The Angel's Command

by Brian Jacques

  “Right above your head, you great frosted lump. Look up!”

  There was the faithful hound, draped over a fir branch three feet above his master’s head. He wagged his tail carefully. “I’m coming down, get ready to catch me. One, two . . .”

  The black Labrador landed in Ben’s outstretched arms, knocking them both flat in the snow. They lay for a moment, exhausted.

  “Maaaaah!” A bleat rang out, followed by Arnela’s voice. “Ajax the Less, stop nibbling my sleeves, they’re ragged enough as it is. Be still!”

  Ben and Ned struggled upright as the big goatherd woman came scrunching through the deep-packed snow with a young goat tucked under one arm. She waved to Ben and Ned. “Good evening! Have ye seen the other two and that old bear?”

  Ben shook his head. “Not so far. We haven’t even checked to see if we’re in one piece yet, have we, Ned?”

  The dog shook his head no. Arnela chuckled. “You’ve got the cleverest dog in the world there, Ben, he’s worth all my goats put together. Well, here we are, still alive, no thanks to my foolishness. Just look at this mountain—it’ll never be the same again. It’s a good job the avalanche fell mainly to the left and we shot off to the right. I must’ve been mad, flying you all down the mountain and telling you to fire all the pistols like that. ’Twas sheer insanity!”

  Ben ran to his big friend and hugged her. “You saved our lives, Arnela. Trouble like we were in calls for desperate measures. I dread to think what those Razan might’ve done to us if we’d been recaptured.”

  Arnela ruffled Ben’s hair, loosening the ice from it. The little goat, Ajax the Less, maaaaahed piteously as the goatherd spoke to him like a spoiled child. “Huh, don’t think I’m going to carry you around, stroking ye all night. Go on, off home, young rip, tell your mamma I won’t be long.”

  She turned to Ben and Ned. “You two go with him, the cave’s just below this ridge. I had to dig my way into it. The stream and pool have gone, vanished somewhere, but my goats all survived by staying inside. Nothing’s the same since we brought the mountain peak down. I’ll search for the others, don’t worry. Well, go on, you pair! Do something useful, light a fire, put some water on to boil, search about and find something to cook—that’s if those goats haven’t eaten everything. Ooh, that Pantyro, I’m going to have a word or two with him when I get time!”

  Ben stood shivering in the cold, reluctant to desert Arnela. “Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

  She lifted him bodily until they were face-to-face. “Why shouldn’t I be? Nobody knows this mountain the way I do. You’d only be in the way. I’ll find them, go on, off with you!”

  Without the pool and the pretty little waterfall, the cave was just a black hole in the snow. Ned ambled in, shouldering goats aside as he passed Ben a thought. “Arnela’s already lit the lanterns, thank goodness. Whew, this place smells a bit goaty, though. What a mess!”

  Ben took dry pine branches, moss and charcoal, stacking them in the rift that served as a fireplace. He listened to his dog complaining.

  “Ahoy there, mate, that’s my tail, not a midnight snack! Hmph! You goats, you’ve been living here like, like . . . animals!”

  Ben lit the fire from a lantern, then winked at Ned. “At least animals are more civilised than the Razan. Chase some of the bigger goats out, Ned. It’ll make a bit more room in here, and the fresh air will do them good!”

  Behind the slate slabs that served as a larder, Ben found goat cheese, some eggs and a few hard barley cakes. He boiled six eggs in the water cauldron. Spreading the cheese on the barley cakes, he sat toasting them. Ned sat by his side, enjoying the warmth from the fire. After all they had been through, Ben’s mind was like his body, numbed and exhausted. They ate some of the food, then sat together, eyelids drooping, heads nodding, not attempting to resist the temptation of sleep.

  Then a voice roused them instantly. “Here, what’s all this? No supper for me?”

  Dominic staggered in and fell against Ned. He slumped there. “Never thought I’d see a nice warm fire again ’til I spotted this cave. I saw the light glimmering and made straight for it.”

  Ben rubbed his eyes and blinked. “Welcome home, Dom, where did you get to? Arnela’s out looking for you. Have you seen Karay or our bear in your travels?”

  Ice water trickled out of Dominic’s hair and ran down his cheeks. “No, Ben, I’m afraid not. First thing I knew when I came around was that I was upside down in a snow-drift. Water dripping up my nose woke me—it took me ages to get free. After that I just blundered about among some tiny trees. Then when I took stock of where I was, I realised I was somewhere in the foothills—the trees were so small because snow and ice from the avalanche had filled the valley. I was actually walking amongst treetops, not tiny trees! Can you believe it? Good job you lit the fire, or I might’ve wandered about until I collapsed and froze to death!”

  Ben watched Dominic tearing ravenously into bread and toasted cheese. “Thank heaven you’re alive, Dom!”

  The facemaker nodded upward. “More than you can say for those Razan villains. Nobody up there could’ve survived the avalanche. Though if any did, they’d have been far worse off. Imagine being entombed alive in those caves, a living death!”

  Ben stared into the glowing charcoal fire. “Don’t forget that the tunnels ran downward, the debris would have showered into there and filled the caves in a flash. They’d have been slain in the wink of an eye. The Razan are gone forever, I’d bet my life on that.”

  Dominic covered his eyes with his arm as he murmured, “And Adamo, too, if he was in there.”

  Ben was forced to agree with his friend. “Aye, our mission failed, even though we rid the comte of the curse of Razan. Though I remember Maguda telling me that Adamo was already dead. She said it in a strange way—I can’t recall her exact words. Perhaps tomorrow, when I’m not so tired, it’ll come back to me.”

  Both boys and the dog had fallen asleep in front of the fire. Ben’s mind was free of everything. It was like being unconscious, a merciful blackness. Most of the goats curled up around them, wanting to be close to the warmth. It was quiet and peaceful inside the cave. Outside, the night was still, amidst the devastation wrought by the avalanche.

  It was in the hour before dawn that Arnela returned. The goats began bleating as the giant figure of their mistress ducked into the cave entrance. Ned leapt up and ran to greet her. His bark wakened Ben and Dominic, and both boys began firing anxious questions at the big woman.

  “Where’s Karay, did you find her?”

  “She’s not injured . . . or dead?”

  The goats began bleating furiously. They hurried to the back of the cave and continued with their din.

  Arnela lifted both arms and roared, “Silence! All of you!”

  Everybody, dog, boys and goats, went quiet. Arnela continued in a normal voice. “No, Karay is not dead or injured. I never found her . . . he did.” The bear shambled in on its hind legs carrying the girl. He placed her gently on the ground between the two boys. Bleating aloud with terror, the goats fled the cave.

  Arnela warmed her hands at the fire. “I discovered the bear roaming around carrying the girl. He would not let me near her. So I got it to follow me, and here we are. That’s all I can tell you.”

  Ben echoed Ned’s thought. “Except to say that we’re all alive and together again!”

  Morning light filtered into the cave onto a curious scene. The goats huddled in the entrance, fearing to enter lest the bear devour them. Karay, unharmed, sat up drinking herbal tea and gazing affectionately at the sleeping bear. Steam rose from his fur as he lay close to her. The girl stroked him gently. “He stayed with me, carried me and protected me. But why?”

  Dominic scratched his head. “Who can say? Perhaps it was because you showed him kindness. It was you who would not leave him in that cell, Karay. You insisted from the first moment you set eyes on him that you would rescue him. He looks like a good creature. Can I stroke him?”
<
br />   Karay smiled. “Go on, he won’t bite you.”

  Dominic patted the beast’s head gingerly. The bear seemed peaceful enough. Encouraged by this, Dominic scratched behind the bear’s collar, the way he would with Ned. He was thrown aside as the bear sat bolt upright, pawing at the metal collar that circled his neck.

  Karay spoke soothingly to him, placing her cheek against the bear’s huge paw. “Hush now, my poor friend, did he hurt you? Well, I’m sure Dominic didn’t mean to, did you, Dom?”

  The creature turned his great sad liquid eyes toward Dominic, who stared into them for a moment. He gasped. “Ben, Arnela, get those lanterns and bring them closer to its face—there’s something strange about this animal!”

  Karay hugged her bear protectively. “Don’t hurt him or frighten him. I’ll never speak to any of you again if you do!”

  Ben reassured her. “I promise we won’t. Let Dominic take a look at him—your bear is safe with us, pal.”

  Plucking up his courage, Dominic sat as close to the bear as he could. Arnela and Ben held the lanterns close while Karay hovered behind the bear, anxiety in her voice.

  “What is it, Dominic, what d’you see? Oh, please tell me!”

  The Facemaker of Sabada blinked as he gazed deep into the bear’s eyes. He blinked again but could not stop the tears that coursed down his face as he sobbed, “It’s a man! A man imprisoned in a bear’s hide!”

  The bear nodded its head, as far as the spiked collar would allow, and gave a long, anguished groan.

  Ned was invading Ben’s thoughts. “Well, don’t sit there gaping, get the poor wretch out!”

  Arnela drew her sharp, hook-bladed knife. “I’ll free him from that filthy skin!”

  Karay held out her hand to the goatherd. “No, friend, I will. Give me the blade. See if you can find soft cloth, or moss, then soak it in warm water. Oh, and have you got anything that’ll cut through his collar?”

  Karay came around and took the bear’s face in both hands. “Be quite still, trust me, I won’t harm you.”

  The bear pressed his nose against her forehead. “Mmmmmmmm.” He lowered his head until it was resting in her lap.

  Arnela rummaged about and produced an old file. “I’ve filed many a misshapen hoof straight with this.”

  With extreme care, Karay packed the inside of the collar with warm damp moss. Ben could hear her teeth grinding as she muttered with barely controlled rage and fury, “This collar is spiked on both sides. Filthy Razan scum! How could they do this to a human being? I’m glad they’re all dead. Glad!”

  Arnela slid her hand under the collar and filed away at the green-encrusted copper rivet that held it together. It did not take the sturdy goatherd long. With a single heave of both hands, she bent the iron collar straight and flung it from her. “Go on, Karay, let’s see what our bear looks like!”

  The girl’s nimble fingers felt the row of tough rawhide stitches joining the head to the body. She wiped away with a fresh cloth soaked in semihot water. Dried blood and matted fur parted enough for her to see what she was doing properly. Stitch by stitch the sinewy yarn parted until she had worked right around the neck with Arnela’s knife. Shielding the head beneath by placing her hand under the hide at the back of the nape, she sliced neatly upward toward the top of the skull. All this time her patient lay quite still, never uttering a single sound. Arnela had to help her to lift the bear’s head skin free—the original bone was still inside the muzzle. It was indeed a real man!

  He sat in silence, tears brimming out of his deep brown eyes. His hair—long, greasy and black as a raven’s wing—had moulded itself to his head. He had a broken nose, and his skin was like pale wax. A beard of whiskers grew from high on his cheekbones, almost masking his lips. Around his neck were the scratches and scars left by the collar spikes. His teeth were yellowed and stained but in good shape. It was hard to tell, but he looked to be around twenty or so years of age. His eyes never once left Karay’s face.

  Ned shook his head in amazement. “Well, now I’ve seen everything!”

  Ben agreed with the thought as he turned to Dominic. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking, mate? Look at that face!”

  Dominic had studied many faces before, and now his eyes roved over the features. “It’s a good face, Ben, a strong one. By the size of it, I’d say there is a very big man inside that bearskin. I’ve seen faces like that in artwork in great churches and cathedrals—the faces of saints who have suffered greatly.”

  Karay was hardly aware of Arnela taking the knife from her. The goatherd slit the skin at the wrists, freeing the young man’s hands.

  Karay whispered to him. “Who are you, can you speak, my friend?”

  He touched his throat and made a low noise. “ ’Damuuuh!”

  Dominic and Ben whooped together. “Adamo!”

  A smile like the rising sun lit up Arnela’s face. “The little boy from years ago, I knew it! I knew it all along, Adamo, it had to be you!”

  Adamo looked at the big woman—he almost smiled. A grunt of recognition passed his lips. Then Karay took charge. “Why don’t you all go and see if the road is open through the woodlands. Adamo can’t return to his uncle in Veron looking like this. I’ll help him to clean up. Arnela, could you put a fresh edge on your blade and leave it with me?”

  The big woman understood. She stropped her knife vigorously on a leather strap, issuing orders. “Ben, you’ll find some herbal ointment I made in that little box on the ledge. It’s as good as any soap. Dom, heat more water. Here’s an old hair slide, Karay, that’ll make do for a comb. Come on, Ned, we’ll go and scout the path out. You lads can follow us!”

  They surveyed the landscape in the bright morning sunshine from the elevated view of a high snowbank created by the enormous landslide. Distant hills appeared fresh and green with the lilac haze of heather patchworking them. Stream water glinted along newly diverted courses. Down in the valleys, larks ascended, trilling in the clear air.

  Ben listened to his dog’s thoughts. “What a day! It makes life worthwhile. I’m glad our angel saved us from the Flying Dutchman. Our friend the old comte and a lot of folk in these regions are going to be very happy, now that we’ve found Adamo and got rid of the Razan plague!”

  Ben agreed mentally. “Aye, Ned, the mission is completed now. It makes me sad to think we’ll have to move on, but we could not afford to be seen here years from now, with everyone growing older and us forever the same age.”

  Dominic looked at his friend’s clouded blue eyes. “What’s the matter, Ben? You look sad all of a sudden.”

  Ben had no chance to answer. Ned knocked him flat in the snow. Sprawling on the boy’s chest, the black Labrador licked Ben’s face furiously as he berated him mentally. “Haha, O mournful moping master, the clever Ned banishes all miseries. I’ll soon lick a smile back on your face!”

  Arnela and Dominic burst out laughing at the sight of Ben trying to wrestle Ned off and pleading with him. “Yurgh! Gerroff, y’great sloppy hound! Look, I’m smiling, I’m happy! Let me up, please!”

  Arnela lifted the dog from her friend. “What’s all this about?”

  Ben struggled upright, dusting the snow from himself. “Dominic started it, marm. Ned was just trying to put a smile on my face. Back, Ned, back! See, I’m happy again!”

  The big woman tucked Ned under her arm as though he were a goat, and she set off back to the cave. “Come on, you two. Let’s see how our Adamo is looking now.”

  Karay was sitting outside the cave, enjoying the morning sun with Adamo. She waved as they came scrunching through the snow. “Just take a peep at this handsome fellow!”

  The young man’s cheeks coloured slightly. He gave a shy smile. Karay had given Adamo a wash, shave and haircut.

  Arnela gasped. “Surely this isn’t the scraggy old bear we rescued from the Razan? He’s got skin like a peach, and look at the length of those eyelashes. Any maiden would give a bag of gold to have eyelashes like that. Karay, I think you
’d better hide Adamo from the ladies of Veron when he gets back!”

  The girl took Adamo’s wide, powerful hand in hers. “I’ll fight them if they even glance his way! But he’s not quite ready for public appearances yet. We haven’t any decent clothing to fit him! He’s a big fellow, almost taller than you, Arnela, and broader across the shoulders. Underneath that cloak of yours, which I borrowed for him, Adamo still has on the bearskin. So he’s still half man, half bear, eh, friend?”

  Ben had only seen Adamo bent and shuffling in his role as a bear. He was taken aback when the young man stood up straight. Karay was right: Adamo was a big fellow. He stayed solemn for a moment, his soft brown eyes looking from one of them to the other. Then he gave an enormous grin and spread both arms wide. The cloak parted, revealing him clad in the bear hide from foot to neck. He danced comically to and fro, kicking up the wide, floppy pads that encased his feet and waving his fur-coated arms round and round. Ned’s delighted barks mingled with the helpless laughter of the onlookers. Adamo performed an awkward bow and said a single word, though he had difficulty in getting it out. “F . . . frrr . . . free!”

  28

  COMTE VINCENTE BREGON OF VERON sat in his gazebo at the centre of his beautiful walled garden. Though it was mid-afternoon, he was still clad in his nightshirt and dressing gown. He looked old and haggard. A small garden beetle trundled slowly over his sandalled foot, a magpie was strutting boldly about on the open windowsill. They were ignored by the old man, who stared unhappily at the fading blooms bordering the gravel path. His mind was elsewhere. The magpie spotted the beetle. It was about to descend on the insect and snatch it, when it was disturbed by footsteps. The bird flew off, giving the beetle an unknowing extension to its short life.

  Mathilde, the equally old but energetic cook, bustled into the gazebo, sniffing irately as she placed a tray of food and drink on an ornamental table beside her master. “Still sitting here like a scarecrow, eh?”

  Wiping the sleeve of his gown across both eyes, the comte replied wearily, “Go away and leave me alone, woman.”