Chapter 20: Wharepa

We resume our journey the next morning and Makareta once again leads the way. Despite our destination being several days march away, both Akenehi and Makareta are confident of being able to find it using the directions provided by the settlement elves.

“Do we know what this wharepa is?” I ask Akenehi.

“Not exactly, but I believe it is what we originally set out to find,” replies Akenehi.

“Did you know that elves lived this far north?” asks Cassandra, joining our conversation.

“South. We are travelling south. We have been ever since we left Fallowfield.”

“I don’t understand,” I reply. “The Thurnian coast lies to the south of Fallowfield.”

“No, it doesn’t. The coast is to the north. Your current mapmakers have your geography all wrong. Look at the two maps you bought in Fallowfield. The older map shows that north is in the opposite direction to the more recent one. That’s what I wanted to confirm before we set off. Simply studying how the sun crosses the sky at different times of year should have told your current mapmakers that their perception of where Thurn sits on our planet is wrong. If you travel across the ocean in the direction you call south, you will reach the frozen seas in a matter of days.”

“That can’t be right,” insists Cassandra. “When the expedition that brought elves to Thurn set off, they travelled south to the southern continent.”

“Hah! And how do you rate Thurnian sailors as navigators of the open seas?” laughs Akenehi.

My words in support of Cassandra’s assertion freeze in my mouth. Akenehi has a point. Thurnian sailors had never sailed out of sight of land before Gregori’s Grand Expedition half a century ago. And as far as I’m aware, no sailor has done so since.

“Are you saying the expedition’s records are wrong?” I ask.

“Not necessarily wrong,” says Akenehi. “I believe they are incomplete in two respects. Firstly, the Thurnian ships almost certainly sailed east or west before turning south. The correct south. The legends make no mention of the expedition seeing ice, so it is likely they went around the coast of Thurn, and then sailed south parallel to the coast. Secondly, even if the fabled southern continent exists, I doubt the expedition went anywhere near it. Your ships are slow and unsuited to ocean travel. I think the expedition landed further down the coast of the northern continent. That’s where they encountered elves. As you can already feel, the climate is much warmer once we are away from the northern coast.”

“How can you be sure that you are right?” asks Cassandra.

“Elven history is passed down verbally through the generations by all elves. Unlike your written histories, it is much harder for leaders to have history rewritten to suit their own ends. You once mentioned the ancient stone carvings in Thurn city. The markings that you can’t understand are almost certainly elven runes. Elven histories speak of such things. Contrary to Thurnian beliefs, elves have lived on this continent for centuries. The ruins we stayed in on the other side of the river were the remains of an elven settlement. And the elves we have just met are native to this area. How else can you explain the presence of elven men?”

Neither Cassandra nor I can offer a counterargument to Akenehi’s claims. The presence of elven men, and an elven village this far from the recognised borders of Thurn, support Akenehi’s assertions.

“I can see that you are struggling to accept what I say,” says Akenehi. “Perhaps you will be convinced when we reach wharepa.”

“But you said that you didn’t know what this wharepa looks like,” I counter.

“I don’t. But I’m sure we will know when we see it.”

Our route through the forest is easier now that there is a recognisable trail to follow. Which is perhaps fortunate, as our progress is slowed by the gravid Elf Maidens whom will soon be giving birth. Defina36 remains convinced that she is about to produce twins and she is struggling to keep up with the main body of our commune. One of the adolescent elves stays with Defina36 to ensure she doesn’t get left behind. The wild animals give us a wide berth, but we don’t fool ourselves into believing that an isolated lone elf wouldn’t be attacked if the opportunity arose.

We reach another elven village on our route. This one is larger than the lead mining community we met before. We are made welcome, despite the initial suspicion at the presence of Thurnians. As usual, the welcome includes a wild party that evening, and plenty of exercise for our cocks. I’m fortunate that Cassandra now makes a habit of tending to my battered cock each night and makes it her personal mission to ensure it is washed clean. Apparently Egbertha provides a similar service for Drew and Seamus.

As tempting as it is to spend an extra day in the village, Akenehi wisely insists that we continue on our journey the next day. In some respects it is a race against time. With so many Elf Maidens in their final days of pregnancy, we need to reach our destination soon or face the prospect of tending to multiple births in the open forest. Despite several of the pregnant Elf Maidens being in obvious discomfort, none of them complains, and they all do their best to maintain a good pace.

We finally see our destination when we reach the summit of a low hill. By now the thick forests of tall trees have given way to smaller copses of trees and scrubby grasslands. In front of us is a huge stone structure comprising of a tall tower surrounded by smaller buildings. It would be easy to think of it as a castle, except for the absence of any walls and other fortifications. As we draw closer we can see wooden huts and larger wooden buildings scattered around the stone structure.

We are passing along a wide track between ploughed fields when a group of elves approach us. Akenehi and Makareta move forward to meet with the settlement’s reception committee. The rest of us stand patiently while curious young elves from the settlement come to see what is happening. Before long our own preadolescent elves are playing games with their settlement counterparts. I don’t know what is negotiated between Akenehi and the local elves, but we are at least welcomed into their community. There doesn’t appear to be any obvious bias against Thurnians.

The pregnant Elf Maidens are all housed in one of the larger wooden buildings, while the rest of us are divided into smaller groups and taken in as guests among the local elves. Cassandra, Rawiri and I are housed with a female elf who is about Horowai’s age. She doesn’t speak Thurnian, and our knowledge of the elven language is limited to a few basic words. However, we somehow manage to sort out eating and sleeping arrangements through gestures and our limited vocabulary.

Once rumours about the comparative size of elven and Thurnian cocks circulates among the population, there is no shortage of female elves wanting to discover the facts for themselves. This makes Drew, Seamus and I extremely popular among female elves, but triggers a degree of animosity from elven males. To avoid any awkward situations, Akenehi insists that we decline all offers of sex from the local elves until we have met with the elven leaders.