Astrantian Dreams

© 2006 Ian G Hobson

Author's Note: Most of the characters and places in Astrantia are named after plants and flowers. I pronounce and Hieracium: Her-assy-um (similar to potassium).

Hieracium and the Great Wave

The boy Callistephus and his feline friend, Thymus ambled along beside the river. 'So you have not ventured into the village yet?' said Thymus.

'No, not yet,' replied Callistephus. He was no longer bewitched, but still felt unwelcome. 'Tell me about your dreams, Thymus,' he said, changing the subject. 'The ones that you said were very real.'

'I've had so many,' said Thymus, 'because, as you know, cats have nine lives; and we often dream of past ones¦ But perhaps I could put some of the dreams together to make a story.'

***

Springtime was giving way to summer, and sitting high in the Biloba tree in the field behind his father's cottage, Hieracium looked out across the rooftops of the village, dreaming of the far off places he had learned of from his father and from the stories his mother had read to him. And beside him sat Tritoma, the family cat. 'A penny for your thoughts,' said Tritoma as he rubbed up against Hieracium's leg and was rewarded with a rough scratch behind the ear.

'I'm going to be ten soon, Tritoma,' said Hieracium. 'Ten! That's how old Father was when he ran away from home and became a soldier.' This was, of course, not quite true; Ranunculus had run away at the age of ten to escape an evil stepfather, but he had not become a soldier until he was much older.

'Then I must be ten already,' said Tritoma. 'I was only a kitten when Father brought you home in a basket, but I remember it because after he made you a cradle he gave me the basket to sleep in.'

Yes, Hieracium was a foundling; a child abandoned by his mother but then found and adopted by Ranunculus and his wife Luzula; who, despite being quite old, were surly the best father and mother a boy could have. Though that didn't stop him from wondering where he came from. He was a handsome boy with raven hair, and his features gave him a proud and intelligent look. His mother had taught him to read and write, but his father had made him a wooden sword and taught him how to fence with it. So as Hieracium looked westward, towards the setting sun, his thoughts were of sailing off to foreign lands where battles were waiting to be fought, and where princesses waited to be rescued, and where dragons waited to be slayed.

Of course, things are never quite that simple, even in Astrantia. Hieracium was still very young and though he felt sure that his destiny lay in far off places, one thing did trouble him. No, it was not his tender age, or even the thought of dragons and other dangers, because even from a very young age he had always been completely fearless. No, it was the thought of leaving his parents that worried him. They were old and he was their only child, and he knew that he would be missed.

As he heard the door to the cottage open, he swung down from the branch he was sitting on and continued his decent until he was low enough to drop to the ground. And as he ran towards his mother, his faithful playmate Tritoma dropped down from the tree and ran after him.

***

Hieracium's birthday came a few days later, though in truth, it was not his birthday at all, but the anniversary of his being found by Ranunculus. His real birthday was a few days before that and, though neither of them knew it, it was in fact a birthday shared with Tritoma, as they had both been born on the very same day.

'Where are we going?' Hieracium asked his father as he climbed up to sit beside him on the horse-drawn cart. The cart was laden with vegetables and also a hamper of food prepared by his mother, Luzula, who stood in front of the cottage and waved as the cart set off.

'We're just making a delivery,' replied Ranunculus as he and Hieracium turned to wave to Luzula. Ranunculus was an old but strong man and would often do work for local farmers, like helping with haymaking or delivering crops to other villages.

'But where?' said Hieracium. He was dressed like his father, in rough homespun shirt and breeches and a leather jerkin. 'It must be a long way if we need to take so much to eat.' He gave his mother a last wave as the horse and cart rounded the bend in the road. But then something in the back of the cart moved. 'Tritoma!' exclaimed Hieracium. 'What are you doing here?'

Tritoma had just appeared from behind one of many sacks of new potatoes. 'I like journeys too,' replied the cat as he climbed up onto the seat between father and son.

'But you're a stowaway!' exclaimed Hieracium. 'Isn't he, father?'

'I suppose so,' said Ranunculus, chuckling at the thought. 'But if you want to come along for the ride, Tritoma, I don't mind.

'That's easy for you to say,' said Crocus, swishing flies away with her tail. She was Farmer Fescue's carthorse, and quite used to pulling heavy loads, though she liked to grumble about it. 'And I'd like to know how far we are going, as well,' she said.

'Just to the ocean and back,' said Ranunculus.

'The ocean!' exclaimed Hieracium. He had been to the ocean only once before and had been fascinated by the huge and restless stretch of water. 'I love the ocean! Will we have time for a swim?'

'Time for more than that, I hope,' said Ranunculus, giving the reigns a gentle shake. 'We're going to Passiflora. Get along there, Crocus. We haven't got all day.'

***

Tritoma was asleep at the foot of the huge bed, but Hieracium lay awake listening to the muffled sounds of conversation and laughter that came from below. After a full day's journey, they had arrived in the coastal village of Passiflora where Ranunculus had made his delivery to a tavern called The Periwinkle and then arranged for a night's lodgings there.

Passiflora was built high on a cliff-top, from where a steep track wound down to a sandy beach at the head of a bay that made an ideal safe harbour for fishing boats. To Hieracium, it seemed a wonderful place: a place just like the ones in the storybooks, with smugglers and pirates around every corner. Also, he had never stayed at an inn before, and even climbing a staircase was a new experience; so, unlike Tritoma, Hieracium just could not get to sleep.

But eventually he did sleep, and as he slept his dreams were filled with treasure and pirate ships and sea dragons; one of which was just about to eat him alive when he woke to find his father snoring loudly beside him and the innkeeper's daughter standing beside his bed.

'I'm seven. How old are you?' she said. Hieracium could just make out the shape of the little girl silhouetted against the early morning light from the window; though he could easily have taken her for a boy as she had short hair and seemed to be dressed in boys' clothing.

'Ten,' replied Hieracium, blinking the sleep out of his eyes as he looked at the girl.

'We're going fishing,' she said. 'You can come if you want.' Hieracium looked towards his sleeping father. 'Unless you're too scared.'

'I'm not scared,' said Hieracium.

'I'll meet you outside then,' said the girl, leaving Hieracium to get dressed.

As the girl left, Tritoma came in, licking his lips after an agreeable visit to the kitchen. 'It seems you have a new friend,' he said. 'Father was very late to bed last night and he smelt of that drink he likes: the one that makes him walk funny. Rum, I think it's called. It usually makes him sleep late, as well, so we should have plenty of time for fishing.'

***

'You don't get seasick, do you?' said the girl as her uncle's small fishing boat was carried out of the bay by a light breeze and the outgoing tide. The boat was painted bright blue and had a single mast and two triangular sails.

'I don't think so,' Hieracium answered, as he watched the cliff-top village of Passiflora grow smaller. 'I've never been on a sailing ship before.'

The girl laughed at Hieracium's ignorance. 'The Marguerite isn't a ship, she's a fishing boat!' The girl's name was Caltha. Her face was tanned, and her hair was bleached by the sun and the salt air to the colour of seashells. She had already explained that The Marguerite belonged to her Uncle Vinca who was sitting at the tiller guiding his boat out to sea.

Vinca was a typical fisherman, with a weather-beaten face and thick curly hair and a beard. And he had taken an immediate liking to Tritoma, who was sitting comfortable on his lap. 'Stand by, Caltha!' Vinca shouted, as he made ready to change course.

'Get down!' Caltha warned Hieracium. 'We're going to tack.' As Vinca pushed the tiller, turning the ship's rudder, the boom ' that's the wooden beam attached to the ship's mast and mainsail - came swinging across from one side of the boat to the other, and would have knocked Hieracium overboard if Caltha had not tugged at his sleeve and pulled him down.

'Thanks,' said Hieracium, cautiously watching the boom in case it came swinging back across the boat. But as a strong gust of wind filled the sail and the boat leapt forward through the waves and splashed him with spray, he grinned broadly at Caltha. 'What does tack mean?' he asked.

'If the wind isn't blowing the way we want to go,' Caltha explained, 'we have to sail across the wind for a while and then turn and sail across it the other way.'

'Stand by!' Vinca shouted again, and this time Hieracium ducked his head down in plenty of time before The Marguerite turned and the boom swung across, except that this time the boat lost most of its speed. Vinca nudged Tritoma off his lap and then left the tiller to lower the mainsail.

'Time to fish,' announced Caltha, opening a wooden chest in the centre of the boat and taking out two fishing lines complete with hooks and silvery lures. Vinca reached into the chest and took out a net, which he unfolded and cast over the stern where it trailed behind the boat as the southerly breeze pushed it gently along parallel to the shoreline.

Hieracium had been river fishing with rod and line but was unsure what to do with just a line. 'It's just like catching crabs from the rocks,' Caltha explained, 'except here the sea is much much deeper.' She quickly uncoiled her line and lowered it into the water on the starboard side of the boat, and Hieracium did the same while Tritoma watched with interest, noticing that the fishing line was much thicker than the one that Hieracium used on the river.

'Hungry?' Vinca asked, unwrapping a parcel of bread and cheese and handing some to the two children. 'There's nothing for you though, Tritoma. But maybe a sardine or two later, eh?' He gave the cat a scratch behind the ear and then went back to the tiller where he could keep one eye on his net and the other on the coastline to be sure they were not drifting too far out to sea.

The bread and cheese tasted delicious and they washed it down with cups of fresh milk which they shared with Tritoma. And as Caltha threw a handful of breadcrumbs over the side, several tiny but brightly coloured fish appeared from nowhere and darted about with open mouths until a seagull swooped down and frightened them away.

It was then that Hieracium felt a sharp tug on his line. 'I think I've caught a fish!' he exclaimed as he began to haul in his line.

'Careful,' warned Caltha, 'if you pull too hard you might loose it.'

Tritoma had to move out of the way as Hieracium, puling hand over hand, was covering him with wet fishing line. But as he jumped up and balanced on the side of the boat he soon saw Hieracium's fish come struggling to the surface. 'Quite big,' he observed. But before the fish was hauled into the boat, a bigger fish leapt out of the water and swallowed the first fish whole and then dived back down, taking Hieracium's line with it.

'Keep hold!' Caltha shouted excitedly, as the line sped through Hieracium's fingers. 'I've never seen that happen before! You've got a really big fish on your line now!' Hieracium managed to grasp the line, and Tritoma and Caltha watched as he struggled to haul it in. But the fish was strong and made Hieracium fight for every handful of line.

Vinca had left the tiller and come to watch. It was like a tug of war, and he was impressed by Hieracium's determination as, bit-by-bit, he fought the fish and hauled in the line. 'It must be a very big fish,' he said, as he felt the deck begin to tilt under his feet. But as the sea became noisier and he looked over his shoulder, he saw that it was not Hieracium's fish that was tilting the deck of his boat but an approaching wave: the biggest wave he had ever seen in his life.

He ran to the tiller to try and steer the boat into the wave, as that was the best way to avoid being capsized. 'Hold tight!' he shouted over the roar of the surging water as The Marguerite began to turn.

At first Caltha and Hieracium, engrossed in the fishing, didn't understand Vinca's warning, but as they turned and saw the huge wave, they abandoned their fishing lines and looked for something to cling to. Caltha made a grab for the mast and clung there shouting at Hieracium to do the same, but Hieracium had turned to take hold of Tritoma and just at that moment the top of the wave curled and crashed down onto the boat and washed them both into the sea.

The Marguerite shuddered but then shook off the water and rose to the top of the wave. Then Vinca and Caltha ran to the side of the boat and looked over, but Hieracium and Tritoma were gone.

***

'Where am I?' Hieracium asked as he woke. His clothes were damp and he seemed to be in some sort of cave; except that the cave was made of a kind of rock he had never seen before, and through it, shone a watery daylight.

'We're safe now,' said a familiar voice. It was Tritoma, and he was sitting on the floor of the cave beside Hieracium. 'We were brought here by dolphins.'

'Dolphins?' said Hieracium. He had heard of dolphins but never seen one. He got to his feet and looked around the cave. The rocky floor was a sandy colour, while the curving walls and roof were almost translucent, like the glass in a window, and beyond them was water. 'We're under the ocean!' he said with surprise.

'You are quite correct,' said a female voice. 'Under the coral, in fact.' Startled, Hieracium turned towards the voice and saw a beautiful woman with waist-length golden hair, sitting at the edge of a pool of clear water. And then, as the woman smiled at him he saw that she was no ordinary woman, for instead of legs she had a fish's tail.

'Are you a mermaid?' Hieracium asked.

'I am indeed,' said the mermaid, and my name is Inula, and I am the daughter of King Lathyrus, the ruler of the seabed. I will take you to see him now.' Then, amazingly, as the woman moved, she changed: her fish's tail was replaced by the skirt of a long flowing gown that shimmered in the sea-light. On her head was a sliver crown and, as she stood upright, Hieracium saw that on her feet were silver slippers.

'This way,' said Inula, as she led Hieracium and Tritoma around the pool and towards a long dark tunnel. The tunnel led to another cave, larger than the first, but made of the same type of translucent rock. At its centre, beside another pool, sat a King Lathyrus. He too wore a crown and a long flowing silvery gown, and gathered around his throne were people ' if people was the right word for them, as most, though dressed like the king and his daughter, had silvery scale-like skin. Though all of them seemed troubled by something, as they were in such deep discussion that they did not even notice the arrival of Inula and her two guests.

But King Lathyrus noticed. 'Ah, here is our fisherman,' he said in a loud, grim voice that immediately silenced his courtiers, making them turn and look disapprovingly at Hieracium. 'And here is his friend, Tritoma.'

Hieracium, noticing the disapproving looks and at the same time remembering his fight with the fish, thought it best to say nothing, while Tritoma calmly walked up the king and leapt into his lap, causing the courtiers to gasp.

But King Lathyrus smiled and stroked Tritoma affectionately, as though it was his habit to do so. 'You are lucky to have such a friend,' he said, looking now at Hieracium. 'Did you know that you owe Tritoma your life?'

Hieracium looked puzzled. 'But I thought we were saved by dolphins,' he answered.

'No, not saved,' said the king. 'Just brought to us¦ drowned.'

'Drowned?' Hieracium did not understand.

'Yes, drowned,' said King Lathyrus. 'But a cat, I have learned, has nine lives, and your friend, Tritoma chose to continue with this one.'

Hieracium still did not understand. 'But I am not a cat,' he said. 'If I had drowned then surely I would be dead.'

'Quite so,' agreed the king. 'Except that here in the realm of the seabed, I have the power of life or death over those who trespass; and your friend Tritoma persuaded my daughter that your life was worth saving.'

Hieracium looked at Tritoma, remembering how the two of them had been washed overboard by the great wave and sucked into the depths of the sea. 'Is it true that we drowned?' he asked.

'It is true,' Tritoma replied as he jumped down from the king's lap. 'And now this life counts as my third instead of my second. But it is not to me that you owe your life, but to Princess Inula and King Lathyrus - and the dolphins, of course.'

At that moment two dolphins surfaced in the centre of the pool and swam over to Inula, speaking to her in a language that Hieracium did not understand and causing a ripple of alarm amongst the assembled courtiers, some of whom dived into the pool and disappeared. Then Inula spoke to Hieracium and Tritoma. 'The great wave that washed you into the sea was caused by tremors in the seabed,' she said, 'and the tremors have weakened the magic that keeps the seawater from entering these chambers, so now, for your own safety, you must leave.' Hieracium looked at the pool, and sure enough the water level was slowly rising.

'Quickly,' said Inula, pointing to another dark tunnel. 'Follow that tunnel and it will lead you to safety. Goodbye Hieracium and Tritoma, and good luck.' And with that, she too dived into the pool and Hieracium saw that as she did so, she once more took on the form of a mermaid.

Now the king was on his feet and giving orders to the few remaining courtiers, and Hieracium and Tritoma were forgotten. 'I think we have outstayed our welcome,' said Tritoma. 'It is time we left.'

And so, reluctantly, and with many a glance back towards the pool, Hieracium followed Tritoma into the tunnel.

***

'But what happened next,' Callistephus asked. 'Did the tunnel lead them to safety?'

'Oh, yes,' replied Thymus, 'eventually¦ But we'll save that story for another time, shall we?'

Hieracium and The Lady of the Lake

Callistephus had accepted an invitation to come and live in the old tower with Thymus and Holcus, and he was sitting on the floor of his new bedroom. 'Can we continue with the story?' he asked.

'Very well,' replied Thymus, collecting his thoughts and making himself comfortable on the bed. 'Though this was not altogether my favourite dream.'

***

The tunnel was thousands of years old and formed by a flow of volcanic lava. Tritoma moved cautiously in the darkness, guided only by his sense of smell and the touch of his whiskers against any obstacles he found in his path, while Hieracium followed closely, holding the cat's tail. 'Do you think we are going the right way?' he asked. 'right way¦ right way?' Hieracium's question was repeated by an echo.

'There's no other way to go¦ way to go¦ way to go,' Tritoma and the echo replied. 'Just keep hold of my tail and stop if I tell you to¦ tell you to¦ tell you to.'

The boy and the cat had been in the tunnel and its complete and utter blackness for so long that they had begun to loose track of time. And they had only the word of the mermaid princess that it would lead them out from under the seabed and to safety.

'Stop a moment¦ a moment¦ a moment.' Tritoma's whiskers had brushed against something wet. It was the tunnel wall and he tasted the wetness with his tongue before moving on. 'The tunnel seems to turn left here¦ left here¦ left here¦ and this wall tastes of fresh water¦. fresh water¦ fresh water. So we are no longer under the sea¦ the sea¦the sea¦'

Hieracium felt water drip onto his head and he stopped and tilted his head back to drink some before allowing himself to be led further in the darkness. 'You're right, Tritoma¦ Tritoma¦ Tritoma. The water is fresh so we must be under land¦ under land¦ under land.'

'Quite so¦ quite so¦ quite so,' said the echo, 'but you have a long way to go yet¦ go yet¦ go yet.'

'Who said that¦ said that¦ said that?' Hieracium asked as he and Tritoma came to halt and listened.

'Just me¦ just me¦ just me,' replied the echo. 'I've been so lonely down here on my own¦ my own¦ my own. No one ever comes this way any more¦ any more¦ any more.'

'Who are you¦ are you¦ are you? Tritoma asked, sniffing the air but detecting nothing but a damp stony smell.

'I'm an echo¦ an echo¦ an echo,' replied the echo. 'Have you never heard one before¦ one before¦ one before?'

'But echoes don't answer back¦ answer back¦ answer back,' said Hieracium.

'Don't they¦ don't they¦ don't they?' Suddenly the echo sounded quite worried. 'It's been a long time¦ long time¦ long time,' he said. 'Perhaps I've forgotten how it's done¦ it's done¦ it's done. I've only had myself to talk to for ages... for ages... for ages. Even the pirates don't come here any more¦ any more¦ any more.'

'Pirates¦ pirates¦ pirates?' Despite the absurdity of talking to an echo, Hieracium was keen to know more. 'What pirates¦ pirates¦ pirates?'

'A nasty lot they were¦ they were¦ they were,' the echo replied. 'Always squabbling and fighting with each other¦ each other¦ each other. Their cave is just around the next bend¦ next bend¦ next bend.'

'Can't you speak normally¦ normally¦ normally?' asked Tritoma. 'And stop repeating everything we say¦ we say¦ we say?'

'I suppose I could try¦ could try,' said the echo. 'If you promise to stay and talk for a while¦ while.'

'Why not come with us?' Hieracium suggested. 'You can show us where the pirates' cave is.'

'If you like¦ you like, oh, sorry,' said the echo. 'It's a hard habit to break. But yes, I'll come with you. Mind your head as you go; the roof is quite low from here on¦ here on, oh, sorry.'

The echo was quite right; the roof was low in places and Hieracium bumped his head more than once. But soon he saw that there was daylight ahead and as the tunnel rounded a gradual bend to the right, he and Tritoma emerged into a huge cave with a tiny hole in the roof, through which, a shaft of sunlight shone so brightly that Hieracium had to shade his eyes.

'Is this where the pirates come¦ pirates come?' he asked as he looked around, trying to see into its darker corners.

'Sorry,' said the echo. 'Yes, this was their cave. They used to come in through the hole in the roof and climb down a knotted rope.'

'There's a terrible smell in here,' observed Tritoma. He made his way over towards what looked like a mound of earth at one side of the cave and then stopped as he found what it was that had offended his sense of smell. 'There are bats in here,' he said, 'and I don't think they've done much spring-cleaning recently. I think it's time we moved on.'

'No, wait¦ no wait!' said Hieracium.

'Sorry,' said the echo.

'Look over here.' Hieracium's eyes had grown accustomed to the light and he had spotted something interesting at the other side of the cave. 'Barrels!' he exclaimed. 'Lots of big wooden barrels!'

'You have to knock on them,' said the echo.' That's how to find out if they're full or empty.'

'But what's in them?' Hieracium asked as he knocked on the first barrel to find that it sounded empty.

'It's called rum,' replied the echo. 'The pirates liked to drink it; though that's when they usually started fighting.'

'My father likes rum,' said Hieracium, suddenly reminded that his father must be very worried about him; it seemed like half a lifetime had gone by since he and Tritoma had been washed into the sea. 'This one's got some in,' he said as he knocked on another of the barrels. There was a wooden tap at the bottom of the barrel, and though it was very stiff, Hieracium managed to turn it until a few drops of rum trickled out. He knelt down and put his tongue under the tap to catch some of the drips and them grimaced at the taste. 'Yuck, that's awful!' he said as he got quickly to his feet and moved on past the remaining barrels and tripped over something that lay in his path.

Then he almost jumped out of his skin as he realised that what he had tripped over was the legs of a human skeleton. It was leaning against the wall of the cave and was dressed in tattered remnants of clothing but, disturbed by Hieracium's feet, it began to slide sideways until it hit the floor of the cave with a dusty crash and its skull fell off and rolled away. 'That must have been one of the pirates!' exclaimed Hieracium. 'And look!' The skull had come to rest against a large wooded chest. 'A treasure chest!'

And it was indeed a treasure chest; though most of the treasure had long since been removed. Though Hieracium did find a broken gold pendant that must once have held a large precious stone, and he put that into his pocket. But best of all, carefully wrapped in the skin of a wild animal, he found a leather belt with a huge brass buckle, and a scabbard containing a sword with an ornate handle and guard. 'It's not even rusty,' said Hieracium as he pulled the sword from the scabbard and examined the gleaming blade. Then he tried the belt for size. It was, of course, too big, but he threaded it through the scabbard and buckled it and hung it over his shoulder.

'A proper little pirate¦ little pirate,' observed Tritoma.

'Sorry,' said the echo. 'I suppose you'll be going now, will you?' Now the echo sounded quite sad.

'I'm afraid so,' Tritoma replied. 'Unless we're to live off a diet of rum and bat droppings.' He looked up at the hole in the roof, noticing that the daylight was beginning to fade and wishing there was some way to get up there. 'But you are still welcome to come with us if you can.'

'No!' The echo seemed anxious. 'I don't like to stray too far that way any more¦ Are you sure I can't persuade you to stay here? This part of the tunnel is by far the nicest.'

'No, we must be going.' Hieracium answered. 'Are you sure you wouldn't like to come with us to the end of the tunnel and out into the fresh air?'

'Oh, no,' replied the echo. 'This is my home, you see; and has been for thousands of years; ever since people first came here¦ came here¦ came here¦ The old days were the best¦ the best¦ the best. When people lived in the caves¦ the caves¦ the caves, and babies were born and grew into children¦ children¦ children. They were such happy times¦ times¦times.' The echo's voice had grown very sad and fallen back into its echoing habit as it reminisced about days gone by. And so Hieracium and Tritoma, who had now found the continuation of the tunnel, continued on into the darkness once more.

***

'I'm hungry,' said Hieracium. He had had nothing to eat since morning ' or was that the day before, he wasn't sure - and he had had only a little water to drink; but he bravely continued on through the darkness, holding on to Tritoma's tail with one hand and the scabbard of his sword with the other.

'Me too,' answered Tritoma, remembering the tasty meal of leftovers he had eaten at the Periwinkle Inn, and guessing correctly that somewhere above their heads, it would be night-time.

'Then come to my banquet,' said a soothing female voice that seemed to come from a little way ahead. 'You will be most welcome.'

'Is that you, echo,' Hieracium asked, thinking that the echo had followed them after all.

'There are no echoes here,' said the voice, sounding almost hypnotic. 'There was one once, but I grew tired of his constant repetition and sent him away; though sometimes I miss his conversation. He knew many languages and taught me all of them.'

'Who are you,' Tritoma asked as he sniffed the air, thinking he could smell something fishy. Then he stopped as his whiskers and nose touched solid rock.

'I am Dicentra,' the soothing voice replied. 'Do not be afraid. You are close now to my banqueting hall, but you may find a rock-fall just ahead of you, so you may have to climb over it and squeeze through a gap. Come; do not be afraid.'

'I don't like the smell of this place,' said Tritoma as he felt with his whiskers, trying to find a way forward, but there was indeed a rock-fall. 'It seems we have no choice but to go on,' he said. 'Let go of my tail and I'll go first and find a way.' And so up he went, finding his way over the rocks and calling to Hieracium to follow. It took a long time, but eventually the two of them squeezed through a gap and scrambled down the other side of the rock-fall and found themselves in yet another huge cave.

But this cave was not like the pirates' cave; there was no hole in the roof to let in daylight, and yet Tritoma and Hieracium could see, for the cave was dimly lit by what looked like hundreds of stars, and the light from them was reflected by a huge lake that covered most of the floor of the cave.

'Welcome,' said Dicentra. 'Come closer.' In the water at the edge of the lake there was a large white rock, and her voice seemed to be coming from there.

'What are those lights?' Hieracium asked as he looked up at the roof of the cave. 'They look like stars.'

'They're glow-worms,' said Tritoma as he and Hieracium moved closer to the lake. 'Tiny creatures that give off light.'

'Glow-worms?' said Dicentra, 'Oh yes, the glow-worms. I hear them whispering but they never talk to me.'

'Who are you,' Hieracium asked. 'And why are you here?'

'I've told you,' replied the soothing voice. 'I am Dicentra. I am the Lady of the lake, and I have lived here for a long time¦ Your voice reminds me of an old friend's; a little boy who used to bring me food. That was a long time ago¦ But perhaps we can be friends. Let me sing you a song.' And with that, Dicentra began to sing in a soft and hypnotic voice.

This cave, it is so very old
It's lake, so deep and clear
But visitors are welcome
They have no need to fear

In days gone by, so many came
To my feast upon the shore
And when the feasting, it was done
Not one would ask for more

So come now, to the water's edge
It's almost time to dine
If you enjoy my hospitality
Then the pleasure will be all mine

For my name, it is Dicentra
And this is my domain
And all who enter here, my friends
Are welcome to remain

Lulled by Dicentra's soothing voice, Hieracium had taken a few more steps forward, but the last line of the song troubled him. 'Where is the food?' he asked. 'I can't see any.' He took another step but something brittle snapped under his foot and he looked down to see what it was. 'A bone,' he said, 'and there are more of them.'

Tritoma had also discovered some bones, and there were many, strewn all around the edge of the lake, and some of them looked like the bones of the dead pirate, though most of them were just broken fragments. 'What is this place?' he said, backing away from the lake and noticing that the fishy smell was now stronger than ever.

'Come closer. You have nothing to fear.' Dicentra's voice was now less soothing and was beginning to sound impatient.

Sensing danger, Hieracium drew the sword from the scabbard, and just in time too, for suddenly the white rock had changed shape and was moving rapidly towards him. With horror Hieracium saw that the rock was in fact a crab, just like the ones he had seen outside a fishmonger's shop in Passiflora; except that this one was enormous and white, with six legs as long as a man's and two huge pincers.

The crab came sideways at Hieracium and then turned and snapped at him with one of the pincers. But Hieracium, instinctively using the fencing skills his father had taught him, ducked under the pincer and moved forwards and sideways to swipe at one of the crab's legs with his sword. Dicentra recoiled from the blow and let out a screech of pain but as Hieracium stepped backwards and stumbled over more of the broken bones, the crab advanced again, snapping wildly at Hieracium, now with both of her pincers. Once more Hieracium ducked, this time rolling away to leave the crab snapping at the air, but as he scrambled noisily over more of the broken bones she turned towards him again.

'She's blind!' shouted Tritoma. 'She can hear you but not see you!' Hieracium backed away from the snapping pincers but his every movement betrayed his position. He shrugged off the belt and scabbard and slung them past the advancing crustacean, trying to distract her, and as the belt and scabbard hit the floor of the cave, the huge crab turned towards the sound. Hieracium kept very still and Dicentra seemed undecided as to where her prey now was. But some instinct was guiding her back to where Hieracium lay, so Tritoma ran over to the belt and scabbard and, using his teeth, he dragged them noisily through the broken bones.

Again Dicentra was distracted, this time moving towards Tritoma and again she snapped viciously at the air with both pincers. With as much stealth as he could muster, Hieracium got to his feet and, following after the crab, he raised his sword high and brought it down hard on one of her rear legs, almost severing it. Dicentra screeched with pain and rage and turned towards her attacker. But already Hieracium had sprung away, and though bones cracked under his feet as he circled her, the sound was lost amongst Dicentra's terrible screams and soon he was able to strike again. Now, with all his might, he brought the sword down on her other rear leg, this time severing it close to her body and sending the huge crab into a frenzy of pain and anger.

Hieracium and Tritoma backed away as Dicentra continued to screech and thrash about and then with one last penetrating scream, she backed into the lake and was gone.

'She was no lady?' said Hieracium, breathless and covered in Dicentra's blood or whatever it was that had spurted from her wounds. 'Do you think I killed her?'

'No,' replied Tritoma, 'I don't think so.' He and Hieracium watched the lake as bubbles came to the surface. And then, to their surprise, the edge of the lake came alive with many tiny creatures. 'Look,' said Tritoma as the creatures converged on Dicentra's severed leg and began to devour it. 'More crabs.'

'But such tiny ones!' exclaimed Hieracium.

More of the tiny crabs, each of them blind and white, came up from the lake to join the feast. Whatever strange aberration had caused Dicentra to grow so large had not affected them, though they were well accustomed to picking over the bones of her victims; except now Dicentra herself was the victim and her severed leg the meal of the day.

And it was day; for at the far end of the cave, through a low opening, the first light of dawn was showing the way out of the cave.

***

'That wasn't a dream,' said Callistephus. 'That was a nightmare. It's a good thing that Hieracium had found that sword.'

'Quite so,' replied Thymus as the Callistephus climbed up onto the bed and lay down beside him.

'And so is that the end of the story?' Callistephus asked. 'Did Hieracium and Tritoma get home safely? Or did they have more adventures?'

'I don't know,' replied Thymus, drowsily. 'Perhaps I'll find out soon, in my dreams.'

Hieracium and the Earthquake

Autumn was turning into winter and the days were growing shorter, and as Thymus and Callistephus sat enjoying the rest of what was left of the day's sunshine, Thymus began to tell him of his latest dreams¦

***

As sunlight filtered down through the woodland canopy, Hieracium knelt down to drink before kicking off his shoes and wading out to where the water was deepest to wash his hands and face. He was exhausted and hungry, but glad to be out in the fresh air again after so long underground. His faithful feline friend, Tritoma was also exhausted and had already fallen asleep beside the stream, so Hieracium came and lay down beside him and fell asleep too.

Much later, when Hieracium woke, Tritoma was gone, but soon the cat returned, licking his lips. 'Water rat,' he said, guiltily. 'Would you like me to catch you one?'

'No thanks,' replied Hieracium, suddenly thinking of home and his mother's cooking. 'I'm hungry, but not that hungry.' Then he began to wonder just how far away home might be; surrounded by trees, it was hard to guess. Though he thought that this forest was probably the one that he and his father had passed through towards the end of their journey to the coast.

'Hungry! Hungry!' Suddenly Hieracium's last word was repeated by a loud squawky voice that came from somewhere up in the treetops. 'Hungry! Hungry!' As Hieracium and Tritoma looked up into the canopy, a large colourful bird swooped down towards them, but as the bird saw the cat, she spread her wings and flew over to a nearby tree to land on one of its lower branches.

'Yes, I am hungry,' said Hieracium, fascinated by the bird's colourful plumage and guessing correctly that she must be a parrot.

The parrot tilted her head this way and that as she looked first with one eye and then the other at Tritoma and Hieracium, as though surprised to see a boy and a cat together in the forest. But then she took to the air again. 'Follow me,' she chirped as she flew off.

Intrigued, Hieracium put his shoes back on and picked up the sword and scabbard that he had found in the pirates' cave, and ran after the parrot, quickly followed by Tritoma. The parrot flew from branch to branch, taking them uphill and eventually leading them to a clearing, where a long and shabby-looking wagon stood beside a cart track. The wagon was like a house on wheels, with a curved roof and a chimney and a double door at the end, with two small windows, and steps leading up to the door between two poles that were obviously for harnessing a horse to.

'Food inside!' chirped the parrot as she landed on the roof. 'Food inside!'

Hieracium cautiously climbed the steps and tried to peer through the windows, but they were too high. 'Who lives in here?' he asked, looking up at the parrot.

'Gone away,' replied the parrot. 'Gone away. Food inside.'

Hieracium knocked on the door but there was no reply. So he tried the handle and found that the door was unlocked and easily opened.

'Food, food, food!' chirped the parrot as she flew past Hieracium and in through the open door. Hieracium followed and found that the vehicle was furnished with a tiny stove and a bed set against the wall and a wooden table fixed to the floor beside it. But there was hardly room for these as the wagon was mostly filled with goods: pots and pans, spades, saws and axes, three barrels like the ones Hieracium had seen in the pirates' cave; and unusual things like a wooden carving of an eagle and another one of a bear and even ones of little men with pointed hats, all sitting in a row on a pile of old sacks. And there was food too: for on the table there was a half a loaf of bread, some cooked meat, a bowl of dried fruit, another bowl, full of nuts, and on hooks and racks and shelves around the room there was more food: strings of onion and garlic, sacks of flour, a muslin wrapped cheese and assorted bottles and jars.

The parrot had landed on the table and was pecking up some breadcrumbs. So Hieracium, with little thought for whom the vehicle and the food might belong to, lay his sword on the bed, sat down and helped himself to some of the meat and a chunk of the bread, and he was so busy eating that at first he failed to notice that another parrot, and three other less exotic birds, had flown in through the door.

Then two more birds flew in, soon followed by Tritoma. And then there was pandemonium, as one of the birds, frightened by Tritoma, knocked over the nuts; while the rest of the birds flew around the wagon, squawking and pecking at the nuts and knocking over a bottle that stood on one of the barrels.

'What's this?' said an angry voice, as the bottle crashed to the floor. Hieracium looked up as the wagon tilted slightly and a man stepped through the doorway. He was the ugliest man that Hieracium had ever seen, with a scared face and a long hooked nose, and he was dressed all in black. 'Who are you?' he asked, scowling at Hieracium.

Deciding it was time to leave, the birds flew past the man and out through the door leaving Hieracium to face his anger. Though one of the parrots lost several tail feathers as the man tried to grab it. Meanwhile, Tritoma had wisely decided to hide under the bed.

'I'm sorry, sir,' said Hieracium, getting up from the table. 'It's just that I was so hungry, and the parrot said there was food inside, and that you had gone away and¦'

'Gone away!' exclaimed the man. 'Do I look as though I've gone away?' The man looked around at the mess that the birds had made, before looking angrily back at Hieracium. 'Can't a man take his horse to water and leave his door unlocked, without a thief sneaking in to steal his goods?' he asked. 'Where are you from, boy, and where did you find this?' The man reached for the pirates' sword that lay on the bed and drew it out of its scabbard and looked closely at it. 'Nice piece of work,' he said. 'Should be worth a pretty penny.' Then he turned his attention back to Hieracium. 'And so should you, boy; a very pretty penny.' The man lifted Hieracium's chin with the point of the sword and smiled, but it was a very wicked smile.

***

'There's no way out of here, is there?' whispered Hieracium. He was sitting on the floor of the wagon with his back to one of the barrels.

'No,' replied Tritoma, scratching at a flea that he thought must have come from the man's bed. The sun had set and the interior of the wagon had grown dark, though gradually there was a little more light as Hesperis, Astrantia's pale pink moon, rose into the sky and shone through the windows. The man had made Hieracium clean up the mess that the birds had made and then ordered him to be quiet before giving him a crust of bread and some water and locking the door. But then, after a suspicious glance at Hieracium, the man had taken the key from the lock and hung it high on a hook above the door before climbing into bed where he had soon fallen asleep. And as the man began to snore loudly, Tritoma had come out from hiding.

'And what did he mean about selling me?' Hieracium asked, still whispering for fear of waking the man. 'And what do you suppose a slave is?' The man had warned Hieracium to be ready for a long journey, at the end of which, he would be sold as a slave.

'I don't know,' replied Tritoma, still scratching at the flea, 'I don't like the sound of it, whatever it is. Can't you reach that key?' Hieracium got to his feet and tried to move one of the barrels towards the door so that he could stand on it and reach the key, but the barrel was too heavy.

'It would be nice to be sold, though' said a voice. Hieracium was startled; but not as startled as Tritoma who had been sitting on the floor beside the pile of sacks where the three little carved men with pointed hats were sitting, and it was one of them that had spoken.

'I thought you were just made of wood,' said Tritoma, turning to stare up at the three little men. They were all dressed in red suits and hats, and shiny black boots, and each had a long white beard. And they were moving.

'Wood?' said another of the little men, indignantly. 'We're not made of wood. We're moulded from the finest quality clay, and glazed and baked in a kiln for two days.'

'A magic kiln,' said the first little man. 'It has to be a magic kiln.'

'Don't make so much noise,' whispered the third little man, 'you'll wake the tinker.'

'But how can you talk?' whispered Hieracium, looking down at them. They all looked very similar except that one was holding a fishing rod, one had a pickaxe stuck in his belt and the other was holding a lamp.

'Because we're gnomes,' replied the one with the lamp as he slid down from the pile of sacks. 'All gnomes can speak, but only after dark, of course, not during the day. And, of course, we can't speak to grownups; that's strictly against the rules. My name is Gromwell, by the way, and this is Sedum,' the one with the fishing rod climbed down to the floor and then bowed, 'and this is Willowherb,' and the one with the axe gave more of a nod than a bow and then climbed down to join his two companions.

'I'm Hieracium and this is Tritoma,' said Hieracium.

'What did you mean about it being nice to be sold?' Tritoma asked Sedum.

'We're garden gnomes,' answered Sedum. 'We were made to sit in the sunshine in a garden, not sit inside. But when the tinker takes us to the fair to be sold, no one buys us.'

'So we stay in here and rot,' said Willowherb.

'Is he the tinker?' Hieracium asked, pointing towards the snoring man.

'That's right,' replied Gromwell. 'He travels around and buys and sells¦ things.' He looked at Hieracium with a sad expression.

'So I'm to be sold too,' said Hieracium, despondently.

'Better to be sold than stuck in here for ever,' said Willowherb. 'And I'm afraid that's what we'll be; stuck in here for ever.'

'Then why don't you escape,' suggested Hieracium. The gnomes looked surprised at this idea, as though such a thought had never occurred to any of them.

'But how?' asked Sedum. 'We're usually locked in, or the tinker is not far away.'

'Willowherb has a pickaxe,' replied Hieracium. 'He could try and make a hole in the floor to escape through.'

'Make a hole? In the tinker's wagon?' exclaimed Willowherb. 'And have him come back and break me into pieces! I may be only a garden gnome, but I'm not stupid.'

'It would be good to escape though,' said Sedum, 'and find a nice garden to live in.'

'The cottage where I live has a garden,' said Hieracium. 'You could come and live with me.'

'Now, just a moment,' said Gromwell. 'We haven't agreed to escaping yet. And, anyway, how far is it to where you live? We can only travel by night, remember.' There was silence then, as Hieracium and Tritoma and the three gnomes pondered this problem.

But then Hieracium had an idea. 'If I stand under where the door key is hung and lift one of you up,' he whispered, 'perhaps you could reach it.'

Willowherb looked at Hieracium and then up at the door key. 'Too high,' he said. 'You would have to lift more than one of us and we'd have to stand on each other's shoulders.'

'Let's do it then,' said Sedum.

'Are you crazy?' exclaimed Willowherb, quickly changing his voice to a whisper as the tinker monetarily stopped snoring. 'If we fall, we could get hurt.'

'Oh, you're such a wimp,' said Sedum.

'What about using your fishing rod,' suggested Tritoma. 'If Hieracium lifts you up, you could try and lift the key off the hook with your rod.'

'Good thinking,' said Gromwell, suddenly enthusiastic at the prospect of escaping. ''Why don't you try it?'

So Hieracium crept over to the door with Sedum and lifted him up towards where the key hung on its hook and Sedum tried to hook it with the end of his rod. But it was more difficult to achieve than expected.

'Not like that,' whispered Willowherb. 'Get the rod end behind the key and give it a good whack.' So Sedum tried this and at the third attempt the key came off the hook and flew half way down the length of the wagon and clattered loudly to the floor causing the tinker to wake with a start.

The tinker sat up in bed and blinked at Hieracium who was still standing by the door holding Sedum high in the air. 'What are you doing,' boy?' he shouted. He clambered out of bed and around the table, and in the semidarkness he almost tripped over Willowherb but immediately kicked him out of the way. Then he stepped over to Hieracium and snatched Sedum from his hands and threw him onto the bed. 'Trying to steal from me again, eh? Though why you should want to steel these useless lumps of clay, I can't imagine. But still, it's time you were taught a lesson!' He unbuckled his leather belt and took it off. 'A few strokes of this, is what you need.'

He forced Hieracium against the table and then stepped backwards, making ready to lash him with the belt. But he stepped on Tritoma's tail, making him wail, as cats do if you step on their tails, and the sound must have given the tinker quite a fright because he leapt in the air and banged on head on an oil lamp that hung from the ceiling. But Tritoma's wail was soon eclipsed by a much louder sound: a rumbling sound that seemed to come from the very depths of the earth. And it was not just a sound, because whatever it was was shaking and rattling the wagon and everything in it: including Hieracium and the tinker and the three gnomes, all of whom, lost their balance and fell over, only to be showered by pots and pans and other goods as they fell from where they were hanging. And that was not all: the wagon had begun to move and was gradually picking up speed as it rolled downhill.

'Earthquake!' shouted the tinker as he tried to get back onto his feet, but as he stood, a cupboard door flew open and hit him in the face, knocking him back down again. Meanwhile the wagon was still rolling downhill and bouncing over tree roots and fallen branches, and then Sedum fell off the bed, landing on top of Tritoma, while Hieracium and the other two gnomes slid and bounced across the floor as more of the tinker's merchandise fell from the cupboard that had sprung open.

Then as abruptly as it had begun, the earthquake and its rumbling noise stopped, though the wagon continued to roll backwards downhill until, with a resounding crash, it ploughed into a huge pine tree and came to a shuddering halt. There was silence then as the wagon's occupants slowly began to recover their wits and clamber out of the pile of debris that littered the floor of the wagon.

Hieracium was the first on his feet, soon followed by Sedum, who had taken refuge under the table with Tritoma, and then the other two gnomes crawled out from between a fallen barrel and several sacks of flour. Hieracium's head was hurting and already he could feel a bump, but apart from Sedum's fishing rod being broken and Gromwell being covered in flour from a burst flour sack, the others seemed to be unharmed.

'Look!' exclaimed Sedum, pointing with his broken rod. 'We're free!' Light from Hesperis now streamed in through one half of the door, which had been flung open by the impact with the tree and hung half off its hinges. The tinker was still on the floor but had pushed himself into a sitting position. He stared malevolently at Hieracium and then at Tritoma, but then movement caught his eye and, with a look of astonishment, he studied each of the three gnomes.

'You moved,' he accused Sedum, 'and so did you!' He pointed at Gromwell, who was trying to keep very still, but the flour had got up his nose and he let out an enormous sneeze.

'Run!' shouted Willowherb as he pulled his pickaxe out from under his belt and strode towards where the tinker was trying to get to his feet. 'Run!' He swung his axe, bringing it down hard on the tinker's right foot. It was only a small pickaxe and not very sharp but it made the tinker yelp with pain and hop around until he tripped on something and fell over backwards. 'That's for kicking me,' said Willowherb as he swung again, this time hitting the tinker's left ankle, 'and that's for calling us useless lumps of clay.' Then as a kettle that had been teetering on the edge of a shelf finally fell and hit the tinker on the head, Willowherb ran after the others who were already through the door and half way down the steps.

Sedum had excepted an invitation from Tritoma to ride on his back, while Hieracium, who had found his sword and scabbard lying on the floor amongst the tinker's goods, had one hand full, but still managed to scoop up both Gromwell and Willowherb. And so, followed by angry shouts and threats from the tinker, the fugitives ran off down the cart track and into the night.

***

'But what happened next?' Callistephus asked.

'Well,' replied Thymus, 'my dream was a bit hazy after that. But I think Hieracium found the road through the forest and made his way back to Passiflora. I seem to recall him telling Caltha all about his adventures before his father came to take him and Tritoma back home.'

'And did he have any more adventures?' asked Callistephus. 'And what about the gnomes? Did they go home with him?'

'Perhaps,' replied Thymus, yawning. 'Perhaps and perhaps. But story telling makes me very tired so, if you don't mind, I think it's time for bed.'

THE END
(For now)
For the next in the series click:
http://www.abctales.com/story/ian-hobson/astrantian-danger