by Chris Ward
‘Show me,’ he whispered to himself, ‘show me why I am wrong,’ and then he had to look away for he could not bear her gaze, and only Germayne saw the tears upon his face and wondered why.
Their breakfast was short and the air still cold when they mounted and rode hard to the east at Sylvion’s order, and it was clear to all that she was now determined to reach her destination as soon as it could be managed. Before noon they emerged from the forest and the gentle northern foothills of the Plenty Mountains and halted on the rough road which wound endlessly along the eastern coast between the few major towns which thrived by the sea. Waterman to the south and...
‘Fisher should be some leagues to the north,’ Sylvion said and she looked about rather wildly as she calmed her foaming steed. ‘Do you see anything which looks familiar Reigin? she continued and the big man laughed.
‘I have not been on this road for over a hundred summers Sylvion, and then only once. Nothing will remain the same. The forest, the road, everything will be quite changed. I will need more time than a quick glance about to find our way from here.’ Sylvion did not reply but instead responded by galloping her horse some distance up the road and then back down again past the tired group, all the while looking about as if to find some mark which might wake a memory. Reigin smiled but did nothing further to soothe her agitation, but rather suggested they all rest and eat. A fire was soon made and Gravyn and Orcxyl dispatched to find some fresh meat. Rema offered to accompany them, for he saw the dark look which Gravyn gave Orcxyl but Sylvion required that he stay.
‘We must plan the next step. I do not want you all off wandering in the forest, ‘she said, ‘someone will get themselves shot.’ They all smiled and chuckled privately at her words, for it was clear that she was hardly able to restrain herself from further reckless searching, and instead took her frustration out upon them. ‘Come,’ Reigin she continued earnestly, ‘what can we do to find this cave, surely you have some plan?’ Her words were almost accusing such was her agitation, but Reigin did not seem in the least offended. Instead he went and sat by the fire and took up a long sturdy twig. Without further words he began to draw in the dirt. Sylvion was immediately intrigued and went to sit with him. The others were also soon gathered about and waiting for Reigin to speak.
‘Somewhere on this road is where we parted Sylvion.’ He drew a line. ‘You went west back to Wildwood. I went south with the girl…’ the others had no idea what he was talking about but none thought it wise to interrupt. ‘We will not find the cave by riding up and down the road.’ He looked at Sylvion and smiled. The Queen was suitably chastised and nodded but did not speak. ‘Whatever track once ran into the forest to the thieves’ cave will be long since lost and any helpful marks which we might have thought were present will likely lead us undone for we will imagine them at best.’ He drew another line next to the first but a hand span away. ‘This is the coast, the sea is perhaps two leagues distant. I can smell the salt air and I remember one thing Sylvion. The cliffs were tall and the cave entrance from the beach was high up. There was a wide beach below it strewn with driftwood and seaweed.’
‘I remember nothing of this, ‘Sylvion whispered.
‘You were taken unconscious from the sand Sylvion,’ Reigin said, ‘You never saw the beach or the cliffs.’ She nodded, as Reigin continued.
‘The cave ran inland and opened into a small valley, well treed and hidden. I would expect the valley to be unchanged.’ He drew another line from the one which represented the sea, inland toward the line which marked the road. ‘This is the valley. I suggest we travel on to the sea and look for the cliffs, then perhaps move back into the trees and work our way south or north and see if we cannot stumble upon the valley if we fail to find the cave from the beach.’ He tossed the twig in the fire. They all looked at his simple map and realised that it was not going to be as simple as Sylvion had hoped.
‘How do we know how far south from Fisher we should be?’ Germayne asked quietly at the same time reaching over and marking the town’s position crudely on Reigin’s map.
‘It is a guess but the thieves would not have wanted to be too close,’ Reigin said, as he rubbed his stubbled chin. ‘Perhaps ten leagues south, but we will have to start somewhere and it might as well be here.’
‘I will ride north to Fisher,’ Andes offered suddenly, and then we can know how great this distance is from here. It would be a foolish waste of time to have us all wandering around in the forest or on the beaches if we are too far south.’
‘And I will accompany you,’ Germayne said quickly with a warm glance at Andes who felt his heart jump alarmingly but carefully did not let his emotions show.
‘Well said both of you,’ Sylvion responded. ‘We can meet back here for the evening meal. At least we can start our search this moment.’ But Reigin insisted that they first eat and drink and gather some strength, and all were glad of his calm authority in that moment. They rested for a time until it was clear that Sylvion was about to go off on her own should they delay longer. So with an agreement that they would all meet back at their simple camp before nightfall they separated. Andes and Germayne rode for Fisher, whilst Sylvion, Rema and Reigin accompanied them some way north before finding a track which headed east and directly for the coast. It was a false path however and soon petered out into nothing. Then the forest between the coast road and the sea proved more difficult to penetrate than the open oaks and elders which had marked the land through which they had ridden in days past. Now there were tall Spruce and tangled ferns which grew close and meant the horses had to weave left and right to find a way through. The ground too seemed uneven and Reigin quickly warned of the danger of their horses falling and breaking a leg. It took them far longer then they imagined before at last the sound of the roaring sea came clearly to them and then the air suddenly freshened, whilst high above the treetops could be seen waving in the wind. They came upon the beach suddenly and gladly dismounted and took in the vastly changed view which stretched off before them.
‘The beach is wide,’ Reigin said.
‘And covered in debris,’ Sylvion added.
‘I see no cliffs, just rocky headlands,’ Rema said, ‘but the sea is wild and unlike anything I have ever seen before.’
‘You have not seen the sea before this time?’Reigin asked in surprise.
‘Never,’ Rema relied. ‘I have been in the mountains all my life. I have heard stories, but this is quite amazing.’ The three stood for a time then and looked at the ever changing waves and let the roaring and the smell overwhelm their senses.
‘Far over that horizon,’ Sylvion said pointing east, ‘lie the Fareo Islands Rema, and the home of the one whose name you bear. He was taken by the Norse as a baby and sold here in Revelyn. He was taken to the Mountains and never knew until…’ and her voice trailed away for her memories of her Rema seemed suddenly to distract her completely.
‘I read this,’ Rema replied shaking his head, ‘but it seems unreal, that I too share a bond to that far off place.’ Distant thoughts consumed them all until Reigin brought them back to their quest.
‘This place seems a likely beach but as you state Rema there are no cliffs, mere headlands.’
‘So do we ride south along the beach,’ Sylvion asked, ‘or return to the forest and try to find the valley?’
‘Let us stay on the beach,’ Reigin replied. ‘It will be easier than the forest and at least we can see whether there are cliffs to be explored.’ He paused. ‘Let us go south.’ And so they did but found nothing. The beaches remained wide and cluttered with all manner of refuse thrown up by the raging seas. The rocky headlands which marked the beaches’ end were never higher than a tree and not worth exploring or so Reigin judged. Finally as the sun dropped lower in the western sky they turned inland and made their way slowly through the forest back to the coast road where they turned north to join the others who waited at their camp. Gravyn and Orcxyl had both brought game to eat. It became clear that they h
ad hunted alone and each had striven to outdo the other, but as Gravyn offered a deer and Orcxyl five Revel Hares, it was considered in words unspoken that each had done equally well. Germayne and Andes had found Fisher to be some fourteen easy leagues to the north and did not comment other than that it had been a pleasant ride.
‘Well we failed miserably,’ Sylvion said when they had all had their chance to speak sitting around the fire in the fading light. ‘Reigin can see nothing which sparks his memory, and I of course have no idea what to look for.’
‘We will go north tomorrow along the beach.’ Reigin said quietly. ‘And we can split up so that some might search for the valley entrance.’ He looked at Sylvion. ‘It will not be easy…’ he paused and took a breath, ‘and there is another thing.’ At this Sylvion looked sharply at him.
‘What is that Reigin?’
‘It has been a very long time. The cave may well have been found and all the treasure hidden there taken away. You must be prepared for this Sylvion.’ And they all saw the look of sudden anguish on her face for it was clear that this possibility had not occurred to her. She did not speak but shook her head slowly in quiet contemplation.
It was a cold night and they slept fitfully. Sylvion roused them early and insisted they make a start. They looked for three days. Three days of frustration in which they rode and walked endlessly north and south and found nothing. It was Orcxyl who found the first small clue and to their dismay it was at a place directly east of their campsite. Two hundred paces into the trees he found a jewelled broach and further on toward the sea another treasure, this time a silver plate. Long had it lain in the soil but his keen eyes saw it. And then, on the same line eastward he found a tiny gold hair pin. He did this alone for he was content to hunt in this manner.
‘I suggest,’ he said, as he quietly placed his finds before them on the third evening, ‘that if these thieves were hastening back to their caves or whatever place they stored their treasures, and perhaps they were being pursued, or were just overloaded with their success, then they may have dropped some items such as these, for they are not what one would expect to find in the forest.
‘And they are indeed the sort of things a thief would most seek to run off with.’ Germayne whispered. ‘So perhaps the place we need to look is closer than we think.’
‘The only place we have not searched is on this line,’ Reigin said then in great frustration. ‘Directly east of here. It seemed not worth the looking for the cliffs at the beach are not there, nothing but a mere headland. We have walked south and north from this line but never along it.’
‘But as you say Reigin the cliffs do not exist, and the entrance was high up…’ Sylvion said but Rema saw the answer in a sudden flash.
‘But what if the land has sunk?’ he said in a hoarse whisper and they all knew it was true.
‘…The cliffs would become a low headland,’ Reigin said quietly and punched a huge palm with a fist. He shook his head. ‘We came upon this place to camp and it was directly on the path where we should have been looking.’
‘As if it was meant to be.’ Sylvion said quietly to herself.
‘And by our stupid assumptions we did not see what we should have seen,’ Reigin continued.
‘But we do not expect the land to be sinking here do we?’ Germayne asked, somewhat alarmed.
‘This evil in the land has a hold which we cannot foresee,’ Sylvion said angrily, ‘but it seems that fell things of mighty power are afoot; we must get to the cave, for it holds some secret which I must discover.’
‘But we have still to prove this to be true,’ Orcxyl interrupted. ‘I have found but three pieces of jewellery, not a cave.’ And this halted their enthusiasm somewhat; except for Sylvion who would not believe anything other than they would at last discover the cave.
‘No, I am sure this is the answer. Well done again Orcxyl, ‘she said. ‘And well done all, for it has been a hard few days. Let us sleep and in the morning we will find it. I am sure.’ The mood then was happier for they had fresh ale from Fisher and the meat was most excellent in Gravyn’s hands. Sylvion was last to fall asleep, and because of this she noticed Andes wander off and return after all the others were sleeping soundly.
You are a strange man Andes, she thought, but I am sure your skills have yet to prove themselves in all of this. El-Arathor did not give you such a mighty sword for nothing.
And then she slept soundly till the dawn.
They found the hidden valley less than two span after abandoning their campsite and heading directly east into the forest toward the sea, but it was not the valley they had been looking for, causing Reigin to remark,
‘One can see how the mind plays tricks with its memories. I was thinking of something much broader and longer but now looking down upon it ...well it is no more than a great cleft in the rock.’
‘It is no deeper than a small tree,’ Rema remarked and but twenty paces broad.’
‘And its length will be less than we think, I am sure,’ Reigin replied. He led them on and their horses had no trouble descending into what proved to be a perfectly hidden place, where the trees above seemed to grow almost to meet overhead and the ground underfoot was soft and so well grassed that they had to push their horses firmly on for they wanted to stop and feed immediately. But, in any event they were forced to call a halt within a short time for the cleft was suddenly blocked by a rock face which Reigin immediately recognised.
‘We have arrived Sylvion,’ he said somewhat triumphantly, ‘I remember this place. The thieves kept their animals close by here, and we sealed off the entrance to the cave...just over there.’ He pointed with his hand and dismounted all in one easy motion. The others too joined him and left their steeds to feed happily on the lush grasses.
Reigin inspected the rock face and directed the others to assist in moving some large stones which had fallen across what seemed to be the entrance to a passage. In a few moments creepers and vines had been torn away, and several old rotten tree trunks cast to one side, and there before them was an ancient door, still attached by rusty hinges to a solid wooden frame which seemed to have well survived the passing of the seasons.
‘Well done all,’ Sylvion breathed in appreciation. ‘We will now see what this place holds of my memories. ‘Reigin, Andes, you two perhaps should force the door.’ She stood back and the two huge men brought their mighty strength to bear upon the door which opened suddenly inwards with a mighty crack as both hinges came away in unison. A wave of musty air rushed out, and there before them was the cave which had so tested their endurance over days past. Sylvion led the way, with the others happy to follow, although Orcxyl stayed with the horses and thought about what next might present itself.
The cave was dry and strangely softly lit in places by shafts of light from above which came down through cracks in the rocks. Soon they had candles burning in dusty iron wall holders for these had remained as they had been left, as if waiting for the return of the occupants.
‘Look,’ Sylvion remarked as they walked deeper into the cave, ‘This chain upon the floor, do you remember it Reigin?’
‘Indeed I do,’ he replied quietly ‘it was for the poor slave girl.’
The others were rendered speechless by what was before them. All about were piles of stolen goods. Plates of silver and coats of fur. Candle sticks and stone statues, fine swords and polished vases of the most lustrous materials, and much more, all covered in a thick layer of dust, and all unused for several lifetimes.
‘They were most successful thieves whoever they were,’ Andes muttered.
‘But worse than mere thieves Sylvion added, ‘for they were cruel, and stupid in their cruelty.’ She shuddered. ‘If not for Reigin I would have ended my days in this place, dumb and lonely and abused for they were about to cut out my tongue when you arrived...’ She looked at the big man who nodded and smiled and directed her attention elsewhere.
‘There Sylvion is where you fixed my arm. The rope is still
hanging from the roof.’
‘And there it is!’ cried Sylvion for she had spied what she had long sought to find. ‘The copper cauldron Reigin.’ She went to it and ran her hands around its smooth rim and knelt and smelt it as though by this action she might restore to her mind that which had been so close to her long ago. Reigin seemed suddenly overcome by some deep emotions, and he too went and stood before the huge vessel.
‘It was a magic time Sylvion,’ he whispered as though to her alone, but all heard his words. ‘What you did was truly amazing, and it has remained with me over all this time.’ He looked about. ‘I did not ever think I would return to this place, and it feels strange indeed to be standing here once more.’ Sylvion nodded and then stood and also looked about her.
‘We must find the canopy Reigin, do you remember anything of it?’
‘I remember you saying that you would one day return it to The Vault on Bald Cape,’ Reigin said quietly as though this thought had suddenly come to him. Sylvion hesitated and thought upon his words.
‘I did Reigin, I remember that now, I was going to restore that place but....’ she stopped and looked at him. ‘But I never did. Like many things I should have done Reigin ... I never did.’ And they exchanged a look which only they understood.
‘It is here My Lady,’ Germayne called from a small side room cut from the rock to one side of the main cave. ‘This must be it.’ And Sylvion raced to her and fell weeping before a large bundle which all took to be the mighty canopy of which Sylvion had spoken.
‘It is still here. This was our salvation. This carried us to the heavens and now it must reveal the future.’ She grabbed some of the folds in her hands and buried her face in them for a moment.