The Hollow Lands

5. On the Hunt

From somewhere beyond a line of low, green hills there came the moan of a hunting harp.

The Duke's chicken was above and ahead of them, but they heard his thin voice crying:

"To the West! To the West!"

They saw him wave his spear in that direction, saw him desperately trying to turn his bird, which had begun to take on more than the suggestion of a list; so much that the Duke had great difficulty maintaining his seat.

A word from Jherek and the landau leapt forward, causing Bishop Castle to whistle with glee and hang hard onto his hat. The pleasure of the ladies was also keen; they leant far over the sides, threatening to fall, as they sought the elusive alien.

"Be careful, my dears!" called Bishop Castle above the wail of the wind. "Remember that these aliens can sometimes be dangerous. They have all sorts of weapons , you know!" He raised a cautioning hand. "You could miss the fun, if killed or maimed, for there would not be time to resurrect you until the Hunt was finished."

"We shall be careful, Bishop — oh, we shall be!" My Lady Charlotina chuckled as she almost lost her grip on the landau's rail.

"Besides, Jherek has a gun to protect us, haven't you, produce of my lust?" The Iron Orchid pointed at a rather large object on the floor of the landau. "We were playing with it a day or two ago."

"A deceptor-gun is not exactly a weapon," said Bishop Castle, picking it up and squinting down its wide, bell-shaped funnel. "All it can produce is illusions."

"But they are very real , Bishop."

The Bishop had taken an interest in the antique. "One of the oldest examples I have seen. Notice that it even has its own independent power source — here, at the side."

The others, having absolutely no interest in the Bishop's hobby, pretended that they had not heard him.

"Gone away!" came the Duke's distant drone. "Gone away!"

"What can he mean?" said an astonished Lady Charlotina. "Jherek, do you know?"

"I believe he means we have become too greatly separated," Jherek offered. "I have been deliberately keeping back, to give him the pleasure of the first sighting. It is his game, after all."

"And quite a good one, really," said My Lady Charlotina.

They passed the hills, drawing closer to the Duke of Queens.

"His ornithopter seems, as it were, on its last wings," said Bishop Castle. "Should we offer him a lift?"

"I don't think he would thank us," said Jherek. "We must wait until he crashes."

They were flying over a landscape Jherek could not remember having seen before. It looked edible and was therefore probably something Argonheart Po had made. There were whole villages, after the Gentraxian fashion, set among wobbling clumps of golden trees.

"Mmm." The Iron Orchid smacked her lips. "I feel quite hungry again. Could we not taste…?"

"No time," Jherek told her. "I think I heard the harp again."

The sky suddenly darkened and they sped through absolute blackness for a moment. Below them, they could detect the sound of a savage sea.

"We must be quite close to Werther's tower," My Lady Charlotina suggested, rearranging one of her several breasts, which had come loose.

And sure enough when the sky lightened to reveal boiling black clouds, there was Werther's mile-high monument to his moody ego.

"Those are the rocks," said My Lady Charlotina, pointing at the base of the tower, "where we found his body — dashed to fragments. Lord Jagged resurrected him. It took ages to gather all the pieces."

Jherek remembered Sweet Orb Mace. If she had really fallen off the precipice, they should not leave her too long before restoring her.

The sun was shining again; the downs were green. "There's the Earl of Carbolic's 'Tokyo, 1901,' " cried the Iron Orchid. "What beautiful colours."

"All reproductions of the original sea-shells," Bishop Castle murmured knowingly.

The landau, dutifully following the Duke of Queens, veered suddenly and began to head towards the ground.

"He's down!" shouted Bishop Castle. "Near that forest over there."

"Is he hurt, Bishop?" The Iron Orchid was on the far side of the car.

"No. I can see him moving. He does not seem to be in a very good temper. He's hitting the ornithopter."

"Poor thing." My Lady Charlotina gasped as the landau bumped suddenly to earth.

Jherek left the carriage and began to walk towards the Duke of Queens. The Duke's hat was askew and one of his leggings was torn, but he was now, in all other respects, his normal self. He cast the spear aside, pushed back his hat, placed his hands on his hips and grinned at Jherek. "Well, it was a good chase, eh?"

"Very stimulating. Your ornithopter is useless?"

"Utterly."

The Duke of Queens felt it a point of pride to fly, for the most part, only authentic reproductions of ancient machines. He had often been counselled against the idea, but remained adamant — and much bruised.

"Can we take you back to your castle?" My Lady Charlotina asked.

"I'm not giving up. I'll continue the Hunt on foot. He'll be in those woods somewhere." The Duke inclined his head in the direction of the nearby elms, cedars and mahoganies. "My beaters will bring him towards us, if we're lucky. Will you come with me?"

Jherek shrugged. "Willingly."

They all began to march towards the woods and had gone a fair way before Bishop Castle lifted the deceptor-gun he still held in his hand. "I'm sorry, I still have your antique. Shall I take it back, Jherek?"

"Bring it with you," said Jherek. "It might be useful in snaring the alien if we see him."

"Good thinking," said the Duke of Queens approvingly.

The wood was silent but for the faintest rustle of the leaves and the soft sounds of their footfalls on green, glowing moss. The trees smelled rich and sweet.

"Oh, isn't it eerie ?" said My Lady Charlotina in breathless delight. "A genuine old-fashioned Magic Wood. I wonder who made it."

Jherek noticed that the quality of the light had changed subtly, so that it was now a late summer evening; also the wood seemed to extend much further than he had at first supposed.

"It must be Lord Jagged's." Bishop Castle removed his hat and stood leaning against it for a moment. "Only he can capture this particular quality."

"It does have Jagged's touch," agreed the Iron Orchid, and she passed her arm through her son's.

"Then we must watch for mythical beasts," said the Duke of Queens. "Kangaroos and the like, if I know Jagged."

The Iron Orchid squeezed Jherek's arm. "I think it's getting darker," she whispered.