Текст книги "Quest for the Faradawn"

Автор книги: Richard Ford

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Текущая страница: 17 (всего у книги 23 страниц)

By the time the tale was finished the sound of the waves was echoing loudly in the cave for the tide had come a long way in. They had all told a part of the story, even Beth, who had talked about her life as an Urkku and of the times she had met Nab and of her flight with him away from her home to Silver Wood. There was silence when the tale was over and all that could be heard was the lapping of the sea against the sides of the cave. The elves, still lost in the wonder of the story, remained sitting motionless and quiet, staring in fascination at the travellers until finally Saurélon spoke.

‘The sea will soon be upon us. Come; you must be tired. Faraid will lead you to your cave and we shall meet again tomorrow. May you sleep the sleep of the dolphin.’

He got up slowly from his seat and made his way up some step-like grooves in the wall of the cave until he reached the wide ledge. He moved along this until he came to a spot where there was a groove for a seat and there he sat down. Faraid followed him up the steps and then beckoned to the visitors to follow him. When they reached the ledge there was a small opening in the rock and they saw the elf disappearing down it along a narrow passage. The roof was so low that only Warrigal and Perryfoot were able to walk upright and the others had to crawl along on their stomachs with only the silver glow shining from Faraid to show them where they were going. Perryfoot was last down the tunnel and before he went he looked back at the cave. All the elves were now sitting along the ledge looking down at the sea beneath them which was washing over the area where, a little while before, they had been sitting eating and telling their tale. The sound and smell of the sea filled everywhere. He turned away and instantly the roaring sound became muffled as he followed the others. The tunnel was only short and soon he emerged on to the floor of another cave, far smaller than the one they had left and much less deep, for although they were now standing against the back wall they could see out of the mouth of the cave quite clearly to the dark night sky outside and the waves crashing down on the pebbles just outside the entrance.

‘The sea never reaches this far,’ said Faraid.

‘When you awake tomorrow you will find that the rhythm of the waves has become as much a part of you as the sound of your own breath. I bid you a peaceful sleep.’ He smiled at them and was gone and the travellers were once more on their own, for the first time since the marshes. Now that they could relax they felt utterly exhausted and no sooner had they lain down than they sank into a deep and tranquil sleep with the sound of the waves outside on the shore soothing away their worries and the black curtain of the night sky, with a few twinkling stars shining brightly out of the darkness, forming a veil over the cave mouth.

CHAPTER XVIII

When they woke up next morning and looked out of the cave mouth, they saw that the clear blue sky of the previous day had gone. Instead the clouds loomed grey and forbidding over the sea and the air was full of a fine misty drizzle. The tide was out and they went for a walk on the small beach. They ambled slowly along the line of seaweed which had been left by last night’s tide and found pieces of driftwood, stripped of their bark and bleached silvery white by the sea, which Beth picked up to take back to their cave. They also gathered up some of the pebbles and shells from the beach which were of a similar type to those they had seen but had to leave behind on the shore of the headland.

Warrigal ventured out over the water using his new found skills, and Sam, Perryfoot and Brock raced one another along the shore before they very gingerly joined Nab and Beth on the rocks where they were sitting looking out over the grey sea. It was as Faraid had said; no longer did they actually hear the waves crashing on the shore, instead the sound was a part of them which they would have missed had it suddenly stopped. They sat for a long time watching the sea come in and fill up the spaces between the rocks on which they were sitting, bringing new life to the seaweed which hung down flat and dull until it began to float again and colour came back to it. Then when the drizzle became too heavy for them and they started to get very wet they called to Warrigal and ran back to their cave. The elves had left them some food and drink and sitting just inside the cave mouth with the rain dripping down outside, they slowly and thoughtfully ate the warmed up seaweed and drank the hot contents of the shell goblets. It was the same as they had had last night but it tasted different hot and any feeling of cold or dampness seemed to vanish as the warmth of the drink spread through their bodies.

The sea air and the sound of the rain had made them feel dozy again and very soon they were all curled up against the back wall sleeping soundly, whilst outside, the sea pounded against the rocks sending great fountains of spray showering up into the air. When Nab woke up he saw Beth standing in the entrance looking out and he quietly got up and walked over to her. The others were still fast asleep. As he moved across the floor of the cave he saw that the pebbles and the driftwood they had gathered had been placed carefully all around the walls on little crevices and ledges. She looked round with a start as she heard his footfall behind her and then she smiled when she realized who it was. Nab saw with dismay that her eyes were red and tears were trickling down her cheeks.

‘What is it?’ he said gently, and without saying anything she flung her arms around him and buried her head against his shoulder, sobbing. He tried to comfort her, stroking her hair and holding her closely to him. Eventually her sobs died away and she looked up at him through eyes that glistened with tears, and spoke.

‘I was thinking of what will happen to us. What will happen in the future. I’m afraid. I don’t know, somehow the feeling of happiness and security here with the elves on Elgol makes everything else seem like a nightmare. I want to stay, Nab. I don’t want to go. And I want a home for us; will we ever have a home? Where will all this travelling end?’

‘I don’t know,’ he said, ‘but I know what you mean. I was happy in Silver Wood; that was my home. I think about it all the time. It’s easier for me though, I know. I was prepared through nearly all my life for this, and in my case my home is no longer there. But for you! To leave everything for this.’ He stopped speaking for he felt responsible for her pain; it was he who had taken her away. There was no doubt in his mind as to what he had had to do and the story told by the Lord Wychnor had been simply the final piece in the puzzle. But she had been brought up amongst the Urkku; how could she be expected to believe the truth of what they were doing?

Beth sensed what he was thinking and it was not the reason for her tears. ‘Nab,’ she said, but he would not raise his eyes. ‘Nab, look at me. It’s not that. I know it’s true as much as you do. I feel it in my heart. And I would go anywhere with you. It’s just like I said. I want us to have a home together, some time in the future and I’m afraid of how things will turn out. We don’t know the end; we don’t know what is supposed to happen. That’s what is difficult.’

They held each other close for a long time, silhouetted against the grey sky. Then, as if Ashgaroth had seen their fears and was giving them strength, the grey clouds started to break up and, through the gaps, patches of blue began to appear and shafts of golden evening sun shone through. Suddenly a beam of sunlight caught them in the cave entrance and they were bathed in gold: looking up they saw that the mist had cleared and the sea was sparkling in the sunlight. All their doubts and fears seemed ridiculous now; how could they ever have been uncertain? They looked at each other and laughed with joy and then they ran out and dashed across the beach down to where the waves broke on the shore and, arm in arm, they walked along, splashing in the water and letting the wind from the sea blow in their faces and through their hair.

When they got back to the cave they found the other animals pottering around outside. Brock, who through the mists of sleep had dimly perceived the sound of Beth crying, was relieved and happy to see the laughter in their faces. What they were doing was not easy for any of them but he understood that it was hardest of all for Beth and he had been restless and disturbed in his sleep at the thought of her unhappiness, for he had grown to love and respect her almost as much as Nab. He ran up to them and they both bent down and stroked him. Then they joined the others at the cave entrance.

‘Come on,’ said Perryfoot, ‘let’s go and find the elves. They aren’t in the cave. We had a look while we were waiting for you.’

They walked over the top of the rocky island and found the elves gathering seaweed on the other side. The seals were there as well, playing in the water or basking on the rocks, and the elves were talking to them in the language of the sea. Saurélon was sitting a little apart from the others and when he saw the animals he beckoned them over to speak to him. He asked them about their day and how they were feeling and he asked Nab to tell him more of Wychnor, Lord of the Wood-Elves.

‘It is many, many seasons since I saw him,’ said Saurdlon. ‘He was young then, and mighty in his powers. There was no one else worthy or even capable enough to put right all the damage caused by Ammdar and to sort out the chaos left behind. Ashgaroth called myself and Malcoff together and asked us who we thought should succeed after Ammdar had been destroyed. It was a stormy night. He had called us to the Forests of Smoo, in the east, and the rain fell down in torrents so that everything was saturated. We stood waiting under those vast trees heavy with creepers and vines while the water dripped from the leaves and great claps of thunder cracked in the sky. Then Ashgaroth appeared to us. It was only the second time I had seen him. We talked of Dréagg and Ammdar and of the evil they had spawned. He was filled with grief but he swore to us then that one day he would send a Saviour. “Be patient,” he said, and we have been patient.’ He looked at Nab, who was sitting next to him, and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. Nab looked up at him and Saurélon smiled. ‘We have been patient,’ he said again, almost to himself.

They sat on for a little while in silence until the sun had almost disappeared beyond the horizon. Then they all walked back to the elven cave where they ate and drank their fill. When they had finished, Saurélon told them stories and legends of the lands in the far frozen north from which he came, where the great white bears roamed over the icy wastes and huge whales played in the freezing waters among the icebergs. The magic of his storytelling was great, and such was the spell he cast upon the animals that they lived the sagas as they heard them and became a part of the stories. Finally, when the moon outside was high in the night sky and the tide was nearly upon them, they crawled through the little tunnel to their own cave where they fell asleep straightaway, relaxed and contented, and their dreams were all in white.

Their stay in Sheigra was perhaps one of the happiest times any of the friends had known. The moments they had there seemed particularly precious because, in a way, they were stolen. There was no question of their staying for very long and they knew that when they left they would once again be living with fear as their constant shadow, but here they felt secure and safe, sheltered from all the evil of Dréagg, and so they lived for each moment – exploring the rock pools or wandering along the beaches or simply sitting, looking at the mighty sea. Once or twice they went over to the headland on the backs of the seals and there they would walk amongst gorse and heather and dead brown bracken talking of the past and of Silver Wood and of those they had known. Then they would lie on the soft grass, looking out at the cliffs and rocks below and at Elgol, its outlines blurred by the spray from the waves and the seals basking on its rocky ledges. When evening came Nab would blow on the shell-horn that Faraid had given him and they would watch some of the seals flop off the rock into the sea. Then the animals would make their way down to meet them and soon be back at their cave, where bowls of warm laver bread and goblets of sparkling drink would be laid out to refresh them before they joined the elves. Every evening one of the elves would tell a story while the others listened, and sometimes Saurélon himself would tell them of the Ancient Days, the days Before-Man when the elves had fought with Dréagg; and mighty were the elven heroes of those times but great was their tragedy. He told them of Embo and Druim, of Urigill and Mowen but most of all did he tell them of Ammdar, The Silver Warrior, before the time of his fall, and the animals listened in wonder and awe as they heard the stories of his greatness in the struggle against the Lord of Evil. Then, with their minds still wandering in those misty far off days, they would go back to their little cave and sleep until they were woken by the morning sun streaming in.

They stayed on Elgol almost until the end of spring. The weather was mostly bright but it was cold and the mornings were very often wet and misty, clearing up towards the middle of the day. For some time now the animals had been trying to prepare themselves for the idea of leaving but none of them wanted to go and it was not easy. Finally Saurélon had spoken to them and said gently but firmly that, if they were fully refreshed, they should think about moving on to find Malcoff and the mountain elves. Then he had taken Nab to one side and placed a little shell-like phial containing the Faradawn of the sea into the casket on the Belt of Ammdar. ‘You should leave tomorrow,’ he had said. ‘Travelling will be quite good and time is short. There must be no more delay. When you see Malcoff give him my greetings.’ That was yesterday and now they were waking up to their last day on Elgol. A damp misty drizzle hung over the sea making everywhere appear grey and miserable and covering the sea with little spots and circles where the rain fell on the water. It was the worst day for leaving that they could have chosen. They were just about to walk out of the cave on to the beach when they heard strange sounds coming to them over the water. They sounded far-off and after listening intently for a second or two the animals realized that they were coming from the beaches on the headland and were able to distinguish Urkku voices above the sound of the sea and amongst other less familiar sounds. Then suddenly the noises grew louder and it sounded as if there was some sort of struggle or fight going on with things being dragged over the pebbles, and the voices of the Urkku took on a familiar harsh triumphant note as they became intermingled with little grunts, cries and whimpers. The most persistent sound however was a heavy crunching thud which seemed to punctuate all the other noises, so that every time they heard one of these sickening thuds there would be a flurry of cries and whimpers which would then be followed by the sound of the pebbles rattling as something was pulled over them.

They stared hard across at the headland but could see nothing. For some reason, though, their hearts went cold and fear, which they had forgotten about during their days on Elgol, spread its icy grip around their stomachs. They stood listening, mesmerized by the pattern of noises and not knowing what to do, until Nab caught sight of Faraid and Saurélon coming towards them.

‘What is it? What’s happening?’ Nab asked, when they were standing next to them.

‘It is the Urkku,’ replied Saurélon with anger in his voice. ‘Every so often they come and slaughter the young seal pups while they are still on land and before they are able to take to the water.’

There was a lull in the noise and then they heard something being pushed into the sea and the sound of a motor coughing into life. Then all was quiet except for the high-pitched drone of the engine and the splashing of the little boat as it pushed its way through the waves.

‘It sounds as if they’re coming across to Elgol. They haven’t before. You must get back in the cave quickly. I shall come with you. Faraid; you take the elves and disperse them among the rocks. Nab and the others will wait until the Urkku have gone but they may have to leave sooner if things go wrong. I want to know where the Urkku are the whole time they’re on the island. Get five seals together and keep them hidden around this side and tell them to be ready to move quickly. I want a report as often as possible from you.’

Faraid went back into the elven cave to fetch the other elves and Saurélon led the animals quickly into their cave. The mouth was smaller than the cave itself so that there was quite a large area of rock wall on either side where they could hide and look out on to the beach without being seen. Saurélon put Nab, Beth and Perryfoot behind one side of the cave mouth and Brock, Sam and Warrigal behind the other. He himself stayed in the shadows at the back so that he could move from side to side and have as wide a view of the beach as possible.

They waited, saying nothing, their hearts pounding with fear. Then they heard the scraping of the boat on the rocks round to their right and out of sight, followed by the sound of its being pulled up on to the shore. The voices of the Urkku were loud and sounded very close but from neither side could they be seen. The boat was dragged up further and then the voices grew fainter as they heard heavy footsteps tramp off along the beach and then go up over the rocks.

‘They’ve gone,’ said Perryfoot with a sigh of relief.

‘They’ll be back,’ replied Nab. ‘Their boat’s still here.’

It was not long before they began to hear the same noises that they had heard previously from the mainland, only much nearer and more vivid. Knowing what was happening, the animals were filled with sickness and anger. Faraid ran into the cave.

‘They are at the back but working round towards this beach. Saurélon; can we not do something? They are butchering all the pups. We cannot stand by.’

Just then they became aware of a tremendous commotion outside. They peered cautiously out of the cave mouth and saw that one of the Urkku had gone ahead of the others and was chasing a little white seal pup along the beach. They watched numb with horror as the mother flapped along clumsily behind, trying in vain to catch them up and stop what she knew was going to happen. Then the Urkku came alongside the baby and, raising a huge wooden club above his head, brought it down on the skull of the pup which whimpered and cried before the club came down again and it flopped down twitching as blood poured from the gashes on its head and a stream of red ran down into the sea. The mother was still trying to reach her baby when the Urkku produced a knife and began to skin it while its tail still flapped with life.

The whole ghastly scene had been over in seconds. Beth was sobbing behind Nab, her face covered in her hands and her shoulders shaking, and he was just turning round to comfort her when he saw Sam charging out of the cave.

‘Sam, no,’ he called, but it was too late; the dog had leapt at the man’s arm and was pulling him down. The Urkku shouted and tried to shake him free but Sam refused to let go. The man tried to use his knife but he was unable to because it was the knife arm Sam had got hold of and eventually as the dog’s teeth sank deeper into the flesh he dropped it and it fell with a clatter on to the pebbles. He shouted again and this time the animals in the cave heard footsteps running over the rocks and Urkku voices shouting across to the man on the beach.

‘Get this dog off. It’s mad,’ he yelled desperately. ‘Don’t shoot; you might hit me. Use the clubs.’

Saurélon was now at the front of the cave trying to stop the others from going out to help Sam.

‘No, ’ he said. ‘I command that you stay. If you go you will be killed and we shall be lost for ever.’

‘But Sam will be killed,’ said Brock, angry and frustrated and determined not to let his friend die while he stood by.

Saurélon did not answer him. Rarely in all his long life had he been faced with such a difficult task, but there was no doubt in his mind that he was right to stop them from going even though it filled him with the utmost pain to have to do it.

They did not see the club come down but they heard it and they heard the growl of pain as Sam let go of the arm and rolled over on to the pebbles. Then the club came down again and they heard a little whimper.

Through a daze of grief they heard the voices of the Urkku outside.

‘Bloody dog. How did it get out here? How’s your arm?’

‘It came from that cave. I wonder if it’s the one from that pack of animals that have been causing all the trouble. You know. They’ve been on the news, chasing sheep and stealing food and they say there’s two runaways with them.’

‘Could be,’ said a different voice. ‘Come on. Let’s go and look in the cave.’

The animals were too numb with pain to hear what had been said but Saurélon had and he heard the heavy footsteps crunching over the beach towards the cave mouth. It was at that moment that the storm arose. The wind which had begun when the Urkku first arrived on Elgol and which had blown much of the mist away, now suddenly increased to a frightening intensity so that, instead of blowing, it seemed to pull. It pulled at the sea to form great waves and the tops of the white horses it drew up into the air so that the bay was full of fine misty spray. Then the rain came, lashing down in torrents on to the shore and the sea. The Urkku were bent over against the wind and had to shout to make themselves heard.

‘We’d best get back before it gets any worse. Come on,’ said one, and another one, the one with whom Sam had fought, called back.

‘We’ll take the dog. It may belong to somebody on the mainland. I’ll have something off them for what it’s done to my arm.’

Then a third voice broke in. ‘No. The storm’s too bad. Look at the waves. Let’s shelter in the cave until it’s died down. We’d never make it in this.’

The others agreed. They picked up Sam’s wet bedraggled body and Nab’s stomach turned over as he heard it land with a heavy thud when they tossed it into the boat.

‘We’ll take the skins into the cave. Keep them dry,’ said the third voice again and then came the clatter of running footsteps over the pebbles.

Saurélon spoke. ‘We must hurry into the elven cave. Come quickly. The Urkku are almost upon us.’

It was too late. The animals, dazed and bewildered, were slow to react to Saurélon’s command and the men ran swiftly over the beach to get out of the storm. Suddenly everything in the cave went dark as the five Urkku stood in the entrance and the animals realized with a jolt of horror that they were trapped. At first the Urkku were unable to see anything inside for their eyes were not used to the darkness but then one of them spotted the little huddle of animals crouched against the wall and the boy and girl staring up at him with big frightened eyes in their dark, brown, weatherbeaten faces, quivering with tension. He gave a shout of triumph.

‘Look. It’s them. Come here, kid. Let’s have a look at you.’

As he moved towards them, the animals’ trance of fear was broken and they sprang out from behind the rock. Then they heard Saurélon call to them from the shadows at the back of the cave.

‘Run. To the seals. Run,’ and, with Faraid leading them, they dashed out past the astonished Urkku, banging into their legs as they ran, and found themselves racing down across the beach with the full force of the rain in their faces. Through the roar of the wind they heard a yell from the cave mouth.

‘Come on. Let’s get after them,’ and, glancing back quickly, Nab saw the Urkku running down the beach. Faraid was now at the rocks and Brock and Perryfoot, who were close after him, had to slow down because the rain had made them very slippery. When Nab and Beth caught up they helped them and very soon they were all standing at the edge of the sea and Nab was holding Beth’s hand as she clambered down a rock on to the back of one of the seals waiting in the water. Then he handed Perryfoot to her and, holding Brock between himself and the rock, he half climbed and half slipped down until he and the badger were also safely down in the sea. Finally just as the Urkku reached the rocks, Faraid sprang down and with one leap was sitting astride his seal, Eynort, named after the great elven warrior. The storm was too fierce for Warrigal to risk flying so he flew down and joined Faraid and then the seals flicked their tails and they were off, cutting a way through the water or else bucking and leaping over the waves while the animals shut their eyes and clung on. Nab looked back and saw the Urkku standing on the rocks looking at them and he could vaguely hear snatches of shouted voices above the wind and the sea. The storm was too fierce for them to risk following in their boat and when Nab looked again they were running back to the cave.

Nab could see very little ahead through the torrents of rain that lashed across his face. He looked down at Brock, whose wet fur clung to him in little spikes and who hadn’t moved a muscle since they started out, and he knew what the badger was thinking. One thought filled his mind also: they were leaving Sam. He could see in his mind’s eye the familiar brown shape as it was tossed into the air and he could hear again that awful thud as it landed on the wooden boards of the boat. He was filled with guilt and remorse; looking back now he was unable to sort out how it had all happened. It seemed to be over so fast; one minute they were inside the cave and the next Sam was lying on his side on the beach. Then he remembered; Saurélon had stopped them from going to help Sam while he was fighting with the Urkku: if he had not stopped them perhaps Sam would be with them now. As this thought pounded away in his mind and his stomach turned to jelly with the realization, a wave of anger and bitterness against Saurélon and Ashgaroth and Faraid and Wychnor and his ‘mission’ and everything to do with it seemed to well up inside him and he gave a great shout in an attempt to release his churning emotions.

‘Why,’ he shouted at the storm again and again, until the sobbing ache in his throat became too painful; but the wind took all the force of his shouts and they were lost in the gale almost as soon as they left his mouth, and he fell into a deep brooding melancholy. In the days to come this feeling of anger and betrayal became submerged in the urgency of their task, but it was a long time before Nab was truly able to understand why Saurélon had stopped them.

The journey through the raging storm-lashed sea was one of the most terrifying experiences they had ever had. The rain and the wind beat against them with a frightening force as if trying to drag them off the backs of the seals to be lost to the sea, but some other force seemed to keep them on almost against their will; for they were all so frightened, depressed and miserable that they would almost willingly have abandoned themselves to the storm.

Finally, after what seemed an age, they could see the vague outlines of land ahead of them and very soon the seals slowed down in an area of sea which was quite sheltered by outcrops of rock on either side and where the waves were not so high. They swam slowly up to a small shelf of rock which jutted out into the sea and the animals gratefully climbed off their backs and stood shakily once more on dry land. It felt wonderful to be on firm ground again but it took them a little while to get used to the idea that they were not still rolling and plunging over the waves. At first they were unable to get their balance properly and they swayed around with their heads spinning as they tried to stand up straight and walk around the rock ledge. The seals bobbed up and down in the water and stared inquisitively at them. Then the animals bade them farewell sadly and followed Faraid up a steep path, almost awash with the rain, which wound its way precariously up the cliff to the top of the headland, where they stopped and looked out to sea. The rain was still coming down in torrents and hundreds of little streams and rivulets were running everywhere, but the sky had begun to clear a little and on the far horizon they could see the beginnings of that eerie golden light that always comes after a storm. Elgol was just visible, its outlines blurred by the rain, but they could not see the Urkku or the boat as they were at the seaward end of the island. They would remember Elgol with a mixture of great happiness and terrible pain and in their memories the island would always belong to Sam. They watched now as the huge waves raced in and crashed against it, sending great spumes of spray showering over the rock, and it seemed to the animals as if all the anger of Ashgaroth was contained in those towering blue-green breakers with their jagged crests of white foam.

Faraid, who had been standing a little away from them to let their minds run freely through the events of the day, approached them now gently and, in a voice humbled by the thought of all the sufferings these animals had been through, spoke to them. They heard his voice as one hears the first lark in spring after a long hard winter and it brought them back from the brink of despair.

‘Come, my friends. It is time for the last stage of your journey. When it is over, then will be the time for you to rest and to rejoice.’