Chapter 53: Coalim and Clément
‘Do you mind giving him a hand?’ Vivianne asked.
Coalim was sitting on the side of the mountain and he hadn’t seen or heard Vivianne climb up to where he was. Twent meters below, King Clément eas scratching his hands against the rock. He always followed Vivianne. His arms contrasted with the dark blue rock, and his daper fingers were tense and shaking with the effort.
‘I’m going ahead,’ said Vivianne. ‘Let Clément rest a moment with you.’
Coalim obeyed, getting down the cliff to help the king up to where they could sit side by side. He took Clément by the arm.
‘She wants to find a way to get inside the mountain,’ said the king as soon as he sat down. ‘She thinks there is something in there, and she’s right, you know? There are ghosts. You can hear them through the tunnels that lead down to the dungeons. If there’s anything in there, we should leave it alone. There must have been a reason for my ancestors to lock those gates, don’t you think?’
Coalim wasn’t used to giving his opinion, so he stayed quiet.
‘You don’t like talking, do you?’ asked Clément. ‘That’s all right, we can sis in silence.’
He squeezed Coalim’s hand, which, Coalim hadn’t even noticed, was still holding the king’s. Their arms were locked and Clément’s blue veins pulsed against Coalim’s palm of the hand.