Ava and Ellena were waiting, trying desperately to contain their excitement. They grabbed hold of Shaun, one either side, escorting him inside and Princess Elba ushered her guests in behind him. The whole grassed area was covered with tables and chairs, each one laden with food and drinks. Shaun gasped out loud. ‘I see you have prepared a meal for me, but what about your guests?’
Ava gave a little chuckle. ‘I see you still have your voracious appetite but I doubt even you could manage to eat this lot.’ She paused a moment. ‘Well, not in one sitting, anyway.’ Shaun nodded his head, and his face crinkled into a huge smile as he shared the joke.
Once they were all seated, Princess Elba waved her hand and dozens of her Elves entered the ring with armfuls of colourful garlands and began walking around the tables, placing one of the garlands around each of the guests’ necks.
Then several Elves carrying musical instruments made their way over to a raised stage area in the centre. Princess Elba climbed up onto the stage and the whole area died into complete silence. ‘I would like to welcome our guests to our kingdom,’ she said in a strong yet gentle tone. ‘Once you have eaten and enjoyed the music, our Elves will show you to your new homes. I’m sure you will be happy living here, and if you need anything, all you have to do is to ask any of our Elves, who will be more than willing to help. And will your warriors and my warriors get together to introduce each other so they can train together and join forces? Creating a formidable fighting machine to face the evil Dark Wizard’s army: I’m sure will be victorious.’
She turned towards Ava. ‘Let us forget about the upcoming battle for today and enjoy this banquet. While you enjoy your refreshment you will be entertained by our musicians, but first of all you must listen to our special star Ava, who will play the flute for you, so be prepared to be mesmerised. The whole area erupted in loud applause and cheering as Ava walked slowly up to the stage, her face blushing up, embarrassed at the attention; although she had played in front of her Elves, she was always uncomfortable playing in front of strangers. Shaun could see how nervous she was, so he joined her on the stage and put his arm around her, smiling encouragingly as he whispered, ‘Just close your eyes and imagine we are back in the auditorium at the auditions for the Cork band where you had the whole audience spellbound, remember? I will sit with you if you wish. It is a while since I have heard you play and felt the warm, soothing feeling it brings.’ She smiled and nodded as she closed her eyes, and those memories came flooding back.
As soon as she put the flute to her lips and the first magical notes flowed out, sending a haunting melody around the whole area, the crowd held their breath in total captivated silence. Once she had finished, she stood up and took Shaun’s hand and he led her back to her seat, her head bowed as the crowd stood up and showed their appreciation. The musicians waited until the applause subsided before striking up, and as they played dozens of Elves streamed forward and began dancing to the music.
Ellena wrapped her arms around Ava before escorting her over to the other Elves to join in with the dancing. Shaun and Princess Elba stood on the outskirts, smiling proudly as the families joined together in the dancing, while the warriors stayed around the perimeter chatting merrily as they merged into one. Shaun turned to the Princess. ‘It looks as though my job is done here. I must return to the Great Wizard. We will keep in contact with you: I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how important your Elven army is to the future of Colgilor.’ She smiled and gave him a hug before he stepped through the portal.
The Great Wizard was waiting for him, and as soon as he stepped through they wasted no time in going up to his private quarters to ‘discuss’ their next move. He looked somewhat troubled as he sat down and indicated for Shaun to sit opposite. ‘Do we have a problem?’ said Shaun. ‘The Elves seem to have settled into their new home and the warriors looked comfortable with one another.’
‘No, it’s not the Elves,’ replied the Great Wizard. ‘It’s the Centaurs: they are going to be a problem and we could really do with having them with us. They are fearsome warriors.’
A broad grin crossed Shaun’s face. ‘Well, that’s okay, then. Just tell me where they are and I’m sure I will be able to convince them to join our army.’
‘If only it was as simple as the Dwarf, Fairies and Elves were, but these are strange creatures, very hostile, wild and aggressive and extremely elusive. To be honest, I don’t even know exactly where they are. The last sighting was in the enchanted forest, but that was so long ago, I don’t even know if they still exist. The ones you brought back from the land of the Dragons, they belong to a different tribe.’
Shaun sank back in his chair, his fingers tapping on the arm, deep in thought, his face taut and troubled. They remained in total silence for several minutes before he pulled himself forward. ‘The enchanted forest, you say. I’ve been there before and made friends with the elders there: surely they will know whether or not the Centaurs still live there.’ He paused a moment. ‘At least I should go and find out, don’t you think?’
‘Did you see any Fauns while you were there? They are related to the Centaurs. Shaun’s face cracked into a smug smile. ‘Yes, of course, they were the guards for the elders and the other inhabitants who lived in their secret valley. Surely they will know of the whereabouts of their relations.’
Again the Great Wizard looked troubled. ‘When I say related I mean distantly related, the Fauns are part man part goat, and are the followers of the rural God ‘Pan’, while the Centaurs are part man part horse, and much more difficult to approach. Even if you did manage to locate them they might not give you the opportunity to speak with them: they would probably see you as intruders and attack.’
Shaun pondered for a moment or two. ‘Can I take Ava with me? I have an idea. When we were in the secret area on our journey to the land of the dragons, she played her flute and, believe it or not, she was joined by Pan and he played his pipes in tune with her and asked if he could help us. I’m sure the magic of her flute could maybe calm the Centaurs down and give us a chance to speak with them, and it would give me company on the journey.’
‘Very well,’ replied the Great Wizard, ‘but you will need to be extra-careful and always keep ‘Ava’ with you at all times, as the Centaurs, if you do manage to locate them, will probably attack first and ask questions later. They would not hesitate to capture or harm either of you.’ He pondered a moment, deep in thought, before rising to his feet. ‘You go and ask Ava if she wants to travel with you while I sort out a few things. You can leave as soon as you have gathered what you need for the journey.’ He turned and strode out of the room, with Shaun following.
They made their way over the bridge and down to the cave. The Great Wizard contacted the Elves through his portal and left Shaun to speak with Ava while he returned to his private quarters to make arrangements. Ava didn’t need asking twice: she was thrilled at the thought of seeing the two water nymphs she had met on their last visit to the enchanted forest, Nerisha and her sister Nabula; she took no time in gathering her rucksack and other essentials before saying goodbye to Ellena and stepping through the portal to join Shaun in the cave. Shaun thought he had better have refreshments before leaving, as it might be some time before he could sit and enjoy the next meal.
He was still eating when the Great Wizard appeared: a huge smile spread across the Wizard’s face, and he shook his head, chuckling to himself that he had never seen anyone eat like Shaun. He was carrying a portal in one hand and a carpet rolled up under his arm. ‘The carpet will carry you to the enchanted forest and will leave you there. You can travel back through this portal which you must leave with the elders so we can travel to and from their secret valley.’
They followed the Wizard to the cave entrance, said their goodbyes before rolling out the carpet, loading their equipment on one side, and both of them sitting on the other side, with Ava wrapping her arms around Shaun’s waist as they took off. It was still early afternoon as they flew thr
ough the two gigantic columns of limestone which formed the entrance and into the thick, soft veils of mist and cloud. The carpet steered itself and they swooped down through the mist into a warm, gentle breeze below. Ava closed her eyes and took a deep breath; her mind was filled with pleasant memories of their previous journeys in that wonderful land.
They continued flying over the dense forest below which was the home of their friend Geriba the Goblin, and of course home of their worst enemy, the evil witch Baba Yelka. Gradually the sky above them cleared but for a few fluffy, white clouds which floated by, and the sun shone down, bathing them in golden, warm shafts of sunlight as they swept across the mountainous terrain of the Dwarfs’ Kingdom. Both Shaun and Ava smiled as they passed over the plateau close to the mountain which housed the Dwarf forge; their previous journey there was on the back of a Dragon.
The sun was starting its journey down to the horizon and the light was beginning to fade as they flew over the wide gorge to the enchanted forest, but the carpet continued to sweep across the dense canopy to the other side of the forest, coming to land at the far edge, the same spot as the one they had landed on their previous visit.
Shaun glanced skyward. ‘There’s probably only a couple of hours of daylight left: we can either stay here for the night in the open, or travel as far and as fast as we can inside the forest.’
Ava shuddered at the thought. ‘I don’t fancy sleeping out here, but will we not get lost if we venture inside? It must be dark in there.’
Shaun pondered for a moment. ‘Well, if you can remember, we followed a dirt track which led us to that lush glade with the stream running through, and we found the perfect sheltered place to spend the night. I think we can make our way there, even in the dim light, and I doubt whether our waystones will be able to lead us there.’
‘Very well but let me go in front: I’ll feel safer with you behind me. If I remember, it gets quite spooky in there with the wind blowing through the branches, rustling their leaves, giving the impression of whispering voices and prying eyes.’
Shaun smiled and nodded as he took hold of her hand and led her inside. They paused a few moments to accustom their eyes to the eerie half-light before Ava moved cautiously forward with Shaun close up behind. As they hurried on, even though she could hear Shaun breathing, she could not resist constantly glancing over her shoulder to check. After a gruelling journey with the dirt track twisting and turning through dense undergrowth and them stumbling and staggering forward, the faint light filtering through the forest canopy slowly faded. Ava gave out a squeal of delight as she spotted the glade.
She came to a halt when they reached the stream and turned to Shaun for help. She was unsure where to go from there: he stepped forward, scanning the area before taking her hand and leading her along the embankment, and he knew he was heading in the right direction when they reached the large spring which flowed out of its craggy side, cascading down into the stream before disappearing underground: the very spot where he had rescued the water nymph Nerisha who had been trapped by a large rock that had fallen onto her leg. Again he scanned the area before smiling and pointing over to a lush area of flat grass surrounded by thick bushes ‘That’s it, that’s the sheltered spot I was looking for.’ As soon as they sat down, Shaun was opening his rucksack with a huge, contented smile breaking out across his face as he tucked into his favourite treats. And as soon as they had finished their refreshments they bedded down just as the last flickers of light were extinguished from the canopy. Ava shuffled up closer to Shaun, and he put a comforting arm around her as they slipped into a deep sleep.
They wasted no time the following morning, grabbing a quick snack before setting off just as the first rays of the early morning sun appeared above the opening in the canopy above them, flooding the glade with a warm, gentle breeze. The air was filled with the magical sound of the dawn chorus which gave them a strong feeling of confidence as they hurried on.
It was a long trek through the forest and they both sighed with relief as they spotted the small glen up ahead and with the sound of music filtering through the air. They knew they had arrived at their destination. They paused for a moment to prepare themselves before striding forward, but just as they approached the entrance to the valley the sound of galloping hooves drowned out the music, and from out of the surrounding trees appeared several fauns. Shaun and Ava stopped in their tracks and Shaun raised his hand. ‘We come in peace: we wish to talk to your elders. We have a message from the Great Wizard.’
The Fauns came to a halt and one of them moved closer. ‘Shaun, Ava, is that you?’
A huge smile of relief spread across Shaun’s face. ‘Yes, we have returned and it’s so good to see you, Sateala. We are so looking forward to see Nerisha and Nabula. I hope they are well.’
Sateala trotted forward. ‘Yes, they are both well. They will be delighted to see you both again, as will all of our tribe. Life has been so good since you defeated the water demon. Come, I will take you to the elders.’
Ava shuddered as they entered the valley and looked down at the beautiful lake set in the middle of the surrounding trees as the memories of the evil water demon that lived in the lake and had very nearly taken their lives came flooding back.
Shaun sensed her distress and put his arm around her. ‘I know how you feel: it brings back bad memories for me, too, but the demon is gone now so let us forget that and enjoy our reunion. Just look how beautiful the lake is with the sun’s rays shimmering across its surface. It looks so peaceful and inviting without the evil demon.’ Ava just smiled and nodded her head as she took his hand as they followed the fauns.
The music died away and the water nymphs slipped into the lake for safety while the Fauns gathered together, murmuring and whispering as Sateala led them down towards the lake and came to a halt. He raised his hand and the valley faded into silence. ‘Look who has returned,’ he cried as he beckoned Shaun and Ava forward. ‘Our two heroes who defeated the water demon and brought freedom to our land: Shaun and Ava.’
With that, there was a sudden outburst of joyous cheering as the fauns surged forward to greet them, while the water nymphs scrambled out of the water to join in with the celebration. Ava’s head was bobbing up and down, glancing in every direction, searching for sight of her two friends; she didn’t have to wait long before Nerisha and Nabula burst out of the crowd, running towards her, both fighting back the tears as they wrapped their arms around her, dancing with glee.
Sateala and Shaun stood back and smiled as they watched the reunion. Sateala put his arm around Shaun. ‘Come, I will take you to our elders, leaving these excited females to enjoy themselves. I’m sure they will have plenty to talk about while we are away.’
Ava was so enthralled she didn’t even notice Shaun and Sateala slip through the crowd heading for the clearing at the side of the lake and the large, wooden lodge of the elders. As they approached the Chief Elder appeared. ‘Welcome back, Shaun. I have been expecting you. The Great Wizard has informed me of your visit and the reason you are here.’ He turned and beckoned them to follow as he ambled back into the lodge.
Once inside, Shaun took the portal out of his rucksack and handed it to the Chief Elder. ‘Did the Great Wizard explain about the portal?’
The Chief Elder just nodded as he took the portal and placed it in the centre of the room before turning back to Shaun. ‘As you know from your last visit, we have never let anyone enter our land as we have lived in this secret valley for generations, and have, if the truth be known, been afraid that, once it had been discovered, we would have undesirable armies trying to take control. After you rid us of the evil water demon, this place is now idyllic and I’m sure would be a place most Kingdoms in Colgilor would love to own.’ He paused a moment before continuing. ‘But the Great Wizard, who is totally trustworthy, has told me of the intentions of the evil Dark Wizard and how, if all our kingdoms band together, we can defeat him. The alternative is frightening so we have agreed to join you
. The portal will enable us to communicate and to travel to and from our valley.’ Again he paused for a moment. ‘But I do not know whether I can help you on your search for the Centaurs you seek. Many years ago they lived close by in the outer forest. We were at peace with them, but they followed the woodland God Pan while we worshipped the water spirit of the lake which, as you know, turned out to be an evil water demon that controlled our lives. At that time there were many of our Fauns who were unhappy about the water spirit and they, too, secretly followed Pan, so when the water spirit turned its wrath on them, they fled into the forest and the Centaurs followed them and we have not heard from them since.’
‘Then that’s where we’ll start searching,’ Shaun said confidently. ‘Deep into the forest, and hopefully if we find the fauns maybe they could help us locate the Centaurs. But first we would appreciate staying here for the night and leave in the morning. We are hungry and tired from our journey and it will give us time to spend with our friends in this wonderful valley.’
Just as he was about to leave the lodge, the portal lit up and the Great Wizard appeared. ‘Shaun, as I explained, the Centaurs are so hostile. The leader of our Centaurs, Cabura, has suggested he travels with you: he will at least give you a chance of speaking with the Centaurs when he is there and, having given it some thought, I think it will be a good idea, so I am sending him to you.’ With that, he disappeared and Cabura appeared on the screen before stepping through.
He smiled when he saw Shaun. ‘It’s the least I can do after all you did for me and my tribe: you saved our lives. Maybe I can be of some help to you?’
Shaun wrapped his arms around him. ‘It’s so good to have you with us. I’m sure Ava will be pleased: it will give her a lift. She was so worried about just the two of us searching for them, particularly as they are so aggressive.’
War in Colgilor Page 11