The Bwy Hir Complete Trilogy (17 page)

There was a volatile silence within the shelter, an impasse that threatened to erupt into further dispute. Awel stood desperately willing the fire in Mab’s eyes to cool, for Dafydd to keep his mouth shut, but the words she heard next were not from within the shelter, but outside from the shadows.

‘Well, well, well, I wasn’t expecting to stumble upon such a scene as this when I ventured out this evening,’ Cadno said mockingly, as he stood on the edge of the lantern light, nonchalantly leaning against a mossy tree trunk.

Everyone swivelled to face the intruder. Cadno was wearing full hunting
garb: a short green hooded cloak covered his torso under which he wore a leather vest and breeches, two wicked hunting blades, one strapped to each thigh, and knee length doeskin boots finished his ensemble. He did not wither under their study, nor did his smile waiver, he stood completely relaxed.

‘You were spying on us?’ Mab’s voice was cool and composed but fire still flickered in her eyes.

‘Not intentionally my queen.’ Cadno nodded to a fox sitting timidly at his feet. ‘I was in search of other quarry: Gwrnach, but I was instead led to this merry throng.’ He shrugged his shoulders as if it was of no consequence.

Mab fixed the fox with a wicked scowl,
how quickly they switch allegiances
, Mab thought,
survival skill of the cunning
. ‘What do you want with Gwrnach?’

‘Same thing you wanted him for
: the new ateb,’ Cadno answered offhandedly.

Again the shelter was plummeted into brooding silence. Awel was thinking fast, her mind running through a thousand possible outcomes. She noted Taliesin loosening his knife from under his cloak and warned him with a brief look. ‘So Gwrnach cannot keep a confidence, no matter
!’ She flipped her hand as she drew down the corners of her mouth. ‘We expected no less from him.’

‘You didn’t expect him to keep a secret like that away from his brothers, his comrades, did you?’ Cadno stepped into the light and as if he had noticed Dafydd for the first time he drew down his eyebrows and commanded, ‘Kneel,
Chosen.’

Dafydd slowly lowered himself to his knees and dropped his head in the expected custom. Satisfied
, Cadno disregarded the Human and instead concentrated on Taliesin, he placed a fraternal hand on the smaller man’s shoulder and faced him, ‘Brother, I cannot tell you how long I have waited for this moment: a new ateb, one that does not require Human blood.’

‘You know not of what you speak, Cadno
.’ Mab clipped each word as she spoke. She did not like Cadno, nor did she trust him. To deal with Cadno was foolish and often perilous, his name was apt: it meant fox.

‘Oh but I do Mab
.’ He deliberately used her name rather than her title. ‘Taliesin would not break a covenant, you really have raised him well, however, he is his father’s son and will bend a rule as far as it will go, leading me to one conclusion – he must have used a Helgi.’ He smiled at their conspiratory silence, ‘I thought as much – I was hoping to get a sample of this new miracle tonic from Gwrnach but instead I stumble upon the maker himself – in Gwrnach’s defence he didn’t tell me who had made it.’ He leaned in to Taliesin and gave him a wink. ‘I presumed it must have been a Pride invention as they apparently do not enjoy the way we ride them at the Solstice, but lo and behold, I am wrong! It was you Taliesin!’ Cadno shook his head, smiling incredulously, overplaying his part. ‘And what is more, not content to wait for your blossoming and join the Solstice, you instead practice your technique on a Human, oh well done, well done.’ He patted Taliesin’s shoulder until Taliesin pushed his hand away.

Cadno affected injury at Taliesin’s slight and then shrugged
, turning on Mab. ‘You know Aeron is going to be furious with you Mab.’ His tone was solicitous but his expression was malicious. ‘You know, I never understood why Aeron picked you over your sister – Atgas seemed such a better match for him. Don’t get me wrong,’ he added quickly, ‘you are beautiful, but not nearly as sly and clever as your sister – you didn’t think you could keep any of this secret from him, did you?’ He burst out laughing when he realised she had intended exactly that.

‘What is it you want?’ Awel interrupted his theatrics
. ‘You didn’t come here just to insult your queen, Cadno. So I presume you wish to Ransom.’

‘
Ransom, Awel?’ Cadno feigned surprise. ‘Ransom? You misunderstand me, I did not reveal myself to Ransom, that would imply I am willing to barter and I am not.’ His face changed in a blink of an eye, it became sly.

‘Ah, so!’ Awel wagged a finger in the air and threw her head back smiling grimly
. ‘You show your true pelt, Cadno! Insult is not enough, you turn to blackmail too!’

Taliesin watched his mother intently, waiting on her word. Mab’s eyes were fixed on Cadno, she looked like a hunting hawk ready to strike. Dafydd was still down on his knees, his head lowered almost to the floor as if to defend himself from an impending blow.

‘Why do you want the ateb?’ Mab asked coolly, ‘What use is it to you?’

‘Not just the
ateb, I want more than that, Mab.’

‘Name it
,’ she demanded.

‘I want to know its full ingredients and in what quantities. I want to look at the Chronicles and my final demand, for demands they are, I want to know where Atgas is exiled.’

‘No.’ Awel’s voice rang out.

Cadno shrugged his shoulders
. ‘Then good luck to you all. Aeron will deal with you as he sees fit, your rule is over Mab, Aeron’s word is law now, not yours, I doubt whether Taliesin will ever be allowed to return to the Summer realm now and the Chosen  …’ he said, nodding towards Dafydd’s hunched form, ‘he will at the very least face the
R’hela
for his daughter’s wrongdoings … I wonder what Aeron will do with a Halfling …’ Cadno smiled again. ‘I dread to think, the possibilities are … delicious!’ He turned on his heel and began to stride back into the shadows.

‘Wait.’ Mab’s voice was no more than a whisper, her head hung low, her shoulders had slumped
. ‘If I agree to your petition, what will you give me in return?’

‘I told you Mab, this is not a
Ransom,’ Cadno said over his shoulder, as he stood on the edge of the circle.

Mab spoke out,
‘I will accept nothing less than this: you will forget about the Chosen and his family, Anwen does not exist to you. You will accept that the new ateb
is a Pride design and that Taliesin only acquired the Helgi blood on Awel’s behest. Finally, Taliesin is to remain innocent to all of the ateb’s
recent uses … I will accept nothing less in return for what you ask.’

Cadno considered the proposal, checked every angle for a hint of a snare and finding none
, he turned back in towards the light and spread his arms. ‘A
Ransom
after all my queen.’ He bowed graciously. ‘But there is one more condition which I believe will favour us all … no-one is to know we met here this night.’ He cast a look towards Dafydd.

Awel realised his intention and made to protect Dafydd
, as did Taliesin. Mab held up her hand and pointed for them to move away. Her face was hard, regal and despite their misgivings they stepped aside. Cadno stepped towards Dafydd but Mab stalled him and without a word she gently knelt down next to the little huddle at her feet.

Dafydd raised his head slowly and looked imploringly into her eyes
. ‘Just make sure they are protected, both my children, please.’

Mab nodded her head and smiled compassionately
, letting her tears fall. Reaching gently down she took his head in her hands and let her touch flood through him. When it was over she laid him tenderly down into the embrace of the forest bracken.

‘How touching!’ Cadno chuckled at his own pun
. ‘You have two days to produce your side of the bargain. Give what I’ve asked to Taliesin, he can bring it to me.’ And with that, Cadno walked away, he didn’t even look back at Dafydd’s still form.

Once he had left
, Awel rushed to Dafydd’s side and pressed her hand to his head. ‘He still lives!’ she gasped.

‘He will remember nothing Awel.’ Mab was sickened by what she had done.

‘How much has he lost?’ Awel asked, as she brushed leaves from his cheek.

‘Some. All. I cannot know. Hopefully it will be just his recent memory. I touched him only lightly.’ Mab wiped her tears
. ‘But now we must be away. Taliesin take this poor man away from here and back onto his own land, hopefully someone will find him before he becomes too feeble to survive.’

‘I shall take him
,’ Awel insisted. ‘Tali, you must go back to your father before you are missed.’

‘Mother?
...’ Taliesin began but couldn’t find the words.

‘Tali,’ she
said, as she embraced her son, ‘beware of Cadno, do not look to quarrel with him. Give him what he asks and tell him this: Atgas is in Caerlleon, but do not tell him what she swore, let him find out her murderous promises for himself – that was not part of the Ransom. Tell him Aeron has the Chronicles and so he must find his own way to get to them, I do not oppose him and so hold my side of the bargain.’ Mab’s smile was bitter as she pulled herself away from her son and sent him running.

‘
Be away now,’ Awel ordered Mab, as she lifted Dafydd gently into her arms. ‘Mab, return to the hollow, I will see him safely back to his land, there is an oak tree that will give him shelter until he is found and Taliesin, be careful.’

Mab left without
another word. Awel hoisted Dafydd further into her arms and then carried him out of the forest and into the fields. He struggled against the rain and gales that pushed and pulled her towards the oak tree. As she approached the tree the sheltering sheep took flight into the darkness.

Awel laid Dafydd in a near sitting position against the trunk of the tree, she took his hands and placed them into his coat pockets and fastened his coat tighter
. She pulled his hood up to keep him warm and placed her hand across his forehead, almost covering his closed eyes. She breathed deeply and Dafydd stirred momentarily. Finally, she kissed his forehead as a mother would her child and then left him there. She did not look back – she put one foot in front of the other and returned to the hollow, allowing the falling raindrops to wash away her tears and cleanse her troubled spirit.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

‘He should be back by now,’ Nerys pointed out for the umpteenth time as she stared at the kitchen clock.

‘It’s way past dark and the storm
’s still raging outside. Where do you think he’s got to?’ Anwen sounded worried.

‘He’ll be taking shelter somewhere
,’ Gwyn said, as he looked out of the window, ‘so stop panicking, you’re making me nervous.’

‘You should go look for him
,’ Nerys suggested again.

‘Where?’ Gwyn demanded
. ‘We don’t even know where he went, and besides Dad told me to stay here and watch after you two.’ He resumed his sentry duties at the window.

‘What if he’s tripped or fallen, what if he’s lying hurt in a field somewhere?’ Anwen persisted.

‘And whose fault would that be?’ Gwyn shouted over his shoulder.

Anwen began to cry again and Nerys consoled her
. ‘There was no need for that, Gwyn,’ Nerys scolded.

Gwyn rolled his eyes but wouldn’t be baited further. They had been pecking at him for hours now. He was just as worried as they were but his father had been clear: no
-one in or out of the house until he got back. Gwyn chewed his bottom lip nervously. ‘Give it another hour or so and I’ll start ringing round, though what I’m supposed to say I don’t know.’

They sat in silence listening to the ticking of the clock and the tap-tap-tap of the rain against the window pane. Bara was lying next to the Aga, her head resting on her paws and her ears swivelling listening for the arrival of her master. The anxiety in the room was palpable
.
Where was he?

Unable to bear the silence any longer Anwen stood up and busied herself with cleaning down the kitchen worktops, scrubbing at the Formica with a damp cloth. Once they were scoured to gleaming she began fussing over the kitchen table that Gwyn had sat himself on to watch out of the window
. He growled at her to ‘leave things be,’ so she went off into the living room to prepare the fire.

She swung open the glass door to the stove and began tearing at an old newspaper, scrunching each page into a ball before shoving it into the sooty interior. She carefully laid the kindling on top of the newspaper and then added a shovel of coal to the pile. Once satisfied, she lit the newspaper and watched the fire spring into life before finally closing the door.

She stayed in front of the fire watching the flames surge, following the curls of smoke as it vanished into the chimney and out into the blustery night. She could hear the wind rattling down the chimney and her thoughts again turned to her father.
Where was he?

Nerys pushed the living room door open and stood in the doorway, her silhouette filling the space and casting a long shadow across the carpet. ‘The phone line is down.’

Anwen pulled her legs to her chest and dropped her forehead on her knees as she wrapped her arms around herself.
This is all my fault,
she thought,
if
anything happens to him, it’s all my fault and I’ll never forgive myself.

‘A car
’s coming up the lane, I can see the headlights!’ Gwyn shouted as he dashed to the back door. Anwen sprung to her feet and pushed at Nerys as they filled the narrow hallway. A battered Land Rover pulled into the yard and Dai Jones jumped out leaving the engine running.

‘Where’s your dad?’ he shouted through the rain
, as he fought to keep the hood of his waterproof jacket in place.

‘He’s not here, D
ai,’ Gwyn shouted back, ‘he’s been gone hours and we’re beginning to worry.’

‘Where’d he go? The river’s burst its banks and its flooding the fields, I need everyone down in the lower fields to get all my livestock up out of harm’s way. Do you think that’s where he’s gone?’

‘I don’t know, Dai – are our fields flooding too?’

‘Only the ones near the forest, but you’ve no worry, your flocks can make their own way to safety, mine have bottlenecked themselves and I need help to drive them back, can you come?’

‘I don’t know Dai, I need to wait for my dad and with the phone lines out and all.’

‘You
’re right, Gwyn,’ Dai shouted back, as he opened the driver’s door. ‘You wait here – if he’s down at the fields already I’ll let him know you’re worrying. See you later.’ With a wave Dai Jones disappeared back into the night.

Gwyn dismally closed the back door, he had felt a surge of hope when he saw the car coming but his dad was still missing.

‘You should go look for him,’ Nerys said again.

‘For god’s sake, woman, give it a rest, will you?’ Gwyn yelled and Bara began to bark as if agreeing with Nerys. Gwyn ran his hand through his hair and blew out through his pursed lips
. ‘Go fetch me a torch.’

He grabbed his stoutest jacket and pulled on his
Wellington boots while Anwen fumbled through the kitchen drawers looking for a torch. She checked the batteries and planted the sturdy rubber-coated light in Gwyn’s outstretched hand.

‘You both stay here, lock the door behind me and wait until I get back
,’ he ordered. ‘I’ll take Bara with me, she might be able to help.’ He grabbed at Bara’s collar and secured it to a thick leather lead, wrapping it twice around his free hand to keep it tight. ‘I’ll not lose you too,’ he said to Bara, as she leapt at the door.

‘No more than an hour, Gwyn
,’ Nerys warned. ‘You’ll be soaked to the skin by then.’

‘Where shall I start?’ he asked
, as he opened the door letting the rain splash onto the hallway floor tiles.

‘Down by the big oak, head towards the forest
,’ Anwen advised nervously, chewing her lip. With a nod Gwyn left the house, Bara straining at her lead.

Anwen dashed upstairs and ran into Nerys’ room. She leaned heavily against the windowsill and waited for Gwyn’s torchlight to appear in the fields below the house. She could barely follow his path as the tiny torchlight swept left and right, disappearing and reappearing through the squall. Her breath kept misting the glass and she had to repeatedly rub the window with the sleeve of her cardigan to follow the light until it finally disappeared behind the hedgerow.

She strained to hear Gwyn’s voice or Bara’s bark above the tempest, but all she could hear was the tap-tap-tap of the rain, the whooshing of the wind through the trees and her own heartbeat thumping in her ears.

‘They’ll come back safe and sound, I’m sure of it
,’ Nerys said from the doorway.

‘No you’re not.’ Anwen’s voice was low and filled with torment as she wiped the window again, she wiped her face too; she couldn’t see properly if her eyes were blurred with tears.

‘Not what?’

‘Not sure.’ Anwen didn’t look behind her, she kept her eyes fixed on the fields waiting for Gwyn’s torchlight to reappear
. ‘You wouldn’t have badgered Gwyn so if you thought everything was alright … are they going to get me too, Aunt Nerys?’

Nerys opened her mouth to speak but the lights suddenly dimmed before returning to full brightness. They both looked up to the ceiling lightshade but the lights remained on, then they looked at each other.

Nerys stood stock still, her head tipped to one side listening, her hand slipped into her pocket and gripped something within its folds. Anwen watched as Nerys’ expression changed to a glower of determined, calm anger.

‘What is it?’ Anwen whispered above the thumping of her heart in her chest
. She began shaking, her face draining of colour.

‘Shh.’ Nerys raised a finger to her lips and continued to listen intently. Moments stretched as the two women waited for a sound, a warning, but Anwen could hear nothing above the sound of her own heartbeat.

Finally Nerys relaxed but she reached for the light switch and turned it off, plunging the bedroom into darkness. ‘You’ll see Gwyn better with the light off. I’ll go make us some tea.’ Slowly Nerys made her way to the kitchen, pausing on the landing before committing herself to the stairs. Anwen returned to her vigil at the window.

At first Anwen thought she was imaging things
. She could see tiny dots of lights streaming towards the direction of the oak tree, following Gwyn’s path. She counted three or maybe four in all, coming on a swift tangent to meet the track that led through the paddock and into the fields beyond. Anwen called down to Nerys and the lights dimmed for a second time.

‘Nerys! Nerys?’ Anwen called, swivelling her head to the hallway and back to the window. ‘Nerys?’ Anwen called again, more urgently.

Anwen heard a din of shattering crockery from the kitchen downstairs and she sprang to her feet, darting onto the landing and peering down into the well of the stairs. The hallway was in darkness, only the light from the kitchen gave a most meagre hint of elucidation in the murky depths and Anwen was fearful to delve into that darkness. ‘Nerys?’ she whispered again. Nerys didn’t reply.

Nerys was in the kitchen backed against the Aga as the shadowy figure of a Druid blocked her exit into the hallway. He stood a head taller than her and his bulk promised brute strength. His sudden presence had startled her
, causing her to drop the tea tray she carried. It had hit the floor with a thunderous crash, spraying boiling water, milk and crockery shards across the floor. Nerys could hear Anwen calling her name but the Druid had shaken his head in warning and Nerys remained quiet. He didn’t take his eyes off Nerys and he took a step back into the hallway listening for Anwen’s descent, but Anwen remained upstairs.
Good girl
.

The
Druid seemed indecisive, he had two women in two separate areas of the house, and he obviously wasn’t comfortable with the situation he found himself in. He waited a moment more before stepping back into the kitchen. ‘Call her,’ he whispered to Nerys. Nerys shook her head, remaining silent.

‘Nerys?’ Anwen’s voice called downstairs again, softer this time, more wary.

The Druid raised a single eyebrow and smirked. He pulled out a bowed Buck knife and held the flashing blade towards Nerys threateningly. Nerys was repulsed by the misshapen hand that held the blade, more of a claw than a hand and she gulped but remained silent while slowly, slyly sliding her hand into her dress pocket. The Druid stepped back into the hallway to listen to Anwen’s foot press on the first tread of the stair.

The Druid again moved silently back into the kitchen, turning himself sideways on
to Nerys to hide behind the kitchen door. He cast furtive glances between Nerys and the door, he was obviously worried Nerys was going to alert Anwen, which of course she was, but not before she was ready to strike.

Her cue was Anwen’s call from halfway down the stairs, ‘Nerys, please, I’m scared.’ Nerys
’ heart nearly broke in two at the pitiful sound of her frightened niece stumbling blindly in the darkness of the hallway. Bracing herself, Nerys took a deep breath and rushed at the Druid screaming, ‘Run, Anwen, run!’ at the top of her lungs as she threw her full weight behind the small open pocket knife she held in her hand. It was not large enough to compete with the Druid’s buck knife, but it was large enough and sharp enough to slice his shocked face and cause a distraction long enough for Anwen to escape.

The D
ruid was pressed against the fridge by the momentum of Nerys’ attack. He felt the sharp sting of the blade as it carved into his cheek just below his eye and down to his jawline, he felt her mass press against him as she slammed his twisted spine painfully against the cold metal of the fridge door. He tried to push back to regain his footing but she thrust her weight forward again, ramming him a second time, her face distorted by her efforts, she huffed and grunted through her jowly twisted mouth as she fought to protect the girl.

As his initial shock wore off it was quickly replaced with revulsion as the woman’s clammy skin touched his
. He almost shrank back as she pressed against him, his skin crawling to get away from her pudgy, grabbing hands.

He lifted his blade and lashed out
wildly, revelling in the sensation of steel meeting skin and bone, she recoiled at the contact and staggered back clutching her left arm tight to her chest. A ribbon of blood was blossoming through her slashed dress sleeve, her knife dropping from her right hand and skating across the kitchen floor, under the table out of reach. Her face was blotched with exertion but the colour was quickly draining away as the Druid pushed himself away from the fridge to loom above her.

He glanced at the back door hanging agape, swinging back and forth as the wind intruded into the house
, battling against the warmth as it entered.

‘Where will she run?’ Afagddu turned his attention back to Nerys who had collapsed on the floor
, nursing her injured arm.

Nerys raised her head
slowly; she could feel her blood pumping out of her arm and down her torso to pool in her lap. ‘I believe in one God,’ she began, as she stared into the face of the invader, ‘Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.’

‘Where will she go?’
He let his own blood trickle down his face and drip onto his chest.