It was nearly nightfall. A fatigued Alan tirelessly paced around the ravaged Honeycomb, tending to the wounded, trying to take his mind off his daughter. His rescue party had returned to Watership Down that morning with the devastating news of their friends' horrible deaths and that the marauders had fled, taking Lucy with them as a hostage, their current whereabouts unknown.
The Watershippers were all utterly devastated by the deaths of so many of their beloved ones, many of which had been does or young rabbits in the prime of life. In total, eighteen rabbits had died; nearly half of the warren's population. The flower of an entire generation had been lost; now, the survivors of a shattered community were left to pick up the pieces, bury their dead and treat their wounded.
Using what precious few medical supplies she'd been able to salvage from the ruins of her infirmary, and whatever else she could improvise, Josie had set to work with a vengeance, trying to save as many of the wounded as she could. Hyzenthlay, Primrose, Violet and Clover had also pitched in, offering all the assistance they could. But with their severely limited resources, they could only do so much.
A solemn Alan carried the dead body of Thethuthinnang to a borrow that served as a temporary morgue for the dead. Despite Josie's best efforts to save her, the bullet wound to her lung had been too severe and she'd eventually succumbed to her injuries. Gently placing her on top of the growing pile of battered rabbit corpses, the other victims of the siege, and closing her eyes, he hurried back to the Honeycomb.
A total of three casualties still breathing lay on some straw bedding soiled with blood: Campion, Little Threar and Sandwort still clung to life. Josie sat on her knees before them, an assortment of medicine, herbs and blood-stained surgery tools lying on a towel beside her.
She'd been able to stabilise Campion in time and patched up his injuries best she could. Although he would recover, there wasn't much that could be done about his facial deformity sustained by the blast injuries, as well as Woundwort's savage attack. Without plastic surgery, he'd never be the same handsome buck he once was. Not that it mattered much, because the psychological trauma of the destruction of Vleflain, for which he kept blaming himself, had left him in far greater agony than any of his injuries.
Little Threar, although having sustained no major injury, remained in a deep catatonic state. His vitals appeared stable, but he was still completely unresponsive to any kind of stimuli. Whatever those thugs had forced Silverweed to do to him had caused him to retreat somewhere deep within himself. His conscious mind, Alan theorized, unable to bear whatever it was he had seen through Silverweed's mind, had instead triggered this condition as the best defence. But with Silverweed dead, there was no way to be certain, much less to determine whether it was permanent or not.
Fiver had sat vigilantly by his son's side from the moment they'd brought him back, silently begging him to awake, his beloved Vilthuril and the rest of their children all lying dead in the morgue borrow with the rest of the fatalities. Alas, there was nothing Josie or Alan or anyone else could do for him. The worst one off was Sandwort.
Alan and Josie had laboured for hours, trying to patch up his numerous internal injuries. The stake he'd been impaled with had ruptured his peritoneum on either end, punctured the pelvic floor, split open his lower bowels, grazed his aorta in the vicinity of the heart, punctured his lower trachea and ploughed out through his left collarbone. Although luckily the damage to his internal organs wasn't as severe as expected, he'd lost a lot of blood and was in terrible agony.
Alan had ordered he be kept on morphine, but with precious little morphine to spare, pretty soon they'd have no way to alleviate his pain, which was likely to persist for weeks, assuming he lived that long. Having lost nearly half his blood volume, he'd gone into arrhythmia several times, prompting Alan and Josie to resuscitate him to keep him alive. Then Holly had volunteered for a blood transfusion and they'd hooked him up to a jury-rigged IV tube and hand-pump to collect a pint of his blood in a bottle, operated by Primrose.
Exhausted and still terribly distraught by the deaths of her sisters and so many of her friends, Primrose was barely managing to hold herself together, making her prone to accidents. As she frantically squeezed the balloon of the pump with her paw as instructed, the pressure became too great and the tube popped from its valve on the bottle. Blood squirted everywhere. Never been able to withstand the sight of blood, Primrose freaked out, realising her mistake.
"Someone help me!" she cried, trying to reattach the tube but having no idea how, "Hurry up, I'm going to spill it all!"
Violet, who had been helping Alan and Josie operate on Sandwort, passing them clean sponges, quickly hurried over and, grasping the tube firmly with her teeth, managed to force it back into the valve, before hurrying back to her patient without a word. Still utterly shaken and cursing her own inexperience, she burst into tears.
"I can't do this," she sobbed, "I'm going to get someone killed. Frith damn me, I'm useless!" Feeling for her daughter, Hyzenthlay moved to comfort her.
"We're all hurting, Primrose," she said gently, "We've lost many of our beloved ones today. But we need to be strong if we're going to pull through. Why don't you take a break, dear, and pull yourself together?" Nodding her thanks, Primrose turned and hurried out to clean herself off.
At last, Alan and Josie were able to stabilize Sandwort too. The multiple operations they'd performed to save his life had caused nearly as much damage as the initial trauma, but in the end, they'd won. If sepsis didn't set in, he would recover...maybe. Keeping him sedated and on IV drips of donors' blood collected from Holly and several others, they let him rest.
Exhausted, their muscles aching, and dripping with sweat and blood, the humans joined Hazel and the other rabbits waiting outside for news on their friends. Clover stepped forward anxiously.
"How is he?"
"Well, we stopped the bleeding best we could," said Josie, "He won't be pretty, but I think he'll make it, if he's lucky. The next few weeks will be critical." Clover merely nodded, not saying a word. What her human friend was trying to say was, they'd bought her son some more time, but there was still no guarantee that the Black Rabbit wouldn't have him in the end. Holly nuzzled her affectionately, reassuring her that everything would be all right.
"What about Little Threar?" asked Fiver, looking rather displeased that they hadn't been doing much for his son. Alan, who had just finished washing off his bloody hands and face in a bucket of water, shook his head.
"There isn't anything we can do, but wait until it wears off," he said, patting his heart-brother between the ears, "There's still hope, Fiver. After all, I came back from a similar situation, remember?" Fiver wanted to point out that it had taken Silverweed sending him into Alan's broken mind to bring him back from beyond, but then decided against it. The last thing he wanted was to jinx his son's already slim chances of ever waking up.
"You all did very well," said Hazel, acknowledging their efforts, "No one could ask you for more."
"What's the situation out here?"
"I have every available Owsla rabbit patrolling the perimeter of the Down non-stop," said Bigwig, giving his own report, "No sign of those wretched ithel anywhere. Good thing too, because if I ever get my paws on them, I'll rip them all apart! Frith in a wasp's nest, I dare them to ever show their faces around here again...!"
"We wouldn't stand a chance, Bigwig," said Hazel sternly. He gestured at the ravaged Down, strewn with ruined vegetation and burnt-out debris, "If they made another run now, we'd be wiped out." Bigwig said nothing, torn between hunting down those thugs who had slaughtered their friends to exact revenge, and keeping everyone safe.
"I'm afraid we can't just sit here and do nothing, Hazel," said Alan, who mind had been firmly set on one thing from the moment they'd returned from the mercenaries' camp, "Woundwort has my daughter and I'm going to do whatever it takes to get her back. I'm going after those bastards!"
"And who says we give a hraka about helping you?" asked a familiar voice, dripping with anger and hate.
Turning, Alan saw Blackberry, glaring at him with a gaze so hateful, it could rival that of Woundwort himself. Blackberry hadn't been himself since Thethuthinnang and his sons had died, refusing to help tend to the injured and wanting to be left alone. None of them had ever seen him so angry before. It was pretty scary.
"Blackberry, we all know how you must be feeling right now, but you can't blame Alan for what happened," said Fiver, realising a conflict was imminent, "If anything, he saw it coming long before we did..."
"No, he brought it upon us!" retorted Blackberry incredulously. He rounded on Alan, "I told you, you shouldn't have interfered with those marauders! Well, the blood of all those good rabbits will now always be on your hands, no matter how hard these hypocrites tell you otherwise! And I hope it weighs down on your conscience until it crushes you, you bloody ithe!"
"Thethuthinnang was my friend too, Blackberry, and I'm just as outraged at what happened to her - to everyone - as you are," said Alan, struggling to control his own building anger. This bloody fool sure had some nerve to blame him for all this madness, after he'd persuaded the others not to act while there was still time, "You see..."
"Don't you dare talk about Thethuthinnang!" yelled Blackberry, anguish and outrage written on his face, "My mate and children were slaughtered like prey for the elil because of you! You had it coming when your daughter was taken! And you know what? I hope they kill her too, I really do! Only I hope they do it in front of you, to give you a taste of what it feels like to lose your beloved ones...!"
That pretty much tore it. Losing his temper, Alan sprang at Blackberry, delivering a powerful right hook right onto the buck's nose. Blackberry was knocked to the ground with a bloody face. But only for a moment. Also losing control, he struck back, springing at Alan and pinning him down, clawing and cuffing wildly at his face. Alan might have lost an eye, but Hazel quickly stepped in, forcefully pulling Blackberry off of him by the ears.
"Stop it right now, Blackberry! I said, that's enough!"
Unfortunately, Blackberry had lost control completely and, snarling, launched at Hazel instead, going for his neck. If he couldn't kill that accursed human who'd led his family to slaughter, then he'd settle for this blind fool who insisted on trusting him to the end! His jaws managed to rip a chunk of fur from Hazel's throat, but luckily not enough to draw blood. This was a big mistake.
Roaring with rage at seeing their Chief Rabbit attacked by one of their own, Bigwig and Holly tackled Blackberry to the ground. Bigwig was furious.
"How dare you!" he growled, "Attack your own Chief Rabbit? You traitor!"
"He's gone too far, Hazel-rah," said Holly, as he and Alan got Hazel safely away from Blackberry, "He was trying to kill you! That's high treason! This rabbit has to be killed!" But Hazel wasn't about to start having his own people killed. They'd lost too many good rabbits already.
"You're out of order, Blackberry," he said, not bothering to hide his disappointment, "While we sympathize for your loss, this sort of aggression towards any of our own people, who are in no way to blame for what happened, won't be tolerated! Therefore, for everyone's safety, I'm having you confined to your burrow until you calm your nerves and, Frith help me, if you so much as lay a paw on Alan again..."
"You needn't waste your breath, Hazel-rah. I'm leaving," sneered Blackberry, "That's right, I'm leaving Watership Down. I refuse to continue to be part of this mockery of a warren! Like I always said, rabbits and humans can never hope to coexist peacefully and here's the proof right before your eyes, you fools!"
"Then get out of here, Blackberry!" snarled Bigwig, feeling no less forgiving, "There's no place here for cowards like you, who are too proud to live up to their mistakes!" Others however were feeling more sympathetic.
"Think about what you're doing, Blackberry," pleaded Fiver, "We're your only friends. Without us, you'll be a lonely hlessi, all alone in the world. Please don't make that mistake."
"The only mistake, Fiver, is that we didn't each go our own way the day we left Sandleford!"
There was nothing more to be said. Casting one last venomous look at Alan, Blackberry turned and disappeared down the hill and into the woods. Hazel looked at Fiver.
"You think I should have stopped him?"
"He's hurting badly, Hazel," said Fiver sadly, "As we all are. Some wounds are just too deep to heal."
True to Fiver's words, inside the Honeycomb, someone else seemed to have lost all sense of purpose. Campion, awake, following yet another nightmare filled with flashbacks of Vleflain's destruction, the screams of his dying comrades and Woundwort's taunting words, shakily got to his feet.
His strength was all but gone and his wounds hurt worse than ever, but he didn't care. His thought was only one: get away from here, far away, where he could be alone, just as he deserved. He had failed his people, failed to protect them when they needed him most, and nothing could justify such dishonour.
Limping, or more like dragging himself to the back exit run, he made his way back above ground. Making sure, he hadn't been noticed, he made his way down the side of the Down in a semi-delirious state, tripping and collapsing every few steps. His head spinning and his vision blurred, he wasn't looking where he was going, until he found himself on the edge of the riverbank.
The current in the centre of the river wasn't particularly strong, but in his weakened state, he wouldn't be able to fight it for long. All he had to do was wade into the water until he couldn't touch the bottom and then let the river put him out of his misery.
He glanced down at his reflection, his hideous facial injuries making him shudder. Where there should have been his face was now that of a deformed monster rather than a rabbit's...a reflection which suddenly morphed into that of a very familiar figure, which every rabbit dreaded the most: A large, jet-black apparition with glowing, pupilless red eyes. The Black Rabbit of Inle.
"Has my time come at last, Black Rabbit?" asked Campion, "I'm so tired... And I want so much to tell Groundsel and the others how sorry I am for letting them down."
"Your time in this world is not done yet, Captain Campion," said the Black Rabbit in a doe's voice, much to Campion's amazement. Although not mesmerizing, like that of the beautiful Violet, the Black Rabbit's deep voice was kind and wise, enough to instantly win the reverence and respect from any creature, "You have a long, hard path to follow, a destiny to fulfil."
"Destiny?" scoffed Campion, "What destiny? My warren is in ruins and all my people are dead. Woundwort's will prevailed over us all, because of me!"
"Your people met their fate with courage and dignity," said the Black Rabbit patiently, "But it wasn't for naught. They only stopped running after they'd regained the life of freedom they craved for, short-lived as it was. Now they're all at peace, running with my Owsla. But Woundwort still threatens the world of the living by planning to build an empire of destruction in my name. Only you and your friends can stop him, Campion."
"How?" asked Campion in exasperation, "Woundwort's managed to resurrect himself and become immortal! He's totally invincible...!"
"No creature of this world can be truly immortal," said the Black Rabbit wisely, "Everything owes a death, Captain Campion, but only when they're truly ready to join me. And you are not. Go back to your friends, Campion. Go back..."
"Campion! Campion, wake up!"
The reflection of the Black Rabbit faded away and was replaced by a familiar beautiful face. He was lying at the water's edge, having blacked out it seemed. Violet was bending over him.
"Where in Frith's name were you going, Campion?" she chastised him for doing something so foolish, "You shouldn't be wondering away from the warren in this condition! If the elil found you like this, you wouldn't stand a chance... Wait, were you trying to kill yourself?!" she shrieked, realising what he'd been up to.
"I wouldn't be much of a loss to anyone if I did," said Campion darkly, looking away from Violet, so she couldn't see his scarred face.
"Your scars are marks of honour, Campion," said Violet gently, resting her paw on his shoulder, "They don't change who you are."
"My comrades died because of me," said Campion bitterly, "If I hadn't betrayed Woundwort, he wouldn't have targeted them now. I'm just as much a monster on the inside as I am on the outside. Please, go away, Violet." But Violet, always a strong-willed doe like Hyzenthlay, refused to give up.
"You're not a monster, Campion, and there's no shame in what you did," she said firmly, "You gave them back their freedom and dignity as rabbits. I too have shed my tears for my children, but at least I take comfort in the fact that they didn't end up slaves or minions to Woundwort. A life of enslavement isn't worth living, Campion. Death was a far greater mercy. Please don't let Woundwort's cowardly lies crush your spirit."
Remembering his earlier talk with the Black Rabbit of Inle, Campion felt deeply touched by Violet's encouraging words. Indeed, deep down, he knew it was true; the only reason Woundwort had spared him was to make him suffer by having him shoulder the guilt for their deaths. Knowing he could never regain their loyalty, instead, he'd cold-bloodedly disposed of them, just to punish him. The Watershippers on the other hand, as much as they were hurting for their own fallen friends, their willpower remained strong as ever, refusing to submit to Woundwort's punishment. Campion felt a wave of shame sweep over him.
"I'm sorry, Violet. You're right. Woundwort alone is to blame; not me, not Alan, not any of us. And I should know better. Forgive me." Violet smiled, satisfied that she'd restored Campion's spirit. Nothing could undo his grief for his fallen comrades, but at least now he'd found the will to carry on with the rest of them.
For an instant, their noses moved to touch; but they both caught themselves at the last minute, Campion quickly reminding himself that she still had a mate and thus he couldn't claim her. He lowered his head sadly. It seemed he wouldn't be finding true love out of this disaster after all. After all, a true soldier was always a loner. Instead, he leaned onto Violet, as she helped him back to the Honeycomb.
From the top of the slope, Bluebell was watching all this, feeling utterly heartbroken. Also having noticed that Campion had gone, he'd hurried down the slope to investigate, only to find him being comforted by Violet. He knew his mate, a dedicated healer with a heart of gold, would always comfort another rabbit in distress, but this was different. Any fool could tell poor Bluebell that his mate secretly harboured feelings for another rabbit.
Although he knew Violet would never abandon him, not after she'd so loyally nursed him all these seasons, it pained him to know that she secretly loved another. The loss of all four of his children had already affected him badly; the prospect of losing the last remaining thing he loved most in this world to a rival – ironically, a similar situation he himself had long ago been caught in with his late cousin Speedwell, albeit reversed – was simply too much to bear. Noticing them coming his way, he slipped away, wishing he could banish everything he'd just seen from his mind...
Meanwhile, Alan had excused himself, wanting to be left alone for a while, still feeling sore after his heated argument with Blackberry. Although he refused to let the remarks of that obnoxious little twerp weigh down on his conscience, knowing it was all bollocks, Blackberry's harsh words had filled him with terrible worry about Lucy. He was right. His daughter couldn't hold out for long in the hands of those scoundrels. He had to get her back!
Pretty soon, he would have to embark on a rescue mission to find his daughter and frankly he had no idea where to begin. Where should he start looking? Those thugs could be anywhere by now. How was he even supposed to catch up with them when they had jeeps and a jet, while his people had absolutely no means of transport, not even a horse? The odds seemed insurmountable.
Passing outside the smoking ruins of the lodge, which had been reduced to four scorched stone walls open to the sky and filled with charred debris, he saw Hotdog, together with Derek and Sam, who had returned too late to be able to help, salvaging whatever they could from the ruins and storing it in the barn – the only building of the compound left still standing.
Most of the colonists' personal belongings had been lost in the fire. However they were still able to recover a few odds and ends that had escaped destruction. Sam emerged, carrying an armload of dirty, smoky, but still intact clothes she'd recovered from the laundry room, which accounted to about two full sets of clothing each. These were all the colonists had left to wear.
Derek had managed to recover his toolkit and some of his precious engineering notebooks from the ruins, many partially reduced to ash and the rest horribly smudged by the water they'd used to douse the fire, but still salvageable. Hotdog thought he'd struck gold when he found his precious laptop under a collapsed floor beam, only to discover it was completely toast, much to his dismay. That, some kitchen utensils, a few books and papers, some of Alan's lab equipment, the undamaged batteries from the collapsed windmill, the guns and meagre supply of ammo they'd collected from the bodies of the mercenaries who hadn't survived the siege and little else was everything the colonists had left.
The lodge, greenhouse, lab, all of their livestock, winter supplies, power house, everything they'd spent years toiling for had been destroyed. It would take months to rebuild and they'd still lack many important resources that made their lives bearable. Alan had been terribly heartbroken when Derek had returned to him his last photograph of Mary he'd found under the rubble, which had been damaged in the fire, her face completely burned off.
Passing by the spot where his daughter had been snatched, he sat down at the foot of a tree, feeling awfully depressed. He had let his own daughter be kidnapped, again. Some father he was turning out to be! It seemed there was no escaping the nightmare from four years back, no matter how hard he tried. Frustrated, he pummelled the ground hard – and was surprised to feel the soft texture of paper underneath his fist.
Looking down, he saw a crumpled piece of paper lying in the grass – something that had fallen out of Drake's journal when Lucy had walloped that scumbag Hirsh on the head with it, but had been overlooked in the dark. Picking it up, Alan saw it was the deciphered secret message he'd found written in hexadecimals inside the journal. He was just about to throw it away, when he suddenly connected the dots.
The mercenaries had been sent here to steal the journal; and the only reason they'd want it so badly was because it held the secret to the Crypts of Civilization – the bricks and mortal for rebuilding civilization anew, as Drake had envisioned it – which they obviously knew all about from Robbins' voice recorder. And, by a complete stroke of luck, they still had the one and only clue that would lead them there! Of course, the original message was still inside the journal, but written in hexadecimals, so it would take some time for Crowley's thugs to figure it out. That was exactly the amount of time they had to unravel the rest of the secret.
Standing up, he dashed back to the Honeycomb, calling for Bigwig to get everyone together for an urgent meeting straight away. Leaving Clover to mind the injured, the rest of the Watershippers gathered together outside the Honeycomb, along with the colonists, as well as Nyreem and even Campion, who insisted he was well enough to be part of this, despite his injuries. Only Blackberry was still absent. Alan wasted no time and cut straight to the chase.
"I'm afraid the attack by our mercenary friends was only the beginning. It seems their true objective was Drake's journal all along. They mean to find the legendary Crypts of Civilization - the secret hiding places where mankind buried the treasures of their doomed civilization long ago in hopes of rebuilding someday."
"Damn. So they're planning to take over the entire Earth," concluded Derek. If the Crypts Drake had written about in his journal really existed, then those murdering thugs would stop at nothing to seize them for themselves, he thought. This was more than just booty; those Crypts contained everything they needed to build more bases of operations, more weapons, vehicles, supplies, enough to transform their gang of cutthroats into an army of destruction, all in Woundwort's service. Every last corner of the earth would be overwhelmed within months and then the planet would all be theirs. There would be nowhere to hide and nobody would be able to resist them.
"Exactly," said Alan, "The race is on and we damn better win it. Because if they get to the Crypts first, my daughter is dead." All of them realised, once those thugs had no further use for a hostage to ensure no one would interfere with their plans, they would dispose of Lucy without a second thought.
"And our turn won't be long coming afterward," added Hazel, "Woundwort will have the power to wreak havoc across the world until he's conquered or destroyed everything. Not us, nor anyone will be spared." The Watershippers looked at each other fearfully. This didn't sound good at all. In the background, Pipkin was translating everything that was being said for Nyreem, who spoke no English.
The young Vleflain doe had been somewhat at a loss ever since the Watershipers had brought her back with them, unsure of how to fit in here. Sure, she had quickly gotten over her initial fear of being around humans, but Watership Down was still so different from the life she'd known. Pipkin had taken it upon himself to watch over her, showing her around, making sure she wasn't left all alone and unprotected after losing all of her friends in the destruction of Vleflain. Nyreem was of course extremely grateful for his kindness and several rabbits were under the impression that there might be something more going on between them. Alan went on speaking.
"From what little we know, when Hemlock declared war on mankind, the Crypts were built in secret locations around the globe to house the most important relics of our old civilization - national treasures, records of knowledge, seed and embryo banks, equipment - enough to start over," said Alan, reciting everything he'd read hundreds of times in Drake's journal, "Mankind however didn't survive long enough to use them...then. Before he died, Drake, who knew mankind would someday be making a comeback through me, bequeathed them to us - to both species - as a chance for us to rebuild a world where man and lagomorph could learn to co-exist as equals. Unfortunately, he left behind no mention as to the exact locations of the Crypts. Nothing, except this."
He read the message out loud, "'The Crypts of Civilization can be found at the four corners of the Earth. Seek out the Crypt of Wealth in the Kingdom of Yesterday, the Crypt of Knowledge in the Kingdom of Tomorrow, the Crypt of Life in the Frozen Land of the Ilips, and the Crypt of Science on the Burning Wastes of the Glanbrins. On the full moon, the face of King Darzin will point the path.' All I tell you of this gobbledygook is that it refers to the places El-ahrairah visited during his lifetime, at least according to your life's story from my time. Other than that, I haven't a clue..."
"The travels of El-ahrairah," said Dandelion, quickly making the connection, "Those are the names of all the foreign lands El-ahrairah discovered on his journey to see the world, when he'd been tricked into forsaking Frith." They all settled down eagerly. It was time for another of Dandelion's stories - probably the most important story of his life.
"When El-ahrairah first ventured onto the new earth, the land was dead and barren. There was no grass, no trees and no suitable land for digging a warren. So Frith shone his rays down on the barren earth, delivering His first blessing. The grass began to grow and the beautiful Meadows of Fenlo soon came into existence."
""These meadows are all yours, El-ahrairah," said Frith, "As long as you and your people give praise to my name, I shall always provide for you, your children and your children's children." Although he was grateful to Frith for His gift, El-ahrairah was a proud and arrogant rabbit and thought his people as the strongest in the world."
"El-ahrairah was determined to find the perfect home for his people, where he and his children could live like kings. So he and Rubscuttle embarked on a long, perilous journey to explore the world. They swore they would not return until they had seen it all. But they didn't know where to start. Then, they came upon the sacred stone Circle of King Darzin - the guardian of the stars."
""El-ahrairah, why do you feel lost when I can point you to any place you seek?" asked King Darzin in amusement, "Give praise to my name and I shall reveal to you all the secrets of my kingdom.""
""I pledge my loyalty to you, my king," said El-ahrairah, forgetting his loyalty to Lord Frith, "What is out there in your kingdom, King Darzin? Tell me and I shall seek it out, no matter the cost."
""I salute your courage, El-ahrairah," said King Darzin, "Frith only gave your people the Meadows of Fenlo to be your home, yet you are determined to have the best. I shall help you. Seek out the secret of the King's Lettuce and your people shall never go hungry. But beware; the lands beyond are filled with dangers and enemies, and only a fool would dare venture there.""
""I don't care," said El-ahrairah, "My people deserve the best and I have a duty to find it for them." And so King Darzin pointed El-ahrairah and Rubscuttle in the direction of the Kingdom of Yesterday."
"Frith was angered by El-ahrairah's treachery. The Prince of Rabbits, who had already defied his warnings to control his rapidly multiplying people, had dared turn his back on Him! However, rather than punish him and Rubscuttle outright for their heresy, He decided not to intervene. El-ahrairah needed to be taught a lesson, which would soon be brought upon by his own foolish mistake."
"El-ahrairah and Rubscuttle travelled far and wide, exploring the unknown lands. They had many adventures and braved many dangers together. But King Darzin, who secretly sought to betray El-ahrairah, had tricked them. In the Kingdom of Yesterday, they met with terrifying monsters, formerly masters of the earth, banished from the world by Frith, and who were determined to wipe out El-ahrairah's people. So they cursed El-ahrairah's people with the White Blindness."
"While on the run from the King of Yesterday's Owsla, El-ahrairah and Rubscuttle discovered the notorious fiery Land of the Glanbrins. Seizing his chance, El-ahrairah decided to lose his pursuers by luring them into the wastelands."
""This is a folly, my Prince!" Rubscuttle begged him, "We shall both perish out there! Please let us go home!" But El-ahrairah was determined to outwit his enemies, who were much stronger than he was, using his cunning and trickery."
"And that is what happened; the Owsla of the King of Yesterday tried to follow, losing many of their own in the process, until finally, giving up El-ahrairah for dead, they gave up the pursuit. But they were still determined to destroy El-ahrairah's people with the White Blindness. Overwhelmed with guilt for bringing this terrible calamity upon his people, El-ahrairah appealed once again to King Darzin, still unaware that he was the enemy."
""Seek out the secret to the Sense of Smell, El-ahrairah," King Darzin said, "It shall grant your people protection against the White Blindness." And so, he pointed them towards the Kingdom of Tomorrow - whose king was rumoured to the guardian of the Sense of Smell."
"However, El-ahrairah's quest only hit another dead end. Although the King of Tomorrow agreed to his request, he would only let them have the Sense of Smell in exchange for El-ahrairah's people's eternal servitude. When El-ahrairah refused, the King of Tomorrow turned them away, but not before swearing to punish El-ahrairah's people for offending him. But unlike the King of Yesterday, he had a whole different approach."
"The King of Tomorrow appealed to Frith, "My Lord, that headstrong Prince of Rabbits is a threat to all creatures. He and his people will continue to strip the earth bare until we all starve. Please, help us!" And Frith, still angry with El-ahrairah, granted the King of Tomorrow's request. He gave a gift to every animal and bird, making each one different from the rest. That was when the elil came. Pretty soon, the Meadows of Fenlo were overrun by plague and elil, killing off countless of El-ahrairah's people."
"Having brought the wrath of two deadly enemies and even Frith Himself upon his people, El-ahrairah was devastated. Too late, he realised that the promises of King Darzin had all been lies. How would he ever persuade Frith to forgive him? El-ahrairah desperately appealed to Prince Rainbow for help."
""I can't help you, El-ahrairah," said Prince Rainbow sadly, as he was bound by Frith's will, "I can only give you this advice: seek out the Black Rabbit of Inle in the Frozen Land of the Ilips. Offer him a gift in exchange for his help." Poor El-ahrairah knew what that meant; surrender his soul to the Black Rabbit, in exchange for his people's salvation."
""I have to die," he told Rubscuttle sadly, "It's the only way to appease Frith for my betrayal. You go home, brother; it's now your turn to lead in my place."" Bidding Rubscuttle farewell, a heartbroken El-ahrairah began his long journey alone to the Black Rabbit of Inle's dark warren of stone and ice, deep in the Frozen Land of the Ilips. Eventually, near death, he found it. But although the Black Rabbit welcomed him, he refused El-ahrairah's bargain."
""I offer you my life and soul, Black Rabbit," begged El-ahrairah, "Cast me to the deepest ends of the Shadowlands to rot, but please spare my people. Call off the elil and the White Blindness, I beg you!" However, the Black Rabbit, also bound by Frith's will, would not be swayed."
"There isn't a day or a night when a doe doesn't offer her life for her kittens, or an honest Captain of Owsla, his life for his Chief. But there is no bargain; what is, is what must be."
"Then, I challenge you to a game of Bobstones!" insisted El-ahrairah, who had nothing left to lose, "If I win, you spare my people; if you win, you take my life." The Black Rabbit graciously accepted El-ahrairah's challenge."
"Unfortunately, there was no hope of besting the Black Rabbit of Inle. El-ahrairah lost, but instead of taking his life, as his time to stop running had not yet come, the Black Rabbit ordered him to return home."
""There is nothing here for you, El-ahrairah," he said, "Go home to your people. They need you, now more than ever.""
"El-ahrairah returned to the Meadows of Fenlo with a heavy heart, only to discover his worst fears had been realised. His people, angered by his betrayal which had brought the wrath of Frith upon them, had turned on him. A traitor called Hufsa, who had taken over as Chief Rabbit and taken Rubscuttle prisoner, banished El-ahrairah from the Meadows of Fenlo. That was probably the darkest hour ever for El-ahrairah, who was left friendless, homeless and alone. But Lord Frith, in His eternal greatness, still had a forgiving heart. That was when the Great Blessing came."
""You have suffered long enough, El-ahrairah, and now, you've finally redeemed yourself," said Frith, "Never again will your children rule the world, for it is filled with enemies now. But first they much catch you, digger, runner, listener. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed!""
"Armed with his new powers and having finally found his true place in the world, just as Frith had meant it to be, El-ahrairah once again became leader of his people and his children thrived. Hufsa was banished; King Darzin, fearing Frith's wrath, fled back to his hiding place in the stars, never to return. El-ahrairah never spoke of his betrayal again and taught his children always to give praise to their Lord, who in turn would always watch over them until the end of time."
"And that is the end of my story," finished Dandelion. Several of the rabbits praised him. Others however, like Alan, were lost deep in thought, trying to piece the puzzle of myth and actual fact together.
From what he knew from the HAB's video log, some of the surviving humans of the Apocalypse had wanted the lagomorphs destroyed, realising they would ultimately undermine Man's dominance on Earth, while others sought to have them as their prized servants. On a ravaged, barely habitable earth, such large, natural diggers, genetically designed to withstand even the most rugged of environments, and intelligent to boot, could be very useful for labour, as well as for food. That had to be where the legend of the Kingdoms of Yesterday and Tomorrow originated from. But as for the Frozen Land of the Ilips or the Burning Wasteland of the Glanbrins he had no idea. Not much to go on, to say the least.
"It's like looking for a needle in a haystack," he said, running a hand through his hair in exasperation, "Those places could be anywhere in the world. We could spend an eternity searching for them. Isn't there anything more you know about El-ahrairah's travels?" Dandelion shook his head sadly. But then Sam spoke up.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I can't help but notice a rather peculiar similarity here," she said, thinking back to her high school years, "To history, I mean."
"What on earth are you talking about?"
"Well, when America was first discovered in the 15th century, it became known as the New World - the land of opportunity, of tomorrow," she explained, hoping she didn't sound as stupid as she felt making such an absurd connection between two totally irrelevant things, "Europe, which had been the centre of western civilization for centuries, was in some way, overshadowed, kind of like the world of yesterday. Probably just a coincidence..."
"And what if it isn't?" said Alan, standing up. All of a sudden, it all made perfect sense. The Kingdoms of Yesterday and Tomorrow were nothing more than symbolic names for the starting and ending points of human civilization across the world. If that theory was correct, then America was the Kingdom of Tomorrow, while Europe was the Kingdom of Yesterday - the place where the first of the four Crypts, the Crypt of Wealth was hidden. That was where Crowley's mercenaries were headed!
"My God, she's right!" exclaimed Derek, "They're headed for mainland Europe! Well done, Sam!"
Alan walked up to Sam and hugged her tight. "You're a bloody genius, Sam, you know that?" Derek kneeled over and kissed her. Sam blushed, starting to feel a tad bit uncomfortable at all this praise she was receiving. Her earlier experience, when they'd all thought she was the enemy because of her relation to Robbins, seemed like a lifetime ago. Now she truly felt like one of this community, having proven herself in the eyes of everyone.
"Well, if we're going to be travelling overseas, we're going to need transport," said Alan, "Deke, how's that new plane you promised us getting along?"
"Practically finished," said Derek, who had been working hard on his latest pet project for the last several weeks out in his field workshop, "I think I can have it ready to go in 24 hours."
"You've got twelve," said Alan, "Crowley's men already have a two-day head start on us. I need you, Sam and Hotdog to get back to the workshop now and get to work. Use any resources you need and you can have all our coffee rations if you must, but I want this show on the road by tomorrow morning. We need to get to that first Crypt before they do."
"But we still don't know exactly where to look," said Josie, "We're talking about an entire continent here! We can't just comb every acre of it until we find the Crypt..."
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," said Alan, although he had no idea how they were going to do that. He had enough worries on his plate as it was to worry about it at the moment.
"We'll do our best," said Derek, giving his friend a reassuring pat on the back. Alan gave him a serious look.
"Lucy dies if you don't."
"We're coming with you then," said Bigwig, stepping forward, "You'll need an experienced Owsla on your side for such a mission." Alan looked up at Bigwig.
"Bigwig, you've already lost so many friends..." But Bigwig, realising where he was getting at, knocked him down with a rough push, cutting him off.
"One more word and you get a tongue lashing!" he growled, "What, did you think I'd let you leave us here, while you head off onto a dangerous journey, just to keep us safe? We're already at war with those ithel and I for one will not be sitting around, cooling my paws, while you are out there doing our fighting for us!"
"Lucy is as much a daughter to us as she is to you," said Hazel, "We all have a duty to bring her back. You need us, Alan."
"And we have a duty to deliver vengeance against those cowardly scumbags who attacked us and slaughtered our families," added Holly, "I swear to Frith, all these deaths shall not go unanswered!"
Alan felt touched. In spite of all the hardships they'd endured at the hands of humans, they weren't turning their backs on him like Blackberry had done. They'd been watching each other's backs since the day they'd left Sandleford Warren all those years ago, and they would see this new threat through to the end together, like brothers, comrades in arms. He pulled them into a tight embrace.
"Thank you, you chaps. Thank you."
Author's note: This chapter has been the most difficult to write, ever since I started working on the New World series. When writing the part about El-ahrairah's journey, I tried to stay as faithful as possible to the original tales in Adams' book. However, I did change a few things around, in order to fit the universe of the story. Enjoy!