Now, we best be movin’ on. The dawn be less than three hours away and we’ve got a long way ta go.”
The travelers agreed and began to gather their belongings.
Logosian stopped them and said, “Though the wolves are traitors and foul servants of darkness we must not leave them to the vultures. The old laws of Logoland say no Logolander is to lay open to decay in death. As loathsome as it is we must bury them.”
The knights murmured their approval and Edward looked at the Prince with new respect. Edward knew only a true Prince of Logoland could be so kind to those who had tried to kill them. So, they buried the wolf bodies and erected a small cairn of stones over them.
The battle and burying cost them a precious hour. So now, Quickfoot redoubled the pace and the company suffered terrible privations. They had no more rest stops and had to double the pace. The remainder of the march was a nightmare for the travelers. Only the rabbit and gnome seemed immune from the fatigue. Perhaps the sole thing that allowed them to continue at such a pace was the gnome cakes the children had packed for this journey. The cakes were thin, tasty, and full of energy. They were made of gribbich and a honey like syrup made from the wetern tree. The children said they tasted a little bit like our oatmeal and honey granola bars. The group ate these on foot and washed them down with pure spring water they had drawn on the moor.
On and on the journey went, never seeming to end. The last few miles were nightmarish and unreal to them all. Quickfoot had surmised that they only had about forty-five minutes at most before the dawn and danger. This forced him to push the company into a shuffling, staggering trot.
Heather groaned, “I don’t think I can make it. I’m so tired that I can’t even walk.”
“You’ve got to keep up sis,” urged Edward. “We would be sitting ducks out in the open like this.”
AT OLD ABIGAIL’S HOUSE
XII
The first few streaks of dawn began to show and ahead of them loomed the northern mountains of Logoland. This made them redouble their efforts and soon the troop was in a brisk walking trot. As the dawn broke and the sun touched the horizon they plunged into the dark forest on the mountain slopes and swallowed up by the gloom. This was the dark, silent forest of Logoland. It was known far and wide for its deep magic, but of late the magic had lain dormant. Lipophrenia and the Vizier had cut many of the trees on the eastern ends of the forest and sold them to neighboring countries. The forest brooded over its losses and awaited the time of settling accounts. Into this brooding presence the company surged and then halted.
Quickfoot stopped and wiggled his whiskers, “I must find the entrance to Old Abigail’s house. It is there we may rest and be safe.”
The exhausted knights and Heather sat down where they stood, all except Logosian and Edward. These two set a sort of improvised guard. Shortly, Quickfoot darted out of a thicket and motioned them to follow. The travelers faced what seemed to be an impenetrable wall of bushes. Logosian confronted the bushes and pushed his way through.
His muffled voice announced, “Just push through, there is a pathway on the other side.”
The rest of the company pushed through and they followed Quickfoot up a bush enclosed path. There was little light and the tunnel of bushes sometimes narrowed and the ceiling of bushes grew short. Sometimes they even had to duck down onto their knees to file down the path. At last, they came to a small clearing with a bark covered, quaint, little cottage on the edge of the clearing. It had ivy all over it with trimly cut, triangular windows and a small, stone chimney with smoke curling out of it.
The door opened and out stepped a wizened little old woman with red apple cheeks and merry, sparkling, blue eyes. Her voice was strong and young for one who appeared so old and full of kindness and hospitality.
“Do come in and eat, all of you. Don’t just stand there gaping. Into the house with you all. Oh my goodness, a young maid. Come with me my little lamb and we’ll have you comfortable in no time.”
Heather was so relieved to find a lovely little lady like her grandmother that she broke into tears once she stepped inside.
Old Abigail comforted her and clucked, “There, there, my little lady. What you need is some nice hot food and a nice hot bath and warm bed!”
The travelers thought the house would never hold all of them but they were wrong. The inside of the cottage was spacious and homey. There was a large fireplace against one wall and a large table was set in the middle of the room with all sorts of delicacies.
Old Abigail spoke, “You’ll have to excuse the fact I have no meat. I cannot tolerate killing little beasts myself. So, I live on nuts, berries, fruits, cheese, and milk. Please have chairs and begin the feast.”
What a feast it was! They had all manner of strange Logoland fruits like the ones at the banquet and some which the children had never seen. There was keslo cheese, gribbich, sroof, and lots of keslo milk chilled to icy coldness.
When all were finished Old Abigail led them to their baths and beds. The bedrooms stood off a long hall with each man’s room having a unique stone bath complete with shaving razors, soap, clean thick towels, and fresh clothes. The hot water poured forth from a natural hot spring beneath the house and was exactly the right temperature to soothe aching muscles and make one sleepy. Heather’s room contained the same bath and towels but included bubbling oils, a comb and a brush for her hair. From these baths each member of the troop went directly to bed. The large, double beds with four poster canopies were complete with a soft, downlike ticking made from the wool of the keslo. The whole company was soon in a deep, dreamless sleep, even though it was barely midmorning. They remained so until the next day when they all awoke and went to breakfast.
The table was again spread in a large feast of fruits, cereals including gribbich, cabano fruit, and sweet honey like topping from the wetern tree. The company waded into the food and spent the next few minutes in consuming large quantities of the feast. The conversation mostly included:
“Please pass some more cereal.”
“I say, might I have some of that keslo milk, etc.”
In time, they finished and pushed back their chairs.
The Prince and released captives waited eagerly for the children to share their story. Edward and Heather related to them all how they had come to be in Logoland.
They mentioned the book, the rhyme,
‘In our time of greatest need,
The King shall send two of deed.
Boy and girl to free the land;
Servants of the Most High’s band.’
Meeting Groundfirm, their journeys and adventures (including the help they had at the pass), and how they came to the castle and managed to escape. Edward also explained some of our world’s peculiarities and customs.
“Imagine traveling in a smoking machine (car) or having a light without matches,” pondered Sir Goodheart.
Then each of the knights, lords, and men revealed how they had come to the dungeon. Their stories all varied in details but agreed in the particulars. They were trusted friends of Logosian’s father and hence Logosian himself. The only reason most of them had not been killed was that they were held in ransom as a blackmail to keep their families quiet.
Finally, the time arrived for Logosian to share his story.
“I guess the best place, my lords and ladies, to begin is at my first memories. I don’t remember my mother because I was too small when she died, but I do have pictures of her. She was said to be very beautiful and I believe this because the pictures show a lovely, blond woman with an impish smile. After my mother died, my father never wanted to remarry. So, I became his best friend and confidant even though I was very young. We did most things together. I even rode with him in the country on my little pony. The days were spent in my father’s company and I believe I was the happiest boy in the kingdom then.
The day my father was killed I was suppose to stay at home in the castle wit
h my nurse. The royal party intended to go boar hunting and father thought this too dangerous for a small boy. Well, I watched them off and sneaked down to my pony after waiting for my nurse to be distracted by her kitchen friends. I knew how to saddle the pony and did so. The guards let me out of the city alone because I told them I was going to exercise Star, my pony. Then, I proceeded to gallop off in the direction of my father’s party. This royal party included my Uncle Lipophrenia, my Uncle Existention, the Lord Petras, and others. I rode to the sound of the trumpets as they called out the positions of the dogs. I must have run and followed the sounds for almost one half hour and finally heard the trumpet sound, the signal the boar was cornered.
I raced to the scene to see my father dismounted with a long pike in his hands ready to dispatch the boar at close range. The noise was deafening as the hounds kept the wily and deadly beast closely bayed. Just as father settled for the final thrust an arrow sang out and plunged to the feathers below his left shoulder. He lurched and turned to see what had happened and I remember seeing his surprise and dismay. He looked at my Uncle Existention, whose face was set in a cruel smile. The servant next to him was holding an empty crossbow that had fired the arrow. Every hunt had the servants with a loaded cross bow to use in case the beast threatened the hunters. This servant, named Stephen, looked
The Gnome's Children-Book #1 Bright Star Journals Page 8
