Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Homecoming

Lilly and Morii had travelled all of the previous night and had made it back to Bell-da-Hallan just as Gamrays daughter was rising. They had gone straight to their beds without disturbing anyone. Only Pel knew that Lilly was back, he had been waiting in Lilly’s bed and he, sensing that she was tired and cold just snuggled up with her while she slept.

When Lilly did wake, she found Gurta and asked if she would make her a bath. Gurta did not bat an eyelid at the dishevelled state of Lilly, so Lilly guessed she was still under Gamrays spell. After her bath, which took ages because of having to wash all the dye from her hair and skin, Lilly went to check on Pel, but he was still fast asleep. Lilly kissed his furry head gently and crept out.

She found Morii in the courtyard and was relieved to see he had managed to wash all of his dye off as well. They sat quietly together as they ate their mornfood, which was actually lunch by now. Niether seemed ready or able to talk about yesterday’s events just yet. Lilly felt completely well and rested and apart from beiing a bit quiet, Morii seemed to be his old self.

As they got up to go Lilly heard a familiar, ‘illy, Pel ungry’. ‘Pel!!’ Lilly almost squealed in delight as her small furry friend leapt up into her arms. ‘Oh, I have missed ye my dear friend,’ she said, snuggling her face into his thick fur. ‘Are ye feeling better my dearest Pel?’ Lilly asked him.  Pel nodded and said, ‘Pel well, all better’ as he held tightly onto Lilly’s neck with one hand and took the piece of fruit she gave him in the other. Now Lilly did feel truly back to her old self.

As they walked through the gardens, Lilly was struck by how warm and peaceful it was after the noise and chaos of the Noeman camp. Morii turned to Lilly and asked her, ‘do ye think Gamray will be able to make sense of all this? It be seeming like a dream to me  and that be true’.

‘I do not know Morii, I have been thinking about what happened and I can only think that the ‘Unwanted son’ knew what we were doing from the beginning.’ Morii looked worried as they reached Gamray’s yurt and asked to be allowed entry.

Once more they passed the aids in the outer section, who looked as if they were still in deep meditation and went into the inner section. Gamray smiled and beckoned to them to come and sit by him on the two low stools that had already been placed. There was an ornately carved  table by his side and on it was the metal hood. It glittered and sparkled in a very menacing way.

Lilly stared at the metal hood. ‘Dear Gamray, is that the hood they used on ye? Where did ye find it?’ she asked excitedly. Pel squiggled round and curled up in Lilly’s lap as she sat down.

Gamray just looked serenly at them both and told them, ‘in good time my children, ye will know all. First I want ye to tell me if ye both be none the worse for yer adventure.’

Morii looked a bit embarrased and told Gamray that he did indeed be recovered from his drugged borildew.  ‘I feel so badly that I did say who I really was, yay and even told him about our dear mother,’ he muttered.

Gamray smiled his beautiful smile. ‘Do not be distressed my brother, you cannot be to blame. The ‘Unwanted son’ is right tricksy and it will take all our powers combined to overcome his wiley ways. He is no longer here, so please be calm. Now tell me my children what has befallen ye on yer journey?’

The three of them spent a long time going over the whole adventure and Gamray especially enjoyed the Noeman story, which Lilly related as best she could. Pel was asleep again and making soft little snoring noises.

‘Now my children, I will tell ye what has happened here while ye have been gone.’ Gamray said gently in their heads.

‘Yer small friend Pel there have played a great part.’

Lilly looked up with concern. Pel just turned around on Lilly’s lap and carried on snoring.

‘ Don’t be fretting Lilly my child, he is well. He is also brave and  be a true friend to the Hah-rold. Sardor did bring him back from his healing pool and Pel were upset to find ye both gone. He could not rest nor sleep and so I told him of yer real reason for not being in the kort. Pel wanted to come after ye, but I persuaded him to wait ‘til morn. As he were returning to yer rooms Lilly, he heard a sound from inside the walls. Pel do have the sharpest hearing, for I do know that no human kind would be hearing a noise like that.’

Lilly and Morii exchanged worried glances.

Gamray continued. ‘Pel did follow that sound all the way to the north tower. The tower that do hardly ever be used these days, just for storing and such. There he waited, several long moments without moving or making no sound. Suddenly he did hear a grating noise and a hole appeared in the wall. Pel said he nearly fainted away. As he watched, a grey clad figure emerged and started to creep down the stairs to the old back door. The one that the kort workers did use in past times, ye probably remember it Morii.’

Morii nodded.

‘Pel could see he did have a strange shaped head, under the cloak and hood he wore. Now my children, although the brave Pel was very scared he jumped right onto this evil creatures head and dug his little claws into the head and cloak. The evil creature screamed with fright and rage and tried to knock Pel away from him. Pel held on tight and the evil creature stumbled and fell down the last of the steps.’

Gamray stopped for a moment. Lilly and Morii were wide eyed and amazed at what had been happening. ‘Please dear Gamray, what happened then?’ Lilly asked, stroking Pel’s fur gently.

Gamray took a sip of his juice and continued his story. ‘ Pel was a little dazed and when he managed to get up, the evil creature had disapeared out into the kort gardens. Pel gave the alarm and although we hunted the entire night, no one was found. The next morning, we discovered a whole network of secret passages. They go to every part of the kort with spy places every so often, little looky holes all over the place…there is no wonder in the truth that he knew so much of kort life and of all yer plans. It was he, without doubt the ‘Unwanted son’.

Lilly shivered at the thought of the ‘unwanted son’ creeping around the kort, listening and watching.

Gamray smiled serenly again and held up the metal hood. ‘Here be the cause of our troubles, tis what Pel managed to hang on to and we shall be forever in his debt. For now at least we are on equal terms with the ‘Unwanted son’. It may well be that he has more of these hoods somewhere, but for now I can sense him, he is far from here and heading north Lilly.’

Lilly breathed out a huge sigh of reflief. ‘What will ye do Gamray, do ye have a plan?’ 

‘Yay Gamray’ said Morii. ‘Do ye have a plan and can we be helping ye?’

Gamray looked from Lilly’s eyes to Morii’s and slowly shook his head. ‘Tis hard to have a plan when ye don’t know what the ‘Unwanted son’ does want of ye. I will give this problem much thought.’

‘But Gamray,’ Lilly cried, ‘we know he wants to rule Norsonia, it was he who was behind King Trock and the Tarken, he wants to steal the children, he wants to turn Norsonia into Miramid, with all that disgusting pollution..all those poor children.’ Lilly was close to tears now. It was so obvious what the ‘Unwanted son’ had wanted.

Gamray raised his small hands. ‘My children, hush do not despair. One thing only is certain in this life and that be that all is never as bad as it would seem to be. Our problems are waiting for solutions, and those solutions will come. Ye must both remember that the time ye are given is full of adventure and surprise, it is for ye to work out the answers to life’s riddles. Yay as the sagas have foretold the Lady Lilly did save us once and she will save us again. It has been known for generations and what the sagas foretell, so must it be. Yay there will be many times when the answer to yer quests may seem to evade ye, but that be the way of things. That be the way we all do learn and grow.’

There was suddenly a tranquility that Lilly could almost taste, like a comforting cup of warm chocolate on a cold winter evening after school. Lilly had the strongest feeling that her adventures were only just beginning, and that was ok with her.

She took Morii’s hand and they stared at one another. Pel sat up on Lilly’s lap and yawned, his tiny, sharp, white teeth showing in his pale pink mouth.

’Gamrays huge brown eyes were shining with joy as he smiled and held out his chubby hands, one to Lilly and one to Morii. Yay, as the sagas had foretold and would soon tell again.