Roger Taylor - The waking of Orthlund

For a moment, Andawyr seemed about to flare up at this opposition, but Oslang’s gaze allowed no such excess. Gradually, the little man’s face relaxed and he slumped slightly. ‘Yes, I suppose you’re right,’ he said resignedly. ‘I’m sorry. It was just a passing thought.’ Then he stuck out his bottom lip pensively. ‘Even so, we may have no alternative one day,’ he said quietly.

Oslang grunted. ‘We’ll talk about it on that day, then,’ he said firmly, laying a reassuring hand on Andawyr’s shoulder.

He was relieved. Their brief confrontation had been oddly harrowing, but at last Andawyr had voiced his hitherto unspoken fears and desires, and that was highly significant. Mundanely, he said, ‘Now perhaps you’d like to do what you came here for, and check our work. You’ve been putting it off for long enough and I’ve been very uneasy about it. We can’t afford the risk of it escaping, especially today.’

Andawyr nodded and began looking round the al-cove intently. The bird’s frenzy heightened, but he ignored it. Then, seemingly satisfied, he turned his attention to the rest of the room, starting with the door.

As he reached it, there was a scratching noise and a voice called his name. He opened the door and the sinuous brown form of a felci slid in.

‘Kristabel,’ Andawyr said delightedly, kneeling down on the hard floor. With her tail as a counterbalance, the felci stood on her hind legs so that she was face to face with him. She cocked her head on one side, then reaching out with her forepaw she took his nose between her powerful claws and shook it gently.

‘Andawyr,’ she said, her voice deep and rich, and full of affection, though slightly ironic. ‘I thought the nose was familiar.’ Then her lip went back, revealing her formidable, rock-chewing teeth, and her silvery chattering laugh filled the room.

Andawyr gently cupped her head in his hands. ‘Are you better?’ he said anxiously.

‘Yes,’ she drawled, disparagingly. ‘A lot of fuss about nothing. I’ve been rocked worse than that. It was only a thin vein I went through, that’s why I didn’t notice it until it was too late.’

Andawyr’s face was pained. The felci were subterra-nean creatures with teeth and claws that could burrow through almost any rock. The thin vein that Kristabel referred to was cyffspar, a strange contaminant of unknown origin which in small quantities caused the felcis to hallucinate, and in larger quantities caused a convulsive and unpleasant death. It was, however, found only near the surface and as such was rarely encoun-tered by the deep-burrowing animals.

‘You were very fortunate,’ Andawyr said. ‘You’re not normally so careless. What drew you so close to the surface?’

Kristabel dropped on to all fours and scuttled around the room. ‘No idea,’ she said, offhandedly. ‘Just following my nose. Still it was all for the best, wasn’t it? You were in a mess when they brought you back.’

‘I’m in your debt, Kristabel,’ Andawyr said seriously. The felci chattered to herself and, muttering ‘Silly man,’ stood on her hind legs to peer into the alcove.

‘Oh dear,’ she said, before Andawyr could pursue the matter, her voice heavy with irony. ‘Still here, I see.’ She chattered provocatively at the bird and thrust out a paw towards it. In the blue light her teeth glinted malevolently and her eyes turned into black pits. Unexpectedly the bird, still frantic, retreated to the back of the alcove. ‘I think that’s the last time you’re going to be allowed to go to the Gretmearc alone, young man,’ she continued, then, laughing: ‘Such trouble you caused with your pet. Who’s a naughty boy, then?’

Oslang intervened before Andawyr could rise to the felci’s bait. ‘The defences,’ he said significantly, pointing his thumb at the trapped bird.

Andawyr nodded and continued the inspection that Kristabel’s arrival had interrupted. ‘They’re excellent,’ he said finally. ‘You’ve all done a very good job.’

Oslang smiled.

‘However… ’ Andawyr continued, lifting his hand.

‘Keep away from my seal,’ Oslang said sternly.

Andawyr looked at him reproachfully. ‘However,’ he repeated, ‘a touch here,’ amp;mdashhe ran his hand around the edge of the alcove, Oslang watching him intently amp;mdash‘and here, should do it.’ He stood back.

Slowly the flickering blue light steadied and the bird closed its eyes and became motionless. Kristabel made a disparaging noise and dropped back on to the floor.

‘That’s better, isn’t it?’ Andawyr said. ‘And I’ll add my seal to yours if you wish. Just to make sure none of us fall into temptation.’

Oslang ran his hand around the alcove as Andawyr had done. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ he said, his voice awed. ‘You could undo and reseal my work and I’d never know.’ He turned to Andawyr. ‘This work is amazing. How… ’

Andawyr’s hand rose to silence him. ‘I’ve taught you all I can,’ he said. ‘You yourself have improved beyond measure even in this short time, but I can’t give you the experiences I had to face. Just keep learning and you’ll keep improving.’ His manner became very serious. ‘Trust me, Oslang. Everyone is stronger now than I was when I was tested. Should you be so tested yourself, you’ll not find yourself wanting.’

Before Oslang could reply, Andawyr turned to Kristabel. ‘What did you want, my dear?’ he asked.

‘Nothing at all,’ the felci replied. ‘But they do.’ She looked upwards. ‘They’re all sitting around waiting for you, like little schoolchildren. I do think it’s sweet the way they all follow you around. They’re so excited.’

Andawyr levelled a cautionary finger at her. ‘Be-have,’ he said sternly, opening the door. The felci laughed again and scurried out into the passageway.

As she loped off, another felci appeared from a side passage and deliberately bowled her over. There was a brief scurrying scuffle which ended with the two animals running off, side by side, laughing uncontrollably.

Andawyr watched them until they disappeared from sight, leaving only the lingering echo of their distant laughter. He shook his head. ‘They’re marvellous,’ he said, smiling.

‘But?’ Oslang caught the doubt in his leader’s voice.

Andawyr’s smile broadened. ‘But I can never escape the feeling that they regard us as pets,’ he said. ‘Kept here for their entertainment.’

Oslang affected a worldly indifference. ‘Oh, is that all?’ he said. ‘Personally I’ve never had any doubts about that whatsoever.’

The atmosphere in the Work Hall was charged with expectation. The only members of the Cadwanol who were not present were those who had been given the responsibility of manning the Caves’ physical defences, and for the most part, these were the younger members of the Order.

The ceiling of the hall was domed, rising up in con-trast to the floor, which consisted of tiers of broad steps tapering gradually downwards to end in a small central circular area. The whole was simple, restful and focussed.

Three sloping aisles radiated up from the central area and it was down one of these that Andawyr strode purposefully.

Reaching the centre, he looked round at his waiting brothers. By tradition, when the Order met formally, no one occupied the first tier. Thus the leader would be set beneath all those who had chosen him.

As he turned round, he held out his hands, palms upwards. ‘These recent weeks have seen profound changes in us all,’ he began. ‘I think now that I’ve taught you such of my own new knowledge, my new under-standing, as can be taught in so short a time. More, I suspect, can be learned only through the passage of time or through terrible individual trial. Neither of those fall within my gift.’