The Witch Woman's Prophecy

55 | Merthgem Revisited |

We arrived at Merthgem after a difficult journey. Travelling over wet sand and muddy roads was hard work. The ponies had plodded along with their heads down to avoid the rain that lashed us.

Uncomfortable as it was, the rain wrought unbelievable changes on the desert. Flowers of all colours bloomed, seemingly overnight. I would not have believed it possible if I had not seen them for myself. Once we had reached the low hills that flanked the desert I had been amazed to see them fresh green with grass instead of endless rusty-redness. Despite the rain, my mood rose as we travelled. The drought was over. Food would become more plentiful.

It had been days since I had been near to a relic, and even longer since I had eaten any pellets. My mind was clear and I thought back over what had happened since I had left Polemmy.

In particular, I thought about Basata. Why had bringing back the rain been so important to her? I hadn't dreamed of her since the Remedy had come to life under my hand. Was she happy with what I had done? How had she known about the Remedy, built in the Before Time and left for me to discover and build? For the first time I wondered if she was of the Before Time herself. But that was ridiculous, how could anyone from the Before Time possibly be alive now? So who was she?

We waited for a while by the gates of Merthgem watching the folk going in and out. It seemed peaceful, normal. People were wrapped up against the wind and rain and they hurried about their business, obviously anxious to get back under shelter. Soni and I slipped in behind a bunch of travellers who had come to Merthgem from the other direction. I listened to their talk as we walked through the gates. Their accent was strange but they were talking about the rain and how much had fallen where they lived. They were pleased about the likelihood of a good harvest.

Once we were safely inside Merthgem, we paid a man to look after the ponies and set off through the market to find Tasmi. I was sad to leave the stalwart little beasts that had carried us without complaint for so long.

The stalls were still covered with the awnings that had previously shaded the goods below, but now they sagged under the weight of the rain. The faces of the stall holders also sagged as they watched their customers hurry by instead of lingering to buy goods.

I thought of all the crops of grains, fruits and vegetables that the parched land had been unable to grow; in a short while those unhappy faces would rise up in smiles when throngs of people queued to buy their goods. Would people queue to thank me for the change I had brought about? I tried not to smile too broadly at the thought.

We made our way through the wet streets to Tasmi's house. It looked even worse than it had before. The shutters were hanging at strange angles and water streamed down from the roof in front of the doorway. The house was unused to rain.

'Tasmi!' I called after knocking hard. 'It's me, Thamet! I've come back.'

There was no answer. I tried again, slapping the door with the palm of my hand until it stung. Then I noticed the knot that held the door closed. It was tied in place which meant that Tasmi had to be out in Merthgem somewhere.

Soni and I huddled together where the downpour from the broken roof was least torrential. The cold and the rain had seeped through our coats and we were both shivering with little body heat left to share with each other.

Soni had barely spoken during the journey to Merthgem and I was worried by her silence; worried that if she withdrew into herself any further she might never find her way out. She was thinner than when I had met her and her eyes were always downcast and no longer twinkled at me from within the confines of her headscarf.

I did not know what to say to Soni about Naamiya. Naamiya had tried to do me harm and I should have hated her, but if I had never gone to Polemmy, she would never have met me and would still be alive. It was easier to keep silent than to risk saying something that would make Soni feel even worse.