Emer's Quest (Manannan Trilogy) (4 page)

It was a stiff pull although there was no wind and the waves were slight. Only the current impeded them but they rode it easily. It was not long before they saw the cave.

“There it is,” Tostig pointed.

Very slowly they moved forward. Dag picked up a spare oar and gave it to Emer.

“Make yourself useful.
Find out where the bottom is.”

Obediently she dipped the shaft in the water but could not touch
the seabed. It was some time before she did and then a rock nearly drove the oar out of her hand.

“Hard right!” she screamed and the boat
pivoted.

“Give me that!” Tostig
grabbed the oar and crouched in the bows. Emer squirmed backwards into the seat he had left.

“Row,” Dag said. “Pull with me.”

They were almost there and they had no need of speed for which Emer was grateful. Her father had taught her to row, but this boat was much heavier than the one she was used to. She was very tired by the time they slipped into the cave’s mouth.

N
o waves made music that day, but the place was eerie enough without them. Great pillars seemed to rise out of the water, holding up a vaulted roof. The rocks were black, except where they were splashed with yellow lichen. The cave went back a long way but the boat had too deep a keel to follow it to the end. They rowed in as far as they could and then Dag turned to Emer,

“Is this the place you dreamed of?” he asked.

“It is. It can be no other, but it looked very different in my dream.”

“How so?”

“The wind was whistling and the waves lashed so high you could only see the tops of these poles.” Emer looked at the roof above her, thinking it seemed like bundles of sticks piled in a barn.

“It
’s where you saw your father and Nele?” Dag pressed her.

“Yes. They were clinging to that rock over there.” Emer pointed to a long thin rock at the entrance of the cave, suddenly sure.

“Is anyone here?” Dag shouted. Echoes bounced back to him off the walls and a few startled seabirds took to the air, but no one answered.

“If they did come here, there may be some sign of them
. Do you want me to look?” Tostig asked.

“Do it.” Dag manoeuvred the boat closer to a flat rock and Tostig climbed out. Gingerly he made his way from rock to rock, leaping gaps and landing safely. Emer admired his sure-footedness. He
reached the back of the cave, searching around in the dim light. Then he suddenly bent down and picked something up. He hurried back to the boat.

“What have you got?” Dag asked him.

Tostig tossed him a sodden piece of cloth. “It was snagged on one of the rocks and tore. Do you recognise it?”

Dag nodded. “It’s Nele’s.
Part of the tunic his mother made for him. He was wearing it when he went off with Olaf. So they
were
here.”

“
Yes but they’ve gone.”

“Now we know they definitely
came here, we’d better go back and search the whole island properly.” Dag turned to Emer. “You’ve done well, girl. Remind me to trust you more often in future.”

They made their way carefully out of the cave. As they approached the entrance, Tostig suddenly swore.

“Would you look at that!” White fingers of mist crept over the sea, reaching out for them as they cleared the cave.

“Emer, watch the patterns of the waves! Tostig, take her place and row with me. Where are you?” He let out a shout and an answer came, shrill and far away. The two men began to pull hard towards
the sound.

Emer stared at the wavelets.

“Why am I doing this, Dag?” she asked.

“To make sure that we don’t row in circles. Tell us if the boat moves at a different direction to the one we
’re in now. Anything can happen in the mist, the gods curse it.”

He yelled again and the answer came. It seemed nearer.

“Dag, we’re going wrong!” Emer cried as the bow veered. Dag was the stronger rower and his thrust had pushed them to the right. Emer peered into the whiteness, her eyes stinging. The mist was even thicker now and the outlines of the rowers were blurred. She could not see the stern of the boat or more than a man’s length in front of her.

Immediately both rowers stopped.

“Which way?”

“To the
left.”

Dag dug his oar in and the boat’s head pivoted.

“Like that?”

“A bit more
…that’s right.”

The boat moved again. A splash of oars sounded through the white stillness.

“They’re rowing towards us!” Tostig cried.

“Stay
where you are! There’re rocks! Shout! We’ll find you!”

“Over here!”

“Keep yelling.”

A
pale grey shape started to loom out of the mist, gaining definition, the longship.

“Thank Odin for that!”

Emer whispered a prayer of her own. She suddenly realised how frightened she had been, lost in the mist near this strange and menacing island. 

“What do we do now?” Tostig asked.

“Now we search every cranny of this island,” Dag replied.

The
hunt proved long and exhausting. They spread out and quartered the ground. Emer searched too, but she did not make the most disturbing discovery of all. The body of one of the men who had sailed with her father lay floating in a rock-pool. Jarpi’s face had been marked by birds and the rocks but it was still recognisable.

“We can
’t take him home with us, even in this weather. He will start to stink before we get there,” Dag said. “Hrani, you’re his brother. You decide.”

“There
’s not enough wood to make a fire. Let’s build a cairn for him,” Hrani decided. The body was straightened, laid in a hollow and stones piled on top of it. When everything had been finished, Hrani drew his sword, held it up and cried,

“Feast well with our ancestors,
Brodir
, and wait for me there.”

They left the island next day. Dag did not set a course straight
for home but headed east towards the other islands, which were visible despite the light mist that veiled them. They visited several with no luck and it was not until they reached the small island called
Colonsey
that they had any news at all. A large trading ship lay in the harbour by the settlement called
Sgalasaig
.

“Arm yourselves,” Dag said when he saw it.

“That’s a trader not a ship of war.” Lokki peered forward at the vessel.

“A trader perhaps, but traders go armed and I
’ve never seen one like that.”

“Nor I.
It’s big. Where do you think they’re from?”

“We
’ll soon find out.”

The
dragon ship was lighter and drew less than the trader, so they rowed her into the shallows. They tied the ship to one of the sturdy posts that had been driven into the sea bed for such a purpose. Most of the men waded ashore, leaving Hrani and Gloa behind on guard. To their great disgust, Finnr and Emer were left as well and had to wait for the outcome of Dag’s negotiations. Eventually Lokki came to summon them.

“It
’s safe and this merchant has news of your father,” he told Emer. Her heart leaped when she heard his words. “He will tell you more.”

“Nele?” Finnr asked in an anxious voice, but Lokki would only say,

“Come and listen.”

Lokki and the two youngsters splashed ashore and
went up to the village. It was a poor place, a few huts and fields still partly covered with frost. Lokki led them to a longhouse that stood near the edge of the settlement. Inside the house, the smoke made their eyes sting and for a moment they could not see. Then Finnr gasped as a body thumped into his and a pair of thin little arms hugged him round the middle.

“Nele, you’re alive!” Finnr cried, hugging him back.

“My father?” Emer asked when the two brothers had finally broken apart.

“Not here,” Dag
answered, coming forward and dashing her hopes. “This is Atli Einursson. His ship is the one lying out in the bay. He knows what happened to your father. This is Emer Olafsdottir,” he said to the tall burly man standing beside him.

“The lass whose dream brought you
all the way to
Stafi-oy
?”
Dag nodded. “That’s a valuable talent that you have, girl. Let’s sit down and I’ll tell you about your father.”

They settled themselves beside one of the fires and
, at Dag’s signal, a woman thrust a beaker into Emer’s hand.

“Drink, you will need it,” she said
, making Emer’s heart beat faster.

She stared at the woman with frightened eyes and
gingerly sipped the hot liquid, some sort of bitter brew that had been sweetened with honey. Its heat coursed through her.

“Your father
and the boy Nele were picked up on
Stafi-oy
by some fishermen. They were barely alive from the cold but Conn, whose owns the boat which found them, is skilled in such things. He has to be, since he and his kin go fishing in all weathers. He managed to revive both of them and brought them to
Ulv-oy
. I was there repairing storm damage and so was another trader from
Skuy
whose name is Kufri. He’s been blown off course and barely made it into shelter. He needed another hand because one of his crew had died. So he purchased your father from Conn
several days ago and returned to
Skuy
.”

“The misty isle,
so your people call it,” Dag said to her.

“Is it far?
Emer gasped. “We must go after him!”

“
A few days sail if the wind is fair and no, we cannot follow him yet,” Dag said. “We’re almost at the end of the provisions we brought with us and we have no trade goods to barter for more. We have to return home before they run out. Then, if my father allows, we will re-provision and journey north again to find him.”

“By then, anything
might have happened,” Emer pleaded. “My father was not born to be a slave…”

“Few men are
,” Dag interrupted. “Olaf is a strong man who is used to adversity. He will survive until we can come and pick him up again. In any event, I have no choice. Kufri paid a long price for him that I cannot match. Pointless to go after him until I can afford to buy him back.”

Dag nodded to the trader and rose
to his feet. Emer began to follow him but the trader signalled to her to stay.

“Tell me about your dreams. It
’s going dark and this is the time to listen to wondrous tales.”

Emer felt dazed and upset
, but the man’s voice sounded kind and she sank down onto the bench again. She also thought that, if she gave way to her grief now, she would never stop crying.

“Little to tell,” she murmured. “
I had this terrible dream that has come true.”

“
Only the one?” The man sounded faintly disappointed.

“
Yes, but my mother had dreams like this as a young girl. She told me that her father used to put something on the fire and breathe in the smoke to see further into the future.”

“What substance was that?”

“My mother made me learn the type of rocks that must be
ground and mixed together to produce it, but it is a family secret. She said I must tell no one else.”

“If others put
the powder into the flames, would they be able to have such dreams too?”

“
Modir
says not. My grandfather let a friend of his try once but the visions were so awful, she never did so again. My mother has not dreamed since I was born. She hoped the ability had died out, until I had my dream.”

“I
understand.” Atli looked at her thoughtfully. “If these substances were brought to you and you mixed them, do you think you would have such a dream again?”

“
Perhaps. I’ve never tried to force a dream to come. The first one came without any warning at all and
Modir
had several like that. I wish I hadn’t inherited her ability. It’s a curse to know what is about to happen and not be able to prevent it!” Emer started to cry.

“What have you done to her?” Finnr stood glaring
down at the merchant, his hands clenched at his sides.

“
Nothing. We were talking about her father and she is naturally upset. See if you can comfort her, I can’t.” Atli rose and walked away.

Finnr sat down and as Emer grew calmer, he dragged the story out of her.

“Nele told me part of this,” he said when she had finished. “He, too, was sold for a slave to this man Atli and would have been taken back to
Skuy
eventually. If Atli had not come from
Ulv-oy
to
Colonsey
, to bring trade goods to the headman Dubne, we would not have known about either Nele or Olaf. Dag used what little silver he brought with him to buy Nele back, that’s why he has none left to ransom Olaf. I will do everything in my power to make Dag go north to find him, as soon as we can.”

Emer tried to be comforted, knowing that both her mother and Renny would add their voices to h
is, once they knew what had happened. Yet, in the black corners of her mind, she realised that for Dag, Edan, Renny and Ragnar, the return of Nele was the most important outcome of this journey. Olaf was a grown man, not blood kin to them and without powerful friends of his own. Only Niamh and herself loved him and needed him to come home.

It was not surprising that she took a long time to fall asleep
; her thoughts ran in wild confusion. Emer seemed only to have closed her eyes when she woke again, screaming and thrashing around, clutching her green stone so tightly, her knuckles turned white.

Ete, the headman’s wife knel
t beside her, looking terrified. Then Dag arrived, with Dubne. Emer glimpsed Atli peering over their shoulders.

“Emer, why are you s
houting?” Dag asked. “Who has harmed you?”

Emer looked at him with startled eyes. “No one
. I dreamt an awful dream.”

“The girl’s had a nightmare, that’s all. Tell her to shut up, so we can all get back to sleep
,” someone grumbled

“If it was me, I’d take a belt to her bum.
”

“I
’ll stay with her,” Ete offered, “until she falls asleep again.”

“No need. I
’m awake now,” Finnr flopped down beside Emer, putting an arm around her shaking shoulders and smoothing her hair.

Gradually, all the disturbed sleepers went away to their own beds again, save only Dag and Finnr.
Atli lingered within earshot, rolling himself up in his blankets and feigning sleep. When Emer stopped trembling and her sobs quietened, Dag asked,

“Was this dream
similar to the one that brought us here, Emer?”

“
Yes.”

“How so?”

“I met the Guide of Souls again and she took me on another journey.”

“Where to?” Finnr asked eagerly.

“A place I’ve never been to before. Where dark hills come down to the sea and otters play along the shore.”

“That sounds a bit like
Skuy
. I went there once many years ago,” Dag said. “Were we with you?”

“No, I was alone
, running away from someone. Footsteps followed me, men’s footsteps. I had to lead them away…”

“From what?”

“I don’t know.” Emer dropped her head into her hands. When she looked up again, tears ran down her cheeks again. “I never saw the place I was running from or who was there with me. I only knew I had to run as fast as I could. The coloured light came again and suddenly I saw my father in a longship, heading out into the sunset. A man spoke to him but he didn’t answer and I realised he could no longer talk.”

“Had they cut out his tongue?” Finnr asked, appalled.

“No, he was unharmed in that way, but he had been badly flogged.” Emer gulped. “His back looked raw.” It was several moments before she could speak again.

“Go on, Emer. Do you know where th
e ship he was on was heading?”

“One of the men spoke of Thule.”

“Thule!”

“I thought Thule was a myth,” Finnr said. “Does it really exist,
Fadirbrodir
?”

“I’m not sure. The
re is an island of fire and ice that lies far out in the west. Other islands, which we call
Landnám
, are closer. The name could refer to either of them or somewhere else entirely.”

“Then is Olaf going to a place that
is unknown or may not be real?” Finnr asked, fear in his voice.

“No, it exists,” Emer said sharply. “
My father left the ship and walked upon the land. It was covered in snow but there was no fire there.”

“What did the place look like?”

“There were lots of little islands with cliffs but no mountains. The ground was a reddish brown in colour. Seabirds wheeled around, diving onto the shoals of fish.”

“Sounds like
the
Landnám
islands, but it could be anywhere. When we get home I’ll ask old Samr. He was the one who told me about Thule years ago. Did you see anything else?”

“No, that was all.”

“And you only met Olaf and this Guide of Souls?”

“There were other people in my dream but I did not know them.”

“Good.” Dag rose to his feet. “Try to sleep now. We leave for home at first light.”

Obediently, Emer turne
d over and closed her eyes. Dag was correct and she would need her rest, but sleep would not come. Eventually she rose to go to the privy.

She was on her way back when a figure stepped out of the darkness right in front of her. Emer gasped.