The House Called Hadlows

by Victoria Clayton

  All at once a shout went up and she knew that the race had begun. She started to run, forcing her legs to take long strides and trying to breathe deeply and evenly. The grass slipped by under her feet and her heart beat time with them as they pounded on the dry turf. But her long dress caught against her knees and almost at once one of her slippers came off and her bare foot scraped painfully against a stone. She forced herself to carry on without loosing speed, although the pain was considerable. By now she had covered only a quarter of the distance to the boulder and already she could hear a heavy thudding not far behind her. She redoubled her efforts, straining every muscle to an almost unbearable pitch. Her breathing was short and uneven now and her heart was beating so hard that it hurt her. Her mouth was terribly dry; it felt as though it were lined with paper and there were barbs in her throat. Pan was very close to her now, his feet shaking the ground, and still she kept running, running, running as if she would die in the attempt. Her head swam. She tried to focus her eyes on the boulder. It was a little closer now and hazy. She had to use her hands now, for the slope became steep and crumbling. All purpose left her mind, she was scrambling higher and higher, her thoughts in a turmoil, not knowing why or how. Vaguely she was aware of a large shape looming up beside her and the events of the next few seconds she realized only dimly as if in a dream.

  The sun was a red ball glowing on the hill-top and out of it, seeming to come from the very centre, came a magnificent beast, a lion, tawny and powerful. It opened its mouth and roared as it came and the air was filled with shrieks from the valley below and the thunder from the lion’s mouth. The shape running beside her faltered and fell back. Melissa’s blood sang in her ears and she ran on and on. All the time the lion’s eyes held hers, rich and glowing like hot amber. She remembered her dream of the lion and the sun and she was not afraid. She scarcely felt the ground beneath her feet as she flew over it, towards the yellow eyes. She fell on to the boulder, her breath coming in great sobs and the lion bent its shaggy head and licked her neck. She buried her face in his mane.

  The sun shot one last ray of light over the valley and sank beneath the hill. Wearily Melissa struggled to her feet and placed her hand on the lion’s shoulder. Some of his strength flowed into her limbs. Below her, Pan stood on the hillside and he seemed somehow diminished. Melissa began to walk down towards him, the lion padding by her side and she rejoiced in her heart for she knew without doubt that she had won.

  When the people saw her coming with the lion, they began to shout in fear but Pan held up his hand for silence and waited for Melissa to approach. Then he knelt on one knee before her.

  ‘Earth-maiden, your heart was courageous and mine was cowardly. My humiliation is just, for in my pride I wanted the Elixir for my own use. Come, I shall give up the Water of the Elixir to you as is rightly so.’

  Melissa felt rather sorry for Pan. ‘I wasn’t really as brave as all that you know,’ she said, and held out her hand, wanting to make amends for his loss of dignity. He took it and kissed it which wasn’t quite what she’d intended, but she took it to mean that he forgave her for his humiliation and the valley was filled with the sound of cheering.

  The lion stood quietly, swishing his tail from side to side. Then he lowered his great body to the ground and lay still, surveying the valley with his solemn, glowing eyes.

  ‘I think he means to wait here,’ said Melissa. ‘Shall we go quickly to get the Water of the Elixir? I must be going home soon.’

  Pan bowed and together they descended the hill. Here and there a flicker of light appeared, and then gradually many flames sprang up.

  ‘They are lighting torches for the ceremony,’ said Pan.

  Melissa sighed inwardly. She’d had enough of ceremonies for one day and anyway she didn’t know what time it would be at Hadlows. Possibly they might already have missed her. The sun had already risen and set since she’d been here, but then she was sure that it wasn’t the same as an earth day for it had seemed to pass very quickly. Oh well, perhaps it was only a short ceremony.

  By this time they had reached the bottom and the valley was bright with the fire from thousands of torches. The crowd fell back before Pan who made his way towards the pool into which he had gazed for many long unbroken years.

  Then a deep hush fell all about them.

  Quietly Pan began to chant strange words. The water rippled faintly, gleaming in the light from the torches. Then it began to glow, faintly at first as if a ghostly light shone from the depths of the pool. In the centre of the pool the water grew brighter and the ripples more agitated until they became strong waves. Then slowly, a great crown of water rose up, shining in the torchlight. It grew tall and water poured down in streams of spinning droplets. Then a pair of eyes grew in the water, beautiful and brilliant and the fountain became a woman. Her hair was a shower of silver waves tipped with gold, her robe was a floating mist. And in her hand she held a heart of white fire. Softly the River-people sang like a whispering wind and Pan stood, tall and proud, his body covered with fine spray, flickering scarlet and crimson from head to foot.

  ‘Oh Spirit of the Water,’ he said in a quiet, deep voice. ‘Give up thy charge to one who comes rightfully to claim it.’

  The Spirit of the Water stretched out her glistening arm and gave the heart of fire to Melissa. At once the fire died and the thing that she held in her hand was as cold as ice. Then the water seemed to rise up around the beautiful woman. Her hair and her dress closed over her eyes and the tower of water sank down until only a few ripples remained on the surface of the pool. The light dimmed and went out.

  Melissa looked at the cold thing in her hand, as bright as crystal, a diamond tear, as fragile as a breath. Suddenly she felt overwhelmed by a terrible happiness and she was on fire with joy. Pan smiled down at her and she realized that all the agony and strife of that day; the humiliation and defeat were washed clean by the purity of the heart of ice. She looked at him and for one moment they were in perfect understanding with each other.

  Without speaking they turned from the pool and began to walk slowly up the dark hill. The crowd stood silent and watched them go, a giant of a man and a small girl with a torn dress and one shoe missing.

  Half-way up the hill a dark shape came out of the gloom and held them in his unwinking gaze, the night breeze ruffling his shaggy mane. Pan stopped and Melissa felt a slight touch on her arm: or it might have been the wind, and then he was gone. The lion and she continued to walk up the hill in silence.

  At the top of the hill Melissa turned to look behind her. The torches had been extinguished. All was blackness save for a pale light from the moon resting on a ghostly silver stream. Before her was darkness again, but for the pinpoint reflections of stars on a great lake.

  They walked to the edge of the black water. Then the lion stopped and shook his head to show that she was to go on alone. She put her arms round his neck and kissed his broad, furry forehead. Then she stepped into the lake and walked forward through the water. Just for a moment she turned round and saw sitting by the lake, a small orange cat, licking his paws and brushing them over his eyes, as she had seen him do so often in the past. He lifted his head. There was a flash from his yellow eyes and then he was gone. Her eyes filled with tears which fell on her cold cheeks in warm rivers and yet she was not unhappy. At least she knew that he was alive even if they couldn’t be together. And she had the Water of the Elixir. How pleased Sebastian and Fandeagle would be. She brushed away her tears and pushed on through the swirling water. A great tiredness came over her. The moon was yellow and hung in a veil of clouds.

  The return journey over the lake seemed endless and several times she stumbled and almost dropped the heart of ice. But at last she could make out the distant shoreline and the vague shape of familiar trees. And there were two figures standing on the shore. Warm hands gripped her frozen ones and helped her on to the bank and Sebastian’s voice could be heard, saying, ‘Well done, Melissa. Well done!’

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nbsp; MELISSA shook herself. The water fell off her clothes and in a moment she was dry. ‘How glad I am to see you!’ she said. ‘And I’ve got the Water of the Elixir, thanks to Mantari!’

  ‘Mantari!’ exclaimed Sebastian in surprise. ‘Oh, do tell us all about it. I can’t wait to hear. I’ve never known the time to pass so slowly. I feel as if I’ve been waiting here for weeks.’

  ‘First we must go back to the house and get warm again,’ said Fandeagle, beaming at Melissa through the darkness. ‘You look chilled to the bone and I’m sure Sebastian is as tired as I am of sitting on damp grass.’

  So they made their way together back to the house, the sky paling to a grey dawn over their heads. They went up to the library and sank thankfully into the comfortable chairs. Fandeagle set light to the logs in the grate and soon a bright fire was burning merrily.

  ‘Now,’ said Fandeagle. ‘May I see the precious thing you have brought back with you?’

  Melissa held out the heart of ice.

  Sebastian looked at it and remained silent, lost in a dream into which the Water of the Elixir had sent him.

  Fandeagle gazed with rapt attention at the sparkling thing in her hand. ‘Yes,’ he said, at last. ‘You have found a true element of the Elixir. How it warms my heart to see it! And how much I owe you, Melissa, for your courage and endurance. How much we all owe you!’

  For a moment Melissa thought that there was someone standing behind her and she heard a faint rustle of skirts. When she turned, there was no one there. But she felt that there were other presences in the room, unseen, yet sharing their delight.

  ‘Now,’ said Fandeagle. ‘I am sure that Sebastian would like to hear the story of your adventure. Later on you can find a quiet place in the garden and sleep in the sun. In an hour’s time I shall prepare the breakfast so I suggest that you stay up for that. I am sure that it will be better for your aunt and uncle to suspect nothing. I fear that they would be seriously worried if they knew what you were involved in.’

  ‘I agree,’ said Melissa. ‘Well, to fill in the time, I’ll give you an account of everything that happened to me.’

  And so she did. Sebastian was spellbound throughout the whole of it. ‘Goodness,’ he said when she had finished. ‘I do feel envious. I wish I’d been there. It must have been marvellous to see all Pan’s people. And Pan himself — although he sounds a bit of a rotter to me.’

  ‘I don’t really think he is,’ said Melissa. ‘He’s an immortal god and he’s always had his own way. It must be hard for someone like him not to be selfish. I like him, even though he is proud. Anyway, we’re only judging him by our standards. Things aren’t at all the same in his world.’

  ‘So the Elixir has taught you something already,’ said Fandeagle approvingly. ‘Don’t worry, Sebastian, you’ll get your chance for adventure. And if you acquit yourself as well as your sister you’ll have every right to be proud of yourself.’

  Sebastian agreed. ‘I hope I will. And how marvellous to see Mantari again. He’s a terrific animal. I wonder how he comes to be mixed up in this?’

  ‘The boundaries between the worlds are very easy to cross for one touched by magic. He has not forgotten you and will always come to you when he can.’

  ‘But I did hope you might be there, Fandeagle,’ said Melissa. ‘You did say you would.’

  ‘But I was there,’ smiled Fandeagle. ‘It was I who suggested the trial between yourself and Pan.’

  Melissa laughed. ‘Oh goodness! And I was quite annoyed with you. But it did give me the only chance I had. I see that now. All the same I wish I’d known you were there. I’d have felt a lot less frightened.’

  ‘Ah, but then you might not have tried so hard. And I can assure you, in that case things would not have happened as they did.’

  ‘It seems very strange,’ said Sebastian. ‘For you were with me all the time by the lake. And yet you were with Melissa too.’

  ‘Well, all things are possible if you have the breadth of mind to grasp it,’ said Fandeagle, enigmatically. ‘Now I must go and prepare the breakfast.’

  ‘Oh good,’ said both children together. ‘I’m starving!’

  ‘Very well. I shall see you in the morning-room in twenty minutes where I hope you will find a breakfast to excel all breakfasts.’ He patted them both affectionately on the shoulder and left the room, a quiet smile on his face.

  ‘He’s really pleased with the way things have turned out,’ said Sebastian. ‘And so am I. Let’s go and change quickly. I’m sure I must look as if I spent the whole night sitting up to my neck in dew, and you’re a positive sight with your dress all torn and one shoe missing. Come on. I just can’t wait to eat, and then get some sleep. Goodness knows how many nights’ sleep we’ll miss before this adventure’s over.’

  Breakfast, as Fandeagle had promised, was excellent. Bacon roasted over the spit, devilled kidneys, fresh field mushrooms tossed in butter, stewed fruit with cream and honey, and bread hot from the oven. Uncle Bertram and Aunt Augusta joined them a few minutes later. Uncle Bertram seemed to be in a particularly good mood and Aunt Augusta looked more ethereal than ever in a dress covered with blue and white stars.

  ‘My word! Fandeagle has done us proud this morning,’ said Uncle Bertram. ‘Are we celebrating something?’ And he twinkled at Melissa from beneath his eyebrows. However he didn’t seem to require an answer, but promptly attacked his breakfast.

  When they all felt that they couldn’t manage another crumb they went outside to sit in the shade of the cedar tree. The day grew very hot and very soon they were all four fast asleep.

  When Melissa awoke, the sun was already sinking in the sky. There was no sign of Uncle Bertram or Aunt Augusta.

  She yawned and stretched herself.

  ‘Oh good, you’re awake at last,’ said Sebastian, looking up at her from where he lay stretched out on the grass. ‘Fandeagle has invited us to have tea in the kitchen with him. Aunt Augusta and Uncle Bertram have already had theirs. Do come on. I’m starving again.’

  ‘You surprise me,’ said Melissa with somewhat heavy sarcasm. They went in search of the kitchen which they found through a door leading off from the dining-hall. The kitchen was a long, low room, with many leaded windows, overgrown with honeysuckle. It was all painted white and at one end was a great open fire-place in which stood a spit large enough to roast an ox. Copper pans and ancient jelly moulds hung round the walls and from the ceiling hung smoked hams and sides of bacon, bunches of herbs and garlic and onions. The sun fell in soft swathes across the scrubbed table laden with cakes and sandwiches and the air was scented with flowers.

  ‘I trust you’ve quite recovered from last night’s exertions?’ said Fandeagle. ‘I thought you might perhaps require a little nourishment.’

  ‘Oh yes, thank you,’ said Melissa. ‘We’re wide awake and hungry. And this is an ideal opportunity to ask you a question if you wouldn’t mind. Please tell us — what happened to Falcon after the Evil One took the Elixir and Selina was sent away?’

  ‘Very well, I shall talk while you eat. When Falcon saw what had happened to his beloved wife because of his lack of trust in her, he fell senseless to the floor and for many days was unconscious and very ill. After the council had pronounced sentence on me I came back to the house, no longer an unseen spirit but gross and ugly as you see me now. The servants were all in terror for their master was sick and their lady had mysteriously disappeared. I told them that I had some powers of healing and spoke with such authority that they soon led me to where Falcon lay. I nursed Falcon carefully. After a few days he showed a marked improvement and from that moment the servants accepted my presence in the house without question. At first Falcon was too weak to speak much but after a few weeks he grew strong enough to hold a conversation with me.

  ‘ “My friend,” he said one day, “I am aware that I owe my life to you and I truly acknowledge your skill and devotion. A better man than I would be heartily grateful, but, I, oh I am the most unhappy man al
ive and I should welcome death with open arms.”

  ‘Calm yourself, sir,’ said I, seeing his forehead break into perspiration and his breathing become agitated. ‘All is not lost.’

  ‘ “But it is, it is!” he groaned. “I have lost one who was dearer to me than my own life. And I was to blame. Oh curse the day that I was made, a foul, suspicious thing, a madman whose own eyes were untrue to him!”

  ‘But no,’ said I. ‘It was the Evil One who made your eyes deceive you.’

  ‘At this he started up, paler than a ghost, his eyes burning with anguish. “What do you know of this? Where is Selina? Are you part of this fearful happening? Answer me!”

  ‘And he seized me by the throat. Fortunately for me, he was still weak, with not half of his former strength and I was able to force him back to his bed saying, “I will tell you, sir. I will tell you everything I know. You have nothing to fear from me. I shall help you all I can.”

  ‘He lay quiet at last and I told him everything that I have told you.

  ‘ “But will she never come back to me?” said Falcon when I had finished. “Is there nothing I can do? I cannot bear to think of her, wandering lost and lonely for eternity.”

  ‘There is one way that you might take which will give you a chance to see Selina again.’

  ‘ “What is it? Tell me! I will take it,” he said eagerly.

  ‘It will be hard and you may not be rewarded.’

  ‘ “However hard and however slight the chance I will do it if it is the only way.”

  ‘Very well. Listen. Selina can never come back to this world. But if by chance some mortal came who would dare to attempt to find the elements of the Elixir and restore it to the Overworld once more, the enchantment would release her to a world of substance and actuality where you and she could meet.’