The Brothers Lionheart

When we had ridden for a long time, I asked Jonathan:

“Where are we going?”

“To Katla Cavern, of course,” he said. “We’re almost there now. That’s Katla Mountain straight in front of you.”

Yes, it was. In front of us was a low, flat mountain with steep slopes dropping straight downward. Only in our direction were they less steep and there we would easily be able to make our way up if we wanted to, which we did, for we had to get right across the mountain, Jonathan said.

“The entrance lies on the other side toward the river,” he said. “And I must see what happens there.”

“Jonathan, do you really think we can get into Katla Cavern?” I said.

He had told me about the huge copper gate across the entrance to the cave, and about the Tengilmen who stood on guard outside day and night. How on earth were we going to get in?

He didn’t answer me, but said that we would have to hide the horses now, for they couldn’t climb mountains.

We led them into a sheltered crevice immediately below Katla Mountain and left them there, horses, packs, and everything. Jonathan patted Grim and said:

“Wait there. We’re only going on a scouting trip.”

I didn’t like the idea because I didn’t want to be separated from Fyalar, but that couldn’t be helped.

It took us quite a time to get up on mountain plateau, and I was tired when we eventually reached it. Jonathan said we could rest for a while, so I at once threw myself full length down on the ground. Jonathan did too, and we lay there, up on Katla mountain, the wide sky above us and Katla Cavern directly beneath us. It was strange to think about; inside the mountain somewhere beneath us was that terrible cavern with all its passages and caves, where so many people had languished and died. And out here butterflies were fluttering about in the sunlight, the sky above was blue with small white clouds, and flowers and grass were growing all around. It was strange that flowers and grass grew on the roof of Katla Cavern.

I wondered, if so many people had died in Katla Cavern, whether perhaps Orvar were also dead, and I asked Jonathan whether he thought so too.