Emer's Quest (Manannan Trilogy) (2 page)

“Can you hold this to drink?” she asked.

“I’ll try.” Emer took the cup and sipped carefully, her nose wrinkling at the bitter taste. It was steaming and she could feel it spreading warmth all through her body.

“Where am I
?”

“You
’re at the foot of
Sniaull
Mountain, not far from the
Awin Vooar.
”

“Then I’m nearly there! Please I must go!” Emer shot upright but the old woman pushed her back.

“You can’t go anywhere in the state you’re in. You’re as weak as a kitten.” She stood back. “Try and see if you can walk. I’ll wager you won’t be able to.”

Emer put her feet on the ground and struggled to rise.
The old woman was right; her legs would not hold her. She dropped back and burst into tears.

“I’m too late!”

“Too late for what?” It was the bearded man who had spoken to her before. She stared at him. He was real then, not a dream.

“To stop my father
setting sail into the storm.”

The old man frowned. “If he’s
done that, he’s a fool”

“No. He would have gone out before the storm came up.”

“Well if he did, he’ll be lucky to survive. It’s years since we had a storm as bad as this one. The wind’s got up again. There was a lull just after dawn. That’s when I found you. I saw the horse and thought her rider wouldn’t be far away. Throw you, did she?”

“No
, but that’s not important. Is she safe?”

“She’s fine except for some cuts and
feeling very cold. I’ve rubbed her down and fed her so she’s better than she was.”

“Can she carry me?”

“For a way but not far. Where do you want to go?”

“To the Red Lady’s. Do you know her?”

“Everybody round here knows her. She cured Falga, my old woman, last winter with one of her potions. Come morning, I’ll bring you to her if you want.”

“If Vif can
travel, I’d rather leave now.”

“Well I
wouldn’t. The night’s so black an owl couldn’t find its way, let alone a man. Nothing to be done tonight, take my word for it.” And with that, Emer had to be content.

2

When morning came, the world was white not black. Snow whipp
ed past the door of the hut, driven by the fury of the wind. It was impossible to see anything at all, not even the trees around the clearing. This time Emer did not argue when Comgan, the old man who had rescued her, said,

“You’ll have to bide your time, lass. Neither of us would survive in this
blizzard, nor would your horse. Help me get her in here, or you’ll lose her in this cold.”

So Emer wrapped herself up and went out into the storm. Comgan w
alked in front, giving her some protection behind his back. Her feet sank into the snow and in no time both of them became plastered with clinging whiteness. Vif was in the pen Comgan used for his animals. The horse stood shivering by the shelter of a lean-to which was being torn apart by the wind. Between them they managed to drag Vif inside the old man’s hut and tie her to one of the poles supporting the roof. Then Comgan rubbed her down again and told Emer to throw some old coverings over her back.

“She’ll have to stay in here with us until this storm lets up. At least we’ve wood for a fire to keep us alive and to melt snow to drink, since we can’t get to the river.”

“But I’m an extra mouth to feed and what about your other animals?”

“That’s one of them there in the pot. I’ve a few sheep and a couple of calves in a cave up the mountain. I’ve left them some fodder so they should survive but, if they don’t, we’ll eat them. One thing about snow, it preserves dead bodies.
I’ll take you to the Red Lady and then go and see what’s happened to them. Nothing more I can do for now. We’ve enough here to manage until the weather turns. Don’t fret.”

That day passed and the next. It was fully
three days before the wind dropped and they looked out on a world of whiteness. Everything was very still and the sky had an icy blueness, although it was weeks before the festival of
Sauin,
when winter truly begins
.
Using a stick, Comgran made his way outside, testing the ground at every step.

“It’s deep in parts but not everywhere,” he said when he returned to the hut.

“Can we make it to the Red Lady’s do you think?” Emer asked.

“If we’re careful, st
ay on the path and test our footing to avoid the hollows,” Comgan replied. “Thank the gods it’s not far.”

“But how can we ever find the path in this?” Emer could hear the despair in her voice.

“The snow hasn’t covered up the trees or the shape of the mountains. I know every foot of this ground. We’ll make it if we keep going. Do you want to try?”

“Please.”

So they wrapped themselves up well. Falga gave Emer two sheepskins and tied them around her legs with strips of cloth. They said goodbye to Falga and Emer thanked her for her hospitality, promising to come and see her again when the weather was better. They set off, Comgan in front, testing the way with his stick, Emer behind him leading Vif.

The horse was afraid at first and needed urging to go forward but she settled down after a while. Comgan was as good as his word. He led them true
, with only a small mishap when he tumbled into a hollow filled with snow. He cursed, but no damage was done and they moved on once again.

Despite the distance being short, dusk was falling by the time they reached the Red Lady’s village. They were going very slowly by then
, because all three of them were suffering from the cold. Emer kept stumbling for she had lost the feeling in her feet. They were seen. A shout went up and people came running to them. Emer was at last able to prize her cramped fingers off Vif’s headstall. One of the men swept her up in his arms and carried her into one of the longhouses.

He put her down
beside a fire in the centre of the house and the Red Lady, Renny, knelt beside her untying the soaked sheepskins from her legs. Emer could not stop herself shivering and Renny frowned when she saw the marble whiteness of her skin.

“Whatever made you come here, child, in such weather?” she asked as she bathed Emer’s legs with warm water.

“My father, Lady, is he gone?” Emer gasped. “I hoped to stop him from sailing and I must know what has happened to him.”

“
He left us before we saw the first storm clouds.”

“Then he is lost! Lost!” Emer broke into violent sobs.

“What’s going on?” A new voice sounded, a deep voice, used to command. Even through her crying, Emer heard his words and Renny’s answer.

“I
’m not sure yet,
Fadir
. This child isn’t making any sense.”

“Who is she? Do we know her?”

“She’s Emer Olafsdottir, but I don’t wonder at you not recognising her. It’s a miracle she’s got through to us at all in this weather.”

“She wouldn’t if she hadn’t been hanging onto the horse, so the old man said. He wondered if he would be able to get her here
at all. He’s gone now to find his own animals but her horse has been seen to. Tell her when you can.”

“I will.” Renny soothed and bathed Emer
. It was not until she was calm again and cared for did Renny ask more questions. When Emer began her story, Renny gasped and called out to her husband who was nearby.

“
Edan, come and listen to this.”

The
dark haired man, called Edan by his Celtic wife and Kari by his Norseman father, settled himself beside them by the fire. As Emer picked up her tale yet again, it sounded even stranger. Edan frowned.

“Do you think there is any truth in her dream?” he asked Renny.

“Her mother’s dreams proved true and my beloved
Màistir
saw visions that saved my people, as we both have good cause to know. If she was anyone else, I would wonder, but how can we doubt Manannan’s granddaughter?” She had started to shake.

“Tell me the part about the red headed boy
again,” Edan said to Emer but he was looking at Renny and there was cold fear in his voice.

“
Fadir
was trying to save him, holding him up above the waves. He wasn’t moving.”

Renny gasped and Edan caught hold of her hand.

“Our son, Nele, went with your father, for a day’s fishing and so did two other men,” he said. “They haven’t returned. Nele has red hair. We’ve been hoping that they were able to find shelter before the storm hit. They would have had some warning and Olaf is a good sailor.” Edan stood up abruptly and went over to a group of men who were sitting beside another of the fires. He returned with two of them and then sat down again and took his wife in his arms.

“You remember my father, Ragnar, and my brother, Dag?” he asked Emer. She nodded.

“Repeat to them what you’ve just told us.”

Emer did as she was asked. When she
’d finished, the tall fair haired young man called Dag asked,

“You spoke of a large cave
. Can you describe it to us?”

Emer closed her eyes and saw again the vision in her dream. “It was at the base of the cliffs, a huge opening in the hillside. There was a narrow entrance where the waves broke and water swirl
ed into a passage. The sides of the cave were lined with many pillars like bundles of wooden poles all pushed up against one another. When the surf crashed over the rocks, the echoes sounded as if someone was playing music.”

She opened her eyes as
Renny exclaimed, “
An Uamh Binn
, the musical cave. I’ve heard of it but never believed the stories. You would call the island it’s on
Stafi-oy
.”

“
Stafi-oy
! I’ve been there.”
Dag exclaimed.

“Where is it?”

“Leagues from here. Near
Myl
and
Eyin Helga
.”

“How could they possibly
have gone so far so quickly?”

“
It’s been three days and the wind was blowing hard from the south. Even with the sails down, the gale would have pushed the boat northwards. As long as they weren’t completely swamped, they’d have stayed upright and travelled for leagues. Olaf would not dare to turn the boat. The waves would have rolled it over, because the wind would be on the beam. He’d have tied everyone on and run with the wind until it slackened. Have you ever known such a storm as the one we’ve just had?” Dag asked his father.

“Never here but, as a boy, in
my father’s home, I knew such storms,” Ragnar answered. “A boat caught out in one can travel further than anyone thinks possible. Tell me, Dag, what’s this place like?”

“Barren, no one lives there.”

“If Olaf and Nele and the others
were
shipwrecked there, would they be able to survive?”

Dag took a deep breath and looked into his
father’s eyes. “Perhaps for a time. The cave’s deep and would give them some shelter and there are other caves on the island. There’s fresh water and, if they’re lucky, they can find driftwood to make a fire. There’s fish in the sea and small animals to trap, but…” 

“But?”

“If they’re injured or ill they’ll die. If they cannot get out of the great cave, they will die eventually for lack of fresh water. There is none in the cave. The spring is on the other side of the island.”

“Are you saying my son is
already dead?” Renny sprang to her feet, glaring at him with tears in her eyes.

“No he is not
,
Dóttir
,” Ragnar replied, taking her hand and making her sit again. His voice was not unkindly as he said, “You must face the fact that your son may be lost with Olaf and the others. Few people can sail through such a storm as we’ve just experienced, although I have known it happen. The favour of the gods would have to be with the boat for them to survive. The girl’s dream may not be true. Nele may come home unscathed or we may never know his fate.”

Renny
covered her face with her hands and Edan put his arm around her shaking shoulders. Their son, Finnr, knelt beside them, arms around them both. Edan looked at his father. “With your permission,
Fadir,
I will try to find out.”

“Go after them you mean? A fruitless
errand. They could be anywhere,” Ragnar snorted.

“
The task has some merits,
Fadir,
” Dag broke in. “I’m bored here with nothing to do except fish and play
hnefatafl.
The storm’s over and, with the wind behind us, we can be in
Stafi-oy
within three days. If they got ashore, they can survive that long. I’ll bring Nele back to you if he’s there. If there’s no sign of them, I’ll search on the other islands, as we make our way back again. Olaf’s a survivor and he knows the sea. I’d wager he will have found somewhere to come ashore.”

“I
’ll come with you,” Edan leaped to his feet.

“No
, you will not,” Ragnar spoke sharply and Edan hissed.

“Ne
le is my son!”

“And you
’re mine. You have work to do here and you’re not long from your sickbed. Do you want to fall ill again? This is, at best, a fool’s errand. The boy could come bobbing home without any need of you. Let Dag go. He’s been thirsting for an excuse to be off adventuring, or don’t you trust your brother?”

“Of course I trust him, but…”

“No buts. He goes. You stay. Look at your wife’s face
, if you doubt the wisdom of my orders.” Edan glanced at Renny and sat down abruptly beside her, taking her hand.

“Let me go with Dag,
Afi,
” Finnr begged.

“No!” Renny
cried, looking up. “I may have lost one son; I won’t lose the other.”

“
You won’t,
Systir
. The storm’s passed and the weather is cold but fair. I’ve landed on
Stafi-oy
before. It’s nothing to an agile lad like Finnr. Let him go. He needs the experience and I’ll see no harm comes to him.”

“Please,
Modir
?
”
The tall, dark haired boy stood in front of his mother. “I want to find Nele.”

Renny turned large tear-filled eyes to her husband. “Edan?”

“Go, Finnr, in my place since your grandfather is right. I’m not well enough yet and would only be a drag on the others, not a help.”

“I should like to go too,” Emer said quietly into the sudden silence.

“No place for a girl on this kind of voyage,” Ragnar said gruffly.

“
I’m tough,” Emer protested. “I survived the storm and the journey here. I can fight if necessary with either a bow or a sword —
Fadir
taught me. Without my dream you wouldn’t be going at all. I want to find my father just as much as Finnr wants to find Nele.”

“True, but that changes nothing. This will be a hard voyage in winter conditions.
Without the horse and Comgan you
wouldn’t
have got here. If Dag needs another warrior he’d take a man, not a slip of a girl…”