‘That’s a fair definition,’ came a high voice behind them. The children swung round to find Fandeagle sitting on a chair in the corner, as calm and unperturbed as if he had been there all the morning.
‘Sorry to give you a start,’ he said pleasantly, seeing that the children were too astonished to speak. ‘Why don’t you sit down, for I have something to tell you which may take a little while. I’ve been eavesdropping on you for some time I’m afraid. But I think you’ve proved your intelligence and initiative and now it is time for me to intervene. Be patient, if you will, and I shall tell you a story. In the year 1756, at the height of summer, a wedding took place in this house, one of the largest and happiest that this house has seen. Falcon, eighteenth baronet, a handsome, noble youth married his cousin Selina, a lady so beautiful that half of England was in love with her. She was as kind as she was beautiful, and all the country people rejoiced in the union for they knew that they need not fear to be unjustly dismissed from their work or that their children might starve under this new and beneficent lord. And no one was happier than the bride and groom for they truly loved one another. The rejoicing did not cease when the wedding was over for the house seemed to be constantly filled with merry laughter and there was always some concert or hunting party or ball taking place. And the farms prospered under Falcon’s wise rule and the cottagers were well fed and well paid. Everything seemed set for a glorious and secure future. One day, about a year after their marriage, Falcon had to ride to a neighbouring farm to instruct his bailiff. Selina, as was her habit in the absence of her husband, spent her day strolling through the gardens. As she passed through a small wood on the boundary of the park, a strange noise reached her ears. Rising on the air above the babble of a swiftly running brook close by, a shrill voice called out with such anguished sighings that Selina’s heart was moved to pity. She went to the place from whence the sound came, a rocky place with a spring gushing into the stream. At first she could see nothing, though the cries of suffering continued. She called aloud, “Where are you? Can I help you?” And at once the crying stopped. Then she saw at her feet a tiny person, not more than twenty inches long. His body was transparent, as clear as glass, and had it not been for a pair of tiny wings sprouting from his ankles, which fluttered in the sunlight, she would never have seen him. He lay on his back, locks of spun gold floating from his head and over the frail body a thick branch of ugly thorns was twisted, piercing the flesh with its spears.
‘ “Why, what a strange thing you are,” cried Selina in amazement. The creature lay still, scarcely breathing and then it opened its eyes and gazed at her. Its eyes were like gold stars and a soft light lit the trees and gilded the rushing waters.
‘Selina trembled at the power and mystery in those eyes which were fixed on her so intently. Then he spoke.
‘ “Release me, mortal, and I shall reward you.”
‘ “Gladly,” cried Selina. “But I need no reward for a small act of charity.”
‘And she bent down and very gently took away the branch which held him prisoner.
‘The tiny creature rose to his feet and bowed low. “I am the Prince of the Hasenfast. I am grateful for your kindness of heart and gentleness of hand. Name your reward, fair one.”
‘ “I want no reward,” repeated Selina. “It is enough that I have been of some small service.”
‘ “But I have promised it to you and the Prince of the Hasenfast does not break his word.”
‘Selina thought for a moment. She did not want to offend his sense of honour but what could she ask for?
‘ “Truly, I have everything I could want. I love my husband dearly and I want nothing more. Gold I have in plenty, more than my fair share. The only things I cherish in this world are things that no one can give. Do you have the secret of eternal happiness?”
‘She spoke lightly, but at once the Prince’s brow darkened. “Alas!” he said. “I had not thought when I offered a gift that mortals were so wise. You have truly asked for something to be prized above all earthly things. And it is in my power to give it.” He sighed deeply. “But I fear it, I fear greatly. It may bring disaster upon all our houses. However it is not possible to draw back. I shall give you what you have asked for, a possession honoured above all things, the Elixir of life. It will give you health of the body and health of the spirit. Should you fall from riches to rags, from high reknown to ignominy, you will know a strength of body and a purity of spirit to bear it in peace and tranquillity. Joy will be for ever yours. But be warned. There are those who would have the Elixir for themselves and into whose hands it must never fall. The Elixir shall be safe as long as you hold it in secrecy. You must never speak of it to another, not even those whom you love most dearly, for then it will be placed in the greatest danger and your own life may be forfeit.”
‘ “I promise it shall be as dear as my own life,” cried Selina. And then he was gone. But where he had stood, resting on the grass by her feet was something that glowed and sparkled. Selina picked it up. It was a crystal sphere, as light as a snowflake and as she held it in her hand, it throbbed with life and a thousand brilliant hues spun in the light of the sun. Selina looked at it and her heart was filled with an unspeakable joy and her soul was lifted to the summit of delight. Quickly she ran back to the house and hid the Elixir in a secret place in her room where no one should find it. When Falcon returned that evening, he found his bride even more perfectly lovely than before with a strange unearthly radiance about her eyes and lips that all who saw her marvelled at. And so, for a short while they continued to live in ever greater happiness.’
‘Well, and what happened then?’ cried the children in an agony of anticipation as Fandeagle paused for a moment.
‘Ah, children. Now I come to the part of the story which makes my heart grow heavy, merely to recall it. But it must be told. Now as soon as the Prince of the Hasenfast returned from the mortal world to his kingdom in the Misty Mountains, he called a council of all the great races of the Overworld. The leaders of the Elderfolk, the Moonshadows, the Brightstars and a host of other illustrious peoples met together under the moon to hold a conference about the Elixir. There was one that all feared mightily and it was from him that the Elixir must be protected. His kingdom lay beyond the lands of Darkness and he had not been seen for many thousands of years. But there were rumours abroad that he was plotting against the other races of the Overworld, for whom he had little love, being as evil as they were peaceful and good. The Elixir had been safe as long as it remained in the hands of these gentle but powerful people. But in the hands of a mortal, it was exposed and vulnerable. Who knows the damage the Evil One could do if he managed to lay hold of such a thing of power. With his black arts he could so corrupt its force that evil, sickness and disease would be the things men yearned for, and malice and hatred would grow between all races.
‘Now the Elixir was made by a mortal, an alchemist. He was trying to make ordinary metals turn to gold as was the common practice of such men. How he came upon the secret of the Elixir no one knows, but it was formed and even he did not realize the power of the thing he had created. The people of the Overworld knew though and they decided to take it into their own hands for safe-keeping, where it remained until Selina unknowingly requested it. The Elixir was a fusion of the four elements — Fire, Water, Earth and Air. At the council it was decided that should it ever come to pass that the Elixir should fall into the hands of the Evil One, it should instantly return to its elemental parts, until such time as it could be safely reassembled. Also it was decided that one of the races of the Overworld should become the guardians of the Elixir, to further insure it against the touch of the Evil One. The Elderfolk were chosen as the oldest and most privileged people and at once they departed to take up their posts. Unheard and unseen, they lived in this house and watched and listened and waited. But they underestimated the cunning of the Evil One. His servants soon entered the house, unknown, of course, to its mortal occupants. But the Elderf
olk feared them little for they were harmless during the day and by night the Elderfolk were still too strong for them.
‘And it seemed as if Selina had kept her word to the Prince and none knew her secret. Gradually the Elderfolk relaxed their vigilance. But the Evil One was working unseen in the mind of Falcon. Falcon had noticed that sometimes Selina went up to her room for hours at a time and always, when she emerged, her eyes seemed to have a brighter shine and her cheeks a deeper glow. But he loved and trusted her so completely that no suspicion of a secret entered his mind. He merely imagined that she would fall asleep and have such sweet and peaceful dreams that she would wake refreshed and delighted. But it happened one day that he entered her room in order to place a rose on her pillow as a gesture of his love, hoping to please her when she came up to dress for dinner. His eye fell on the locket which she normally wore about her neck and which was lying open on her dressing-table. Inside it was a miniature of himself. But as he looked at it, the Evil One darkened his eye and he did not recognize his own likeness but saw instead the likeness of a friend of his whom both he and Selina loved as a brother. He left her room, his heart heavy, but so noble was his mind and so protected from envious and jealous thoughts by the Elixir was he that soon he dismissed his suspicions from his heart. But a few days later, on going once more into her room, and finding her absent, he happened to see some letters lying on the table. In truth, Selina had been reading again the letters he had written to her during their courtship, and, full of love for him, she had run out to find him, forgetting to place them back in her drawer. Now Falcon looked at them and the Evil One darkened his eye and he saw not his own signature but that of his friend. Now the fears hardened in his mind and he could not instantly dismiss them. In time he would have banished them but at that moment Selina came running in, full of innocence and loveliness, and the jealous Falcon poured out his doubts and anguish. Selina was horrified and showed him again and again that it was his likeness that she wore around her neck and his letters that she cherished. But Falcon’s eye was darkened and he thought she mocked him. He accused her of deceiving him and told her that he had seen her coming to her room for hours at a time to gloat over the treasures of her secret love, emerging later with bright eyes and flushed cheeks. Selina, in great agony and despair, broke down and wept begging him to believe her innocence. Then, seeing that he remained adamant, she went to her hiding place and brought out the Elixir so that he would know the reason for her bright eyes and why she sometimes came to her room to be alone and gaze at the exquisite thing.
‘Then, in the light of the Elixir, the darkness fell from Falcon’s eyes and he recognized his own handwriting and his own likeness. He begged for her forgiveness which she readily gave and a joyful harmony was restored. They went down to the great drawing-room and Selina sang to him of her deep and everlasting love. But the spell of the Elixir was broken, and when night fell the Evil One came himself and took the Elixir as easily as you might pluck a flower. The Elderfolk were stricken with horror when they discovered it but it was too late. He bore it off in triumph to take it to his kingdom. As he swept through the house, Selina glimpsed his dreadful shadow as he passed the door of the drawing-room and in another moment she paid the price for her broken promise and was banished from this world. Her spirit was sent to a world without time, love or fellowship, without existence. Such were the events of that dreadful day.’
And here Fandeagle groaned aloud and seemed quite overcome.
Melissa felt desperately sorry for Fandeagle: he seemed to be so deeply affected by the story. And poor Selina! What a dreadful fate when it had really not been her fault.
‘Do cheer up, Fandeagle,’ she said rather timidly. ‘If there’s anything we can do —’
‘Ah. There we come to the next part of the story. The Evil One had not travelled further than a few thousand leagues when the spell cast by the council came to pass and the Elixir was transformed into its elemental parts and fell from his hands. The anger of the Evil One was terrible to hear. He made a great storm which caused lakes to boil and mountains to crumble. And all in the Misty Mountains heard his fearful roars.
‘ “I curse you all!” he cried. “Cursed be the Elderfolk and the children of the Elderfolk who dare to lay their hands on the Elixir. Cursed be the Hasenfast, the Brightstars, the Moonshadows, the Dawnmakers and the Stormbreakers. If any seek to bring the parts together, one drop of the Water, one lick of the Fire, one grain of the Earth, one breath of the Air, they shall be rent asunder and spend their immortal lives in darkness and pain unto Eternity.”
‘And he sent a thunderbolt into the earth and the spell was cast.’
‘So the Elixir is lost for ever,’ said the children in dismay.
‘Well, had it not been for one consideration, the races of the Overworld would have been content to let it remain so. It was beyond the reach of the Evil One for ever, for only good magic could bring the Elixir together. It was quite beyond the power of the Evil One’s black arts. But the Overworld are sensitive people and the plight of Selina moved them deeply: condemned to wander for ever in a nether world without comfort or hope. The Elderfolk were mightily rebuked for their failure to guard the Elixir and it was decided that they should pay some penalty for their neglect. It was thus: — they should lose their beauty and be cast in forms of ugliness until they had found some way to release the mortal from her plight.’
‘Oh, but was that fair?’ cried Melissa. ‘They weren’t so very much to blame.’
‘They failed in their trust, Melissa, and dishonoured their House. However the harshness of the sentence was lessened when the Prince of the Elderfolk begged to be allowed to bear the punishment alone as his people had acted under his command and the burden of the blame rested with him. It was agreed at last that this should be so, that the prince alone should be cast into a form of ugliness and until the Elixir should be restored he was banished from his kingdom and the Overworld.’
‘Poor Prince,’ sighed Melissa.
‘But he was glad to pay the price,’ said Fandeagle. ‘His House had been dishonoured and nothing was too much to endure to restore its name.’
‘I still think it was rather severe, but then, I suppose I just don’t understand how someone from the Overworld would feel.’
‘Now, can you tell us where we come into all this?’ asked Sebastian who had remained silent throughout the interchange.
‘Yes. You are mortals and as such the curse of the Evil One does not affect you. You sensed the trouble in this house and you did not fear it as others might have done. There will be many dangers to face, perhaps hardships to endure, but you have courage and imagination and these may protect you. Will you help?’
‘You want us to find the elements of the Elixir?’ said Melissa.
Fandeagle nodded.
‘I’ll do it,’ said Sebastian without hesitation.
‘And I,’ said Melissa, with only a slight feeling of trepidation. Fandeagle got up and seized the children by their hands.
‘A thousand thanks, noble friends. The gratitude of the Overworld will be beyond words. Now I must go and resume my duties. But you shall hear from me.’ And he bowed low and left the room.
‘Well,’ said Melissa. ‘What do you think of all that! It seems so incredible, I can hardly believe it. And to think that now we’re a part of it! Where does Fandeagle come into all this, I wonder?’
‘Haven’t you guessed? He’s the Prince of the Elderfolk, of course!’
The next few days passed peacefully and uneventfully. The sun rose each morning with an ever brighter face and bathed the house and garden with heat and light. They were dreamlike, golden days, resounding with the laughter of young and old, and even the spirits of the past seemed momentarily contented and at peace. Every possible moment was spent out of doors, lazing in hammocks, exploring the rivers and streams, picking flowers and doing everything that is delightful on a hot summer’s day in the country.
But one night, as
the children came up to their rooms after dinner, they found a note pinned to Sebastian’s pillow. Meet me in the library at one hour before midnight, it said. And there was a sign beneath the message: a crescent moon embracing a sun.
A FEW minutes before eleven, the children took their lamps and crept out into the corridor. They carried their shoes in their hands but otherwise were fully clothed. In no time at all they were in the library. Fandeagle was there, waiting for them.
‘Good, you’re on time,’ he said as the chimes of the clock rang out into the quiet night. ‘Let us be going. Night-time is the best for our purposes as you won’t be missed at all. Whoever goes will have to make up their sleep tomorrow.’
‘Goes?’ said Sebastian. ‘Goes where?’
‘Can’t we go together?’ asked Melissa, rather anxiously.
‘I’m afraid not. You see, if something should happen to you both we could find ourselves helpless to do anything. If only one goes and happens to get into difficulties we have a much better chance of being able to do something about it. But if you want to draw back it is not too late. No one knows what you may face and we shall understand if you decide it is too much for you.’
‘No, I don’t want to draw back. I’m ready to go.’
‘Me, too,’ said Melissa. ‘Only let’s get it over with.’
‘All right. Who will undertake the first mission?’
‘I will,’ said Melissa, quickly.
‘Oh Melissa, do you think that’s wise?’ said Sebastian. ‘I’m the oldest and —’
‘I know. I’m only a girl. But if I don’t go now, I’ll never have the courage to do it. Please let me go first.’
‘Yes, I think perhaps it would be a good idea,’ said Fandeagle. And you won’t be quite alone. I shall guide you in times of need. But do not look for me as I am now. Come, enough talking. We must go to the appointed place.’
He led them down the stairs and out into the garden. The lawn was bathed with shreds of moonlight and the dark sky was veined with silver branches. They slipped noiselessly through the trees until they came to a large open space, some distance from the house. Fandeagle stopped and stood for a moment in absolute stillness. Then he lifted his hands to the sky and spoke in a strange tongue. From the depths of the earth came a bubbling, rushing sound, and suddenly it seemed as if a huge urn had been tilted by a giant, unseen hand and poured on to the earth a lake of shining water, brilliant and black.
The House Called Hadlows Page 4