The Secrets of the Wild Wood

  Then the fighters saw smoke rising above the trees and a red glow in the west. There came a cry: “The forest is on fire!”

  Ristridin saw Tehalon’s face, dirty, stained, with glinting eyes.

  “Eviellan has moved into the Kingdom of Unauwen,” he said. “But the king has left my wood in flames!”

  “The forest is on fire!” whispered Tiuri. He groaned as he tossed and turned. Piak spoke to him in calming tones, but none of his words reached his friend. For days, he had been in a delirious fever, which persisted in spite of all the good care he received. Piak had barely moved from his friend’s bedside, even though there were plenty of others who wanted to watch him. The lady of the castle often sat with Tiuri, and the physician, an old monk, came several times a day. He always gave encouraging responses whenever Piak asked what he thought of Tiuri’s condition. But it was obvious that he was not telling the truth. The patient was not improving. On the contrary, he was clearly becoming weaker. Piak wished for the presence of Sir Ardian; he felt that he would be able to help his friend recover. But Ardian was with the soldiers at the foot of the mountains. Every day, more armed men came from the west to join them. They rode past the Castle of Vorgóta to the place where the attack could be expected any time now.

  “They are on the way and they will be here soon,” said Tiuri in a clear voice. His eyes were wide open, but there was no recognition in his gaze. “They set the forest on fire,” he continued in a whisper. “Can’t you feel it? Can’t you smell it? Everything scorched, burnt…” His voice faded into an unintelligible murmur.

  Piak soaked a cloth in water and carefully dabbed his friend’s face. That calmed him, as it always did. But a few moments later it started again.

  “Now they’re beating the gong. Listen!”

  The Vorgóta Gong always pursued Tiuri in his fever dreams, and stopped him from sleeping soundly for even a minute.

  “Tiuri!” said Piak, almost pleading with him. “Listen to me. The gong is silent. Silent!”

  “No,” whispered Tiuri. “I can hear it.” He closed his eyes and mumbled, “One, two… Two times.”

  Worried, Piak watched him. His friend looked exhausted, grimacing with pain, as if the sound of the gong were too much for him to bear.

  Then he heard it, too. Once, and then again… twice! He thought for a moment he must be imagining it, influenced by Tiuri’s words. But then he realized that someone really had banged upon the Vorgóta Gong.

  And that could mean only one thing: the attack had begun!

  Can they hear the sound everywhere? wondered Tiuri. The wind carries the echoes of the gong all the way to the sea, the sea where the sun sets…

  He felt as if he were in a dungeon; through a barred window he saw shadows flitting past, men with spears and bows. The Red Riders were moving along the Road of Ambuscade; the battle was in progress and he could not take part.

  Suddenly, though, the dungeon vanished and he was standing on a huge chessboard that stretched out in every direction. He was all alone, but the sound of battle went on. Then a figure approached, striding across the black and white squares – the closer he came, the larger he grew: the Black Knight with the Red Shield!

  “Now,” he said, “Sir Tiuri and I will finish our game. I am the king.”

  Then other figures appeared on the board, all of them life-size. And they were alive, too… There were pawns with black caps on their heads and horses carrying Red Riders. And as Tiuri stood there in the middle of the chessboard, unable to move, they came closer – an army that meant to trample him underfoot.

  Behind him he heard others but he could not turn to see who they were.

  A horn sounded. With a sob of joy, he recognized it as Sir Ristridin’s silver horn. That broke the enchantment; now he could move and see which army was approaching from the other side. Knights with white shields!

  The chessboard transformed into the Road of Ambuscade. Again he had to fight with the guards at the pass and he relived those moments of horror. Then the battle flared up again and raged for a long time.

  Tiuri heard not only the ever-ringing gong, but also the same sounds as Piak, who was sitting at his bedside: shouts and crashes and the hiss of boiling pitch.

  The Castle of Vorgóta was under attack.

  After a while Tiuri realized the soldiers were gone. But the forest was still burning and he had to flee from the heat of the flames. He found himself on the shores of the Deep Lake.

  He leant forward; finally there was coolness, and under the water he would no longer hear the gong. He saw his reflection… no, it was Lavinia beckoning to him. He held out his hand, but the water rippled and her face disappeared. Someone else took hold of his hand and wouldn’t let go, dragging him into the depths… Or were they pulling him up, away from the coolness and silence, back to the heat and the horror?

  Then someone grabbed hold of him and called out, “Tiuri, Tiuri!”

  Through a smoky red haze, he saw Piak’s face, and it was Piak who was saying to him, “Tiuri, can you hear me?”

  He tried to hold on to his friend and did his best to understand his words. But he could not, and darkness enveloped him.

  “Tiuri, Tiuri!” said Piak. “Eviellan has been driven back! Tiuri, can you hear me?”

  But Tiuri was beyond his reach again. It seemed as if he were wandering elsewhere, watching events that Piak could neither hear nor see.

  Tiuri was at the Black River, with Sir Ristridin, Lord Rafox and his father. He saw the High Bridge again, and he watched as it collapsed. Smouldering sections of the bridge dropped into the swirling water far below, where they were swept along by the river and disappeared.

  6 WAKING UP

  The water of the river swirled and whirled; it raced in his ears and, through it all, he heard the echo of the Vorgóta Gong.

  Tiuri tried to swim but he could barely manage; he was dashed against cruel rocks and the pain made it hard for him to move. But he had to get to the other side, away from the Tarnburg, and flee from the Black Knight with the Red Shield. It was night and the crests of the water were white with moonlight. He heard a voice – was it the Black Knight calling him?

  He opened his eyes; it was still dark. A dim light illuminated a face that was looking at him. The King of Eviellan! The game of chess had to be finished, for life or death… Or was he mistaken? Was it Prince Iridian who was sitting opposite him?

  No, he saw now that it was neither Prince Iridian nor the King of Eviellan. It was Sir Ardian, the toll master from the Rainbow River. But he had no money to pay the toll…

  Now it was as if he were swimming again, but he could still see the toll master’s face. He had to reach the other side, but the river was wide and the current was strong.

  “I’m drowning!” he panted.

  “No, you’re not,” said the toll master. “You can swim, can’t you? Keep going.”

  Tiuri did as he was told. Suddenly the water calmed and he could drift along. Someone laid a hand on his forehead; he opened his eyes again and saw that Sir Ardian was still sitting beside him. But now he realized he was lying in bed. There was candlelight, and behind Ardian’s head he saw an open window and a sky full of stars. It was very quiet; finally the Vorgóta Gong was silent.

  He sighed and slowly moved his head. Then he saw Piak, who was staring at him; his eyes seemed big and dark.

  “Piak…” whispered Tiuri.

  His friend smiled and the sonorous voice of the toll master spoke, “You have returned to us, Tiuri.”

  Yes, it felt as if he’d been far away and had survived dangers that he remembered only vaguely now. And he was tired, so tired. His eyes closed again, he felt fingers on his wrist and heard Piak whisper, “Sleep well.” And then he slept.

  “Lavinia…” mumbled Tiuri. It was not Lavinia, though, but another lady who was leaning over him.

  He looked up at her. Her face was beautiful and kind, but she was older than Lavinia and wore a headdress, so she must be married
. Her gown was grey, as if she were in mourning.

  “You are awake,” she said. “Good morning to you!”

  “Good morning,” he whispered. “Who are you?”

  “I am the Lady of Vorgóta,” she replied. “How are you feeling now? You are still weak, of course, but your eyes are bright. Soon you must have something to eat and then you can go back to sleep.”

  “Am I in the Castle of Vorgóta?” asked Tiuri. “How long have I been here? Where is Piak?”

  “I have sent your friend to bed,” said the lady of the castle. “But you will see him soon enough.”

  “He’s here already!” came Piak’s voice, and a second later he was beside Tiuri’s bed. “You’re wide awake!” he said, his eyes gleaming.

  “I thought you were sleeping, Piak,” said the lady.

  “Oh, my lady, I couldn’t go to bed straightaway,” said Piak apologetically. “I wanted to say goodbye to Sir Ardian and…”

  “Sir Ardian…” mumbled Tiuri. “I dreamt about him.”

  “That was not a dream,” said Piak. “He was here last night and he took a look at you early this morning, too, but you were asleep.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and gave his friend a searching look. “No fever now,” he said. “What about the pain?”

  “Barely…” began Tiuri.

  “No, don’t move,” Piak said, interrupting him. “You have to lie still until you’re completely better. May I feed him, my lady? You already have so much to do.”

  The lady smiled and gave him the bowl of bread and milk before leaving the room.

  “Adelbart did this for me when I was sick in the Forgotten City,” said Piak, as he fed Tiuri. “But that was nothing compared to you.”

  “How long have I been lying here?” Tiuri asked between two mouthfuls.

  “Over a week,” replied Piak. He thought for a moment and then added, “It’s been nine days since you hit the gong.”

  “That long?” whispered Tiuri. “What… what has happened in all that time?”

  “Eviellan has been defeated,” said Piak. “Well, no, maybe that’s overstating it. But the attack from the mountains failed. Many men were killed; the rest fled.”

  “Where to?” asked Tiuri.

  “Over the mountains back to the east. Sir Ardian has gone after them. He got here yesterday and left this morning.”

  “Ah!” sighed Tiuri. “I’d have liked to see him again.”

  “What good fortune that he happened to be in Vorgóta when we arrived,” said Piak. “He was visiting the lady here and did not intend to stay for long. There is no knight in this castle; he perished last year in the Southerly Mountains. Have you had enough to eat?”

  “Oh yes,” said Tiuri.

  Piak plumped up Tiuri’s pillows and said, “I think Sir Ardian is the best knight I know. Although Rafox is also very nice. And brave.”

  Rafox… what had happened in the Wild Wood? Tiuri closed his eyes and for a moment he saw vague images from his feverish visions. But Piak chased them away by asking with concern, “Have I tired you out with my talking?”

  “Not at all,” said Tiuri. “Tell me more.”

  “No, I won’t say anything else,” said Piak. “You know now that you were in time…”

  “That we were in time,” whispered Tiuri.

  “Fine. You can hear everything else later. First you need to rest.”

  “You’re right, Piak,” said the lady of the castle, coming back into the room. “And now you can get yourself off to bed, too.”

  Tiuri saw that his friend wasn’t looking too well either. “Oh, Piak! I’m sorry…” he began.

  But Piak just laughed. “We’re going to sleep so well!” he said. “No more worries to keep us awake or give us nightmares. Sweet dreams!”

  Tiuri recovered. The fever did not return and every day he grew stronger. But the physician told him that he had to lie in bed for a few more days before he was allowed to try sitting up and walking. Piak spent as much time as possible with him, but he was also kept busy with work in and about the castle.

  Gradually Tiuri came to hear about everything that had happened to the west of the Great Mountains while he had been ill. There had been no news at all from the east as yet. He heard how the army of Red Riders had come storming down from the mountains, and how they had been stopped by the forewarned men of the Kingdom of Unauwen, under the command of Sir Ardian. It was strange, though, that the King of Eviellan had not led his army himself. So it was suspected that the attack had indeed begun prematurely and they had not been entirely prepared. Even so, the fighting had been heavy. The enemy had even reached as far as the castle and had tried to capture it. The siege had lasted only a couple of days, though. Piak had even stood up on the battlements, throwing down pitch and rocks. When Sir Ardian returned, the besiegers had fled. The knight had been able to stay for only a short while, “but,” said Piak, “he sat by your bedside all night.”

  “As did you – almost all the time I was ill,” said Tiuri quietly. “The lady told me so.”

  “Of course I did,” said Piak. “And it’s proved useful that I know how to take care of sick people.”

  Many of those wounded in the battle were now at the castle, and Piak and others were helping the lady to look after them.

  Tiuri could do nothing now but wait patiently to regain his health. At times it felt like a very long wait indeed, although he did not let it show. Piak sometimes stared at him thoughtfully. He could see that Tiuri had changed again. No, that was not entirely true; he was still the same old Tiuri, and yet there was something different about him. He didn’t know quite how to put it into words.

  “My goodness!” said Piak, ten days later. “Look how you’ve grown! You’re almost a head taller than me. But you’re as thin as a rake,” he added.

  “That will change soon enough,” said Tiuri cheerfully. It was so wonderful to be able to walk around again, to feel that he was alive and healthy! He walked to the window of their room and looked longingly outside, at the mountains in the east. “We will leave soon,” he said. “The physician has told me I can travel the day after tomorrow, if I take it easy and don’t become involved in any fighting for the time being. Which is fine by me, and as I’ve lost my sword anyway…”

  Piak came to stand beside him and said, “You can have mine.”

  “The sword King Unauwen gave you?” cried Tiuri. “I have fought with it, but I could never keep it.” And he continued in a quieter voice, “I lost my sword when I was captured, but one day I will have another.”

  Neither of them had noticed the door opening.

  “That’s right!” said a voice behind them. “And it is not the sword that matters, but the hand that holds it.”

  The two friends turned around in surprise. “Tirillo!” they both cried.

  The jester stepped into the room, followed by the lady of the castle.

  “Ah, why am I always greeted with astonishment?” he said. “Is there such a lack of fools in this world?” His tone was light, but his eyes were full of warmth as he shook their hands.

  The lady of the castle said, “Tirillo is here as an envoy from King Unauwen.”

  “I do not come with a letter or message,” said the jester. “I have only to say two words on behalf of King Unauwen. And those words are: ‘Thank you!’ There are many words to be added, and perhaps you will hear them at some point, but that is all fancy frippery. One day you will meet King Unauwen again. He has left his city and is now at the Rainbow River, awaiting news from east and south. I think, though, that it will be some time before you see him, as I have heard that you wish to return home soon.”

  “Yes,” replied Tiuri after a moment’s pause. “Back to the Kingdom of Dagonaut… to the Wild Wood.”

  “When are you leaving?” asked the jester.

  Piak looked at Tiuri and answered, “He wants to leave as soon as possible, if not sooner, but…”

  “I told you the physician approves, didn’t I?” Ti
uri said, interrupting him. “I’ll go as soon as I’m allowed, and that’s the day after tomorrow.”

  “Then I shall travel with you,” said the jester.

  “Excellent!” said Piak.

  The jester smiled. “You and I will make sure Tiuri takes care of himself,” he said. “I can understand that he does not want to wait any longer. I, too, am sorry that I could not take part in the great battle at the side of my knight, Prince Iridian.”

  “Great battle?” repeated the two friends.

  Tirillo told them that the armies of Eviellan had invaded from the south, on the same day that the Castle of Vorgóta was besieged. The crown prince had led Unauwen’s army in the Battle of the Gorge in the Southerly Mountains. “The reports we received are incomplete and confused,” he said, “but one thing is sure: Prince Iridian repelled the enemy. And if I come with you, perhaps I shall meet him, somewhere in the Wild Wood.”

  “In the Wild Wood?” said Piak.

  “The warning about the other, more dangerous attack through the pass was heard by Unauwen’s men in the south as well,” said Tirillo. “So I think the prince will soon head for the Kingdom of Dagonaut, down the Third Great Road, along the Grey River. You were the first to bring the message of the stronghold in the Wild Wood. But you were not the only ones. Sir Bendu arrived a little later with the same message.”