by Chris Ward
Rema absorbed this information with a strange emotion. He had a brother now. And of course Serenna was no longer his cousin. Here were his kinkindparents, people he never knew existed; Sylvion was suddenly heir to the throne descended from the famous House of Hendon...it was as though his world had been turned upside down. He had a sudden desperate longing for his home in The Safeness where life was simple and predictable, but then that too had changed, for no longer were his parents who he had always believed they were... He set his jaw firmly and tried to control the desperate bewilderment which had come upon him.
Serenna saw his great distress and reached across and placed her hand upon his and squeezed it hard. ‘It will take time Rema, but it will be alright in the end. I will stand with you.’ He nodded at these words but looked fiercely into the fire.
‘He left us suddenly. Took a ship to the mainland, and we have not seen or heard from him since,’ Kyven continued. ‘One day he told us that he was going to search for his lost brother, for you Remy, for he had always vowed that he would. I think he was angry with us all for not doing something years before, but we were not able...’ Rema noticed that old man struggling with a deep emotion and a sad silence descended upon the sombre group.
‘He went aboard that very day and sailed out of our lives. So in the end we lost you all.’ Kyven finally finished the story. ‘We always hoped he would send word, for he promised that when he found you he would do so. But that was more than a score of summers past. I cannot think how long, but it seems a very long time.’
Rosylyn wiped her eyes upon her apron and gently held her husband’s hand. ‘And now you walk back into our lives... it is as though some god set you upon this course, for how else could it be explained?’
In that moment Rema had a sudden remembering of Mentor and the strange and now dreamlike encounter he had had with that old man in the forest far away.
They remained in Reviktun for six days. In that time the Scoria was repaired as best could be managed with the tools and manpower available. Captain Lethyne Tyne however, was a changed man, for it seemed that his great ordeal in the storm had affected his mind. He was distant and morose and unapproachable. Even Serenna’s efforts to thank him for his heroic act in guiding the ship safely through the storm were spurned. He wrapped himself in a cold solitude and the work of his ship. The crew benefited handsomely from the sale of all the Lavas water which the Scoira carried, for the people of Reviktun knew its worth and would purchase or trade whatever they could to obtain and horde it. Scion informed Rema and Serenna that without that water as ballast and the sand which held it safe, the ship would have surely foundered, but now it was all sold for a good profit and the voyage a success already despite the loss of two good men.
They found the body of one, the sailor who was washed overboard and he was buried in the small burial ground where Rema’s parents lay. He spent some time there in a fog of confusion for he had no good picture of them, nothing but the small and painful vision of his kindma calling to him the day he was stolen, and the day she died. He did not vow to return, for the future seemed so unpredictable, and when Rosylyn and Kyven tried to convince him to stay on, he just shook his head and told them that he could not.
They had talked of many things as the Scoira was made ready for sea, for time they had in abundance. Word had spread through the small community and people came to visit and talk. Rema’s quest to save his love, Sylvion Greyfeld quickly became a subject of much interest, and the possibility that she could be the next Ruler in Revelyn was reviewed with a hundred opinions and comments. Rema soon learned that once the Faero Islands had been hard pressed by the Rulers of Revelyn, for they sought to tax and control the people whenever they could. King Frederic was particularly unpopular, but when the now mad Lord Petros Luminos had succeeded him, things had changed completely and their lives were not further troubled by the mainlanders. No longer were any soldiers stationed there, and it seemed that the Islanders were happy with how things were.
‘Here of all places, my home, I might have won some support,’ Rema complained to Serenna one evening as they walked along the beach, ‘but they actually support him. Here of all places he is popular. It is so hard to understand.’ All Serenna could do was to agree, for she too was confused by this turn of events.
They did receive one strange surprise. The evening before they sailed, a tough and wiry looking man quite some years older than Rema came and knocked loudly upon the door of the simple farmhouse which was the home of Rosylyn and Kyven Melkof, Rema’s kinkindparents.
He announced that he was Rema’s cousin, Ofeigr, and the closest boyhood friend of his older brother Refr. He had heard of Rema’s quest and offered to join him, for he hoped to perhaps discover what had happened to Refr. He spoke with few words, but Rema could see that he was a man of action and good sense and happily welcomed him to their small party, promising to secure a berth for him upon the Scoria. Ofeigr walked off into the night with little emotion and so it was done.
Rosylyn, who had been listening to the two men talk, took Rema aside and whispered a gentle caution.
‘Ofeigr is a strange one. His name means not cowardly, and he is all of that, for he is at the front of the battle whenever the Norz come raiding and he gives the best account of all our men. He makes them pay dearly for their boldness. But he cannot live well with others, and is shunned by most. He and Refr were close though, and perhaps his leaving unsettled Ofeigr. Keep a watch Rema, for he is not as he seems, although he will not betray you in any fight; that you can depend on.’ Rema listened to her words, but the man seemed fair enough, and so he did not think greatly upon them.
‘And now I have a real cousin,’ he told Serenna in jest shortly after, ‘I wonder what else will happen in my life, for it changes each day.’ He did not see Serenna’s face, which showed a sadness then, for she too was learning to live with great change and without the closeness that being his cousin had afforded her, and her heart feared for their friendship and what the future held for them.
Rema parted with Rosylyn and Kyven with deeply mixed emotions. He knew he was falling in love with the beauty of his childhood home, for it seemed that part of him would always belong to the Faero Islands, but he was confused by so many other feelings that he wanted time to think about all that had come to pass, and from a far off place, for here it was all too close and painful. His Kinkindparents seemed to understand in part, but made him promise that he would return when he had finished his quest, however that might turn out. Rema could not refuse for he had come to love them in such a short time, but it was a promise which seemed too hard to think on once he had made it.
Rosylyn gave him a simple gift just before he rowed out to the Scoira waiting at anchor in the small harbour. It was a tiny polished whalebone sword which hung from a simple leather thong.
‘This was your brother’s,’ she said with tears in her gentle eyes, ‘Refr wore it always. He said on the day he left, a day not unlike this one, that if you were ever to return we were to give this to you as mark of his love and desire to find you. Take it now Rema and good speed. We will die happy now one day, Kyven and I, for we have seen you once more. If you find Refr, tell him that we still love him.’ Then they embraced and in short time the Scoria, now repaired as best it could be, and ready for sea, weighed anchor and headed out beyond the harbour wall. They stood at the rail and waved as the two figures of Rosylyn and Kyven waved back, and then as the ocean swells grew larger, they were gone. Rema clutched at the tiny ornament now hanging around his neck and wondered what next would befall him, who next would come into his life to turn it all about once more.
Serenna stood by Rema’s side. She said nothing, but her mind was full of many thoughts. She had been lovingly accepted by these kind folk, who had been unsure of what to make of her relationship to Rema, but who treated her with every kindness. She knew though that the Faero Isles held nothing for her, and indeed had found that the place had seemed to take Rema further
from her. She was not sad to leave Reviktun.
None came to bid Ofeigr farewell, for he was a solitary man with few friends, and he told no one of his leaving. He stood quietly alone by the starboard rail and watched his world grow smaller until it was lost to view, his face impassive and his feelings hidden.
Captain Lethyne Tyne planned to return to Revelyn and make landfall at Waterman, one of the largest towns on the east coast. He had tersely informed Serenna and Rema that they were to leave his ship there, for he told them that there had been nothing but trouble for him since they came aboard. They sensed that he now blamed them for the storm and the near loss of his ship. There was nothing to say, for they too wished to part company with the Scoria as soon as possible, and Waterman was well placed to see them further on their journey. On the first night at sea Scion came and told them that he too was leaving the ship, for his relationship with Tyne had become impossible. He offered his services to Rema and Serenna for he had no desire to find another vessel.
‘I’ve been at sea for twenty summers and just as many cold winters,’ he said, ‘and I want to do other things. If you would agree I would like to come with you, for I am persuaded that your cause is good and perhaps I can be of service.’
Rema was overjoyed at the offer, for Scion was a massive man with good sense who would be of great value when things became difficult. And Rema knew that they surely would.
‘Scion you are most welcome to travel with us,’ he had replied, gripping the man’s great hand. ‘I can promise you only hard times I am afraid, but I can think of none better than you to get us through.’
And so it was settled. The band became four, the future uncertain, but the resolve undiminished.
The voyage back to the mainland of Revelyn was so different to that which they had experienced in the terrible storm. It was as though the elements had used up all their great might in that one attempt to destroy the ship, and now needed time to rest and build for some other action, for the sea was calm and the wind gently from the east, so that the Scoria ran easily before it under clear skies, and at night, a moon just past full, lit the water and sky with a beautiful and magically light.
Early on the third day land was seen off the starboard bow. A huge and mighty mountain range with its top shrouded in clouds seemed to rise from the sea. Scion informed them that this was the Eastern Upthrust, many leagues inland, but so high that it could be seen from far out to sea long before the mainland coast was sighted.
‘Home of the Edenwhood, Serenna,’ Rema whispered as they stood together that last night on the foredeck, amazed at the height of the mountains before them. ‘Our path leads us there. I wonder what we will find for we travel into legend, and I fear we shall not be disappointed, for all the stories I have heard tell of that place are fearful and full of danger.’
Serenna said nothing but inwardly she welcomed whatever was to come, for she felt a renewed closeness between them since the Faero Isles had been left behind. But she too was lost in wonder at the majesty of what was rising before them.
They arrived at Waterman after an easy but slow three days, by which time Rema began to feel that his visit to the Faero Isles had become a dream, although the small sword which now hung from his neck was ever a reminder that it was not, and that a part of him was bound to that place for all time.
They left the Scoria with few words. Serenna tried to speak with Captain Lethyne Tyne, but his dark mood had become worse and he waved her away with a hiss.
‘I am done with you Lady Serenna. Leave now, for you have all but done for me; you and your companion.’ He remained in his cabin as the party of four, Rema, Serenna, Ofeigr and Scion took all they had and rowed ashore, and bid the Scoria farewell. They found lodgings in a small inn some distance from the harbour and were quickly reminded of the mood of the land, for there were soldiers about and the townsfolk seemed wary and quick to look away, and walk on.
‘So different from the Faero Islands, Serenna,’ Rema whispered before they had travelled half a league from the quay. ‘Once more we must be careful, for word will have been sent to many places commanding those who must, to look for us.’ They walked on in silence and a sombre mood wondering what next would befall them.
Chapter 17
Rema was tired and thirsty, and more than a little frustrated. He and Serenna had walked all over the town of Watermen, hoping that they might find someone who knew anything about the Edenwhood, and how best they might find some path which would take them to a place where a meeting was possible. They had had no success at all. Despite all of their many polite enquiries, not a single person had been able to give any clue as to how they might best proceed. In fact even the few suggestions they had been offered were wildly conflicting, to the point which they both realised none could be relied upon, and they did not have time for following some flight of fancy.
The previous night Rema had examined his simple map which Lethyne Tyne had provided, and whilst lacking detail on matters of Revelyn inland beyond the more obvious ports and coastal towns, it clearly showed the Eastern Upthrust, and it had dawned on them both that it would take many days exploring to find a path which could allow them to climb that mighty escarpment, if indeed such a thing existed.
‘This is a fool’s errand Serenna,’ Rema growled as they sat in the shade of a large oak which grew somewhat tenaciously outside a roadside drinking stall, next to a smithy’s forge, which rang with the sound of hammer on iron. Two unshod work horses stood impassively nearby in the sun, waiting for the attention of the smithy. The small boy who attended them looked underfed, and his clothes hung loosely from him. He stared at them rudely, but in such a manner that it suddenly made Rema realise that Serenna’s mass of flaming red hair was not only unusual, it was like a beacon for any who might be looking for them.
‘Your hair Serenna, we must cover it. Those that look for us would surely have cause to note such a thing.’
‘My hair is not for covering Rema Bowman.’ Serenna retorted angrily and with little thought, for she too was tired and frustrated by their lack of success that day. ‘All my life I have been ....’ and then she stopped for Rema was looking intently at her with such an expression of surprise that she realised he had spoken only in their best interests. She nodded. ‘You are right Rema, I am sorry, for I know you mean no hurt.’
‘On the contrary,’ Rema said quietly, nodding in the direction of the two horses, ‘if you see that young lad there, he is quite taken by your finery, and he will remember it above all else.
They sat in silence whilst the tension between them bled quickly away. The warm ale they sipped was only slightly refreshing, for it could not take away the sense of failure they both felt for their day’s work.
‘You would think someone in this sad place would know something of the Edenwhood; some story or remembered truth which would assist us.’ Rema returned to his thoughts. ‘We have talked to so many people and no one knows anything.’ He shook his head.
‘Or else they are not saying,’ said Serenna.
‘But why keep quiet about such a subject. There is no evil in it, no secret. All folk know of them, know where they live. I cannot understand that none have heard, in living memory, something of how to meet them. They used to live with men in these parts...’
Rema sipped his ale and shook his head in disappointment. Serenna did the same.
‘I hope Ofeigr and Scion have had more success than us,’ she said finally, draining the last of her drink.
‘Four good horses and some supplies for gold should not be beyond the resources of this place to provide; but I am beginning to wonder,’ said Rema sarcastically in reply.
He bent down and picked up his amazing bow and quiver which held but three selected arrows. He had debated with himself whether or not to bring them on their search, but in the end he had decided that he would rather risk this than remain without a weapon in a town which seemed more friendless than not, for he had listened hard in the early morning whe
n all was quiet, and sensed the fear and distrust in the place. The remains of sad and unfinished conversations had come to him; words which although faint and dying had carried little hope but great foreboding. In the morning Scion had questioned the wisdom of his moving about whilst armed. He had replied as best he could.
‘I have struggled with this question in the early hours Scion, and you are right to raise it for it has vexed me greatly.’ He spoke with a gentle firmness for he had made up his mind come what may. ‘As we travelled here from the harbour yesterday,’ he continued, ‘I observed that some were carrying bows and arrows, although swords seem prohibited. Perhaps as many rely on hunting for food that tradition has been allowed to remain. We have come so far I do not wish to be without recourse to some defence if the day goes badly for us. I will be careful, but this is my decision.’ Scion had accepted this with a nod.
They had split up after a simple breakfast which the sullen innkeeper had provided; Ofeigr and Scion to purchase horses and supplies, whilst Rema and Serenna searched for any knowledge of the Edenwhood.
Rema finished his ale and rose slowly to his feet.
‘Come Serenna we will return to the inn and see how the others have fared.’
The young farm boy still stared intently at them and so Serenna was glad to leave him to his rudeness. Neither saw him leave the horses unattended and disappear into the forge the very moment they disappeared around the nearest bend in the road.
