Chapter Seven
When they arrived back at the farm Yeelanna Tooligie and the others were out to greet them. Hanna explained his theory. Ray and the others must have drifted further down the coast and they would return with a change in the wind direction. With a good southerly wind behind them, there was no way they could miss the town of Androssan, not when approaching from the south.
Warooka bragged how he was now a master of the sword and how he had championed the others in their fencing sessions. The others confirmed it and displayed their bruises as proof for all to see. Icno seemed pleased at the prospect of a new challenger.
Later that night, Hanna displayed his combat skills. He was an accomplished fencer at the military academy, epee and sabre. Tooligie and Icno were suitably impressed as was Hanna himself, besting both Icno and Warooka.
Hanna was worried that, as the three Northerners had never had contact with any outsiders before, they weren’t ready for the exposure of a large town just yet. Tooligie agreed and suggested that they all remain at the farm until Ray and the others returned. There was plenty to do as Icno made mention his intention to marry soon and any help to build a new cottage would be appreciated. In addition, there was still work in the fields as it was now late spring, planting time.
They split into teams, builders and field workers. Hanna then explained that the only construction experience the northerners had was building the boat. The next day the work started and Hanna soon found solace in the physical activity. Nevertheless, after a few days labour, his thoughts were distracted. Rays fate weighed heavily on his mind and his curiosity was steadily eating at him.
‘What lay to the south? Who are there these fearsome Perlumblie? Could Ray be in danger?’
Finally, he asked Tooligie what she knew of the books of the Ancients. Would it hold any of the clues he was looking for? She told Hanna that she really didn’t know much about them and that the best man to ask was Kooringal, Keeper of the Books. She suggested they could go to town for a few days and leave the young men to their work. They could stay with her family as she had some catching up to do and she could show him around. There were supplies needed for the new cottage construction anyway. That night they discussed their plans with the others and they left early the next morning.
They arrived in town around midday and like last time, there was another public commotion as Hanna and Tooligie arrived. Word had gotten around that there were three more strangers staying at the farm and people wanted to know why they had not come to town with them. They made their way through the crowd and arrived at Tooligie’s family home.
Hanna was taken to an archives room in the central tower where he met with the Kooringal, ‘the Keeper of the Books.’ From there, a balcony looked directly out over Androssan bay, a road lead from the town gates down towards the water’s edge where he could see an old rock paved jetty protruding some hundred meters into the water. He recognised it as an old dock. He realised immediately, that it was once a port town that must have accommodated some pretty big ships in its day. He wondered how the villagers had never heard of boats. Hanna could picture, in his mind eye, a clipper ship sitting in the bay.
Just then, an old man quietly entered the room. Seeing the faraway look in Hanna’s face, he placed his hand on his shoulder.
‘They say that your friends must have survived, as there is no evidence that they have not. This is good news and you must not dwell on the negative,’
Hanna smiled at him reassuringly.
‘The positive forces that protect you can be disturbed by the winds of doubt, the forces of chaos that surround us are delicate and like a leaf on a tree, you can be dislodged by the breeze.’ he said.
Hanna was surprised by the prudence of the words he had just heard. He turned to look at the old man and saw warmth and wisdom in his eyes.
‘Are these the teachings of the old books, Kooringal? I wish to learn. I hope to seek the answers to my questions’ said Hanna.
‘Sometimes the question is the answer, for what we seek, when found, only leads to another question,’ he said.
‘Like the mountain water that wants to flow back to the sea. It finds that it must first flow around a rock in its path only to find that there is always another rock to flow around in its long journey.’
Hanna looked thoughtfully at the view out the window.
‘This felt right,’ he thought.
‘He was comfortable here and that sudden feeling of deja vu washed over him again. He felt, deep within, that for whatever the reason, somehow he was supposed to be here. This was his journey and he was on the right path.
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His stay in town lasted one week before he felt the tentacles of responsibility tighten enough to distract him from his study. Tooligie had returned earlier with some of her family to help build Icno’s new house. She had joked they were probably more interested in the strangers that to help with the construction. She was happy for Hanna to stay and he had taken room in the tower to continue his work.
During the week, a transformation had come over him. He spent hours perusing the books in the library before he finally settled down to read them one by one. There were only about one hundred and fifty books and they were varied in their appeal. Some were a dialog on the history of the people and township of Androssan. Others were on philosophy and advanced mathematics. Most were of unknown origin.
Hanna discovered a small group of scholars that called themselves ‘The Guild of Cordiality’, a group of people who studied the books of the archive’s and practiced meditation. In particular, their main focus was the five ‘Books of Sheringa.’ The first and fifth book was missing. They contained stories of the adventures of a man called Sheringa who had travelled and explored the land.
At the end of each story was an analysis of the outcome of the decisions that were made during the events that had transpired in the story. A moral evaluation and a hindsight comment made by the man himself. Most of the stories were farfetched with tales of strange beings and events, most unexplained sounding fanciful and unlikely.
Hanna found Kooringal to be a wise old man and had grown to like and respect him. They would meditate together and soon Hanna felt like an apprentice to the master, yet he knew he was still on probation. Kooringal showed Hanna the book that contained the passages that referred to ocean travel. There was no doubt in Hanna’s mind that this story was based on fact.
After Hanna had read it, he took Kooringal on a walk down to the ancient dock and explained the workings of such a place. He described a clipper ship in detail and how the men would carry cargo aboard, to store in the hull and then sail to another port to trade. He found foundations where cranes would have been anchored and explained how they would have worked. He told how the ship’s crew would have used the stars to navigate their way to their destination.
Kooringal looked at him with questioning eyes, wondering who this stranger was with such knowledge of the stories in the ancient books. Hanna walked over to the water’s edge and indicted that they should sit. They hung their feet over the edge as the high tide lapped against the ancient stonewalls. Children were fishing at the other end of the pier and as they sat, a roar of excitement erupted they caught a fish.
Hanna watched and remembered his time at the village and related to the thrill. He smiled at the enthusiasm that rippled through the group as they pulled the large fish from the water.
‘I will tell you a story that you will find interesting. I feel it is a story that would be hard for some to understand and it would be best kept our secret unless otherwise discussed,’ said Hanna as he looked to Kooringal for reassurance.
‘Discretion is always wise among the ignorant,’ Kooringal said.
‘It’s about the place that I come from. You see, I am not of this world or if I am, it is from another time. My two companions and I were on board a ship. However, when we crashed in the northland, it was on board a ship of the sky, not a ship that sailed the sea. In fact, it was a ship that travelled between the planets of the solar system,’ he said.
Kooringal remained silent.
‘My people were in the process of changing the closest planet to our own into a habitable world. We were part of that team when, somehow, we were caught in an unknown phenomenon and found ourselves in this strange land.’
He waved an open hand towards the dock, township and distant hills.
‘Our home world was under great pressure to support a population that had grown too large. We had to do something to continue to exist and feed such a population. Fertile land and clean drinking water were, over a long period of time, abused and exploited.’
‘My people had to learn from their mistakes and nearly left it until it was too late to resolve these problems. Instead of working together, they fought greedily amongst themselves only making matters worse. Fortunately, the lessons of the past survived as an education for the people of the future and together they formulated the plan. It will take them some hundreds years to achieve, but if they do not succeed then billions of people would suffer and the world, as I know it, will not survive.’
He stopped a moment to let the gravity of what he had just said settle. He looked over towards the children as he heard the plop of the newly baited hook hit the water. Kooringal didn’t say anything, so Hanna continued.
‘How or why I am here I cannot answer; yet somehow I feel that this is what is supposed to happen. I don’t understand why, but something in me is changing and I know it sounds egotistical, but I believe I am here for a higher purpose.’
He paused again to let Kooringal absorb what he was saying. He turned to look Kooringal in the eye.
‘Your story is as wondrous as the stories of the achieves Hanna and I will assist you in your quest for knowledge,’ he said.
‘When a storm lashes the coastline, many stones are turned over by the surging waves. It is only then that we will be lucky enough to see what lies under them.’
They sat in silence for a short time only to be distracted as the children celebrated another catch.
‘I must go and see that all is well with my friends at Tooligie’s farm and then I will return to continue my studies,’ he said.
Kooringal agreed and they sat for an hour as Hanna told him stories of earth. Of large ships that carried more people than the population of Androssan on holidays too far off location. Of ships that travelled under the water and others that flew through the sky. Of buildings that stretched up through the clouds and machines that speed along the ground. Kooringal was fascinated and at times thought, he could relate to some of what he heard in the stories that he had read. Hanna recognised a spark of enthusiasm in Kooringal’s tone as they walked back to the tower.
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To his surprise, Yurla the captain at arms joined him on his journey back to the farm. Kooringal was obliged to inform him of Hanna’s movements, as no one was to travel alone. Notification of one’s intended time of return was a standard requirement upon leaving the town. Hanna was glad of the company and Yurla was curious to meet the other men of the northlands.
They arrived just before dark and in time to witness a mass sparring session that was taking place outside the cottage. There were six large warriors jostling each other and as one went down, he was eliminated from the fight. As they approached, two were eliminated and then two more. They could see the faces of the two combatants as they got closer; it was a match between Warooka and Icno.
Even though the others acknowledged Hanna and Yurla’s arrival, the two battlers didn’t break their concentration for a second. Hanna was fascinated by the duel but as it wore on, he began to look around to see how the work was progressing. His distraction drew Warooka’s attention for only a split second but that was enough for Icno to make his move and Warooka was sat unceremoniously on his tail.
The crowd roared with laughter and Hanna could see that Warooka’s pride had been hurt. Icno was pleased to take the victory especially in front of the captain at arms. Hanna found out later that it was the first time that anyone had bested Warooka. He had a natural ability that he claimed came from hunting. He had no problems telling the others his secret.
‘Always anticipate what you would do if you were in their position,’ he told them.
‘If you were a wild boar, what would you do if a hunter were stalking you? You must survey the scene, pick their route and watch their eyes.’
There was a patrol on the coast that was replaced every second day. They lit a beacon at night and searched the beaches by day, but there was still no sign of Ray. That evening, they ate the wild boar that Warooka had caught on the way back from the coast that very day. Warooka had convinced Icno to accompany him in a hunt after he spotted some tracks as they were returning from the coast. Hunting was not much of a tradition in these lands as it was considered dangerous and there were domesticated animals to be had. Work was progressing well at the farm and judging from the lack of attention he was receiving, he was not being missed. This came some relief, as it was one less distraction his studies. Later that evening Hanna, Tooligie and Yurla broke from the group to talk amongst themselves. Hanna could see that there was an interesting rapport happening between the two.
That night, he dreamt of Ray. He woke with a picture of him in his mind, standing on the bow of the boat, hand shading his eyes, searching the horizon. He could see his mouth move as he was calling but he could not hear the words. Little Minlaton was standing beside Ray, staring straight at him. When Hanna woke, he decided instantly that another trip to the coast wouldn’t hurt and that day he and Warooka made the journey to the beach. They roamed the headland looking for eggs and catching seabirds, but they found nothing of their friends.
Hanna enjoyed the days outing with his good friend. Warooka had missed him and although he was doing fine, admitted to feeling a little homesick. He was glad to see Hanna again but wasn’t worried about him going back to the village to continue with his inquiries. Satisfied that they could carry no more, they travelled back to the farm were the others awaited their arrival. That night they feasted on the sea birds, another new taste treat for Tooligie and her family.
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The next day Hanna returned to the village with Yurla. Hanna felt that they were beginning to bond, as Yurla seemed more relaxed and open. Hanna suspected that his northern friends had passed his test of approval. He also suspected that he had been removed from the suspect list of possible suitors for Tooligie’s attention.
After they arrived at the village, Yurla managed to talk Hanna into visiting the local tavern. It was a rustic establishment with a large open fireplace in the middle. As they entered, Hanna could smell the meat cooking above the fire as two men attended it, the smell of ale hanging in the air.
A bar lined one side and behind it, on the wall, were rows of glasses and mugs. Above that, hung old tools and an honour board, names were carved in it. On another wall was a large painting of a bloody battle and Hanna saw the artist’s impression of the Perlumblie. Ugly and foreboding creatures locked in fierce fighting. They had short, stocky bodies with thick limbs and on their face was an enormously wide disproportionate nose. Their skulls had pronounced eyebrows and jaw line.
‘The battle of Androssan, fought some two centuries ago,’ said Yooralla as he handed Hanna ale.
‘How long has it been since they were last seen,’ asked Hanna?
‘The last time they were in these parts was over four years ago, when Tooligie’s husband and two others died,’ he answered.
‘We tracked them right back into the dark valley, that’s where we caught up with them. There were ten in their party and eight in ours; it was hardly a contest. They don’t fight well, they’re gutless creatures that lie in wait and attack when you least expect it.’
Hanna continued to look about the tavern. One wall was full of closed shutters that would open onto a courtyard. There were comfortable chairs with small tables beside them, as well as the usual bar stools and benches, Hanna concluded that it had a good feel. Some of the men at the bar would occasionally glance back at Hanna and Yurla. Affected by alcohol but trying to be discreet, their conversation was obviously about them.
Yurla regarded Hanna.
‘Flavour of the month, hey Hanna, It’s worse than flavour of the week,’ he laughed.
‘This study of yours, if you’re looking for a history lesson, then I’d like to introduce you to our balladeer when he arrives. He tells the tales of the ages in songs that have been handed down for generations. ‘Probably told better than those old nit balls… the Guild of Cordiality.’
He sipped his mug.
‘I mean no disrespect Hanna, it’s all very nice to preach peace and understanding, but when you find a spear in your back when you least expect it, then it’s time for understanding all right!’
He placed his mug down heavily to make his point, splashing some ale in the process. As if on cue, the two men from the bar picked up their drinks, nodded to the barkeep and made their way over to where they sat. Introductions were made and they all settled down to some drinking and conversation.
As the evening wore on and the bar filled with patrons, the volume increased, as did the effects of the alcohol. Hanna was introduced to a lot of people that night and soon gave up on any chance of remembering all their names. Nevertheless, he did remember Tunot, the balladeer. He spent some time discussing stories of boats and probed for any other strange stories in his folk songs.
A while later, when Tunot was intoxicated enough; he sang and played his string instrument, similar to a guitar. His voice rang high and true, Hanna tried to listen to the words but the alcohol, conversation and festive mood of the evening drew him to distraction.
‘Tunot wasn’t going anywhere, he would have to wait,’ he thought.
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