The Islands of the Blessed

Chapter Forty-seven THE ISLANDS OF THE BLESSED

The sun was shining when he awoke. More than that, the sky was a glorious blue and the air was fresh and sweet. Jack sat up. He was on an island in the middle of a great river with the hazel wood lining its banks. The storm must have been mighty indeed to carve out such a channel. St. Columba’s robe lay on the ground, and he picked it up hastily, but there was no mud on it.

He picked up the staff, too, and then realized Thorgil wasn’t with him. “Thorgil!” he cried, terrified. She must have fallen into the water and been swept away.

“I’m here, silly,” she answered. “We’ve been waiting for hours.” She was in a little coracle tied to a branch overhanging the water. And with her was—

Jack was so overcome with emotion, he couldn’t speak.

“Come on,” the Bard said briskly. “We have a long journey, and you’ve made us late.” As if in a dream, Jack stepped into the coracle. It was unsteady and damp, as such boats always were. Thorgil untied the rope, and they sailed away down the river, going west.

“Are we dead, sir?” Jack asked as the hazel wood moved past.

“Of course not,” the old man said. “You’ve passed the qualifying exam for the School of Bards. You don’t think it’s easy getting in, do you? Not just any farm brat can knock on its doors and expect to be made welcome.”

“But you’re…” Jack wanted to say you’re dead, but it seemed impolite.

“Learn to ask questions when you want answers,” the Bard snapped. “Self-imposed ignorance does no one any good. I was shut into a tomb with Shellia for a while—and believe me, listening to her complaints made one want to be dead. I had to chase her all the way to the farther sea. But when Severus died, I was released from my oath.”

“You know about Father Severus?” said Jack, astounded.

“I know everything. Pangur Ban is the world’s biggest gossip.” The old man smiled at something he didn’t choose to share. “It took me a while to find the path back to Middle Earth. I just missed finding you at St. Filian’s, but no harm done. Ethne is positively blooming, for which I am most grateful to you and Thorgil.”

“It was Thorgil’s doing,” Jack said honestly. “Will Ethne marry King Brutus?”

“Perhaps. If Brutus is very lucky. Now admire the view a while, lad, because I want to think.” The old man sat in the stern of the coracle and turned his thoughts inward. Jack went to sit with Thorgil in the prow.

The hazel wood had given way to oaks, and blue mountains rose to the north and slowly passed. “Do you want an apple?” said Thorgil, reaching into a basket. “The horses ran off with the venison pies, but the Bard brought these from the monastery.” She expertly cut one of the fruits in two with her knife.

Jack stared. “Your hand—”

Thorgil laughed merrily. “I forgot to tell you. When I woke up, it was as good as new. I guess I can’t keep the name Silver-Hand.” She passed him half of the apple and lowered her eyelashes. “I really liked your poem, though.”

Jack felt his face grow warm. “Thanks,” he said.

The coracle swept on and the river widened until the blue mountains withdrew to the north. The channel deepened, and a skein of geese passed overhead, calling to one another.

“What’s that?” cried Thorgil, pointing. A large fish with sun-bright scales swam just below the surface, going against the current. It passed the coracle, stroking the water with powerful fins.

“I think it’s a salmon,” said Jack, filled with wonder. “It’s the biggest one I’ve ever seen.”

“It’s the Salmon of Knowledge returning to the pools of its youth,” said the Bard, stirring from his reverie. “It goes to feast on hazelnuts. Hobgoblins aren’t the only creatures besotted with them. Look ahead. We’ve come to the sea.”

And so they had. Long waves rolled out of the west and changed the river’s color from blue to gray-green. “We’re going out there?” said Jack, looking with dismay at the waves.

“It’s the only way to the Islands of the Blessed,” the Bard said. “That’s where St. Columba moved the School of Bards.” They continued outward just as steadily as they had on the river, though they had no sail.

Jack looked back to see the land disappearing in the distance. “Will I ever return?” he said, suddenly close to tears.

“Of course. I have done so many times,” said the Bard. “Once you learn the paths in the hazel wood, you can go to quite a lot of places, not all of them nice.”

“But what of Mother and Father, Hazel and Pega? I can’t just abandon them!”

“You can watch over them. That is part of the high calling of a bard, but there is always a price to pay for such power and responsibility. It is to serve all life, not just a little corner of it. Don’t grieve, lad. If it puts your mind at rest, the Blewits have moved into the old Roman house and Hazel won’t have to leave the village. They decided it was better to be mud-struck than risk losing her. Pega has found the love she always deserved with your family. I think you’ll find that most of the time people get along just fine on their own.”

The sun passed zenith and turned toward the west. The Bard brought out hard-boiled eggs, bread, and a bag of cider.

They talked of many things, and the time passed quickly. Little by little Jack’s sorrow lifted.

In late afternoon they saw the islands shining in the distance. A breeze brought them the scent of apples and land birds began to circle the coracle. As they approached, the sea became clear, as though they were sailing through the sky. They passed one island, then another and another. One had a green hill on which horses grazed.

“Look! Oh, look!” shouted Thorgil. A woman and a dog were standing on the shore. The woman raised her hand in greeting. “It’s Mother,” cried Thorgil, bursting into tears. “She looks so young. And that’s Maeve, who saved me from the wolves. Oh, can’t I stop? Can’t I stay here?”

“Another time.” The Bard waved back at Allyson and Maeve. “You can visit after you’ve studied awhile at the School of Bards. Don’t worry. They’ll understand.”

“Thorgil’s going to the School of Bards?” said Jack, outraged. She hadn’t learned nearly as much magic and poetry as he had.

“Jealousy is not encouraged here,” the old man said severely. “She may not be the same kind of student as you, but she’s just as qualified.”

“So there,” said Thorgil, sticking out her tongue. She wiped the tears from her eyes. “I feel torn up inside, miserable and happy at once. I don’t like it.”

“It’s one of the things that happens when you serve the life force,” the Bard said. “Ah! We’ve arrived at the school for apprentice bards.” They had come to a large island with mountains and valleys and forests, but at the top of a small hill close to shore was a gray building every bit as grim as St. Filian’s Monastery.

“Apprentice bards?” said Jack, somewhat upset. “I thought I’d got beyond that.”

“You’ve come a long way, lad, no mistake. I’m very proud of you. But the study is difficult and you don’t accomplish it in a few years. As you improve your skills, you will move deeper into the island.”

Jack suddenly became aware of the cloak and staff he carried. “Is St. Columba going to be angry with me for taking his belongings?”

“Not in the least. He moved on long ago,” said the Bard. “The Islands of the Blessed are what Brother Aiden calls the doorstep of Heaven. It is for those of us who are not finished with the affairs of the world. St. Columba’s cloak and staff were meant for you, but don’t look too pleased about it. You’ll have to work three times harder than anyone else to understand them.” The old man unfolded a cloth in the bottom of the coracle and took out Fair Lamenting. It had not been left in the tomb after all. In place of its clapper was the silver flute of Amergin. The Bard rang it.

The chime rolled through the evening air as golden and sublime as Jack had remembered, but this time it brought only joy, for it had come to its true home. A door in the gray building opened.

“They’re expecting you,” said the Bard, beaching the coracle and waiting for Jack and Thorgil to step onto the sand. “I’ll look in on you later.” He pushed off, sailing away tranquilly without a backward glance.

“Oh, bedbugs,” said Jack, looking up at the forbidding school. A group of men and women in white robes had come outside. They looked even grimmer than the building.

“I’m not even sure what a school is,” said Thorgil.

“Neither am I,” admitted Jack. The late sunlight had turned the hill a deep green, and a cat came out of the building, meowing for attention. One of the bards leaned over and picked it up. That was encouraging.

“It’s probably no worse than the dungeons of Elfland,” Thorgil said doubtfully.

“Or getting pulled into a knucker hole.”

“Or being eaten by a hogboon,” said Thorgil.

“Come on, Jill. We can get through this.” Jack took her hand, and together they walked up the hill.