The Arrowstone

Chapter 34 - Homecoming

CHAPTER 34

HOMECOMING

On the seventh day of July in the New Year reckoningGem left Trenhirion. Only Dorcaril,Himdrum, Roamer and Kamm were there to see him off, along with the guards Adal and Undok. The return party consisted of Narith, Baden,  Tilsen,  Sharmor, Pynderan,  Tellom  and Gorthlob, mounted on three Swiftwings. Upon Oorth-Dalow sat Gem, Gorthlob and Narith as they had before when they had first reached Trenhirion. Tilsen took the second largest Swiftwing with Pynderan and Tellom on board, and Baden sat with Sharmor upon the smallest. Himdrum, Roamer and Kamm each embraced Gem in turn, and gave Gorthlob a fond hug.

'So this is it, Gem,' said Kamm. 'You are leaving us at last.'

'Not for long, I hope,' replied Gem. 'You will visit me, won't you? I need you all, and I couldn't bear to think of not seeing you again.'

'Don't be ridiculous!' said Roamer. 'Of course we will visit you - you can be certain of that! We want to see your land and people - in fact you will most likely be fed up of us before long, imposing on you whenever we fancy!'

'You can stay whenever you like! Please do not forget that!'

'We shall look forward to it,' smiled Himdrum. 'You are friends for life, both of you, and if you do not mind me saying, we all feel extremely close, and will miss you when we are not with you. You will be ever in our thoughts, Gemrol and Gorthlob.'

'Thankyou - you shall make me a little tearful if you carry on like that,' answered Gem. 'Thankyou for your kindness.'

'I trust you will look after Gorthlob well,' interrupted Dorcaril with a chuckle. 'You couldn't do without him!'

'Gorthlob look after himself!' said the little creature. 'And look after Gem too!' Dorcaril laughed, and patted Gorthlob's furry head.

'Then you had better get going; I can see the Harlfeer are growing impatient,' said the King. 'Goodbye, Gem! We shall meet again soon. And farewell to you, Gorthlob! I wish you a safe Journey!'

'Farewell, Dorcaril!' they cried back, as the Swiftwings responded to their riders' pull, and effortlessly left the ground, ascending into the thin first li8ht of dawn.

As  they  rose  above  the  City,  Gem  could  hardly  contain  his excitement. He looked down at the dim outlines of houses and streets, and wondered when he would see this place again, and whether other Burrites might be with him, viewing these places for the first time.

As the light grew, Gem saw the green grass of rolling Banuarin, and in the distance, a darker, thicker mass whose colours had not yet been revealed by the dawn. The Shadyleaf Forest lay ahead, and Gem's thoughts flashed back to his adventures there, and his subsequent meeting with Narith. Gorthlob too looked ahead, and pinched Gem's arm as memories came to him.

'There it is, Gorthlob!' said Gem. 'The Shadyleaf Forest, our meeting place! There lies Sarkrak the Fangfly, and hopefully Nonrog and his dirty Nulgs! I wonder what the Forest is like without them!'

'Better!' replied Gorthlob. 'Much better!'

Soon they were crossing the Forest's borders. Morning had broken, and the lands were awash with bright sunlight as the riders glided over the dense treetops of Luannon San Laren. The air was cool in their faces, and the skies were a brilliant blue, as gracefully the Swiftwings spanned the vast expanse of woodland that separated Benreath from the East.

'I have never seen your land before!' cried Sharmor to Gem. 'We are close now! I wonder what we shall find!'

'Nothing bad, I hope,' thought Gem, and suddenly started to wonder what could have happened - could Nonrog and his lot have left the Forest and discovered the Burrites? Or perhaps Basley and others had gone searching for Gem, and become embroiled in the same trouble that Gem had got himself into? What if Nonrog had caught them too? Gem had escaped, but he had been lucky. Gem shivered, and a chill passed through him, as he imagined all kinds of gruesome outcomes to his worst fears. ‘Not long now,' he thought, and gritted his teeth. 'Be prepared, Gem, for whatever you might find.'