by Farr, Cathy;
‘That’s terrible - I’m so sorry Wil.’ Gisella put her knife and fork together on her empty plate and sat back. Her sad expression filled Wil with the desire to go over and give her a hug, but he didn’t like to with the others there – they’d probably laugh at him anyway.
‘Well, if you do decide to try to find your father, Wil Calloway, I’d be happy to join you,’ said Mortimer raising his cup to his friend as he spoke.
‘And me – as long as no one tells my mother!’ said Seth. They all laughed and the conversation moved, thankfully, on to lighter things.
Just as Martha brought in another pot of tea Lady Élanor came in through the front door carrying a basket laden with bunches of sweet smelling herbs and flowers. She set it down on the table in front of Mortimer.
On closer inspection, Wil could also see a few odd-shaped roots, still coated with wet mud where they had only recently been pulled from the ground.
‘As you are clearly a talented and, I suspect, an adventurous cook, I’ve picked a few things for you to experiment with, Mortimer Merridown. See how you get on - and you are welcome to come back for more of whichever ones you find successful.’
Mortimer’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as he stared down at the basket. ‘This is fantastic, my Lady! I don’t know what to say. Thank you – gosh, I’m going to have fun with these!’
‘Well you’ll definitely have to come over to Mistlegard now, Mortimer – I have to get a taste of your inventions with this lot!’ said Wil enthusiastically.
‘I don’t think I like the look of those,’ said Seth who was wrinkling his nose and pointing at a bunch of pale green flowers with black berries.
‘In that case, young Master Tanner, when I cook them up – you are definitely invited round for tea! I’m going to make it one of my missions in life – to make you a more adventurous eater!’
Peals of laughter echoed around the house while Wil went up to the bedroom to collect his few belongings. He pulled the bedcovers straight and looked around. There, over the chair hung Old Barrowman’s cloak – he carefully placed the hunting knife on top of it.
‘You can keep those, they were for you anyway.’ A sulky voice spoke from the doorway. Tally was leaning on the door frame, her arms folded.
‘Tally, why didn’t you come for breakfast?’ asked Wil, relieved to see her before he went, but cross that she was being so difficult.
‘I was busy – up at the stables,’ she answered petulantly, looking down at her feet.
‘Well, I’m glad you came down before I left. It wouldn’t have been right leaving without saying goodbye – after all you and Lady Élanor have done for me.’
‘We didn’t really do anything – we just gave you the tools – you did it all yourself – you and your new friends!’
Ah, thought Wil, realization dawning.
‘Don’t be jealous now Tally, that’s just silly! You’re my friends too, you and Eli – I’d like to think you always will be.’
‘So… does that mean that you’ll come back… to visit us?’ Tally’s stiff sullenness softened very slightly – but she stubbornly kept her eyes fixed on the wooden floor boards.
‘Of course I will! Did you think I’d just disappear! Oh, Tally! You are so silly – I will come back to see everyone!’
As he finished speaking Tally’s chin twitched and she dissolved into tears.
‘Everyone? Not just me, then? Now that you’ve got the wonderful Gisella in tow – well, I hope you’ll be happy with your new girlfriend!’
She turned and ran down the corridor. Wil heard her light feet tumble down the stairs.
‘What did I say?’
‘Don’t worry, Wil. She’ll be fine by the time you come back to see us,’ Lady Élanor now stood in the doorway. Her eyes twinkled in gentle amusement. The kitchen door slammed downstairs and the tiny panes of glass in the bedroom window rattled. ‘You will come back and see us, won’t you Wil?’
‘Without a doubt, my Lady, I owe you my life – one day, maybe I can go some way to repaying you.’
‘Disposing of Sir Jerad Tinniswood has repaid us ten-fold, Wil. But please, come back whenever you wish and stay as long as you want.’
‘Have you changed your mind?’ Mortimer called from the bottom of the stairs. ‘Not that we’ve got a problem with that if you have – it would just save us hanging around down here!’
Wil smiled at Lady Élanor, ‘I’d better go then,’ he said picking up the cloak. He tucked the knife into his belt – it felt snug, as though it was meant to be there – then he led the way back down the creaky wooden stairs.
CHAPTER TWENTY
A Parting Gift
The journey to Mistle Forest was surprisingly quick. They had talked all the way and even though Mortimer tried to insist that Wil rode with him, Wil was determined to keep his feet firmly on the ground.
Mortimer had brought along a new Fellhound. His name, Mortimer informed Wil, was Apophinis. He was just twelve months old and had only recently started his formal training. Apparently Bryn had been doing some basic work with him, but felt that he showed enough promise to start his Fell training with a true Fellman. Apophinis trotted along beside Farrow, occasionally grabbing hold of her tail or her ear - which ever was nearest - in his teeth. Farrow patiently put up with his tormenting, but let out a warning growl when he over-stepped the mark and nipped her bottom.
Wil watched as the young hound explored every clump of grass, every branch and even the horses’ hooves – seriously risking a kick.
Apophinis was much younger that Farrow but, being a male hound, he was already as tall as her, though thinner and very leggy. Gisella said he looked like a gangly teenager who wasn’t completely in control of his legs.
Seth made a spirited attempt to show Wil how a Fellman would control his hound from his horse, but Apophinis got in the way at just the wrong moment. Seth’s horse jumped sideways to avoid the young hound and Seth lost his balance and tumbled to the ground. He sat there squinting up into the sunshine while the others hooted with laughter.
‘You’re just lucky I didn’t bring my crossbow!’ he grinned.
‘Gosh yes – you might have shot yourself as you came off!’ Gisella retorted swiftly, but then she reined-in her horse and added, ‘Well, if you and Wil are on the ground, we might as well join you down there – it’s not far now anyway.’
They finished their journey on foot with Seth, Gisella and Mortimer leading their horses. Farrow happily ambled along beside Seth, while Apophinis entertained them by racing after rabbits. To no-one’s surprise, his attempts to catch any were fruitless – although that didn’t seem to dampen his enthusiasm!
By mid-morning the tree-lined edge of the ancient forest was clearly visible. Wil’s heart grew heavy as they walked – he was desperate to get back to see his mother, but he was very sad to be leaving his friends. It would have been great to watch Mortimer training Apophinis and, he thought to himself, maybe he could have got to know Gisella a bit better.
Wil noticed that she hadn’t mentioned her mother at all that morning. He didn’t like to ask just in case she had got into trouble for taking his side in the trial – but after all, she had only told the truth – well, sort of! He struggled for a while with ways of asking, but couldn’t quite seem to find the right words, so in the end he decided not to say anything – he didn’t want to risk spoiling their last few minutes all together.
‘Well, Wil, I bet thatching doesn’t seem quite so exciting now, after the Moon Chase?’ asked Mortimer. Wil got the distinct impression Mortimer was making an effort to break the melancholy silence that had fallen over them.
‘What? After nearly being mauled, turned into a Wraithe Wolf, drowned, sold to Rexmoore, drowned again and hung! I can tell you Mortimer – thatching at this moment sounds like the best thing in the world – even if it does mean I’ll have to go up on a roof!’
‘So you don’t fancy coming back to join us as a Fellman then?’
‘Tempting though the offer is… no!’
Wil was flattered that Mortimer had even joked about him becoming a Fellman. But the howl of the Wraithe Wolves still echoed in his dreams – he would definitely not be sorry if he never saw one of those creatures again!
‘Oh well, you’ll just have to train Apophinis here to herd sheep then!’ said Mortimer. He stopped abruptly and called the hound away from a particularly juicy pile of horse dung.
‘What?’ Wil looked from Mortimer to the hound. ‘But he’s yours – you’re going to train him to replace Tarek.’
Gisella and Seth were smiling at Wil’s confused expression.
‘What Mortimer is trying to say, Wil, is that Apophinis isn’t his new hound – he’s yours!’ said Gisella, affectionately scratching the young Fellhound’s ear. He sat back on his haunches and pressed his head into her hand – Wil was sure he was smiling!
‘It’s true, Wil!’ added Seth, his eyes bright with enthusiasm. ‘You would make a great Chaser – so if you’ve got a hound, well, you never know, you might be tempted to come and join us one day?’
‘I can’t take him, Mortimer – he’s yours – what will you do? What would my mother say?’
‘Well I can’t speak for your mother, Wil, but honestly – Apophinis is for you. He’s one of Tarek’s sons. I’m having one of his daughters, Mia, so don’t worry, I won’t be without a hound of my own. It’s just that I think you were meant to be a Chaser, Wil. Up there, on Tel Harion – you acted on your instincts. Without you things really would have gone badly wrong – no thanks to Giles!’ Mortimer added bitterly. ‘I would be honoured if you would take Apophinis – you won’t regret it, I can assure you.’
As they all stood and looked at him, Apophinis panting at Gisella’s side, Wil knew there was no point in refusing. He just had to hope that his mother would be so pleased to see him alive that she wouldn’t mind that he’d brought a huge new friend with him!
‘OK,’ he said eventually, grinning at Mortimer, ‘but I’m not promising anything about becoming a Fellman – Chaser, Bearer or anything else!’
Farrow let out a bark by way of agreement and Mortimer gave Wil a firm hug.
‘Most of the stuff you’ll work out, Wil, but there’s one rule that you must not break – never exercise a Fellhound either in the hour before he eats, or the hour afterwards.’
‘Why, what happens if you do? Do they turn into a toadstool or something,’ Wil joked.
But Mortimer’s expression was deadly serious.
‘No, their gut twists, their stomach fills with air and they die in agony very quickly,– believe me Wil, it happened to one of my father’s hounds – ate a whole chicken just after getting back from a Moon Chase – it was really bad.’
‘Isn’t there any cure?’ asked Wil. Apophinis was poking about in the dung again.
‘Well, some people say that if you can get the air out they may survive – but I wouldn’t like to try it – but then, I’d rather look after my hounds properly in the first place!’
‘What about horse dung?’ Wil asked as he watched Apophinis. ‘Does that count as food?’
Mortimer laughed suddenly, ‘No, for some reason that doesn’t seem to upset them – which is a good job because they seem to like it – a lot!’
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
From out of the Forest
Wil sat on his mother’s new roof and gingerly looked out over his village. Mistlegard was tiny compared to Saran. The houses were different too; in Saran they were large and square, some were thatched and built of stone, others were tall timber-framed structures. Wil cast his eyes over the little village streets and realised that there wasn’t a corner in sight. Every house was round – even where people had added rooms, they were round extensions of the original buildings. None of the streets were straight either. Each one followed a gentle sweeping curve that led up towards the hills or across towards East Lake. From his precarious perch, it looked to Wil as though the original villagers had emerged from Mistle Forest many years ago and then ambled across towards the lake building homes as they needed them.
Wil liked Mistlegard, but now that the excitement of his home-coming had finally died down he found himself frequently wondering about Mortimer, Seth, Lady Élanor and Tally; and since leaving them at the edge of the forest all those weeks ago, he had thought about Gisella nearly every day. Their parting he recalled, cringing at the memory, was not one of his finest moments.
They had all chatted lightly until Wil could no longer put off leaving. Mortimer had given him lots of tips on how to look after Apophinis properly and Seth had added a few more of his own.
Gisella had tried her best to join in and remain cheerful, but her eyes couldn’t hide her sadness and when Wil eventually announced that he really did have to go, her chin had begun to quiver. Mortimer had given her a brotherly hug but Wil just hadn’t known what to do – so he hadn’t done anything.
‘Well, I’d better go – with any luck I’ll be home in time for lunch. I can’t believe I actually ran all the way here!’ he had said lightly.
‘Well, I’m glad you did!’ said Seth, grinning at him. ‘And, well, look. I know I haven’t said it before, but I’m sorry about everything that happened after you tried to rescue me. I think my dad’s a bit embarrassed, to tell you the truth – he’d never admit it though!’
‘Hey, that’s OK Seth. Anyway, if I hadn’t followed Farrow that morning, I’d never have met you lot – not that I would like to go through the last few days ever again, of course!’
‘Well, anyway – thanks, Wil,’ Seth said and, stepping forward, he gave Wil a brief, rather awkward hug and then stepped back looking embarrassed.
Mortimer had engulfed him in yet another huge bear-hug and thumped his back firmly as Wil struggled for breath.
‘I refuse to say goodbye, Wil Calloway, because I know we’ll see you again – so, go on, get going and have a safe journey!’
Mortimer eventually released Wil. Gisella looked at him. What he wanted to do was rush up, take her in his arms and promise that he would return as soon as he possibly could. What he actually did was slightly different.
‘Right, well, goodbye then… and, er… thanks for all your help and, er… keep practicing with that crossbow.’
As he spoke he held up his thumb in what he hoped looked like a positive and encouraging gesture.
‘Yer, thanks, I will and… good luck with your Mother’s roof – try not to fall off,’ said Gisella in a choked voice. Then, desperately blinking back tears, she turned and jumped back onto her horse. ‘I’ll see you back at Saran then,’ she said to Mortimer and Seth. Then she turned her horse and galloped off across the Fell without a backward glance.
‘If you don’t mind me saying Wil, I don’t think that went as well as it could have!’ Mortimer said, wrinkling his nose as he squinted into the sunlight to watch Gisella’s horse kicking-up great clods of mud as it disappeared into the distance.
Wil had kicked himself over his parting with Gisella all the way back through Mistle Forest. The journey had been long and frustrating and was not helped by Apophinis, who insisted on exploring every tree and bush in great detail – especially those furthest away. The hound also quickly discovered the joy of squirrel chasing - no matter how far into the distance they were – although it was obvious to Wil that their ability to shin up the nearest tree gave them a distinct advantage over the great lumbering young hound, who certainly wasn’t in complete control of his legs!
By the time they finally walked out of the forest and looked down on Mistlegard, Apophinis had become Phinn – it was quicker and easier to shout!
Word of Wil’s arrival flew around the village. With every step closer to his mother’s house another person joined the throng of people following behind him. Some cheered, others patted him on the back and everyone asked him about Phinn. As he rounded the final sweeping bend his mother was running up the road towards him - tears streaming down her face. He ran t
o meet her and she threw her arms around him and cried and cried.
‘Oh Wil, I thought you were dead, I thought you were dead,’ she repeated. ‘Gerald sent Gabe and Peter after you, but they only found bodies. They said it was terrible – oh Wil, I’ve been so worried!’
‘It’s alright Mother, I’m back and I’m OK. I’ll tell you all about it later,’ he spoke in soothing tones, planning what he would tell her – and what he would definitely leave out!
To Wil’s immense surprise his mother took the news of Phinn remarkably well - which he put down largely to her relief that he’d come home safe and well. He did, however, quickly realise that Phinn wouldn’t fit into their modest cottage – well, not unless he and his mother moved out!
But within a few hours Wil had managed to persuade one of the farmers to let Phinn sleep in a disused sheep fold behind Wil’s house. It had a good fence and a stone shed that Phinn fitted into nicely – once Wil had adjusted the door height slightly – sheep were a lot lower to the ground than a Fellhound! In exchange, Wil agreed to use Phinn to protect the farmer’s flock on the hills during lambing in the following spring.
That evening he and his mother had sat in front of their cosy hearth and he had told her all about the mistaken arrest. He greatly diluted the story of the Moon Chase, which led to some awkward questions, but he managed to fudge his way through them. He decided not to tell her anything about Tinniswood and their capture, or Gisella. He didn’t really know why, but it just felt like the right thing to do.
He did, however, describe Lovage Hall in detail. His mother was a talented gardener and she asked questions long into the night about what they grew and how they used the produce.
As they talked his mind wandered back to Gisella’s face, filled with disappointment, as they had parted. Not for the first time that day Wil wished he could go back and do that bit again!
Within a few day of his return, Wil’s life in Mistlegard quickly fell into its normal pattern. Although Phinn took up a lot of his free time – most of which involved the Fellhound doing exactly what he wanted and Wil trying to persuade him otherwise. It wasn’t too long before everyone in the village knew Phinn’s name!