The great door at the end of the hall had opened and a stream of elves were dancing in, some carrying instruments from which came the sounds of music and others clad in costumes from which hundreds of little lights shimmered and sparkled in the orange twilight glow that shone from the patches of lichen on the walls. The owl, the badger and the boy watched in wonder as the musicians settled down around the outside walls and began to play and the dancers moved in time with the rhythms, echoing in their movements the memories and timeless images which the music evoked in their minds. Nab recognized little snatches of sound from the walk through the hall that afternoon when they had been practising and, as these more familiar sounds came to him, he once again felt the impulsive urge to dance. He watched the dancers as they moved around the hall and their costumes formed a dizzy whirlpool of colours in which he became lost, and then dimly, through the haze of sounds and lights, he felt himself get up from his cushion by the mat and dance across to join them. Once he was up and had given himself to the music his body seemed taken over; he seemed to fly through the air up to the rafters, which were festooned with evergreens, across to the far wall and then down to crouch on the floor in a tiny ball only to explode again into separate pieces each of which flew away to different parts of the hall.
Brock and Warrigal watched in amazement and the elves cheered and laughed and soon the cushions around the mat were vacant as the floor was filled with dancers, each joyously lost in his own world of movement. The badger and the owl sought out Nab and the three of them frolicked and spun and laughed and leapt until they could move no more and then when the moon was highest in the night sky the visitors returned weary and happy to their little room below, and the elves all retired to sleep. All except Wychnor, who went to his private room and sat alone staring out through the window at the moon shining on the clearing; and his mind was lost in the past.
The next morning the animals were woken by Reev as he came into their chamber, bringing, as he called it, their ‘travelling food’ on a large tray. The sun shone very brightly through the window and they knew what that brightness meant; snow had fallen in the night. They went over to look outside and could hardly recognize the clearing, covered as it was by a thick layer of white, making everything round and smooth and soft. The elf stayed with them as they ate, talking about last night; he had been one of the dancers but none of the animals had recognized him in his costume. Indeed, in the myriad of wonders that had so mesmerized them, they could remember very little, but when they thought back to their talk with Wychnor a little cold chill sent itself shuddering into their hearts at the recollection of his words. In the magic of last night they had been able to forget, but now, in the cold light of a new day, the things he had told them came flooding back in a rush so that they no longer felt hungry.
‘You must eat; finish your food. You need all your strength for the times ahead,’ said Reev in a quiet comforting way. ‘When you have finished I will take you once again to the Lord Wychnor and then you shall leave us.’
When they had eaten their fill, Reev led them back along the winding corridors of the Elvenoak and through the hall, empty now and very different from the way it had been last night, until they arrived once again outside the door of Wychnor’s little room. Reev pulled a cord and the Elflord opened it and bade them welcome, closing the door behind them as Reev walked away.
‘There are things I must give to you,’ he said, ‘and words I must say. Here, Nab, is the Belt of Ammdar, which he used to keep the three seeds of logic safe; you will see it is woven of young willow saplings and interlaced among them are three silver lockets. I have placed the Faradawn of the trees and the green growing things in the one furthest away from the fastening. It is good that the belt should now be used to help defeat the evil that Ammdar brought upon the world. Wear it as he did; close to your body under your garments.’ Nab looked at the wide belt with amazement and fear; the idea of wearing this belt, which had been worn by and belonged to the dread and mighty Ammdar, the fallen Elflord, was not one that appealed to him. He looked at Wychnor, who knew what the boy was thinking.
‘Take it,’ he said. ‘It will help you on the side of Ashgaroth even as it helped Ammdar in the cause of Dréagg.’
The Elflord passed the belt over and Nab received it with trembling hands. Despite its width and the three silver lockets which he could now see clearly embedded amongst the green sapling strands, it was amazingly light; in fact, if he hadn’t seen it lying in his hands, he would not have known he was holding it. He looked at it in wonder, and Brock and Warrigal crowded around to gaze at this fragment of living legend, reaching out cautiously to touch it to make sure it wasn’t just a figment of their imagination.
‘The Belt of Ammdar,’ intoned the owl under his breath, as if reciting a magic spell.
Finally, when Nab had managed to pluck up courage, he lifted his clothing and placed the belt over the multi-coloured shawl that lay always next to his skin. Then he brought together the delicately carved copper fastenings and found to his surprise that, when they came close to each other, they seemed to spring shut of their own accord. It fitted him perfectly and felt strangely comforting fastened securely around his waist.
‘Here is the Ring which you are to give to the chosen lady of the Eldron,’ said Wychnor. ‘Put it for safe keeping in one of the lockets.’
The Ring was a deep translucent gold colour with threads of silver inlaid inside it, so that they appeared as wisps of mist on an autumn morning. In the top was set a silver jewel, the base of which was buried deep within and it shone through the gold with a light that lit up the whole ring. As he handled it Nab became aware of a vague scent of pine and, when he mentioned this to Warrigal later, the owl said he believed that the gold was resin from the pine trees that had existed first upon the earth and which the elves used to mine when these trees had long since died and become part of the ground. How the silver threads were put inside he was unable to say. As Nab looked at the ring he thought he saw them moving, as the mist does in a gentle breeze, and the golden light seemed to wax and wane as if the sun were reaching midday and sinking to evening.
Wychnor showed the boy how to open one of the lockets by pressing a catch at the back which caused the top to fly open and Nab then dropped the Ring inside before pushing the top down again so that it clicked shut. Nab then rearranged his top garments so that the belt, with its precious contents, was hidden and looked up to see the Elflord’s great grey eyes fixed upon the three of them.
‘And now it is farewell. Reev will travel with you back through Ellmondrill and he will take you to the dwelling of the Eldron. There he will leave you and you will return with her to Silver Wood to collect Perryfoot and Sam. Then you will start your journey. The reasons for your going and the matters I have disclosed to you must be kept secret, although of course the members of the Council know already: Dréagg is now, after your capture by the Urkku, aware of your existence, Nab, although not yet aware of your significance. Beware, then, for he will be watching and when he thinks the time is right he will strike: the minute he learns the purpose of your journey he will act but, in ignorance of it, he will wait and try and learn by following your travels. Take the utmost care therefore not to be seen by the Urkku, for they are the eyes and ears of Dréagg. Keep to the secret paths and the ancient places which you will know from the magic in your bodies.’ He paused and they waited as he turned to look out of the window for a second before turning back and addressing them once again.