mind you, having said that…’

‘You do think it’s coming from the core?’

‘Yes.’

‘So do I.’

‘I sense it,’ Kutch said. ‘What are you basing your feeling on?’

Caldason shrugged. ‘Just a hunch.’

Serrah stared at them, pensively.

‘So we start at the centre and work our way out?’ Kutch asked.

‘Sounds like a plan,’ Caldason told him.

Cheross was passing, looking as wet and tired as the rest of them. ‘It’ll be a couple of hours before we reach the inner group,’ he said. ‘You should try to get some sleep.’

Less than two hours later, and scarcely refreshed, they gathered again at the prow. The morning light was insipid this far north, and the air was desperately cold, but at least it had stopped raining.

The packet was anchored near an island. It had sheer cliffs and granite peaks, and they could see a stretch of pebbly beach.

‘Do they have names?’ Serrah asked.

‘The islands?’ Cheross said. ‘Not that I know of.’

‘I wonder if the Founders gave them names,’ Kutch reflected.

‘Why wouldn’t they?’ Caldason asked.

‘Some scholars think they developed a culture that went beyond words and images as we understand them. Perhaps the Founders felt no need to label the world the way we do.’

Cheross shook his head. ‘A world without names? That’d be chaos.’

‘They had a different way of looking at things.’

Serrah chimed in with, ‘Clepsydra’s a name, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, but we don’t know if the Founders coined it,’ Kutch explained. ‘There are very few words in our language inherited from them, and they’re all contentious.’

‘What are you saying? That they didn’t have words for anything at all? Cheross is right; that would be chaos.’

‘Not to the Founders. Anyway, I’m not saying they didn’t have words for some things. Perhaps they named what had particular significance for them. The scant evidence they left, the fragments of their knowledge, seem to back that.’

‘What does it look like? This evidence they left.’

‘Well, it isn’t in its original form. These scraps, which is all we’re really talking about, have been copied many times over the centuries. We’ve got them on paper; we don’t know what their original form would have been. As to the language…well, language probably isn’t the right word. The Founders’ writings are a mixture of symbols, mathematical allusions and…magicky stuff.’

‘Your use of the correct technical terms must make Phoenix proud.’

They all laughed, though there was a nervy edge to it.

Kutch was red-faced. ‘I just didn’t want to bore everybody.’

‘We know,’ Serrah mouthed kindly.

‘The Founders might not have left names for these islands,’ Caldason reminded them, ‘but they could have left something else.’

‘Like booby-traps,’ Serrah offered, sobering.

Caldason nodded. ‘If the prize is as important as a lot of people think, it’ll be guarded. The question is, with what?’

‘Magic,’ Kutch stated matter-of-factly. ‘We’re talking about the Founders, remember.’

‘What form could it take?’

‘Who knows?’

‘Would it still be potent after all this time?’ Serrah wondered.

‘I can’t answer these questions,’ Kutch admitted. ‘All I can do is try to detect any magic with evil intent.’

‘With all this other background magic going on?’

‘I’ve been trained to filter it out. Besides, it’s of a different nature. The textures vary.’

‘As to the matter at hand,’ Cheross said, ‘we’ll keep a skeleton crew here and send the majority of the men with you.’

‘Thanks,’ Caldason replied, ‘but no. All we need is a rowing party to get us over there.’

‘But surely, in the face of-’

‘I don’t want to put your crew in greater danger. And unless any of them happen to be master wizards, or have a spotting talent like Kutch’s, there’s not much they can do to help us. Whatever’s out there, Serrah, Kutch and I are going to be looking for it alone.’

‘Every member of my crew would gladly volunteer to go with you.’

‘I know, and we’re grateful. If we need them, they can come later, when we’re certain everything’s clear, but we take the initial risk.’

‘And you’re sure this is the island?’ The Captain nodded at the looming rock.

‘We can’t be sure,’ Kutch replied, ‘but this is where the magic feels strongest.’

‘Let’s not get too carried away,’ Serrah cautioned. ‘The very first island we land on? And the most conspicuous? It’s unlikely to be that easy.’

‘We have to start somewhere,’ Caldason told her. ‘And I’ve got an instinct about this island too.’

She gave him a curious look, but said nothing.

‘I’ll arrange to have you taken across right away,’ Cheross announced. ‘Once you’ve disembarked, the boat will wait for a couple of hours. If you need us after that, we’ll come at your signal. But if we’ve heard nothing from you after twelve hours, this ship sails back to the Diamond Isle.’

Caldason nodded. ‘Fair enough.’

‘Then let’s get things moving.’ Cheross turned away to give out orders.

‘All right, you two?’ Caldason asked, keeping his voice low.

‘I’m fine,’ Serrah replied.

‘I’m quite excited,’ Kutch admitted.

The crew were scattering to various tasks, and the noise level went up a notch.

‘It could be an idea to take some extra weaponry along,’ Caldason suggested.

‘Against magic?’ Serrah said.

‘That might not be all we run into.’

‘I’m taking a set of throwing knives, along with a couple of my usual blades,’ she said, eyeing him. ‘If that’s not enough, nothing will be.’

‘What about you, Kutch? Can I persuade you to carry another weapon?’

‘I already do, Reeth.’ The boy slipped a hand into his fur jerkin and brought out a dagger. ‘Recognise this, Serrah? You gave it to me the day we got out of Bhealfa.’

‘I’d forgotten it. You didn’t have to use it that day, thank the gods. But be prepared to.’ She looked to Caldason. ‘What about supplies? Are we going to load ourselves down with those, too?’