‘I don’t know,’ he said, ‘but I know what you mean. I was happy in Silver Wood; that was my home. I think about it all the time. It’s easier for me though, I know. I was prepared through nearly all my life for this, and in my case my home is no longer there. But for you! To leave everything for this.’ He stopped speaking for he felt responsible for her pain; it was he who had taken her away. There was no doubt in his mind as to what he had had to do and the story told by the Lord Wychnor had been simply the final piece in the puzzle. But she had been brought up amongst the Urkku; how could she be expected to believe the truth of what they were doing?
Beth sensed what he was thinking and it was not the reason for her tears. ‘Nab,’ she said, but he would not raise his eyes. ‘Nab, look at me. It’s not that. I know it’s true as much as you do. I feel it in my heart. And I would go anywhere with you. It’s just like I said. I want us to have a home together, some time in the future and I’m afraid of how things will turn out. We don’t know the end; we don’t know what is supposed to happen. That’s what is difficult.’
They held each other close for a long time, silhouetted against the grey sky. Then, as if Ashgaroth had seen their fears and was giving them strength, the grey clouds started to break up and, through the gaps, patches of blue began to appear and shafts of golden evening sun shone through. Suddenly a beam of sunlight caught them in the cave entrance and they were bathed in gold: looking up they saw that the mist had cleared and the sea was sparkling in the sunlight. All their doubts and fears seemed ridiculous now; how could they ever have been uncertain? They looked at each other and laughed with joy and then they ran out and dashed across the beach down to where the waves broke on the shore and, arm in arm, they walked along, splashing in the water and letting the wind from the sea blow in their faces and through their hair.
When they got back to the cave they found the other animals pottering around outside. Brock, who through the mists of sleep had dimly perceived the sound of Beth crying, was relieved and happy to see the laughter in their faces. What they were doing was not easy for any of them but he understood that it was hardest of all for Beth and he had been restless and disturbed in his sleep at the thought of her unhappiness, for he had grown to love and respect her almost as much as Nab. He ran up to them and they both bent down and stroked him. Then they joined the others at the cave entrance.
‘Come on,’ said Perryfoot, ‘let’s go and find the elves. They aren’t in the cave. We had a look while we were waiting for you.’
They walked over the top of the rocky island and found the elves gathering seaweed on the other side. The seals were there as well, playing in the water or basking on the rocks, and the elves were talking to them in the language of the sea. Saurélon was sitting a little apart from the others and when he saw the animals he beckoned them over to speak to him. He asked them about their day and how they were feeling and he asked Nab to tell him more of Wychnor, Lord of the Wood-Elves.
‘It is many, many seasons since I saw him,’ said Saurdlon. ‘He was young then, and mighty in his powers. There was no one else worthy or even capable enough to put right all the damage caused by Ammdar and to sort out the chaos left behind. Ashgaroth called myself and Malcoff together and asked us who we thought should succeed after Ammdar had been destroyed. It was a stormy night. He had called us to the Forests of Smoo, in the east, and the rain fell down in torrents so that everything was saturated. We stood waiting under those vast trees heavy with creepers and vines while the water dripped from the leaves and great claps of thunder cracked in the sky. Then Ashgaroth appeared to us. It was only the second time I had seen him. We talked of Dréagg and Ammdar and of the evil they had spawned. He was filled with grief but he swore to us then that one day he would send a Saviour. “Be patient,” he said, and we have been patient.’ He looked at Nab, who was sitting next to him, and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. Nab looked up at him and Saurélon smiled. ‘We have been patient,’ he said again, almost to himself.
They sat on for a little while in silence until the sun had almost disappeared beyond the horizon. Then they all walked back to the elven cave where they ate and drank their fill. When they had finished, Saurélon told them stories and legends of the lands in the far frozen north from which he came, where the great white bears roamed over the icy wastes and huge whales played in the freezing waters among the icebergs. The magic of his storytelling was great, and such was the spell he cast upon the animals that they lived the sagas as they heard them and became a part of the stories. Finally, when the moon outside was high in the night sky and the tide was nearly upon them, they crawled through the little tunnel to their own cave where they fell asleep straightaway, relaxed and contented, and their dreams were all in white.
Their stay in Sheigra was perhaps one of the happiest times any of the friends had known. The moments they had there seemed particularly precious because, in a way, they were stolen. There was no question of their staying for very long and they knew that when they left they would once again be living with fear as their constant shadow, but here they felt secure and safe, sheltered from all the evil of Dréagg, and so they lived for each moment – exploring the rock pools or wandering along the beaches or simply sitting, looking at the mighty sea. Once or twice they went over to the headland on the backs of the seals and there they would walk amongst gorse and heather and dead brown bracken talking of the past and of Silver Wood and of those they had known. Then they would lie on the soft grass, looking out at the cliffs and rocks below and at Elgol, its outlines blurred by the spray from the waves and the seals basking on its rocky ledges. When evening came Nab would blow on the shell-horn that Faraid had given him and they would watch some of the seals flop off the rock into the sea. Then the animals would make their way down to meet them and soon be back at their cave, where bowls of warm laver bread and goblets of sparkling drink would be laid out to refresh them before they joined the elves. Every evening one of the elves would tell a story while the others listened, and sometimes Saurélon himself would tell them of the Ancient Days, the days Before-Man when the elves had fought with Dréagg; and mighty were the elven heroes of those times but great was their tragedy. He told them of Embo and Druim, of Urigill and Mowen but most of all did he tell them of Ammdar, The Silver Warrior, before the time of his fall, and the animals listened in wonder and awe as they heard the stories of his greatness in the struggle against the Lord of Evil. Then, with their minds still wandering in those misty far off days, they would go back to their little cave and sleep until they were woken by the morning sun streaming in.
They stayed on Elgol almost until the end of spring. The weather was mostly bright but it was cold and the mornings were very often wet and misty, clearing up towards the middle of the day. For some time now the animals had been trying to prepare themselves for the idea of leaving but none of them wanted to go and it was not easy. Finally Saurélon had spoken to them and said gently but firmly that, if they were fully refreshed, they should think about moving on to find Malcoff and the mountain elves. Then he had taken Nab to one side and placed a little shell-like phial containing the Faradawn of the sea into the casket on the Belt of Ammdar. ‘You should leave tomorrow,’ he had said. ‘Travelling will be quite good and time is short. There must be no more delay. When you see Malcoff give him my greetings.’ That was yesterday and now they were waking up to their last day on Elgol. A damp misty drizzle hung over the sea making everywhere appear grey and miserable and covering the sea with little spots and circles where the rain fell on the water. It was the worst day for leaving that they could have chosen. They were just about to walk out of the cave on to the beach when they heard strange sounds coming to them over the water. They sounded far-off and after listening intently for a second or two the animals realized that they were coming from the beaches on the headland and were able to distinguish Urkku voices above the sound of the sea and amongst other less familiar sounds. Then suddenly the noises grew louder and it sounded as if there was some sort of struggle or fight going on with things being dragged over the pebbles, and the voices of the Urkku took on a familiar harsh triumphant note as they became intermingled with little grunts, cries and whimpers. The most persistent sound however was a heavy crunching thud which seemed to punctuate all the other noises, so that every time they heard one of these sickening thuds there would be a flurry of cries and whimpers which would then be followed by the sound of the pebbles rattling as something was pulled over them.
