Ashes Under Uricon (The Change Book 1) (22 page)

I went in through the doorway that led to his room and his mother’s room. I had often gone there as I had worn her dresses for most of the time I had been there. This was certainly not the top of the tower, but the steps outside her room went no further. Then I heard his voice, “This way.” It was faint, as if from inside the room. When I went in I heard him speak again. This time it seemed to come from the far corner. I crossed the room. In the corner, hidden from sight by the shape of the wall, there was a narrow flight of wooden steps. I started up them.

After a stiff climb I emerged onto a wooden platform. On one side the outer wall of the tower rose to about waist height. On the other there was nothing. Except a long drop down to the courtyard. The Teacher was standing on the other side of the platform looking out over the wall. I gingerly walked around to join him.

“Welcome,” he said, still looking out. “My father, and his father, and fathers beyond them, have looked over this wall and seen what you see now.” He turned to face me. I was not actually looking out. I was stood rigid on the narrow platform with my eyes tightly shut. He laughed. “You are afraid. I believed you had conquered fear.” He laughed again. “Come, put your hands on the wall. I will hold you.”

I opened my eyes a crack and stepped towards the wall. He placed his arm around my waist and pulled me up to it. Feeling the security of the wall against my legs, I opened my eyes fully. What I saw was truly astonishing. The point where the sky met the ground was far, far away. On that horizon there were mountains, still with snow on their peaks. Before them stretched forests, fields, moorland, every variety of landscape it seemed.

“This is my land,” he said, throwing his arm out. “It is the land of my fathers. It is the land of your fathers. Most especially, it is the land of your grandfather. He loved it as you should love it. For what it was. For what it will be.” He turned to look at me. My eyes had filled with tears, which now rolled down my cheeks.

“Taid,” I spluttered. “He would have loved this.”

“He has seen it,” the Teacher said. His voice was gentle. I had never heard him speak in this way before. “He saw it as a boy. He will see it again. He knew you were the key. The key to open the door so that your people may return to the land where they belong. He taught you many things. He opened your eyes to the language once spoken throughout these lands. You have inherited his spirit. I have taught you the song of my fathers and your grandfather’s fathers.”

He paused. I looked out over the landscape, seeing little as my vision was still blurred with tears. For some reason I was fearful of what he was saying. I knew that summer would be ending soon.

“You have learned to survive,” he continued. “You still have fears, but this is good. You are as ready as I can make you. Now it is you alone who can recover what we have lost. Today I will bring Eluned here. You must begin to prepare yourself.”

“Prepare myself?” I said, turning to him. “Prepare myself for what?”

“That is not for me to tell you. You are a princess, my lady. I am only your unworthy servant. Others will explain. Now I must go.”

“But how am I supposed to prepare myself if I don’t know what I am preparing for? I thought all the things we had been doing these past months
were
my preparation.”

“Wash. Eat. Sleep. For now these are your preparations, my lady. Soon I will return.”

Without another word, he quickly walked round to the other side of the platform and disappeared down the stairway.

I spent most of my time doing just as he had told me – washing, eating and sleeping – though the last was very broken. During the day I spent my time either up on the ramparts, or just outside the main door. Waiting. Just waiting.

It was three days before the Teacher returned with Eluned. Though it had been almost a year since I last saw her, she hadn’t changed. The only thing that was different was a bag she was carrying that I hadn’t seen before. It was obviously heavy as it weighed her down on one side and she looked exhausted.

When she saw me, she dropped the bag and ran forward, her arms outstretched. I raised mine and we embraced, clinging together as she whispered, “My lady,” over and over into my ear. Eventually, slightly embarrassed as I could see the Teacher frowning behind us, I pushed her away so that I could see her face.

“You look tired, Eluned,” I said.

“The journey is long, my lady. We have walked very quickly. And my bag is heavy. But my heart lifts to see you again.”

“So does mine. So does mine. I have so much to tell you.”

“The time for that is not now,” the Teacher said, passing us and entering the castle.

I looked over my shoulder. “We had better go in,” I said. I grabbed the strap of her bag and lifted it onto my shoulder. “My word, that is heavy.”

She tried to take it from me, protesting that I should not have to carry it, but I ignored her pleas, grabbed her hand and led her into the castle. There was, of course, no sign of the Teacher. He had probably retreated to his room as he did when there were no tasks to complete. I led Eluned up to the kitchen, where I gave her a bowl of broth, after dropping her bag with a solid thud on the floor.

When she had finished I pointed to the mattress in the corner. “Now you sleep. We can talk in the morning.”

“Where do you sleep, my lady?” she asked.

“The same place,” I said, smiling. “The sleeping quarters in the castle are very limited. You lie down now. I will join you later.”

“Please, my lady. Do not search my bag while I sleep.”

“If you wish.” I could not think what she might be carrying that I should not see.

She lay down, turned to the wall and was asleep in minutes. I crept out, went down to the courtyard and climbed the stairway to the ramparts. I stood there, staring into the distance, while the sun slowly set. At the height of summer the evening was long and the horizon took several hours to finally disappear. My mind was filled with questions. What was I being prepared for? What was significant about the return of Eluned? What was she carrying that she did not wish me to see? These and many other questions buzzed around in my head as I leaned against the rampart wall. When the light had finally faded I returned to the kitchen and lay down. Surprisingly, I was soon asleep.

When I awoke, it was to find that Eluned had risen before me. I sat up, looking around the room. There was no sign of her. Or her bag. I knew she could not be far. Then I heard the murmur of voices from the courtyard below. I got up and ran down the steps.

Eluned was kneeling in the centre of the courtyard, the contents of her bag laid out neatly before her. The Teacher stood in the main doorway, his arms folded across his chest. As I arrived he was speaking to Eluned. “You are sure all this is necessary?”

“Yes, my lord,” she said. Seeing me, she stood up. “You are welcome, my lady.”

The Teacher nodded in my direction. He said nothing.

“These gifts are for you, my lady,” Eluned said, pointing to the objects before her.

“Gifts?” I said. “Who are they from?”

“The most important is from your grandfather.”

“Taid? Have you seen him? Where is he?”

“No, my lady. I have not seen him. He told me where to look for it in Ty’r Brodyr.”

She handed me a small, brown leather notebook. It was held closed with a thin strip of leather. I held it in my hand, turning it over and over. “Do you know what it is?” I asked her.

“No, my lady. It is for you to open. You alone.”

I undid the leather strip and opened it to the first page. In large letters, hand-written, were the words ‘The Gododdin’, followed by Taid’s name. I turned over again. Each page was covered in handwriting that was quite difficult to read as it had faded. What I could make out was that the language was English.

“This is ...” I blurted, then broke off. Dropping the notebook, I ran upstairs to the kitchen and retrieved my book. As I thought it was, the title was the same, except for the ‘Y’ instead of ‘The’. I ran back down. I was almost too excited to speak. “It’s a … It’s a … I can’t believe it. Taid has translated my book. Into English.” I quickly flicked through the pages of my book to my favourite verse – the first verse that I had learned all those months ago. Then I turned the pages of the notebook. I thrust it towards the Teacher.

“Show me, show me. Taid – my grandfather – has translated the poem I learned. Show me what it says in English. You know both languages.”

The Teacher laughed. One of his loud deep laughs, which echoed around the walls of the courtyard. He took the notebook from me, turned over a few pages, then held it up and recited,

“
Warriors went to Catraeth, a ready host,

Fresh mead their feast, but it became bitter.

Three hundred warriors under orders fighting.

And after the joyfulness, there was silence.

“It doesn’t have the ring of the original.” He began to recite the original verse but I interrupted him.

“Not now. The point is that I will be able to understand what the poem says. I can recite it in Welsh as well as you, but I did not understand a word. Now I can.”

He handed me back the notebook, still open on the same page. I read through the words. “It sounds very sad.”

The Teacher turned to Eluned who nodded. “It tells of your history, my lady. As I have said. It also tells of your future.”

“My future? You told me the poem was from long ago. How can a poem that is so old tell me of my future?” I held out my arms, the book in one hand, the notebook in the other.

“These things will come to pass, my lady,” Eluned said. “There will be joy. There will be sadness. There will also be silence. A great silence that will descend on the land. When you speak the poem, others will hear. They will follow you. They will know who you are.”

“Tell me who these others are. I have no idea what you are talking about.” I looked from one to the other.

“It is your task to return to your world, my lady.” The Teacher unfolded his arms and turned to face the door. He walked towards it and pulled it open. “Your world lives in darkness. Darkness and ignorance. You have learned much in our world. You must use that knowledge.”

I stood with my mouth open. Words failed me.

“I will be your companion, my lady,” Eluned said. “These things I have brought will assist us.”

I looked at the things still laid out before her. A couple of books. A leather coat. A pair of boots. Some folded shifts, brown and green in colour. I still could not speak. I turned to the Teacher. “You?”

He turned to face me. “It is not my task to come with you. If you succeed, I will be here. Waiting. As we have been waiting this long time.”

“She must succeed, my lord,” Eluned said. “She must succeed. ‘
If the blade is blunt, and she does not sharpen the edge, then must she use more strength: but wisdom helps her to succeed.’ She is wise.”

“Very well. Tomorrow you begin your journey.”

End of Volume One