Carack

Carack Ch 8 p1

Chapter 8    The conference

The next few days Gerent spent in riding the grey ponies out upon the green valley, talking to Brunnstan and other Brownies and in talking with Sancret. On the second day of his recovery, Sancret asked Meendhu carry him out onto the castle walls in the sun and there he and Gerent sat, and talked. Their conversation covered Gerent’s mother and his twin brother Hugh, but they talked about folklore and Warlock studies, Netherzoyland, N’zar, Cam and Wampa and occasionally they just sat in each other’s company.

On the morning of the fourth day, Gerent looking for Sancret, walked out onto the castle walls and happened to overhear a conversation between Sancret and Meendhu. They were in a far corner of the castle walls, between some bright new banners that were snapping in the summer breeze, and had their backs to Gerent. He heard Sancret’s voice first and without knowing why he ducked behind a buttress to listen.

‘I did not know you felt this way, my friend,’ Sancret’s voice was sad, ‘Must you go? There is no need, soon we must form our strategy against Madron and you would be sorely missed at such a meeting.’

‘Not as missed as some I reckon.’ came the low reply.

‘Meendhu I have to spend time with the boy, he has to know I trust him, he has to feel he belongs. He has to make his own choice, based on his own thoughts. With all of you ignoring or disliking him, because of one or two mistakes, at this point in time I think he would choose to return to Madron and we would have to let him go, because I promised him it would be his choice. There is no question of our friendship being weakened. I don’t know what I’d do without you. If, as you say, I am wise, then you are strong and together we make a team. Don’t go.’ The last was almost a plea but Meendhu replied,

‘I must, I cannot stay. I do not know if I can control my hatred of him any more. I can not forgive him as easily as you seem to b able to do. I helped him because you aske me too, I began to like him too but – San he nearly killed you and you want to befriend him. Well I can’t, maybe it’s because after all I am just a bear. I shall leave this evening.’ His voice was firm and Gerent glimpsed Sancrets shoulders sag and his head go down.

Gerent ran back inside the castle, his mind reeling. Meendhu was leaving and it was because of him, Sancret didn’t want the bear to go and Gerent felt he had already caused enough problems at the castle. He quickly formulated a plan and called Brunnstan who appeared at once. Gerent asked the Brownie for a picnic and after went to ask one of the ponies to take him for a ride. In a few minutes Gerent had left he castle with a small unsuspicious back pack of food, a water flask and a cloak. He was determined that he would not be the cause of Meendhu and Sancret being parted. Gerent thought that once they discovered he was gone Meendhu would decide to stay. Gerent did not think that he would be of any use he could be to any of them if it came to a fight against Madron anyway. Sancret had enough powers to save the land, and, he reasoned, he was just a boy, a mere boy.

Gerent rode Grao to the village of Cluston where he planned to send the pony back to Widnbrea alone. Gerent thought that by the time they realised he had gone, he would have a good head start on them and he would go in the opposite direction to that which they would think. He was sure N’zar would suggest he would be returning to Madron.

Once he had told Grao to go home and watched the pony trot away into the valley Gerent turned northward and began walking. The countryside was forming into steep hillsand when he regained his breath after climbing the side of one of these he could see from the ridge of a hill a range of mountains in the distance. He could see several small valleys and in the bottom of each was a sparkling stream, catching the sunlight as the rushed along. Gerent decided to head towards the mounains and so began to descend towards the valley in front of him, where a small copse started halfway doen the hill. He found the walk very pleasant in the sunshine, he stooped to take handfuls of water from the crystal water as he walked in the dappled shade of  the trees. He turned over in his mind the events of the last few days and regreted that he did not get the help to get home he required from the one person who had seemed able to give it. He even considerd that he would be stuck in this world forever because of his recent actions,  but he did not regret his recent decision as he felt he had made enough disruption at Widenbrea. As the orange and purple of sunset began to flood the sky, Gerent found a secure place between two outcrops of rocks to wedge himself in for the night. He slowly ate one sandwich, rationing himself and wondered how things were at the castle, if they had missed him yet. Then he lay back, wrapped up in the cloak and looked up to the sky, watching the stars appear and thought of Sancret’s sawol. He marvelled at it and felt ashamed of himself for making Sancret ill and went to sleep feeling depressed and lonely.