The Secrets of the Wild Wood

  “They do?” said Fox. “Then you can’t possibly have any objection to my joining you, can you? Who was it who found Ardanwen? Me! I’m sure I could help in other ways, too.”

  But Piak was still shaking his head.

  “Fine. You can say no if you like,” said Lavinia, “but you can’t order me about. I make my own decisions. Ever since I’ve been Fox, I only do what I want to do, and I know exactly what I’m doing now. Let’s not talk any longer.”

  “We’ve already had quite a delay,” remarked Adelbart, “and we still have to get back to the stream. I don’t know the way otherwise.”

  “But you’ll have Tiuri’s horse Ardanwen with you,” said Lavinia. “Go! And I’ll take my leave of you here.”

  “That’s most sensible of you,” said Piak with relief. “Can you find your way back to the river?”

  “Of course I can,” said Lavinia. “Farewell.” She walked away without waiting for a reply.

  “It really is better that she didn’t come,” said Piak to Adelbart, as they continued their journey. “I wouldn’t be able to face Lord Rafox… and Tiuri if anything happened to her.”

  “Lord Rafox… Fox!” said Adelbart and he gave a whistle. “Oh, so that’s how it is.” Then he looked around. “Listen,” he said. “I can already hear the stream.”

  “I can hear plenty of other things, too,” whispered Piak. “All kinds of creatures appear to be skulking around in the undergrowth.”

  “It’s always like that in a forest,” said Adelbart. “But…” he went on a little later, “there is indeed someone wandering around. And this time it’s not a black shadow. By my beard, I think it’s Fox!”

  Yes, it was Fox! They met her at the stream.

  “Ah, what a coincidence,” she said with a friendly smile. “Fancy you going the same way as me.”

  Piak tried to look indignant. What now? He couldn’t force her to go back, could he?

  “Just give up,” said Fox. “Pretend you can’t see me. I’m setting off on my own.” She turned her back on them and walked off along the stream.

  Adelbart and Piak followed her with Ardanwen. But after a while Adelbart called out, “Hey, we’re crossing the stream!”

  Now it was Lavinia who was walking behind; first across the stream and then quickly along little paths through the forest.

  “I feel as if we’re wandering around in circles,” Piak remarked. He looked back and called to Lavinia, “Fox! Please come and walk with us. We all know you’re going the same way as us.”

  “You’re right,” said Adelbart. “And would you like to put my coat around your shoulders, young master Fox? It’s not very elegant, but I suddenly realized you must be cold.”

  “That’s very kind, but no thank you,” said Lavinia. “I’m already dry, thanks to the speed we’re walking at. I don’t understand, Adelbart, how you can be so sure of the direction. I’d have got lost ages ago. And I’d keep stopping to look around in case someone was lying in ambush.”

  “Oh, I don’t really know the way either,” said Adelbart. “But I’m sure the Men in Green will come to us. If they don’t arrive soon, I’ll call for them.”

  That, however, did not prove necessary. Less than half an hour later, two Men in Green strode towards them, with two more following. With a gesture of their spears, they ordered them to stop.

  7 THE ENEMY

  Piak and Lavinia stood close together, nervously studying the men. They looked like fighters, but did not seem cruel.

  Adelbart placed one hand on his chest and said, “Giaruda!”

  “Giaruda!” replied one of the men, an expression of surprise on his face. But the others said nothing. They looked from Adelbart to Ardanwen and then from Ardanwen to Piak and Fox.

  “Giaruda,” said Adelbart again and then he cleared his throat. There was silence as they all stared at one another.

  “Tell them, Adelbart,” Piak said quietly, “about us being envoys, and everything else.”

  Adelbart began to speak their language, rather haltingly. The Men in Green listened to him with no expression on their faces.

  “Oh, I know very well that you understand my language, too!” Adelbart cried finally. “We are envoys from the mighty Lord of Mistrinaut and we have come to ask if you know anything about Sir Tiuri with the White Shield. We need to talk to Tehalon himself.”

  One of the men nodded and replied.

  “It seems Tehalon is nearby,” Adelbart whispered to Piak.

  Another man pointed at Ardanwen and said something.

  “He has been following this horse for some time,” Adelbart translated. “It was very skittish and kept escaping.”

  “This is Sir Tiuri’s horse!” Piak said loudly. “And I would like to know how it came to be here!”

  Adelbart was about to translate, but the Man in Green seemed to have understood, because he shrugged his shoulders, shook his head and indicated that they should go with him.

  “And I’m sure we have to obey, don’t we?” said Piak. The men nodded vigorously and said, “Tehalon.”

  “To Tehalon. Lead on, then,” said Adelbart.

  They walked for some time, at least a couple of hours. Little was said. Adelbart occasionally spoke to one of their escorts, but he hardly received any response, perhaps because he didn’t seem to have a very firm grasp of their language or maybe just because the Men in Green were not very talkative.

  Then another Man in Green suddenly appeared on the path.

  “Twarik!” Adelbart cried with delight.

  This Man in Green’s eyes widened in surprise. “Giaruda, Adelbart,” he said.

  Now there was plenty of talking – first by Adelbart and Twarik, and then by Adelbart and Piak. Twarik said Tehalon would definitely want to hear their story soon.

  “Have you heard anything about Tiuri?” asked Piak. The uncertainty was gnawing away at him and he’d gathered that Twarik could understand what he said.

  “Answer him, Twarik,” said Adelbart. “You can do it.”

  The Man in Green looked searchingly at Piak, glanced at Lavinia, and then spoke quietly in their language, “Tiuri and his friends are alive and well. But there is still a great threat of danger. The enemy is approaching. So follow me very quietly and let no one hear you. Not another word!” He turned around and walked ahead of them. Lavinia took hold of Piak’s hand; hers was as cold as ice. As quietly as possible, they went onwards; even Ardanwen’s hoofs made barely a sound.

  Finally, they saw the tower at the end of the path – a tower made of tree trunks, with people moving around on top. One of them waved twice, and Twarik immediately darted off the path. He beckoned at them to follow him through the wood. After a short while, he stopped beside a tree and signalled for them to tie Ardanwen to it. With a few whispered words, Piak made the horse understand that it should stay there quietly.

  A short drumroll came from the tower. Twarik leant in closer to Piak, Adelbart and Lavinia. “You can see him,” he whispered. “But, no matter what happens, remain silent!”

  They crept after him through the bushes and followed his example when he knelt on the ground. Cautiously, they peered through branches and leaves.

  Piak’s heart pounded with nervous excitement. He could see they were close to the tower; just the width of a path separated them from it. Only the bottom part of the tower was visible, though.

  Piak was between Lavinia and Adelbart, and Twarik was kneeling beside them. At first Piak thought there was no one else around, but when he surveyed the scene he spotted lots more Men in Green hiding in the undergrowth and up in the trees. The entire area around the tower was surrounded! He knew there were people up on the tower itself, too, but couldn’t hear them. He couldn’t hear anyone.

  What were they all waiting for? Twarik looked at him and put a finger to his lips.

  Someone was approaching – on a horse. Piak could hear him clearly and moments later he saw him, too. It was a knight, a knight in black armour on a big grey hors
e. A Black Knight with a Red Shield!

  The knight stopped at the watchtower and gazed up. The visor of his helmet was closed and he did not say a word. He appeared to be waiting for someone else to speak first.

  Then a loud voice boomed from the tower. “Giaruda,” the voice said, followed by a few sentences that Piak could not understand.

  The Black Knight replied; his voice was soft and melodious. And yet it still made Piak feel unpleasant, even though he didn’t know what was said.

  The unseen man up on the tower spoke again, and Piak pricked up his ears, because this time his own language was used – slowly and deliberately. “The three you are asking about are here, my lord. Why should they not be permitted to understand our words? Repeat your request.”

  Piak, Adelbart and Lavinia glanced at each other. Who were these “three”?

  “Very well, Tehalon,” said the Black Knight. “I have come to claim the prisoners who escaped from me. I note you have not concealed them; I see them up there on the tower with you. Why did you send away my riders, so that I was forced to come here myself?”

  “You know, my lord,” said the man up above, “that all strangers are forbidden to set foot in this part of the forest, do you not?”

  “Indeed, Tehalon,” said the knight. “And yet you have kept these three with you. They are not permitted to be here either! I claim them as my prisoners.”

  “Ah, but why are they your prisoners?” said Tehalon. “They succeeded in escaping, as is every prisoner’s right.”

  “As Lord of the Tarnburg I have the right to demand their return,” replied the Black Knight. “We agreed not to interfere in each other’s affairs, did we not? And so I ask you to hand them over to me.”

  “Prove your right to me,” Tehalon said calmly.

  The knight’s voice had a threatening tone when he replied, “You dare to ask too much! The first is one of my own men. The second is a fool, who has fled my territory once before and then was dimwitted enough to return. And with the third – with Tiuri – I am playing a game that is not yet finished.”

  From the tower came a sound like a sigh, followed by whispering. In the undergrowth, Piak and Lavinia held on tightly to each other.

  Tehalon said, “My lord, I cannot comply with your request.”

  The knight made an angry gesture, but Tehalon continued, raising his voice, “They came here three days after full moon. And by the new moon they will no longer be here. By then they will have stepped onto a hidden path… do I have to tell you which one? Do you not know the rites that take place on the shores of the Deep Lake? These three sealed their fate by stepping onto my soil on that particular day. They are my prisoners!”

  “What is the meaning of your words?” the Black Knight asked after a few moments of silence.

  “This,” said Tehalon. “The Deep Lake was once known as the Lake of Death. Do you think it no longer craves sacrifices?”

  The Black Knight made a soft, hissing sound. Then he spoke again, saying many words. But only a few got through to Piak.

  “And so they will die…”

  Piak felt like leaping to his feet and screaming, but managed to hold back. Lavinia slumped against him; for a moment he thought she’d fainted. Then Twarik leant over and put his hand over Piak’s mouth.

  “It’s not true!” he whispered. “Quiet!”

  Piak tried to pull away.

  “It’s not true,” repeated Twarik. “We are friends.”

  Piak couldn’t understand what was happening. It had all been too much of a shock.

  The Black Knight turned his horse and galloped away.

  “And he is the enemy,” said the Man in Green.

  8 TOGETHER AGAIN

  Twarik took Lavinia’s hands in his own and soothed her. Adelbart also leant over her. “It’s not true,” he said forcefully. “Don’t be afraid. It was a trick!”

  Dazed, Lavinia looked at each of them in turn. “Are you sure…?” she whispered.

  Twarik glanced over his shoulder at Piak and said, “Your friends are safe. Ask them yourselves, if you don’t believe it.”

  Piak worked his way through the undergrowth and headed for the tower. Two people were just climbing down; the first was a Man in Green, the second was Tiuri.

  Finally, the two friends were together again! They held on to each other’s hands and at first they could barely manage to say anything more than each other’s names.

  “Piak,” said Tiuri. “Piak… It’s really you!” He squeezed Piak’s hand and beamed at him.

  Piak took a good look at his friend; there were dark circles under his eyes, and his strange green clothes were torn and stained, but otherwise he was the same old Tiuri. “Is everything all right?” he asked. “You… you’re not really a prisoner, are you?”

  “Not anymore,” said Tiuri with a sigh. “You! Here! I wouldn’t have dared to hope…”

  “I had the fright of my life,” said Piak, suddenly feeling rather shaky. “That Black Knight…”

  “The knight believed what I told him,” said the Man in Green standing beside them. “Because he is wicked himself, he believes the same of others.”

  Piak realized this must be Tehalon.

  Now two others came to join them.

  “Marius!” Piak exclaimed happily. “And… Jaro?!”

  “Without Jaro we wouldn’t be here,” said Tiuri. Then they all started talking at once, excited, happy and emotional. Only Tehalon watched in silence.

  Adelbart walked over. “Fox doesn’t want to come out,” he whispered to Piak. Then he saw Tehalon and greeted him with respect.

  The Master of the Wild Wood addressed them. “What brings the two of you here?” he asked, looking at Piak and Adelbart.

  “We are envoys,” said Adelbart, “sent by the Lord of Mistrinaut.” He explained why they’d come, with Piak filling in some of the details.

  “The Lord of Mistrinaut!” Tiuri said, eyes gleaming. “And his men. That’s wonderful.” He turned to Tehalon and asked, “My lord, you surely do not mind if…”

  “I should like to speak to Rafox, the Lord of Mistrinaut,” said Tehalon. “To him alone. He must come immediately. He can be here soon if he comes on horse. But his men are not to enter my territory.”

  “The Black Knight also knows they are on the way,” said Tiuri, with a frown. “Because of your drums…” He looked at Piak and continued, “Of course, you don’t understand much of what is going on. I need to speak to the Lord of Mistrinaut as soon as possible. But the enemy must not suspect that he knows anything about what is happening in this forest… So have Lord Rafox command his men to go to the east, as if that is their goal. They must withdraw from this part of the wood immediately, or they will meet the same fate as Sir Ristridin and his men. Under no circumstances should they go to the south, not yet at least.”

  “What is in the south?” asked Piak.

  “In the south is the Tarnburg, with a thousand armed men,” replied Tiuri. “Most of them are Red Riders.”

  “And the Black Knight with the Red Shield?” whispered Piak.

  “He is their leader – the King of Eviellan.”

  Less than ten minutes later, Adelbart was on his way back to the camp, accompanied by Twarik. They were to make sure that Lord Rafox would join them with all haste.

  “The King of Eviellan!” said Piak. “Were you his prisoner? How… how did he treat you?”

  “He… played chess with me,” replied Tiuri.

  “He never did!” said Piak.

  “Oh yes, he did, my friend,” said the Fool. “They played every night. But we used the file, too, and on the third day we ran away, with him, Jaro.”

  “Tell me everything,” said Piak.

  Then he thought of something. Lavinia… where had she got to? And Ardanwen? He wasn’t supposed to say anything about Lavinia, but…

  “Oh, Tiuri,” he said. “We found Ardanwen. He was wandering around the forest. However did he…” He fell silent when he saw
Tiuri’s face.

  “A-Ardanwen?” Tiuri stammered. “But that’s impossible. He…”

  “He was wandering around the forest and we brought him here,” said Piak.

  “Ardanwen? But I thought he was dead,” whispered Tiuri.

  “He’s alive – and kicking. Truly!” cried Piak. “Come with me. I’ll show you.”

  But a Man in Green was already approaching with the horse. Tiuri froze. Ardanwen whinnied, pulled away from his escort, and raced towards his master. Tiuri ran to meet him and a moment later they were greeting each other.

  “The wicked knight lied,” said the Fool. “I told you, didn’t I? The black horse ran away and they couldn’t catch him.”

  Tiuri threw his arms around Ardanwen’s neck and buried his face in his long mane.

  “So,” said Jaro to Piak in his usual grumpy tone, “how does it feel to have such good friends and an unexpected reunion?”

  That reminded Piak of Lavinia again and he looked around to see if he could spot her. Tehalon came over to him and said in a low voice, “Your third travelling companion is safe in the care of Lian, Twarik’s wife. But she wants to see your friends only from a distance.”

  “Oh yes, I understand,” said Piak quietly. “You see, Tiuri’s not supposed to know she’s here.”

  “Why not?” asked Tehalon. “Is it because she’s a woman?”

  “Yes, my lord,” said Piak. “That’s why.”

  “A foolish reason,” said Tehalon. “But that is her business… Come on,” he continued, “call your friends and withdraw to the tower. You are my guests, but I want to have you all in one place and within my sight. I shall say no more until the Lord of Mistrinaut arrives.”

  “Tehalon wouldn’t let you go?” said Piak. “So what’s he up to now? Has he changed his mind?”

  They were up on the tower – Tiuri and Piak, Jaro and the Fool. A Man in Green was sitting in one corner beside the drum, but he did not join in with their conversation.