‘Welcome to the Elvenoak,’ said the elf. ‘My name is Reev and I will be your guide and friend while you are here. I have spoken to the Lord Wychnor and he wishes you to spend the night with us for he will see you on the morrow. I must now go and arrange some sustenance; I am certain you must be hungry. I will call you shortly,’ and he walked lightly away over the velvety carpet to a circular flight of steps which had been cut into the wall and which wound round the inside of the hall until it disappeared through the ceiling above them. When he had gone the animals relaxed and looked about them, talking amongst themselves and exploring. What seemed strange at first was that though it was dark outside now, there was still plenty of light in the hall but on looking round the walls Nab discovered little patches of bright orange lichen which gave off a warm glow and it was these, combined with the light that came from a number of small fungi growing out of the moss, that enabled them to see as if it were a summer twilight. As they walked around they found strange carvings sculpted into the wood, some portraying the mythical events with which old Bruin had made them so familiar and others that related legends and stories they had never heard. As their eyes grew more used to the light they saw that even the stairs and the seats were decorated with ornate and intricate patterns which Warrigal said were ancient runes. There were a number of doors set flush with the walls and twice while they were waiting an elf came out, gave them a greeting and walked through the front archway into the night. When the door was open they could see stairs behind leading upwards which were smaller than the main stairway.
While they were looking at a particularly large carving which Warrigal was attempting to explain, Reev called to them and they turned around to see him standing halfway up the stairs.
‘Your room is ready now,’ he said, and the animals, who had not eaten since they left Silver Wood, gratefully walked across the hall and climbed the stairs. The last time they had seen stairs was in the Urkku dwelling where Nab had been captured and they shuddered with fear and revulsion at the memories that came back to them. These were different; the dark wood had been worn smooth and the edges of the stairs were rounded and shaped so that walking up them was a delight. As they got higher they looked over the side at the hall below and saw the orange glow flickering against the burnished wood of the carvings. Suddenly they were standing at the end of a winding corridor with doors on either side, and Reev led them off the stairs, which continued to wind around upwards, and took them down the corridor and round some corners until they came to a door which he opened and ushered them through.
‘This is where you’ll stay tonight,’ he said. ‘I think you will find everything you want; food is on the floor in the corner; but if you require anything just pull that briar that you see hanging from the roof. I will call you in the morning when the Elflord will speak with you.’ He paused and smiled at them. ‘I bid you goodnight; may your dreams be touched with silver.’
The room was small but extremely comfortable. Along one wall was a mass of fresh meadowsweet for Brock and Nab to sleep on and a stout branch had been provided for Warrigal’s perch. It had been placed on the dark wood floor next to a small round hole in the outside wall through which the moon was shining, sending in a shaft of light which bathed the little room in silver. The animals went over to the window and looked out at the clearing. Warrigal was of course used to looking down at things from a great height but for Nab and Brock it was wonderful to survey a scene from above. The moon seemed to be shining out of the pond, so brightly was it reflected in the still, black water, and the trees sparkled as the frost brushed their branches with glitter. They stood for a long time, gazing out at the picture below them until its memory was so firmly implanted that, whenever they wanted to later, they could recall every minute detail and always with a feeling of calmness and serenity.
Eventually their stomachs began to remind them that they were hungry and they reluctantly turned away and went over to the corner in which Reev had said there was something to eat. There in carved wooden bowls and dishes they found a selection of food and drink that was bewildering in its variety. There were all the usual things which they were accustomed to, but they came from all the seasons, not just winter, and Nab marvelled at their exquisite flavours and the odd fact that they seemed to taste so much better than they did at home. There were some dishes which contained familiar things but which were warm as if they had been heated in the sun; hot portions of puffball and boletus that seemed to melt away in the mouth without the need to chew and which tasted completely different from when they were cold. There were other dishes which contained foods they had never seen before, and they took a long time cautiously exploring these new flavours and textures, each reporting to the other his views on the contents of a certain bowl and being advised in return to try a bowl which the other had just investigated. Interspersed among the foods were bowls of crystal clear water which sparkled and seemed to fill the drinker with energy. The animals discovered that even these were different; some were of a delicate pink and had the sweet savour of rosehips while others were more of a reddish hue and reminded the animals of clover. There was one of which Brock was particularly fond; it was a rich golden colour and tasted how the badger imagined meadowsweet would taste in a drink. He found that it went particularly well with the flavour of the hot portions of puffball and he spent a long time by the two bowls that contained these delicacies taking a mouthful of the white fungus and following it with a sip of the golden water.
Finally, when the moon was high up in the night sky, the animals stopped eating and, feeling as content and secure as they had ever felt, settled down to sleep; Brock and Nab with the fresh scent of meadowsweet surrounding them to remind Brock of Tara and the sett and Nab of the days when he was young and would curl up against Tara’s warm fur at night, and Warrigal perched on the branch, his liquid brown eyes closed, thinking of Wythen and the number of times his father must have stayed here on previous occasions. Their long journey and the excitement they had gone through had left them more exhausted than they had realized and immediately their eyes closed they were off into the light but restful sleep of the wild animal, and whether it was the food or the drink or the moon they could not be sure but their dreams seemed touched with silver as Reev had wished them.
They were woken next morning by the sunlight pouring in through the window and when they looked outside they could see a thick layer of hoar frost on the trees and the ground, covering everything in white. At that moment Reev came in.
‘Welcome to the day,’ he said, and the sing-song sound of his voice chased away the shadows. ‘Have you glanced outside? We are blessed with a frost; a wonderful day. A good day for you to meet the Lord Wychnor.’ He danced over to the empty bowls on the floor and began to chuckle quietly to himself. ‘My, you were hungry. You enjoyed your food.’ He pulled the bramble briar and three elves came in carrying more bowls full of food and put them down in place of last night’s, which they then took away on wooden trays.
‘The morning is yours,’ he said. ‘When you have eaten you may do as you wish; walk around outside, explore the pond; and I will meet you at Sun-High in the hall downstairs whence I shall take you to meet the Elflord. ’ He went out as suddenly as he had come in, and the animals, to their surprise, found themselves as hungry as ever and began to eat once more.
