The Crane Wife by Max China

Author:Max China [China, Max]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-02-13T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 25

Jericho turned to a new page in his journal. The action puffed air under the solitary fluffy white feather he’d found on the floor and kept on the table in front of him all day. It took off, rose a couple of inches, and settled again. He flexed his hand. It ached as much as the rest of his body. The unexpected departure of his beloved Birdy had made his punishing regime harder.

Fillan had mentioned ’43. It was clear he meant 1743. If that were true, the highlander was at least three hundred years old. Who, or what is he?

Jericho gave up trying to make sense of what was happening and slipped into simply recording the day’s events as they unfolded. The pen ran out of ink. After finding another one in the drawer, he walked to the window to face his reflection in the dark glass.

Fillan hadn’t given him much to help him track the wolf. Near the coast. He’d mentioned the tang of salt in the air. Clifftop. Steep winding path. Cave with multiple entry points. It came from behind. He could have just told him the location. Even if he found the lair, would it still be there? What the Highlander didn’t have was google. Other than erosion, the land features in a remote place like that wouldn’t have changed much.

He picked up the feather and carried it into the back room.

At his computer, he searched for caves on the Scottish coast. Massacre cave caught his eye. Four hundred islanders murdered in a clan feud. Interesting, but on the island of Eigg. Not what he sought.

Lossiemouth fit the bill perfectly, but the caves were under archaeological investigation. A place of human sacrifice throughout the ages. Could it be that the odour of decayed flesh and bones continued to draw wolves? Was it possible an undiscovered section remained? He read on. Grave goods. Charms and amulets. At least twenty-eight people died there. Children as young as two. What if the findings were wrong? Could a mutant variety of wolves have carried out the killings?

He continued. The Bone Caves. Remains unearthed of creatures extinct in the Highlands for thousands of years. Lynx, polar bear, arctic fox, lemmings. The disappearance of the land bridge between Scotland and northern Europe sealed the fate of those species. Whilst they thrived elsewhere, those trapped in the British Isles died out, never to return. Archaeologists also found human artefacts and evidence of wolves.

On and on, he read throughout the night. Occasionally, he paused, digesting the research before him. When was the last time his thoughts had gelled together so clearly? He learned people inhabited caves there until 1915 when the government made it illegal. He suspected that wouldn’t be enough to keep those who’d forged a way of life outside the mainstream from clinging to the only existence they knew.

Jericho drifted into looking at ley lines, the connection between them and the old ways. All these things seemed somehow related.

He pined for his wife and children.

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