By the time the tale was finished the sound of the waves was echoing loudly in the cave for the tide had come a long way in. They had all told a part of the story, even Beth, who had talked about her life as an Urkku and of the times she had met Nab and of her flight with him away from her home to Silver Wood. There was silence when the tale was over and all that could be heard was the lapping of the sea against the sides of the cave. The elves, still lost in the wonder of the story, remained sitting motionless and quiet, staring in fascination at the travellers until finally Saurélon spoke.
‘The sea will soon be upon us. Come; you must be tired. Faraid will lead you to your cave and we shall meet again tomorrow. May you sleep the sleep of the dolphin.’
He got up slowly from his seat and made his way up some step-like grooves in the wall of the cave until he reached the wide ledge. He moved along this until he came to a spot where there was a groove for a seat and there he sat down. Faraid followed him up the steps and then beckoned to the visitors to follow him. When they reached the ledge there was a small opening in the rock and they saw the elf disappearing down it along a narrow passage. The roof was so low that only Warrigal and Perryfoot were able to walk upright and the others had to crawl along on their stomachs with only the silver glow shining from Faraid to show them where they were going. Perryfoot was last down the tunnel and before he went he looked back at the cave. All the elves were now sitting along the ledge looking down at the sea beneath them which was washing over the area where, a little while before, they had been sitting eating and telling their tale. The sound and smell of the sea filled everywhere. He turned away and instantly the roaring sound became muffled as he followed the others. The tunnel was only short and soon he emerged on to the floor of another cave, far smaller than the one they had left and much less deep, for although they were now standing against the back wall they could see out of the mouth of the cave quite clearly to the dark night sky outside and the waves crashing down on the pebbles just outside the entrance.
‘The sea never reaches this far,’ said Faraid.
‘When you awake tomorrow you will find that the rhythm of the waves has become as much a part of you as the sound of your own breath. I bid you a peaceful sleep.’ He smiled at them and was gone and the travellers were once more on their own, for the first time since the marshes. Now that they could relax they felt utterly exhausted and no sooner had they lain down than they sank into a deep and tranquil sleep with the sound of the waves outside on the shore soothing away their worries and the black curtain of the night sky, with a few twinkling stars shining brightly out of the darkness, forming a veil over the cave mouth.
CHAPTER XVIII
When they woke up next morning and looked out of the cave mouth, they saw that the clear blue sky of the previous day had gone. Instead the clouds loomed grey and forbidding over the sea and the air was full of a fine misty drizzle. The tide was out and they went for a walk on the small beach. They ambled slowly along the line of seaweed which had been left by last night’s tide and found pieces of driftwood, stripped of their bark and bleached silvery white by the sea, which Beth picked up to take back to their cave. They also gathered up some of the pebbles and shells from the beach which were of a similar type to those they had seen but had to leave behind on the shore of the headland.
Warrigal ventured out over the water using his new found skills, and Sam, Perryfoot and Brock raced one another along the shore before they very gingerly joined Nab and Beth on the rocks where they were sitting looking out over the grey sea. It was as Faraid had said; no longer did they actually hear the waves crashing on the shore, instead the sound was a part of them which they would have missed had it suddenly stopped. They sat for a long time watching the sea come in and fill up the spaces between the rocks on which they were sitting, bringing new life to the seaweed which hung down flat and dull until it began to float again and colour came back to it. Then when the drizzle became too heavy for them and they started to get very wet they called to Warrigal and ran back to their cave. The elves had left them some food and drink and sitting just inside the cave mouth with the rain dripping down outside, they slowly and thoughtfully ate the warmed up seaweed and drank the hot contents of the shell goblets. It was the same as they had had last night but it tasted different hot and any feeling of cold or dampness seemed to vanish as the warmth of the drink spread through their bodies.
The sea air and the sound of the rain had made them feel dozy again and very soon they were all curled up against the back wall sleeping soundly, whilst outside, the sea pounded against the rocks sending great fountains of spray showering up into the air. When Nab woke up he saw Beth standing in the entrance looking out and he quietly got up and walked over to her. The others were still fast asleep. As he moved across the floor of the cave he saw that the pebbles and the driftwood they had gathered had been placed carefully all around the walls on little crevices and ledges. She looked round with a start as she heard his footfall behind her and then she smiled when she realized who it was. Nab saw with dismay that her eyes were red and tears were trickling down her cheeks.
‘What is it?’ he said gently, and without saying anything she flung her arms around him and buried her head against his shoulder, sobbing. He tried to comfort her, stroking her hair and holding her closely to him. Eventually her sobs died away and she looked up at him through eyes that glistened with tears, and spoke.
‘I was thinking of what will happen to us. What will happen in the future. I’m afraid. I don’t know, somehow the feeling of happiness and security here with the elves on Elgol makes everything else seem like a nightmare. I want to stay, Nab. I don’t want to go. And I want a home for us; will we ever have a home? Where will all this travelling end?’
‘I don’t know,’ he said, ‘but I know what you mean. I was happy in Silver Wood; that was my home. I think about it all the time. It’s easier for me though, I know. I was prepared through nearly all my life for this, and in my case my home is no longer there. But for you! To leave everything for this.’ He stopped speaking for he felt responsible for her pain; it was he who had taken her away. There was no doubt in his mind as to what he had had to do and the story told by the Lord Wychnor had been simply the final piece in the puzzle. But she had been brought up amongst the Urkku; how could she be expected to believe the truth of what they were doing?
Beth sensed what he was thinking and it was not the reason for her tears. ‘Nab,’ she said, but he would not raise his eyes. ‘Nab, look at me. It’s not that. I know it’s true as much as you do. I feel it in my heart. And I would go anywhere with you. It’s just like I said. I want us to have a home together, some time in the future and I’m afraid of how things will turn out. We don’t know the end; we don’t know what is supposed to happen. That’s what is difficult.’
They held each other close for a long time, silhouetted against the grey sky. Then, as if Ashgaroth had seen their fears and was giving them strength, the grey clouds started to break up and, through the gaps, patches of blue began to appear and shafts of golden evening sun shone through. Suddenly a beam of sunlight caught them in the cave entrance and they were bathed in gold: looking up they saw that the mist had cleared and the sea was sparkling in the sunlight. All their doubts and fears seemed ridiculous now; how could they ever have been uncertain? They looked at each other and laughed with joy and then they ran out and dashed across the beach down to where the waves broke on the shore and, arm in arm, they walked along, splashing in the water and letting the wind from the sea blow in their faces and through their hair.