“You realise that we’re a good fifteen miles away?” Belis said.
“You realise that she’s an incredibly powerful witch? Wave!”
She sighed as if I was being ridiculous but put her arm up and waved to the east. I thought I detected the ghost of a smile on her lips and I felt a bubble of happiness in my chest.
We landed on the far side of the river and began disembarking. The light was almost gone but we climbed back into the saddles and put another mile between us and the river, riding into the Forest of Dean.
Belis still wasn’t talking to me much, but I thought she wasa little less angry with me than she had been. I let her be quiet, unsure of the right words to say, but I could hear Vatta’s voice in my head telling me to try harder. I decided I had waited long enough and shuffled a little closer to her.
“I wanted to say,” I began, trying not to sound too rehearsed, “that I have been very upset since we first met. Living as a human has been difficult for me to accept. It’s horrible, I really don’t know how you all do it.”
Belis blinked then narrowed her eyes at me. I dragged myself back on track.
“What I meant to say was, I’ve not been acting as a goddess should. I’ve been rude and unpleasant company and I’m sorry for that.”
“Is this a joke?” Belis sounded suspicious.
I shook my head, struggling to find the words.
“I’m serious. And to be clear, this is not about you being the daughter of a king. I still dramatically outrank you. I should have been politer to you because you’re a person.” I remembered what Vatta had said. “A person with a lot of feelings.”
Belis’s mouth quirked and I wondered if I had misspoken.
“Thank you, Mallt. I should have been kinder to you, too. I know that we’re in this because of me and it must be hard being in a new body. You’re entitled to complain a bit.”
“I really don’t think I complained that much,” I said before I could stop myself. “What I mean is, thank you.”
She leaned over, easy in the saddle, to knock her shoulder against mine. I felt absurdly pleased with myself at the gesture.
Belis reined in her horse and dismounted. She leaned her spear against the tree and dropped her pack.
“I think we can risk a fire,” she said. “Mallt, will you gather some dead wood? I will see if I can find something to eat.”
I nodded. By the time I had collected enough dry wood and built the base of the fire she had returned bearing wild garlic, tubers and several kinds of non-poisonous mushrooms. For a final prize she revealed a handful of late wild strawberries.
We ate the berries first, carefully dividing them between us,trying to eat slowly and savour the sweetness, then we dug into the fungi.
We sat in silence, munching on the mushrooms while I roasted the tubers on the fire. The rain was still pattering on the thatched leaves and the light had faded. For once the lack of conversation did not feel heavy, but comfortable. We were being quiet together, not at each other. Belis had tucked her knees up to her chin and was staring into the fire. Her face took on the look of melancholy that had become so familiar to me. I remembered her smiling on the boat and wanted to see that again. I wished I could cheer her up, or at least lessen some of the burden she carried. Before I could think of anything, she spoke.
“I’ve been thinking,” she said, “that I should try and give you a little instruction in fighting. If we run into the Romans again you ought to be able to defend yourself. You weren’t much help against the wight.”
My face must have fallen because she gave me another half-smile.
“I’m not saying you’ll become a master fighter overnight. I can just teach you a little of the basics. Right now, you don’t have a spear or sword of your own, or even a knife. You need to start with what you have, so that you’ll never rely on weapons.”
She stood up and adopted a fighting stance, legs wide and slightly bent.
“You know I’m a goddess. I’ve fought fiercer opponents than you before.”
She didn’t move so I sighed and stood up. From her slouching position Belis’s eyes were the same level as mine.
“Fine. What’s my first lesson?”
“You need to learn how to fall down,” she said.
I frowned at her, confused. If there was one thing I had absolutely proven I could do in this frail human body it was fall over. She beckoned me closer.
“Try and push me over. Use all your strength.”
