Campion's Choice

The triumphant survivors ate their barbecued supper and all of them, except for Tia, sang songs.

‘It’s so babyish,’ Tia griped after Petra finished a folk song called ’Down in yon forest the twain lovers meet’.

It was a wonderfully warm end to the day, a perfect night to sleep out under the stars. All around the shadows in the wood were beginning to lengthen when Jack remembered Liam’s message.

‘We have to make a big fire. And make it smoke,’ he shouted. Petra immediately rushed around grabbing armfuls of greenery.

‘Why?’ Karin asked.

‘I don’t know. We just have to do it.’

Making a game of it the Crow ran hither and thither into the woods to hunt for smoky fuel. Tia followed Jack into the nearby bushes and pestered him with questions.

‘Now what? This is stupid. Why make a smoky fire?’

‘Be quiet!’ he hissed.

‘There’s no need to be rude.’ she huffed.

‘Snakes!’ he whispered, instinctively edging back towards the campfire. Tia crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

‘You really need to speak more clearly,’ she complained.

‘Snakes!’

The repeated word came out in a shrill and urgent whistle. Tia got the message. Slowly she lowered her eyes and saw the writhing, uncoiling, nest of adders. The reptiles squirmed and slithered. It was like watching spaghetti come to life. Tia dug in her toes and sprinted back to the campfire.

Petra and the Crow found Tia and Jack huddled close to the fire, staring bug eyed out into the forest.

‘Sssssnakes!!!’ Jack said, hardly able to speak.

Petra laughed.

‘It’s not a problem. Watch,’ she said, starting to walk in a circle around the little campsite. She trailed a stick along dusty the ground. With the circle complete she stopped and a perfect line of fire sparked from the end on the branch. Within seconds Jack and Tia were sitting inside a ring of bright blue fire.

‘You’re safe, Jack,’ Petra said, pointedly turning her back on Tia.

The other Crow began to mix wet wood and greenery into the fire. The snap and crackle of flames disappeared to be replaced by a whump of a smoke, a grey cloud that billowed high into the early night sky.

The dark column soon topped the trees and its effect was almost instantaneous. A distant cheer rang out, at first thin and weak but then turning, as smoke curled upwards, into a roaring cheer.

An echo of happy, celebrating voices spilled across the Night Wood. Whilst all the children looked up the dark blue sky filled with a magical light show.

‘That’s Mum!’ Karin cried and hugged herself with delight.

‘That’s Dad!’ Tyrel yelled, pointing to an orange ball of brightness.

Up above, like exploding Northern Lights, magical trails appeared in the sky.

’That’s my mum and my dad!’ Petra cried. She turned and hugged Jack for all she was worth.

Even an enthralled Tia gazed upwards, the joy on her face lit by an unexpectedly dazzling, display.

The spectacle came to an end and the sky grew dark. It seemed like the right time to sleep. Most of the Crow huddled down by the fire alongside Tia and Jack whilst Petra and Tyrel took the first watch, staying awake to feed the fire and watch for animal eyes that sparkled in the darkness.

Jack slept like a log. When he woke, he felt like a log: stiff, cold, wooden and left upon the ground by a fire.

He yawned. Someone was gently shaking his shoulder.

‘Wassah?’ he mumbled sleepily.

‘Get up. We have to go. There was some sort of a warning horn. It means that in five minutes our time in Night Wood is over, ’ Tia explained. She was wrapped in a large woollen picnic blanket.

’Where are the Crow kids?

‘Gone. We’re the only ones left. We have to get rid of the all clothes and stuff. We have to be naked again. Shut your eyes and I’ll leave this blanket by the fire. I’ll whistle when I’m in the woods. Then you have to burn everything and run.’

‘Run?’

‘Yes. We’re safe by the fire but now the Crow have left there’s no one to protect us on the way out of Night Wood.’

‘Oh.’

‘Shut your eyes,’ she ordered. Jack instantly obeyed.

His mind raced. Why had he let himself relax and think their troubles were over? They still needed to escape from the menaces of Night Wood.

A whistle came and he opened his eyes. He was alone. He threw down his blanket, pulled off his stolen clothes and dropped the whole bundle onto the fire. Flames leapt high into the early morning sky. Then he ran.

He ran without stopping, like a madman, crashing along the dusty path back to the wooden bridge. His feet jarred on stones, bracken whipped his legs, branches grabbed and scratched his arms. Fear drove him on. At any turn, on the way, he could run into the bear. At any moment the wolf might launch itself from the thorn bushes. At any time something cold could slither from the grass and fix it’s poisonous teeth into his heel.

He ran until his chest felt like it would tear open.

Finally, after what seemed like an age but had to be seconds, the bridge appeared ahead leading back to the boathouse. Jack sprinted the last fifty yards. He clattered onto the planks, bounding towards the safety of the log cabin.

‘Yessss!’ he shouted as his feet touched dry land.

Once inside the wooden shelter he found his cubicle and collapsed in relief upon the seat. His lungs heaved for breath. Above he saw the ban liang hanging from its silver chain. When he reached up and touched the shiny coin a surge of energy poured through his body. It washed away the aches and pains, it closed the cuts and it healed the bruises.

He breathed a deep sigh of happiness.

‘No more bears, no more wolves, no more snakes!’ he muttered. Elated he grinned. He stood up, stretched and happily dragged on his old clothes.

Today was the day he would walk free from Hanston.

Tia, Petra, Tyrel, Karin and the rest of the Crow kids were all dressed again and waiting for him in an area of cut grass outside the boathouse. There was one adult by the river, Ursula, looking concerned, shaking her head and dressed in what appeared to be a toga. She spoke first.

‘This whole thing is amazing. I was just telling the others, Jack, that you’ve made history. Congratulations,’ she smiled but he could tell she was worried. He wondered whether or not the Nomas had found out about Liam and thrown him in a dungeon or hung him up to rot in that church?

Something felt wrong when Ursula knelt close to him and whispered, ’You must tell me the truth, Jack.’

Ursula’s words nagged at him on the way to the Old Manor as they walked alongside a cornfield. Tell me the truth. The truth about what? Tia came to his side and squeezed his hand.

‘We should take more walks in the fields together,’ she whispered. That made him laugh.

‘What about walks under rivers?’ he teased. He felt great. It was another perfect summer’s day. It was a nice day to stroll in the countryside, knowing that you’re heading home. Why should he bother telling Ursula anything now?

As they approached the walled garden of the Old Manor, a hubbub of voices began to grow. At the wooden door, set into the red brick wall, Ursula stepped back to let the children enter. Tia grabbed Jack.

‘Let the others go first,’ she hissed.

Together they waited as the seven Crow children disappeared through the doorway to be greeted with a huge cheer.

‘Now,’ Tia said. She pulled him and, hand in hand, they entered the garden.

The roar got louder. The garden was full of Hanston Crows, old and young. Jack recognised people from the night in Crow Hall. On that terrible night, when these families expected their children to die, their faces were long and sad. Today smiles were shining and faces were alive with laughter.

But there weren’t just smiling Crow faces. There was a beaming Mister Faisal and he was a Gamelin. Jack almost missed him because he was dressed up in a Roman centurion’s outfit. In fact, now he thought about it, it looked like another huge fancy dress party. There were the Crows in their Caribbean outfits. There were lots of Roman costumes. Jack guessed, because of Mister Faisal, that they all must be Gamelin. And then there were a few Angels: tall, white clad, winged people with shining gold faces. They had to be Huras. Everyone seemed to be smiling and cheering as the children waded through the crowd.

‘Jack! I don’t believe it. Well done,’ Mrs Evans said. She whisked him off his feet and planted kisses firmly on both cheeks. She was wearing an extravagant, fruit covered head wrap and, as she laughed and hugged him, a pineapple broke free and fell to the ground.

‘It was nothing, Mrs Evans,’ Jack said, his voiced muffled by the woman’s long brown hair. He picked up the fruit and handed it to her.

‘Call me Monique,’ she said and rushed over to sweep Petra up into her arms again.

Jack tottered away. He struggled to keep his feet as people grabbed him, squeezed him, slapped his back and crushed his shoulders with grateful hugs. One thing kept him balanced. He focussed through the crowd on the figure of Anax, up ahead. He was the only person not wearing a costume and he was surrounded by angels. None of the angels were cheering. Anax and his guards were raised, above the crowd, waiting on the porch at the back of Old Manor. The man’s face showed no emotion.

Close by Jack heard the faint rustling of wings. A small group of angels knelt by the wall. He recognised them. It was George and Niamh and the other seniors, the ones who taunted and insulted him on Castle Hill. When this group of Huras looked up Jack stifled a gasp. Their heads were all clean-shaven. Skinhead angels? Smiling and grinning, as if following a secret signal, they fell forward onto the floor and began to squirm on their bellies across the earth towards Jack. The girls and boys touched his feet and congratulated him on his success. That done most of the angels rose from the ground with a flick of their wings and hovered aside leaving George and Niamh face down upon the ground. Niamh held up the blue bracelet. As Jack bent to take the piece she whispered.

‘We all cut off our hair and this is Michael’s Kharis. You won this time, Chem, but that is all. You and all your kind are a plague on this planet.’

George looked up from the ground and whispered a message.

‘If we stay we will remove all Chems from the face of the Earth. We will take the coins.’

Jack snatched the bracelet and stepped back angrily.

‘Jack?’

Nearby Ursula was waving. She beckoned him over to a bench where she sat beneath a fan trained pear tree. As Niamh, George and the other Seniors fluttered away across the Old Manor garden Jack was astonished to see that their hair had already begun to grow back again. He hurried to join the old woman.

‘Did you hear what that bunch of thugs just said to me?’ he began furiously but the woman held up a hand. Her toga fell from her shoulder and a dozen silver bangles clattered at her wrist. She spoke quietly, clearly not wanting to be overheard.

‘Forget them. We only have a few moments. You must tell me the truth about what happened. Crow have never survived the test before. Only Huras can endure Night Wood. If things have changed we need to know.’

‘Why?’ he squirmed. The questions made him feel uncomfortable.

‘Because other Crow will take the test. They will think they can live in Night Wood. Can they? Or will Crow die in the forest without your help? Did you use the coins?’

‘Petra and the children saved me. They saved Tia. They were really brave.’ Jack answered.

‘If you lie to me now, others will die. Look at Petra’s brother over there, Michael. I heard him saying that he can’t wait for next year. He can’t wait to be tested in Night Wood. Will bravery save him? Or will he need a friend with a coin?’

Jack had no answer. He held out the blue coloured bangle.

‘Give this to him,’ he said.

What should he do? Tell Ursula the truth? Was she right about the dangers?

Before he could come to any decision a strange sound came from the porch at the back of the Old Manor. One of Anax’s bodyguards held up a large bronze disc and was beating it like a gong. The clanging quietened the crowd.

‘It is time.’

Anax’s voice rang out in the warm morning air. To avoid answering her questions Jack walked away from Ursula and tried to hide in the crowd.

‘We will proceed to the ring ceremony,’ Anax said loudly.

Petra and the Crow kids shyly detached themselves from their parents and began to file up the short flight of steps to stand before Anax. On the first step Tyrel hesitated. He turned suddenly and ran through the crowd to grab Tia and Jack.

‘You have to come. You must have rings,’ he shouted. The families all took up that idea.

‘Two more rings! Two more rings!’

Jack and Tia objected but Tyrel pulled them forward. The clang sounded again. Anax leant over the balustrade.

’This is our test. It is not for outsiders. That is the tradition.’

At first the crowd stayed silent until someone shouted, ‘But you said they had to do it! You said, once they signed the stone, they had to take the test.’

‘That is true. Anyone who makes their mark must go to Night Wood,’ Anax agreed reluctantly.

‘So, anyone who passes the test gets a ring then. That’s tradition,’ Monique Evans said loudly. The rest of the crowd cheered.

The angel guard beat their wings and glided closer to form a protective shield around Anax but he waved them aside. He held up a hand for silence.

’Let all the victorious Night Wood children come forward.’

A murmur of approval ran through the crowd. Pulled on by Tyrel, Tia and Jack mounted the steps.

Up close Jack saw that the bronze disc, banged like a gong by the angel, was an old Roman shield. The angel turned the shield flat and Anax carefully placed nine gold rings on the shiny surface. Each thin ring had three empty settings.

With great ceremony Anax gave bands of gold to the Crow children. One by one, they received their reward and listened to their families cheer. In the distance, in the shadows by the wall, Ursula shook her head sadly. Jack looked away. He wasn’t going to listen to her. But close by he saw Michael Evans beaming happily. He will take the Night Wood test, Jack thought. And if he does take it, without help, he will die.

‘Come forward,’ Anax said interrupting Jack’s thoughts. Tia shoved him in the back and he turned to see her grinning face.

‘I don’t want your ring,’ Jack snapped. He stepped away from the shield.

‘Why not?’ Anax demanded to know.

‘Because it’s stupid. The whole test is stupid. And the rest of you, you Crow kids, you want my advice, don’t go to Night Wood.’

A hush fell over the crowd.

‘Take the ring! You won it fair and square,’ a voice shouted. It was Michael Evans.

‘No. I cheated. Tia and I left the island. We stole clothes. We saved the others. If you think we’re some kind of heroes that’s a lie.’

His throat was tight. He had struggled to finish the confession. He could see shock on Tia’s face turning to anger. He expected Anax to explode. Instead the man laughed.

‘Congratulations. A real triumph. In the old days, in our Spartan days, the Nomas were great liars.’ Anax held out the two remaining rings.

Tia’s voice hissed in Jack’s ear.

‘You’re just jealous. Just because it was my idea that saved the kids. Why do you spoil everything?’

She stepped forward and snatched one of the rings but Jack stood firm.

A murmur of concern fluttered through the watching crowd but Jack remained unmoved. Finally Anax waved away the shield and the bodyguard of angels.

‘The ceremony is over.’

Turning to Tia and Jack he added, ‘I would like to speak to you both later, in the Saloon.’

Jack shook his head.

‘No. I don’t want to talk to you. I am going back to the Evans’ house to collect my things and then I will be leaving Hanston. I am going home! ’

The smile faded from Anax’s face to be replaced by a steely-eyed, grim determination. Jack’s heart shrank. Maybe Liam got things wrong. Maybe the Nomas weren’t frightened. Maybe it hadn’t all been a bluff. Maybe Anax would hang him up, in the church, and turn him into a bag of dangling bones.

‘Go then. Go home.’ Anax headed for the house.

Jack nearly collapsed with relief.

Finally he was free.