The Brothers Lionheart
But the people in the valleys knew the paths and could travel freely to see each other.
“Or to put it more accurately, they used to be able to,” said Jonathan. “Now no one is allowed out of Wild Rose Valley and no one can get in there, either. Only Sofia’s pigeons.
“Why not?” I asked.
“Because Wild Rose Valley is no longer a free country,” said Jonathan. “Because that valley is in enemy hands.”
He looked at me as if he were sorry to have frightened me.
“And no one knows what will happen to Cherry Valley.” he said.
I was afraid then. I had been going around so calmly, thinking that there was nothing dangerous in Nangiyala, but now I was truly frightened.
“What sort of enemy is it?” I asked.
“His name is Tengil,” said Jonathan, and he spoke the name so that it sounded horrible and dangerous.
“Where is Tengil?” I said.
Then Jonathan told me about Karmanyaka, the country up in the mountains of The Ancient Mountains, beyond the river of The Ancient Rivers, where Tengil ruled, cruel as a serpent.
I grew even more afraid but I didn’t want to show it.
“Why can’t he stay there in his ancient mountains?” I said. “Why does he have to come to Nangiyala and destroy things?”
“Well, you know,” said Jonathan. “The person who can answer that one can answer a great deal. I don’t know why he has to spoil everything there is. It’s just like that. he begrudges the people in the valleys the life they lead. And he needs bondsmen.”
Then he sat silent again, staring at his hands, but he did mumble something and I heard it.
“The monster has Katla too!”
Katla! I don’t know why that sounded more horrible than everything else that he had said, and I asked him:
“Who’s Katla?”
But Jonathan shook his head.
“No, Rusky, I know that you are already scared. I don’t want to talk about Katla, because then you won’t sleep tonight.
Instead he told me what it was that was so special about Sofia.
“She is the leader of our secret struggle against Tengil,” said Jonathan. “We fight against him, you see, to help Wild Rose Valley.
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In a village there lived two men who had the self-same name. Both were named Claus. But one of them owned four horses, and the other owned only one horse; so to distinguish between them people called the man who had four horses Big Claus, and the man who had only one horse Little Claus. Now I'll tell you what happened to these two, for this is a true story.
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