Nightrise

Finn turned to Scar, once again waiting for her.
    "Scott," she said. "Is that what you call your brother?"
    ''Yes."
    ''You are twins."
    ''Yes." Jamie was growing impatient. With every second that passed, he was becoming more confused.
    "Scott is here," Scar said. "But that is not our name for him. We call him Flint. Sapling and Flint. When I first saw you just now, I thought for a moment that you were him. I never was able to tell the two of you apart."
    "Where is he?" For the first time in ages, Jamie felt a spurt of hope.
    "Not too far. We will camp tonight in the City of Canals…"

    "What city?"
    "It has no other name — and if it did, it would have been lost long ago." Scar glanced up at the sky. It hadn't been very bright to begin with but it was already getting darker. "We should listen to Finn — if we stay here talking, we're all going to end up with our innards on a stick. I suggest we move."
    Jamie reached out and took the bridle of his horse.
    "I'll help you." One of the men — Corian — came up to him, cupped his hands, and, while his brother held the horse steady, hoisted Jamie up. Jamie had never sat on a horse in his life. The nearest he had been to one was at a Clark County fair when he and Scott had been on the road. But it was exactly the same as what had happened with the sword. The moment he straightened up on the horse's back, he felt in control. He wasn't nervous. Even without knowing what to do, he thought he would probably be able to control the horse and make it move in the right direction.
    But if he was pleased with himself, he was knocked back down to size a moment later. Scar sprang onto her own horse with a single movement and with a look on her face that reminded him that she didn't need two men to help her up. Finn, Erin, and Corian all mounted equally easily.
    "To the city," Scar said.
    The four of them set off with Jamie in the middle, just behind Scar. He had no idea where he was. He had no idea where he was going. But he was comforted by the fact that at least he was no longer alone.
    FIFTEEN
    In the Ruined City
    Scar had said they would ride for ten leagues, but as Jamie had no idea exactly how far a league was, the journey seemed to drag on forever.
    Almost from the moment they set out, Jamie had realized that riding a horse — like everything else —
    had somehow been programmed into his mind. He had no difficulty getting the animal to do what he wanted: stopping, starting, turning left or right, falling back or keeping up with the others. He didn't feel even slightly nervous. He had found his balance and knew he wasn't going to fall off. It really was as if he'd been riding all his life.
    Even so, he couldn't wait to arrive. He was still covered with the blood of the creature that had attacked him. He could feel it in his hair and taste it on his lips. How long had it been since he had eaten? He would have given anything for a rest, a meal, and a hot shower, but it was becoming ever more apparent that he wasn't going to be offered any of them.

    And then there was the landscape. How could he measure his progress when everything looked the same and it was all so bleak and miserable? There was nothing for him to aim for. They were following the track but it was barely visible, beaten down by footprints — animal and human — until it had almost disappeared into the churned-up mud and grass. They were moving steadily toward the hills that Jamie had noticed when they first set off, but they never seemed to get any closer. A few clumps of ancient-looking trees broke up the countryside and now and then they came upon great chunks of granite, boulders that could have fallen there from outer space. But otherwise there were no features at all.
    Jamie had no idea what time it was. His watch had been taken from him when he went into Silent Creek and it was unlikely that he would ever see it again. He looked up. The sky was getting darker but it would be difficult to tell when day became night; especially since there had been no sign of the sun to begin with. He was still cold. The older of the two brothers — Corian — had seen him shivering and had given him a jacket to wear. It was the same as theirs, reaching down to his knees. There were no pockets and no buttons. Jamie nodded his thanks and pulled the heavy fabric around him. He couldn't say it made a great difference.
    They had been riding for about two hours, and apart from some of the trees bowing in the wind, Jamie had