“Master John is right, husband,” added Anwen. “Be calm and accept we are in the companionship of those we expected to see for this journey. Your task is a burdensome one, to re-forge the Great Sword of State and renew Ascalon. Be helpful to these three who have far less experience, but must help you.”
The dwarf looked round and then relaxed. “You’re right as ever, Anwen.” He turned the dagger and returned it to Eleanor. “Bring me one of your comforting infusions of herbs and rid me of this temper of mine. Then we’ll plan our journey together over supper.”
Anwen ground up some dried herbs from the side with a pestle and infused them in boiling water before passing Edwin a plain earthenware cup. He drank deeply from it and seemed to physically relax back into his chair. Then he sat up again, and in a completely different tone he turned to Eleanor, “I am sorry,” he said.
Eleanor had been watching this all intently - the mixing of the herbs and the effect it had on Edwin. “That’s OK,” she said sweetly. The she turned to Anwen and said, “Are you a healer then?”
“Some people say so, but I am no magician. I just understand plants and how to use them.”
“I have a book of plants. Can I show it to you?”
“A book?” replied Anwen. “That’s a rare thing and I wouldn’t know how to read it.”
“It has pictures!” said Eleanor.
Master John interrupted with admiration, “All these children are rare things. They all have books. They can all read words, and doubtless write them too. If your magic is plants, Master Edwin’s is with the forge and mine is with hounds, then each of these children has a gift within themselves and their books.”
“Well, we’ll see it soon enough,” said Edwin, quite cheerfully now, and taking charge within his own house. “First let’s eat. Then we’ll have a council and make our plans. Then you can read your books. The King’s ship awaits us all and will leave on the high tide tomorrow afternoon. We have until then to plan.”
So they ate a delicious stew - wild boar - and even though the forge was really a tiny building, they all marvelled at the space they had after living in the cramped carriage for two days. Then Anwen gave them a hot drink and said, “This will keep us alert while we talk tonight, and then afterwards we will all sleep well. It may be your last night on dry land for some time.”
Harry then asked, “Where are we going? It seems we must go by sea, but do you know where we’re going?”
“Humph!” muttered Edwin, settling back into his grumpy ways, before being sharply pulled up by a look from Anwen.
“I hoped you could tell us that,” Edwin added. “First however, I’ll remind you why we’re going. I have to forge a new Sword of State since traitors near the King’s person have destroyed the other. This must not be forged here in my workshop, but in the heat of the volcano, where dragons live. The heat is needed to pass on the power of Ascalon.”
“Who is Ascalon?” asked Grace, simply. She thought it was time someone asked as they had heard the name several times and it was in the Prophecy. It was time they all stopped pretending they knew.
“It is not who, young Grace, but what!” replied Edwin. “Ascalon was the lance that St George used in his famous battle with the dragon.”
“You’d better tell us the story then Edwin,” said Anwen. So Edwin took another sip at his drink and told the story.
“There are many versions of the tale told, but few will know the truth as well as I do.” The children looked at Edwin with interest. Sitting at the table, his height made no difference, and his presence was powerful.
“Many centuries ago, George was a powerful merchant and warrior. Dragons were even then rare in England. He lived in a part of the kingdom where there was one powerful dragon that had a hold over the villages and towns all around. They were forced to sacrifice sheep to the dragon and when the sheep no longer satisfied the dragon’s hunger, for there were not enough, they drew lots to sacrifice their daughters.
“George was passing through and had fallen in love with one of daughters in the village - the daughter of the Lord of the Manor - and swore that he would save the villagers. He told them they must not sacrifice any more sheep or children to the dragon, for it was not God’s wish. He would challenge the dragon. They locked up the towns and the villages to keep everyone safe and George went out in search of the dragon with his armour and his finery.
“What most stories will tell you is that he then destroyed the dragon but in fact he could not. He fought and fought, but he was losing, so he withdrew. He was full of doubt and fear. So he went down to the river and prayed.”
“Did that help?” asked Grace a little doubtfully.
“Of course!” smiled Edwin. “For he found a dwarf who was a blacksmith! Hah! Now everyone knows dwarves are the best blacksmiths and armourers, but that does not mean everyone likes us. This blacksmith lived by the river, as even then people were frightened of dwarves and we were not welcome to live within the villages or towns, which you will remember were all locked up.
“That dwarf was called Edwin,” said Edwin with some pride.
“Was that you?” asked Grace simply, since she alone with the other two children was now used to the idea of Edgar the Librarian being nearly 1,000 years old.
“No, of course not,” said Edwin, brushing off the comment. “I said it was centuries ago. But he was my direct ancestor.”
“George regained some of his confidence from resting and praying by the river, but he realised he needed to put away his fears and his doubts. The dwarf offered him new armour, but George said any armour would be too heavy and too hot when the dragon threw out flames from his mouth.
“Instead, George asked the dwarf to melt down his armour and make a box out of it. The dwarf was a bit surprised at this, but he was persuaded and so the box was made. George then said he would put all his fears into the box, along with all his doubts and his lack of faith. Then he would face the dragon again and conquer him.
“Now the dwarf tried to persuade him otherwise, but George would not listen. In the end though, the dwarf persuaded him to carry a lance - a lance that had been forged for a great king in the past at the foot of a volcano and with all the magic that imparts. That lance was called Ascalon.”
“Then George went out and conquered the dragon. Thereafter he married the Lord of the Manor’s daughter and led a simple life of faith with her.
“The dragon wasn’t conquered simply by the lance, but by George’s faith and confidence. The dragon wasn’t killed. In spite of all the evil it had committed, it was given mercy - in return for all dragons being banished from England forever. So now there are no dragons in England at all. Instead they were sent to the edge of Hell, never to be seen by man again. They were imprisoned forever by the faith of St George and also by their greed, as they took their stolen treasure with them, since, as everyone knows, dragons are great hoarders. Keeping that, it seemed worthwhile to forego eating the sheep and the daughters of England, even though such abstinence makes the dragons hungry and angry.
“While England is protected by the Sword of State and the power of Ascalon and the faith of St George, its freedoms are protected and the dragons cannot return.”
“So”, said Harry, beginning to understand some of the Prophecy a little more, but wishing he didn’t. “We have to travel by sea as the dragons aren’t in England. And we must go to the edge of Hell. To Hell’s Bay.”
“Yes,” said Edwin simply. Then he added sarcastically, “That is all.”
Then they all stayed silent, nervous and apprehensive, except Grace, who suddenly remembered where Hell’s Bay was.
12. The Healer
“What on earth are you doing? You’ll burn yourself,” said Master John, standing up and bumping his head on a low wooden beam across the ceiling.
Master Edwin, the blacksmith and armourer, had sat back in his chair while they all digested his story and Harry’s comments about going to the edge of Hell.
&nbs
p; “Relax, Master John. I’m used to the heat of the furnace. As Anwen well knows. She treats enough of my burns. The fire relaxes me and it helps me think.”
Edwin pulled a small wooden bowl off the shelf. It was attached to a narrow tube, and he filled the bowl with herbs from a jar. It was when he pulled a burning ember from the fire and set fire to the herbs that John stood up and questioned him.
“It’s just a pipe,” said Harry. “I’ve seen Great Uncle Jasper with one before.”
The room filled with a cloudy smoke. It was a sweet smell with the herbs burning. It disguised the smell of the forge and the food they had eaten for dinner.
“Relax, Master John,” said Anwen. “It helps him think.”
The dwarf continued puffing on his pipe, pleased with his story. Eleanor had been learning about the discovery of America at school before and she whispered to Grace, “I don’t think they’ve invented tobacco yet. It’s not surprising John is alarmed!”
But Grace was not listening.
“I remember where Hell’s Bay is,” she said. “We went there last summer for our holidays. It was when I first really got to know you both.”
They were all wide awake now. Whether it was the excitement or Anwen’s potion, they didn’t know; they didn’t care.
“You mean in Scotland?” asked Harry, remembering the fun time they had all had there with his and Eleanor’s parents and friends.
“No, no, before that. Don’t you remember? Before that.”
Harry and Eleanor looked at Grace as if she were simple, a younger cousin who didn’t know much, but she had the better memory this time.
“Come on, we sat at the beach looking at the island opposite with the sun going down every night.”
They still looked blank.
“You were sick on the boat, Eleanor. You must remember that!”
“I certainly do,” she replied. “That was the wrong way to travel!”
“That doesn’t bode well,” commented Edwin, puffing on the pipe again, but they ignored him.
“The island opposite had a place called Hell’s Bay. That’s where I’ve heard of it before.”
This time, Edwin sat up. “You really mean you’ve been there before?”
Grace looked around, uncertain how to answer. ‘Before’ was certainly not accurate, given they had jumped back in time, but she was nervous about sharing this, especially after what the Queen had said. So Grace answered a different question, thinking about the time she had spent on the boat overnight (not being sick) and looking at the stars.
“We went west from here. The sun always set in the west. Then we went across the sea and went to some islands. They were beautiful. That was where Hell’s Bay was.”
“Beauty and the edge of Hell. That doesn’t exactly match. Are you sure?” said Edwin.
“Yes, yes. I know.”
“Humph!”
Harry was the next to speak. “It does make sense. We went past Land’s End. That’s where we saw the dolphins. What if Land’s End is the same as World’s End in the Prophecy? As far as England is concerned, the end of Cornwall is the end of the world. I bet Grace has put us on the right path. We can get there by boat. They aren’t so far away to persuade the Captain to go there.”
“But I don’t remember a volcano there,” said Eleanor.
“No,” said Grace, “but remember it’s nearly a thousand years ahead.”
The children looked around, worrying their secret had been let out. Anwen and Eloise looked at them suspiciously, but said nothing. Master John simply sat quietly. Master Edwin puffed at his pipe, as if he had noticed nothing.
Then he said, “Well, that at least is a plan. We head west tomorrow.” They nodded in agreement, not least since no one had any better idea. “That’s the first thing this council has concluded.
“Now you had better see St George’s box.” It seemed he had really decided to trust them. Perhaps the pipe had done him some good.
Edwin stood up and went around the back of his furnace, before bringing out a rectangular metal box. It didn’t look like much: just a plain metal box.
“Is that really the box?” asked Eleanor, suddenly enchanted.
“It is,” replied Edwin. “It’s not so much the box that matters, but what it contains. After George subdued the dragon and had him in his power, the lance, Ascalon, broke into pieces. Many, many tiny pieces. Its job was done, but the power it had was retained in all the smaller pieces. My ancestor Edwin spent weeks collecting them from the ground. They were difficult to find as the blade splintered. Within this box, are the pieces that are left. They’ve been handed down from father to son for generations and are in my care. My great great grandfather placed one in the blade of the Sword of State that is now lost. That was annealed in a volcano, but I don’t know how. I was privileged to place a piece in the dagger you wear, Eleanor, but that was never annealed in the volcano. It hasn’t the same power.”
Edwin opened the box. The pieces within glowed green, just as Eleanor’s dagger had before. He looked up at Anwen. “I’ve never seen them this bright before. There is much danger and treachery about, but that’s no surprise in the circumstances. We must all watch out. For ourselves and each other. And we must have eyes in the back of our heads.” He looked harsh.
They all looked around the table, suddenly uncertain of who to trust. The children knew and loved each other well, but what did they know of all these others? Eloise was difficult to get to know since she could not speak, but Edwin had proven to be grumpy and difficult. Did he trust them? Should they trust him? Master John was a cheerful soul and Edgar had told them about him, but was he leading them astray? It was hard to know.
It was Sophie who broke the atmosphere. She pushed her nose up at Eleanor’s pocket to reveal her book of plants. Eleanor looked at her and realised what she was saying. It was time for her to talk to Anwen about plants, herbs and healing. It was not the first time Eleanor thought that Sophie had a clearer judgement about who to trust and who not to. Perhaps it was the sense of empathy that Edgar had spoken about. Eleanor remembered she must speak to Harry and Grace about the way Sophie had behaved when Guy of Caen had pushed past them in their audience with the Queen. She would need a moment alone.
Eleanor stood up and moved to sit with Anwen and show her the book. “It’s time for me to show you my book. I think it’s important and it’s special too. I have read it, but you have the experience. Will you help me?”
“Of course I will,” said Anwen. “You have a difficult journey ahead of you and you will have to learn to be the healer.”
“Aren’t you coming with us?” asked Eleanor.
“No. I cannot. But come over here and let’s see what I can pack for you and teach you.”
Eleanor still wasn’t quite sure whether to show her all the secrets of the book after the discussion about treachery, but Sophie decided things for her. She flicked the book out of her hands on to the floor and started scratching at the page it opened. A lavender bush seemed to grow out of the book and the room became full of a soothing fragrance.
“Clever dog,” said Anwen, unsurprised at the magic of the book. “That will soothe all our nerves.”
“She’s called Sophie,” said Eleanor. “A man called Edgar sent her with us, but I think she belongs to the Queen too.”
“Perhaps,” said Anwen, “she is wiser than us all at the moment. Come. We will pack some herbs and plants.”
Anwen seemed to move all around the room gathering dried herbs and plants from everywhere. Eleanor followed and listened. “This is good for sea sickness. It sounds like you will need that,” Anwen said. Then, she looked affectionately at Edwin and said, “These are good for burns if you mix then with mead. I know all about them from treating Edwin after his work at the furnace!” They spent several hours at this.
Whilst Eleanor and Anwen looked through their book and prepared potions in the kitchen, Grace had fallen asleep and Master John had carried her to a straw mattres
s at the back.
Harry read his book, quietly asking it questions. But whenever he said, “Where are we going?” the pages just said Peto and Invenio as if they’d forgotten how to speak English. He was fed up with it again.
The storm outside had settled down and it was not long before they were all asleep on straw mattresses on the floor.
13. Dragons’ Bane
In the late morning, Eleanor walked ahead with Anwen, clutching a bag of dried herbs and spices, which they had supplemented with fresh pickings from the hedgerows.
Grace and Harry walked behind talking to each other. Master John had stayed behind with Master Edwin to pack his heavy tools into a cart and bring them down to the Harbour Inn, where he had promised to meet them to make their farewells.
The forge was outside the main part of the village and the night before they had barely seen Axmouth at all.
“Edwin is rather scary isn’t he?” Grace said to Harry. “Do you think he is the traitor?”
“Well, I wouldn’t think so,” replied Harry. “He calmed down a lot after first meeting us and seemed to be helpful. But I suppose he could have been just pretending. Anyway the Queen seems to trust him, even if no one else does.”
“But that’s the whole point, isn’t it?” replied Grace. “You trust people and then they turn out to be a traitor and let you down.”
“I suppose so,” said Harry. “But how could he be the traitor? He can’t have been on the ship when the Sword was thrown overboard. But on the other hand the Prophecy talks about traitors, not one but more. Maybe there’s a conspiracy. What do you think of Eloise? She’s seems to be a dark one.”
“But she’s the Queen’s private maid. And I think she’s sweet,” said Grace.
“Sweet?” said Harry. “With that funny face and the sort of moody silence.”
The Palace Library Page 6