XVII

If Susan had only stayed a little longer, she would have seen that glint for what it was: wonder and excitement; nothing sinister. But she was too upset to think straight. Already on an emotional high, she felt as though she was suffocating and knew she needed to flee.

She ran off along the smooth river path they had travelled up earlier, paying no real heed to where she was going; only knowing she had to get away.

David watched as she ran and resisted the urge to follow. The damage had been done, and as much as he wanted to explain himself, to excuse his behaviour, he knew that the best thing right now was to give her space. He sat there for some time, wondering how he might have done things differently. She was out of sight now, and he worried, remembering the snake. But offering a quick prayer for her safety, he got up reluctantly and headed to the camp.

The creatures could tell at once that something was wrong; by the look on his face and the fact Susan was not with him. He didn’t say much; only that Susan was angry with him and it was his own fault and it would be better if they continued without him. Telling them where she’d gone, he suggested Vixel go and make sure she was all right. Then he gathered up his belongings, stopping only to bid farewell to the guinea pig, and headed off away from the river.

Sometime later, Vixel returned with a bleary-eyed Susan. She wouldn’t say what had happened, only that she never wanted to see David again. Hedegar noted, however, a twinge of regret in her expression when she discovered her wish was granted and David was gone.

“Good riddance,” she muttered under her breath. “I hope he’s left this world and gone in search for another that will be more profitable to him and his Atlantean schemes.” Her voice waivered, however, and it was hard to tell whether it was from hoarseness from crying or something else.

Hedegar then offered her some of the vegetable soup that he had been making while she was gone, and she accepted it gratefully. The meerkat sat a little to one side, unsure of how to deal with the turn of events and feeling like something of an outsider.

Susan went to bed straight after dinner. Mercifully, she fell asleep at once, and was saved the uncomfortable tossing and turning of ideas in her head which might have kept her awake.

*-*-*-*

The next day dawned bright and clear. The sky was cloudless, as was so often the case in this world, but the wind was fresh and cool. Hedegar, Vixel, Susan and the guinea pig followed the leading of Merkel the meerkat.

At midday, they broke for lunch near the second ford, which would take them back to the right side of the river. They could now see the looming cliffs that bordered the entrance to the pass.

It did not take them long from the ford to the entrance to the pass and Susan could see at once why it was described as a “gate”.

They were grateful for the shade offered by the towering cliffs, as the day had warmed up substantially and the exertion of their walk had added to their discomfort.

The river they had been following, issued from the pass. Within the pass, however, the vegetation on the banks changed somewhat. Shorter, softer and greener plants skirted the banks, and Susan felt a kind of relief from the aridness of the countryside that had oppressed her since she first arrived.

Now that they had entered the pass, however, they were uncertain how to proceed. Where should they look for the next clue (or, with luck, the seed itself)?

Hedegar brought out the box containing the scroll with the clue. It had been a long time since any of them had looked at it, so distracted were they by other events. Hedegar confessed that his reading had become rusty and handed it to Susan to read.

The path is narrow,
The way is straight,
Walk till you find the fair one's gate
Enter and (hoping you are the first)
You may rest and quench your thirst.

“Quenching one’s thirst must refer to the river, surely,” suggested Vixel.

“Perhaps,” said Hedegar deep in thought, “But that’s a rather unhelpful clue. It gives us no idea where along the river we should look. It must suggest something more specific.”

“What does the part about hoping you’re the first mean?” asked Susan.

After some silence, it was the meerkat that spoke up a little hesitantly. He still felt like something of an outsider. “Could…could that have something to do with those other guys that kidnapped your friend?” Hedegar frowned.

“That’s impossible,” he concluded. “These clues were written generations ago. No one could have foreseen what would happen.”

Silence descended again.

“Well,” Susan at last. She wasn’t enjoying this inaction as it gave her time to think about things she’d rather not dwell on. (The journey of the day had thus far succeeded in keeping her mind on other things). “We’re not going to find what we’re looking for sitting here doing nothing. Let’s explore a little before it gets dark. Perhaps something will turn up.

Hedegar agreed to this suggestion. Susan, Vixel and the guinea-pig scoured one area, Hedegar and Merkel another.

*-*-*-*

“Susan! Vixel! Come! We found something!”

The two ladies ran over in the direction of the sound. Hedegar and his companions stood at the entrance to an enclave. Not exactly a cave, it was a large hollow area near the side of the cliff face. The entrance was narrow with stones forming a natural stairway leading down into the enclave. In the middle was a bubbling spring fringed by long thin-leafed plants. On the far side, the cliff created an overhang that jutted out quite far. It was difficult to see whether there were entrances to any caves in the shadows.

“The place where we quench our thirst,” whispered Vixel.

“We nearly walked right past it,” pointed out Merkel. High boulders lined the narrow entrance to the stairway and if you walked past, you would not see the gap. Only if you were walking directly towards it, would you notice it.

“So, what are we waiting for?” asked Susan. Even if it’s not what we’re looking for, it seems a good place to set up camp. The four slowly made their way down the stairs, Susan carrying the guinea pig.

*-*-*-*

“Hold it right there!” came a voice from a position a little to the side of the spring. That area had been hidden from sight while they were standing in the entrance way.

The explorers stopped in their tracks as Loopel and Akadis came into view, standing next to a blazing camp fire. Next to them was an odd-shaped lump that Susan had initially mistaken for a bundle of provisions. But as her eyes adjusted (the light was beginning to fade and the whole enclave in shadow) she realised it was an upside down tortoise shell.

“Scaltard!” she shouted running up to him. With her longer legs she was some way ahead of the rest. “What have you done to…”

Her words were cut short when she felt a thud against her legs as they were swept from under her and she fell flat on her face. The guinea pig, cushioned from the worst of the fall by Susan’s hands, scurried off and disappeared. Akadis had tripped her with his tail. Before she or the others realised what was happening, Loopel was on top of her. He wasn’t very big and she could have thrown him off, if she hadn’t been winded. Akadis approached her outstretched hands and began binding them with a tough vine. Loopel wound the same kind of vine around her legs and ordering her to turn over, they helped her sit, and instructed she remain next to Scaltard.

Scaltard, who before now had been hiding in his shell, ventured his head out. “I’m sorry Susan,” he began, “this is all my fault.”

“Nonsense,” she returned.

“The prisoners will remain silent,” shouted Akadis, waving his tail ominously close to Susan, with the obvious warning that he would use it again.

It had all happened so fast, that the other three had not had time to mount a counter-attack. Hedegar, Vixel and Merkel were still standing some way off and conferred quietly, discussing the best way to rescue their friends.

The felons turned their attention to this group now, and knowing their opponents would be fairly matched against them should it come to a fight, tried a different tactic.

“Come one step closer, and the girl burns,” shouted Loopel, snatching a burning brand from the campfire and holding it not far from Susan’s head.

The three stopped their conferral.

“Good,” continued the hare. “Now, you do exactly as Akadis instructs and your friends won’t be harmed.” The lizard had made his way over to them with a brand of his own and ordered them to march towards the fire. He then bade them sit, and passing his brand to Loopel, bound their fore and hind paws with the rope.

“Good,” sighed Loopel at last in a tone of satisfaction. We are all together again. A merry little band, and all the gang rounded up. Plus one.” He added the last, looking at the Meerkat.

Hedegar opened his mouth to speak, but was unsure whether doing so would cause them to hurt Susan.

“Oh, don’t worry. We’ve taken care of the honey badger. She’s quite safe.” Susan did not like the tone with which he said that. “The insects, those nosy bees and Gelinda, got away. But there’s little harm they can do on their own. We thought they might have found some way to warn you, but then you would never have wondered so carelessly into our trap.”

“You’ve got us all here now! What do you want!?” shouted Hedegar at last, daring to ask the question.

“Want?” My dear hedgehog, “You know the answer to that. The breaknut seed. You will find and hand over the seed to us, or your friends will suffer. It’s that simple. Understand?”

This time the hedgehog did not speak

*-*-*-*