Chapter 15

Chapter 15

After the rain

The most striking thing immediately after the rain was the quiet. From the noise of battle; clangs, crashes, screams and groans to sudden silence and stillness. No flyers were singing and not a creature stirred. Eventually the Norsonians moved themselves and began the awful process of checking through the injured and dead; but there was still an abnormal quiet surrounding everything, the only sounds were soft groans from the injured Norsonian warriors and the gentle voices of their comrades trying to comfort them.

It was true to say that the Norsonians were in a state of deep shock and by that eve, most sat around the camp in Storbenn wood talking in hushed voices about the past two days.

After the initial relief at having defeated the Tarken, the terrible truth dawned that some fifty Norsonians, someone’s family, friends or neighbours had been killed in the battle. There were easily one hundred injured, but thankfully most of those were cuts and burns. It could have been far worse had the battle continued any longer.

Lilly was exhausted, she had flown back to the camp carrying the unconscious Morii late that afternoon and Sardor had patched his leg and spooned a special herb drink into Morii’s mouth to help build his strength for he had lost much blood. Morii was now sleeping.

Pel was being kept sedated by another herbal concoction and had small wooden splints strapped to his back and one leg. As Lilly sat by the brave little creature’s bed, all she could do was stroke his fur and give him a gentle kiss on his forehead. Gleryn had stayed by Pel’s side and was looking equally exhausted. Lilly insisted that she get some rest and Gleryn reluctantly left.

Lilly sat by Pel for a while longer before walking the entire camp, mardling to everyone and trying her best to listen as people related their own stories of the battle. She visited the injured and was relieved to find that most were responding very well to Sardor’s treatments. Only five seemed to be seriously hurt and were, like Morii and Pel being kept sedated.

The Wyvern and the rest of the flyers had gone back to the Kort after checking with Lilly that they were no longer needed. Lilly had thanked them all and had been very glad to note that there had been no casualties among those creatures.

At the jailors pavilion Lilly found Jokam and the others overseeing more than a dozen Tarken, sitting on the ground chained by their feet to a huge stake in the centre of the compound. Gruen, Grodal and the other five friendly Tarken were there also and deep in conversation with the captured Tarken.

As Jokam unlocked the gate in the palisade wall to let Lilly in, she asked him what was happening.

‘Ah Lady Lilly, yer Tarken friends there be tryin to tell them others that there be no sense in fighting any more. Some of them others were picked up sneaking around the far side of Storbenn marsh and King Litan did say that he feared they be the ones who tried to take the Gamray. The others were captured when they tried to storm the town.’ Jokam said with a shake of his head.

Lilly looked toward the Tarken group and realised just how big and tall the Tarken actually were in comparison with Norsonian folk.

‘Yay Jokam, they probably are the same Tarken that tried to take Gamray. Does anyone know if there are any more of them wandering around out there?’ she asked quietly.

Jokam frowned and replied in a hushed voice, ‘the one named Grodal do say no, Lady Lilly. He say that there be Tarken women folk and youngers and olders way off into the Drylands, maybe ten day and eve’s walk away, but they do be the only Tarken warriors left in the whole of Nors Wuld. Just the nineteen of em.’

Lilly was quite shocked for a moment, it hadn’t occurred to her that the Tarken might have wives and children…or mothers and fathers for that matter. She had only ever seen warriors at the camps she and Morii had visited.

She looked up at Jokam and with a sigh told him, ‘see that they are comfortable and fed kind Jokam and ye better keep Grodal and the others here for the rest of the eve…for their own safety, I’m not sure that everyone in the camp knows that they helped us yet. I will come to mardle with ye, and them, in the morn if that please ye.’

‘That do please Jokam well enough my Lady and I will see to yer orders,’ the big man replied unlocking the gate within the palisade wall to let Lilly out.

At last Lilly returned to her command headquarters where she saw Wilf, Tryp and Edie waiting for her. Edie was crying and Tryp was trying to comfort her.

‘Lady Lilly,’ Wilf looked very downcast as he bowed a small bow. Lilly felt her heart miss a beat, something was dreadfully wrong here.

‘We have to report to ye sad news.’ Wilf continued, ‘the woman Min, do be no more, she fell in battle and so did our scholar knight sister, our dear Godda…she be taken by a Tarken spear as we made for Storbenn gate and two more brothers of the scholar knights, Dervit and Bearii were also lost in the battle.’ Wilf looked sadly at Tryp and Edie. ‘We do know that the rest of us scholar knights be here, there be a few cuts and wounds but only the Lord Morii and Pel the Squib have serious injuries and we be grateful and thank Gamray for that.’

Lilly felt the colour drain from her face. Poor, dear Min, sweet, kind Godda and Lilly could remember the two brothers, who actually were brothers; two red headed boys. Lilly could hardly believe the news she was hearing. She looked at the tearstained faces of the others and at their cuts and bruises. She went to them and they all stood in a huddle, their heads bowed and touching and their arms around one another, no one spoke.

They stayed like that for a long while that eve, until they found the strength to begin to talk about their dear missing friends.

Morn came and the camp slowly began to stir. Lilly had eventually fallen asleep, with Wilf, Tryp and Edie in the command headquarters some time in the early morn, they didn’t want to leave each other that eve and all slept on the furs. Now Lilly awoke and within moments wished she hadn’t. The memories of the previous day came washing back into her head. All she felt was an overwhelming sadness. Quietly she left the others sleeping and headed over to the hospitaler pavilions.

Sardor greeted her with a gentle smile and beckoned to her. He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled aside a curtain. Morii was sitting up on a low bed eating a bowl of fruit.

‘Morii!’ Lilly exclaimed and rushed over to her friend. ‘Ye look so much better, do ye have much pain?’ Lilly sat on the end of the bed. Morii smiled at her and held his hand out to Lilly, she took hold of it. ‘Lilly ye did save my life, yay and my brother the Gamray…are ye well?’ he asked her with a look of concern at Lilly’s sad face.

‘Yay Morii, I am well but also sad,’ she replied and she proceeded to tell Morii all that had happened.

Sometime later, after Morii had done his best to comfort Lilly, she left her friend to rest and went in search of Jokam.

The Tarken were as she’d left them last eve, all in a little group in the centre of the compound. Lilly went and sat on the ground with them. Grodal, Gruen and the others told Lilly they understood her reasoning for their being confined to the jail pavilion. Now Gruen spoke for them all.

‘Tark…My Lady,’ he began, ‘Tark…we be all in agreement…tark…to swear allegiance to…tark…the Gamray, the Lord Morii, yerself, my Lady…tark…and all Norsonians, to live in peace…tark…from this day…tark…onwards, if ye will allow us to return…tark…to our families…tark…who we be not seein…tark…these many long eve’s…tark. This we beg ye…tark…in the name of Gamray…tark…and that be true…tark.’ Gruen then bent down on one knee and bowed his head to Lilly as did all the other Tarken.

Lilly stood up, looked around at them and sighed. ‘Tis a shame for all who died that ye did not think like this before,’ she replied sadly. Grodal nodded his head and asked Lilly, ‘Tark…if I may speak my Lady…tark?’ Lilly told him, ‘go ahead Grodal.’ Grodal stood up.

 ‘Tark…we be under the spell…tark…of old King Trock…tark…for many a day…tark. He do have a most badly way about him…tark…and we Tarken did forget…tark…any kindly way of being…tark…til Gruen here did remind us…tark… that we Tarken were not always so bad…tark.  We have asked Gruen…tark…to lead us from here in…tark…and he have agreed. No more Kings…tark…for the Tarken lands…tark. We ask ye to let us be. We do know there have been…tark…much sadness…tark…we too have lost many brothers…tark.’

Lilly looked at the only Tarken warriors left in the whole of Nors Wuld and in spite of everything, suddenly felt very sorry for them. ‘I cannot make that decision on my own Grodal, but I will tell the Lord Morii, King Litan and the Gamray of yer request.’ she answered. The Tarken all bowed their heads again and Lilly left, thanking Jokam on the way out.

Lilly went to find Gleryn in her make-shift kitchens. Gleryn had been to check on Pel and her Lord Morii as soon as she had woken and was now cooking large quantities of morn food for everyone.

No sooner had Lilly stepped through the curtained door, than did Gleryn throw her arms around Lilly and hug her tightly. ‘Ye poor child my Lady, ye do have much to bear and that be true.’ Gleryn said with a tear in her eye. They stood and hugged for a moment and then Gleryn made Lilly sit at a small table, while she fetched her a bowl of creamy rice pudding with something like blue berries sprinkled on the top. Lilly had forgotten entirely about food, but after one spoonful she realised how hungry she was. The pudding really was very good and amazingly comforting. Lilly started to feel much better and was just thinking of what she should do next when a commotion started up somewhere outside.

Lilly, Gleryn and the others in the kitchen pavilion all moved to the doorway. Gleryn got there first and clamped a hand to her mouth in utter surprise, her large brown eyes stared in disbelief. Lilly squeezed past everyone and her jaw dropped open in amazement.

In the clearing in the centre of the Storbenn wood camp, stood four liveried Kort workers and four of Gamray’s aides. They held between them a kind of platform or litter, on which sat the Gamray, eyes closed and cross legged on his golden cushion. They were just lowering the litter to the floor as Lilly stepped into the clearing. Gamray sat for a moment and then slowly opened his eyes.

A huge crowd of Norsonians had begun to gather, including Morii, who was being helped out of the hospitalers pavilion by Perl and Leryn. Lilly and everyone else suddenly knew they were supposed to sit down on the grass. There was absolute silence now, even the flyers in the trees had stopped singing. Everyone looked expectantly at the Gamray.

Leekan the Gamray began to float up into the air. There was a bright turquoise blue aura all around him. When he had reached a height where he could see over everyone, he raised both of his small hands, palms upturned slowly towards the sky. A soft vibrating note began somewhere above their heads, rising and swelling into a full choir of voices, filling the clearing and wood with the most beautiful sung music anyone had ever heard. The song was enchanting and Lilly could feel her eyes closing and all her cares and sadness lifting from her.

The clearing was packed with around three hundred Norsonians all sitting on the grass, eyes closed facing the little Gamray. All who could be moved were brought from the hospitalers pavilion, everyone was listening to the beautiful noise and smiling.

Lilly wasn’t sure how long they had been listening to the Gamray’s music, but now she could hear him in her head.

‘Lilly my dearest friend and saviour. I did not let ye know of my arrival as I want ye to be part of the comforting. I come here to try to heal ye all as best I can. Ye will still feel the hurt of yer friends and loved ones passing and yay, ye will still have yer wounds, but the song of love will stay in yer hearts and minds for many day’s and ease what ye have to do and attend to. Yer wounds will be no more than a graze and those that have lost a loved one will have comfort in knowing they are in Valhalla with old Gamray. I leave it to ye Lilly to tell my children of Norsonia that they have my love and blessings for all days. I will see ye Lilly when ye arrive back at Kort and please, tell the Tarken they have Gamray’s forgiveness and blessing for their safe return to their families in the Drylands.’

With that Lilly was sure she felt the softest kiss upon her forehead, but she could not move or open her eyes.

Sometime later, after what felt like a really good nights sleep, Lilly opened her eyes. All around her were Norsonians, all with closed eyes and serene expressions on their smiling faces. Lilly got gently to her feet and walked to the spot where Gamray had been. He was no longer in the wood, but she could feel the energy rising from the ground beneath her feet, like a warm breeze. Slowly the folk started to wake and gaze around them, they looked to Lilly expectantly.

After a little while Lilly said, ‘Gamray says ye have his love and blessings for all days. Go now, ye are healed of the worst and Gamray has lightened yer hearts. We will clear this wood and begin our task of putting Storbenn town to rights. Thank ye people and creatures of speech of Norsonia, for all ye have won and lost for the sake of Norsonia.’ Lilly did a little bow and left the silent folk in the clearing.

The next few hours were oddly calm and very busy. Everyone seemed to know exactly what was needed of them without having to be told. Folk got on with the clearing, tidying up and packing away and although they still had a little sadness in their eyes, they knew in their hearts that their loved ones and friends were happy with old Gamray in Valhalla. It was almost as if they had been able to ask the dead ones if they were alright and the dead ones had told them, yes…we’re happy in Valhalla.

By that eve, most of the camp at Storbenn wood had been dismantled and taken back to Bell-da-Hallan. A party of workers had gone into Storbenn town to start the clearing process there and the Tarken had been released to bury their dead and begin their travels back to their home in the Drylands. The Tisks had turned up and some of them, after hearing the story of the Tarken who had helped the Norsonians, decided to return to the Drylands with them. The Drylands after all, were the Tisks true home. Other Tisks had decided to start a new life in Norsonia and many farmers had been glad to offer a home to the brave little creatures.

Morii and Lilly had decided to stay in Storbenn wood, at the tree house for one more eve as there were still a few patients in Sardor’s pavilion who couldn’t be moved with safety just yet and along with Perl and Leryn, Lilly and Morii helped to feed and wash those who were still in need. Pel was still sedated, but looked ten times better than he had the day before. Sardor had kept him in this state as he’d felt sure that a Squib would quite naturally want to be running around and jumping about; he explained to Lilly that it was fairer on Pel to leave him to sleep through it all.

Lilly could see that Sardor was right, but still longed for her furry friend to wake up.

Morii’s leg had healed amazingly quickly and although he had to walk with a limp, assured Lilly that he felt no pain.

Gamray’s son was high in the sky as Morii and Lilly at last found themselves alone. They returned to the tree house and sat for some time while Morii explained how Gruen, Grodal and the other Tarken had fought so valiantly on their side. Between them, Morii and Lilly managed to make some sense and order out of the days of battle, as is necessary for the healing process to begin.

Eventually they fell asleep on the furs and dreamed of nothing.