9. Athra

Do you not know the song?

This is an installment in a serialized novel. To start at the beginning, go here.

Hal blinked. The bear began loping about the cavern, muttering to itself. Hal lowered the sickle slightly, eyeing the creature with confusion.

He felt a small hand grasp his arm. Oweth had reemerged from the tunnel and was peering around Hal. The boy’s face, so recently full of terror, was shining with delight.

“A talking bear, Hal! A real talking animal!”

Hal nodded, too taken aback to know what to say.

The bear seemed to have forgotten about them. It was lumbering about, shuffling through the dry fishbones on the ground, grumbling all the while.

“Awakened so suddenly… such a nice dream… not a thing to eat in this cave… so hungry…”

Hal raised his sickle again. Talking or not, this bear was huge–and apparently ravenous. He reached out his hand to push Oweth back again. But the boy slipped around him, stepping forward toward the bear.

“I want to hear it talk some more.”

“Oweth! Get back here!” Hal grabbed him.

The bear stopped and turned its head, regarding them as if it had just remembered their presence. “Calm yourself, human. Put down your weapon.” The deep voice rumbled in the cavern. “Would I be so evil as to eat a man? At least, I do not remember eating one.” The creature sighed and began to grumble to itself again.

“Awakened all at once… so hungry… no excuse to be rude… guests in the den… ought to have more light…” The bear loped over to the small fire. It swung its snout toward the flames and snorted. The flames leaped higher, burning with sudden intensity. Oweth gasped as the shadowy darkness of the cave receded.

“I should offer them a cup of tea...”

Hal and Oweth watched as the bear crossed to a corner of the cavern that had previously been hidden in blackness. There lay a great pile of what looked like more fishbones and other indistinguishable debris.

The bear was rummaging in the heap. “A horrible mess… nothing in here to eat…” At last the creature emerged. In its jaws, it was carrying the handle of a large iron kettle. It looked entirely rusted. The bear brought the kettle over to the pool of water near the cavern wall. As it swung the kettle into the water, it banged against the rock. The ruined metal shattered, disintegrating onto the floor. “Blasted thing! Nothing but rubbish.. asleep much too long this time…” The bear seemed agitated, shaking its huge head back and forth.

Oweth stepped forward tentatively. “Don’t worry, we don’t need any tea. I think you have a very nice cave here.” He hesitated. “At least, it’s a nice fire.”

The bear paused, then swung its huge head near to Oweth’s face. The eyes looked bright, intelligent– and yet wild. “You are small even for a human. What is your name, child?”

“Oweth. Do you have a name?” Oweth raised a hand slowly toward the great snout. Hal grabbed the boy’s shoulder, pulling him back.

The bear narrowed its eyes, a deep growl rumbling from its throat as it peered at Hal, who still held the sickle in one hand. “How did you get in here? Who was foolish enough to send a warrior after me?”

“Warrior?” Hal lowered the blade. “I’m not a warrior– I’m just a farmer.”

“This is Hal– he’s my brother. We didn’t mean to come here– I was running in the woods, and I fell. The earth opened up into a big hole, and Hal jumped in to help me, and we found a tunnel, and then we found you!”

The bear tilted its head, considering. The deep rumble continued, but quieter now. “They were brought here… it was time for me to wake, then… he bears the sickle…” The bear returned its gaze to Hal. “You are he, are you not?”

“What do you mean?” Hal tried to meet the creature’s unsettling stare. “He who?”

“He!” The bear was shaking its head from side to side again, snorting. “Do you not know the song?”

And the creature pulled back onto its great haunches. The glassy eyes seemed to grow distant. At that moment, the fire flared with a greenish light. The bear began to recite a verse.

Who shall lead us through darkness when it comes?

The valiant one with the heart of a king

The heart of Abashar

And how shall we know the new king when he comes?

He shall cast down the sickle and take up the sword

His hand shall not fail

The greenish light receded and the familiar yellow glow returned. The bear lowered itself back onto all fours, gazing intently again at Hal. “You are he,” it repeated.

“I’ve heard that verse before!” Oweth seemed unfazed by the strangeness of what had just happened. “Nana taught it to me. She’s been teaching me all the songs,” he explained proudly to the bear. “She says I’ve got the best memory of the whole family. But,” he seemed confused, “Nana told me that one is Veyta lore. So it can’t be talking about Hal. We’re Enedram.”

The bear growled quietly, but regarded Oweth with what might have been a softer glance. “Your grandmother taught you well, young one. But could not Veyta eyes see the path that other feet shall walk?”

“I mean no offense,” Hal began, “but I really don’t think that verse has anything to do with me. I’m not anyone special, I promise. There are a lot of people with sickles. I mean, I have eight brothers and sisters who are all farmers too—I’m no different than any of them.

“Foolishness!” The bear tossed its head in annoyance. “If you are not he, then why were you brought to me?”

Hal didn’t know what to say to that. This whole day had been one unimaginable thing after another. He suddenly felt very, very tired, and his whole body seemed to hurt.

“I’m sorry, thank you for the poem, and for having us in your… den and all that, but is there a way out of here? We really should be getting home.”

“Out? Yes, out…” The creature seemed suddenly distracted and agitated, talking to itself again. “Get out… so hungry… find something to eat… slept too long…”

“Excuse me,” Hal interjected, “but if you’re going out to find food, maybe we could go out with you?”

The bear seemed to remember itself, bringing its attention back to Hal. “Follow me.” And with that the bear loped to the small pool near the cave wall. Looking up into the high crevice in the ceiling, the bear began to climb. Its huge paws stretched out, pressing against either side of the crack, making its way up with surprising agility as the long claws gripped the rock.

“Wait!” called Hal. “We can’t get up that way!” The crevice was too wide for him– let alone Oweth– to be able to reach both sides, and too sheer to climb any other way.

The bear paused, looking back at them with a growl. “Small humans… very well…” It climbed back down, then crouched low. “Will you come?”

“Come… on your back?”

The bear growled more loudly this time. “How else will you come?”

Hal looked up at the twinkle of daylight far above. Oweth had already run forward and begun to try to climb up the huge, dark back, so Hal gave him a hoist and then climbed on as well, situating himself behind the boy. Oweth threw his arms as far as he could around the huge neck, while Hal twined his hands in the long, thick fur. And then the beast sprang up, climbing easily, not seeming to notice their weight.

As they neared the roof of the cave, the crevice flattened out on one side. The bear pulled itself onto the ledge and crouched again so that Hal and Oweth could climb down. Hal drew in a deep breath. The air smelled fresh, and daylight streamed through a small crack in the cavern wall. Wind whistled loudly over the opening.

Oweth was peering through the crack. “I can see the sky!” But the opening was small, and the rock looked thick.

“Move back, small human.” And with that the bear lowered its head, placed its massive shoulder against the rock, and gave a great heave. The rock moved–a huge boulder that had been blocking the exit rolling away slightly.

Hal shielded his eyes from the bright daylight, but a broad smile lit his face. He felt the wind, the sunlight on his skin– they were out.

“We’re up on the hill!” Oweth was dancing in delight.

As Hal’s eyes adjusted, he saw that they stood on a ledge on the hillside, a steep cliff face below them. To one side, in the distance, they could see the mountains, snow-capped giants just visible behind the nearer peaks. In the other direction, the fields stretched out in golden glory along the verdance. And out there, blocked by a rise of trees, would be their home. The only thing that stood between them and home was the cliff..

“Mmm, so bright… been too long… so hungry…” But the bear looked again at the two humans, responding to the unasked question. “Come, I will bear you once more.”

And so Hal and Oweth climbed again onto the beast’s back. “Hold on, Oweth.” Hal tried not to look down as they descended, the bear going more slowly this time, carefully placing its massive paws. But again the beast showed its agility, and they reached the ground safely, sliding to the ground.

The bear sniffed the air, its coat shining in the sunlight. It looked down at them. “This is where we part, humans.”

“I wish you could stay with us.” Oweth reached out a hand and touched the creature’s great flank one last time. The bear allowed it.

“Thank you,” said Hal, “for all your help. Where will you go now?”

The bear growled. “To the mountains, where else? To eat before winter comes. Farewell.” The great creature moved away, already muttering again.

“Wait!” called Oweth. “You never told us– what’s your name?”

The bear turned. “I am Athra.” And with that, the beast departed, loping toward the mountains.

Hal and Oweth stood, watching the bear go. When they could no longer see it, Oweth turned back to Hal.

“What is Athra?”

Hal shook his head. “I wish I knew the answer to that question, Oweth.”

“And what does it mean, what Athra said– about you being the ‘he’ from the poem?”

Hal sighed. “I don’t know, Oweth. There are a lot of things about all this that I don’t understand.” He put his hand on the boy’s shoulder and smiled. “But what I do know is, it’s been a long day, and I think Athra had the right idea about finding dinner. Let’s go home.”