Diana Wynne Jones - Dalemark 04 - The Crown of Dalemark by Diana Wynne Jones

Author:Diana Wynne Jones [Jones, Diana Wynne]
Language: eng
Format: epub

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Part IV - Sword and Crown

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XV

Weariness hit Maewen as soon as they were well away from the school. The Gardale valley was as beautiful as she remembered from her visit with Aunt Liss, and much the same except there were far fewer houses. They took narrow lanes where wild roses grew in the hedges, miles of them, that blurred in her mind. She was so tired she almost missed seeing Hestefan's cart and would have ridden straight past if the others had not stopped.

The cart was parked on a triangle where three lanes met. The mule was hitched to an oak tree almost the same colour as the cart, and dozing on its feet. Moril jumped off the mare and went racing anxiously over, with the cwidder bumping on his back. He looked over the tailgate and came back. 'It's all right. He's asleep inside.' The relief in his face was mixed with worry. 'I don't think he's well.'

'He's not a young man,' Navis said. 'And I'm sure he was injured, or shocked at least, when your cart overturned.'

'Let him sleep,' Mitt suggested. 'They say sleep cures.'

Moril unhitched the mule, which was not anxious to move, and drove the cart behind the horses. Hestefan did not stir. The miles went by slower still. Moril was white with worry.

'And no wonder,' Navis murmured to Mitt. 'What becomes of him if Hestefan dies?'

'There's that brother of his,' Mitt said stoutly. 'He's fond of the old lolly, that's all. Worry about Hildy instead. And I'll tell you about Kialan now.'

The two of them talked in low voices. Maewen continued to ride in a daze, long, long lanes through the valley, a long, long haul up a slanting track into the hills beyond. After what seemed an age, her horse humped itself on to level green turf at the head of the track, and there was the waystone casting a huge hollow shadow in the evening light. Wend's shadow was even bigger as he stood up to meet them.

Seeing him, Maewen relaxed from a watch she had not realised she was keeping. Safe at last! she thought. Wend was Undying. He had the power to keep her safe. Most of her weariness dropped away. She realised it had been a smokescreen her mind had put up to disguise how terrified she had been that someone would jump out from behind a hedge and try to kill her again. She was so glad to see Wend that she leant down from her horse and wrung his hand.

Wend was surprised, but she could tell he was very flattered, too. His face looked like a normal human person's who was glad to see friends again. 'There's a good camp in a mile or so,' he said.

It was a very good camp. It was a green lawn-like place set back from the road, spread beside a pool from a cascading stream. There were rocks to sit on and a small wood of rowans and silver birch leaning over the place.

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