‘You must eat; finish your food. You need all your strength for the times ahead,’ said Reev in a quiet comforting way. ‘When you have finished I will take you once again to the Lord Wychnor and then you shall leave us.’
When they had eaten their fill, Reev led them back along the winding corridors of the Elvenoak and through the hall, empty now and very different from the way it had been last night, until they arrived once again outside the door of Wychnor’s little room. Reev pulled a cord and the Elflord opened it and bade them welcome, closing the door behind them as Reev walked away.
‘There are things I must give to you,’ he said, ‘and words I must say. Here, Nab, is the Belt of Ammdar, which he used to keep the three seeds of logic safe; you will see it is woven of young willow saplings and interlaced among them are three silver lockets. I have placed the Faradawn of the trees and the green growing things in the one furthest away from the fastening. It is good that the belt should now be used to help defeat the evil that Ammdar brought upon the world. Wear it as he did; close to your body under your garments.’ Nab looked at the wide belt with amazement and fear; the idea of wearing this belt, which had been worn by and belonged to the dread and mighty Ammdar, the fallen Elflord, was not one that appealed to him. He looked at Wychnor, who knew what the boy was thinking.
‘Take it,’ he said. ‘It will help you on the side of Ashgaroth even as it helped Ammdar in the cause of Dréagg.’
The Elflord passed the belt over and Nab received it with trembling hands. Despite its width and the three silver lockets which he could now see clearly embedded amongst the green sapling strands, it was amazingly light; in fact, if he hadn’t seen it lying in his hands, he would not have known he was holding it. He looked at it in wonder, and Brock and Warrigal crowded around to gaze at this fragment of living legend, reaching out cautiously to touch it to make sure it wasn’t just a figment of their imagination.
‘The Belt of Ammdar,’ intoned the owl under his breath, as if reciting a magic spell.
Finally, when Nab had managed to pluck up courage, he lifted his clothing and placed the belt over the multi-coloured shawl that lay always next to his skin. Then he brought together the delicately carved copper fastenings and found to his surprise that, when they came close to each other, they seemed to spring shut of their own accord. It fitted him perfectly and felt strangely comforting fastened securely around his waist.
‘Here is the Ring which you are to give to the chosen lady of the Eldron,’ said Wychnor. ‘Put it for safe keeping in one of the lockets.’
The Ring was a deep translucent gold colour with threads of silver inlaid inside it, so that they appeared as wisps of mist on an autumn morning. In the top was set a silver jewel, the base of which was buried deep within and it shone through the gold with a light that lit up the whole ring. As he handled it Nab became aware of a vague scent of pine and, when he mentioned this to Warrigal later, the owl said he believed that the gold was resin from the pine trees that had existed first upon the earth and which the elves used to mine when these trees had long since died and become part of the ground. How the silver threads were put inside he was unable to say. As Nab looked at the ring he thought he saw them moving, as the mist does in a gentle breeze, and the golden light seemed to wax and wane as if the sun were reaching midday and sinking to evening.
Wychnor showed the boy how to open one of the lockets by pressing a catch at the back which caused the top to fly open and Nab then dropped the Ring inside before pushing the top down again so that it clicked shut. Nab then rearranged his top garments so that the belt, with its precious contents, was hidden and looked up to see the Elflord’s great grey eyes fixed upon the three of them.
‘And now it is farewell. Reev will travel with you back through Ellmondrill and he will take you to the dwelling of the Eldron. There he will leave you and you will return with her to Silver Wood to collect Perryfoot and Sam. Then you will start your journey. The reasons for your going and the matters I have disclosed to you must be kept secret, although of course the members of the Council know already: Dréagg is now, after your capture by the Urkku, aware of your existence, Nab, although not yet aware of your significance. Beware, then, for he will be watching and when he thinks the time is right he will strike: the minute he learns the purpose of your journey he will act but, in ignorance of it, he will wait and try and learn by following your travels. Take the utmost care therefore not to be seen by the Urkku, for they are the eyes and ears of Dréagg. Keep to the secret paths and the ancient places which you will know from the magic in your bodies.’ He paused and they waited as he turned to look out of the window for a second before turning back and addressing them once again.
‘There is one final matter,’ he said. ‘I have told you that the seeds of logic that were used in the creation of the Urkku contain the means of self-destruction. Thus it is that the world of Urkku, and with it our world, the world of the jewel of Ashgaroth, is drawing to an end. Your task must be accomplished before that happens otherwise we shall all perish with it; yet even now it is rumoured that there is great trouble amongst the Urkku and that their fragile world is breaking down. Do not unduly delay therefore. Be steady and sure in your purpose and as swift as caution permits. Now, farewell; may the light of Ashgaroth go with you.’
They turned around slowly and with an immense sadness in their hearts followed Reev as he led them out through the hall and down through the Elvenoak, until they once more found themselves gliding back over the water, doubly black now in contrast with the snow all about them on the ground and in the trees. On the far bank they alighted and made straight for the gap in the wall of trees through which they had come. They paused before they entered the tunnel and looked back at the clearing, standing serene and peaceful, glistening white under the blue sky. There was no sign of movement anywhere and no sound of activity; were it not for Reev standing waiting for them, his green and brown doublet blowing gently in the breeze that came across the water, and the belt which Nab could feel as he walked, the whole episode could have been a dream. Then they looked away and were soon on the far side of the tunnel and walking once again amongst the enormous trees and deep undergrowth of the wood. The going was more difficult now with the snow covering everything and Nab and Brock found themselves frequently falling through a pile of bracken or a small bush although Reev seemed to dance on top as if he weighed no more than a feather and Warrigal had once again taken to the air and was swooping and gliding ahead of them with obvious enjoyment at being back in his element.
Nab did not recognize any of the areas through which Reev led them; in fact the whole wood seemed different – the trees not quite so enormous and the atmosphere more friendly. The owl and the elf were constantly having to wait while the others caught up and Nab would see them ahead in a clearing, bathed in the shafts of sunlight that came lancing through the trees as he and Brock plodded through the snow towards them. The sun was thawing it and every now and again the branches of a tree would shed its load with no warning, and the wood echoed with the crashing noise it made as it fell down through all the lower branches bringing the snow on those tumbling down as well; then there would be utter stillness once again, broken only by the panting of the boy and the badger who were now warm with the effort of walking through the snow.
