The Bwy Hir Complete Trilogy (44 page)

More burst
s of Derwydd yn tân
filled his vision as they stumbled towards the Cerdd
Carega. Anwen stumbled and cried out but Taliesin carried her forward, half dragging her towards their goal.

A chaotic scene greet
ed them as they stumbled to the Cerdd Carega: Cadno lay on the ground frantically straining against his bonds, the Helgi were tied to a Seeker and straining against their bonds, baying to attack their foe. Three Druids surrounded the Cerdd Carega, two shooting Derwydd yn tân from their outstretched hands and one fighting to control the Helgi. Celyn-Bach stood upright, towering over the Druids, a bow held taut in his hands ready to shoot.

‘Atgas was hot on your heels!’ Celyn-Bach shouted over the roar of flames
. ‘I returned just in time – I went to get help to lead the Helgi and carry Cadno back to Maen-Du and lucky I did.’

‘Anwen is hurt!’ Taliesin cried
, as he gently aided her to the ground, ‘She has been shot!’ Dismay filled his voice as he knelt beside her. From Anwen’s left leg an arrow protruded through the calf muscle, a trickle of blood tracked down towards her ankle and she whimpered with pain.

Celyn-Bach’s voice was firm as he scanned the vista, trying to catch sight of their attacker
. ‘Listen to me, Taliesin, I will protect Anwen, you take one Seeker and the Helgi through to Maen-Du and return here instantly, then you will take Anwen and I will follow with Cadno and the other Druids – they cannot travel without us. Go.’

Taliesin did not want to leave Anwen, but he could see the sense in Celyn-Bach’s rational
e and so he squeezed Anwen’s hand and looked into her terrified face. ‘I will be back, my brother will protect you.’

Anwen didn’t reply, she stared into Taliesin’s face with huge eyes and then looked up at Celyn-Bach in horror. The only Bwy Hir she had
ever met was Taliesin himself, she hadn’t realised what an adult Bwy Hir would look like. The Bwy Hir standing above her was over seven feet tall, he was muscular and beautiful and terrifying.
Would Taliesin look like this?
A god-like creature, statuesque and divine?
Anwen dragged her eyes away from Celyn-Bach and from the writhing Cadno, equally statuesque even in his current position. She sat huddled into herself, rocking back and forth in silence.

Taliesin sprang into action, nodding to the
Druid straining with the Helgi. ‘Ready?’ He grabbed hold of the Druid and placed a hand on the Cerdd Carega and with a flash of brilliant blue light they vanished. Anwen whimpered.

Taliesin returned within minutes to a quieter scene. ‘She toys with us.’ Celyn-Bach was crouched with the bow still drawn. ‘Take Anwen
through first, be quick Tali.’ Taliesin knelt down to Anwen and she flinched at his touch.

‘Anwen, we must go, can you walk?’ Anwen did not reply. He gently picked her up in his arms, circling her arms around his neck and holding the weight off her legs. ‘We’ll get your leg seen to as soon as we get to
Maen-Du.’ He held her to him and touched the Cerdd Carega. Anwen was not prepared for the journey.

A blue-white light flashed through her brain, she was temporarily blind and was suddenly overcome with a terrible dragging sensation, akin to the descent of a rollercoaster. She felt
as though she was being drawn out, stretched and pulled. An awful keening sound ripped at her ears, it was like being caught in a whirlwind or thrown into a waterfall. And just at the point where she thought she was going to die, the sensation abruptly stopped and she collapsed unconscious in Taliesin’s arms.

He dragged her away from the
Cerdd Carega to give room for Celyn-Bach’s return. A huddle of Druids rushed forward to help Taliesin and they lowered Anwen to the floor. ‘Call the physician!’ one of them shouted.

Taliesin looked up and saw Gwrnach and his father hurriedly making the
ir way into the Hall. His father looked furious. Another flash and Celyn-Bach burst into the room dragging Cadno behind him. The two Druids with them dropped to the floor panting and retching, their duty complete.

Cadno writhed as he fought his bonds, he had been gagged at some point and his muffled cries sounded angry. Celyn-Bach stoo
d erect as he caught his breath, Cadno was heavier than he looked.

‘Cadno?’ Aeron said incredulously
, as he entered the Reception Hall.

‘Indeed it is.’ Celyn-Bach smiled
. ‘And we have Anwen Morgan of Ty Mawr, although she is in no fit state to greet you formally.’ He nodded to the corner of the room where Taliesin and Druids were kneeling around the tiny Human girl.

‘She is hurt?’ Aeron looked concerned but not for the girl’s safety, he was more concerned about the key to the Pride.

‘Shot by Atgas,’ Celyn-Bach said, and there was an intake of breath.

‘Atgas?’ Gwrnach dragged his meaty hand through his beard
. ‘She attacked you?’

Celyn-Bach nodded
. ‘And without the Druids we would have been sorely pressed.’ Cadno was still lying on the floor, desperately trying to communicate through his gag. Celyn-Bach leaned down and removed the cloth from Cadno’s mouth.

‘She shot me too!’ he wailed
. ‘I told you she was insane, Celyn, take it out, take it out!’ Cadno rolled onto his side and there poking from his buttock was an arrow. The shaft lay against his hamstring and the head was neatly nestled in the flesh of backside.

Celyn-Bach glanced at Gwrnach and they both sniggered before Celyn-Bach plucked it out of Cadno
. He inspected the tip. ‘No poison, you’re lucky, Cadno.’

Aeron stood with his arms across his chest, he looked down at Cadno and then in a flash of temper planted his boot into Cadno’s chest
. ‘You!’ he spat, ‘Are Gwaradwyddedig: Shamed and confined to Maen-Du until I decide what to do with you.’ He thrust a finger inches from Cadno’s pained face and Cadno writhed in shock and pain. Aeron stood erect. ‘Take the girl to the Infirmary, I want her on her feet as soon as possible. Gwrnach, take Cadno to Dduallt
and see he is deposited in a Bwy Hir cell. Taliesin, Celyn-Bach with me.’ Aeron strode from the Hall and Taliesin and Celyn-Bach followed. Taliesin tried to linger with Anwen but Celyn gently pushed him forward. ‘She will be taken care of, you can visit her later in the Infirmary.’

‘Wait!’ Cadno yelled, ‘You need to know about Atgas!’ But Aeron had already left and so he turned to Gwrnach
. ‘Brother, you must listen …’

‘We will talk in your
new chambers, Gwaradwyddedig,
so be silent.’ Gwrnach grabbed Cadno under the arms and threw him over his shoulder. ‘Aren’t you going to untie me?’

‘No
,’ answered Gwrnach.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Gwyn and Dafydd Morgan woke to a white vista. The snow had fallen through the night and the fields were blanketed in crisp white snow. ‘Two inches by my reckoning.’ Dafydd spoke to Gwyn over his shoulder as he looked out of the kitchen window
. ‘We’ll need to feed the sheep this morning, start at the top fields and work our way down.’

Gwyn nodded as he took a sip of tea from his mug. Bara sat in front of the Aga waiting for her portion of bacon sizzling in the frying pan. ‘
All Hallows Eve and the R’hela will be here soon, are we going?’

Dafydd sighed, this would be the first
winter without Anwen. Come Christmas she loved to decorate the house with pinecones and fir branches straight from the forest, she always decorated the tree and hung the mistletoe from every doorway, but not this year. Nor would Nerys be visiting to watch over her while the men attended the R’hela. This time of year was usually something to look forward to; beer and hog roasts, mulled wine and Bara Brith, tug of war contests, archery and shooting competitions, arm wrestling and log splitting contests, all rounded off with the R’hela, the most eagerly anticipated spectacle of them all.

The R’hela: The Hunt is held on the Gelli summit on the night of the
All Hallows Eve. The hunters are the Bwy Hir Host mounted on their dragons and accompanied by scores of Seekers and Helgi. The quarry is the unfortunate soul who has been pronounced Gwaradwyddedig
and found guilty of a crime against the Triskele; Bwy Hir, Chosen and Druids are equally vulnerable to this fate, although in living history no Bwy Hir had ever been subject to the R’hela.

Should a charged
Gwaradwyddedig
not be in existence then the Druids instead released huge deer and boar specifically bred for the R’hela, these animals will also be released if the Gwaradwyddedig quarry was too easily found and killed. The R’hela must last until the first light of dawn and then cease.

It was wide
ly speculated that Afagddu would be the quarry this year and Dafydd thanked the gods it wasn’t him or his son, but whether they would be attending the spectacle was still undecided, especially with the bounty hanging over Anwen’s head. Dafydd knew that Gwyn had initially been excited about attending his first R’hela but now, well perhaps they should not attend, not this year. ‘I don’t know,’ Dafydd answered, ‘Maybe … we’ll see.’

The telephone rang and as always of late Gwyn sprang to answer it and Dafydd followed him into the hallway.
‘Hello … yes, I’ll pass you to him now.’ Gwyn handed the telephone to his dad with a shrug of his shoulders.

‘Hello?’ Dafydd said and listened as the other person spoke. ‘When was this?’ he asked and the speaker continued. Gwyn chewed his
fingernails as he watched his father’s brow knit together with concern. ‘Thank you for letting me know … who is this?’ The phone line went dead.

‘Who was it?’ Gwyn asked and Dafydd shook his head. ‘She wouldn’t say.’ Dafydd replaced the telephone and sighed
. ‘But they’ve got Anwen.’

‘Who has?’ Gwyn was bouncing from foot to foot.

‘Taliesin took her and is bringing her back to Wales.’ Dafydd rubbed his stubbly chin and his eyes became slits. ‘The bastards have got my daughter.’ He glared at the closed door to the front room and then pushed past Gwyn and threw open the door.

‘Dad, we’re not allowed to use it – it’s dangerous!’ Gwyn was biting his nails again.

‘I want my daughter back,’ he stated matter-of-factly. He pulled his amulet from beneath his shirt and was about to place it on the mirror when the strangest thing happened – a bang from the inside of the mirror caused them both to jump back, a sound like a fist pounding on glass and then a shadow appeared
within
the reflection, a ghost of a passing shape. ‘Did you see that?’ Dafydd clutched his son’s arm. ‘What the hell was that?’

Gwyn was as shaken as his father
. ‘I saw it and heard it – what the hell was it?’

‘God knows,’ said Dafydd with a quivering voice,
‘but I’m not waiting here to find out. Go to the shed and get me the drill and some long screws, I’m sealing this bloody room.’

They rushed from the room together and slammed the door tight. Gwyn rushed out of the back door and into the shed, Dafydd made a phone call
. ‘Hello Dai?’ he barked down the receiver. ‘You’re not going to believe what just happened …’

D
ai’s voice crackled down the line. ‘You sure? What you trying to use the bloody mirror for anyway, we’ve been told not to use them, you daft sod!’

‘Yes, I’m bloody sure!’ Dafydd shouted back
. ‘And I needed to use the mirror ‘cause they’ve got Anwen!’

‘
Bloody hell. You sure? How’d you know?’

‘Yes, I’m bloody sure!’ Dafydd said exasperatedly
. ‘Stop asking me if I’m sure, will you? Just get over here.’

‘Okay, I’m on my way.’
Dai hung up and Dafydd did the same. 

‘I got the stuff!’ Gwyn panted as he appeared with
his arms full of battens, screws, nails, a drill and a hammer.

They set about securing the door, drilling and hammering until it was fortified. They heard the familiar purr of D
ai’s Land Rover entering the yard and they met him at the doorway.

They ushered him into the kitchen and swore when they realised they’d burnt the bacon. ‘Tea and toast?’ Dafydd offered
Dai, and he set about preparing a meagre breakfast. ‘Cold enough for you, Dai?’

‘Bloody snow,’
Dai grumbled, ‘I’ve got my work cut out today getting the sheep fed … now what’s this about, Dafydd?’

‘Where do I start?’ Dafydd inhaled and passed the breakfast duties over to Gwyn as he joined
Dai at the kitchen table. ‘I got a phone call this morning …’

‘Who from?’
Dai asked as he scratched Bara between her ears.

‘I don’t know, she wouldn’t say, but I believe her
… She said Taliesin had come and taken Anwen away, back here to Wales.’

‘Have you heard from Anwen?’
Dai leaned forward in his chair.

‘No. Nothing. But they only took her last night
… So I was going to use the Dderwydd Ddrych to demand the Druids hand her back, but when I went to use it, I swear to you Dai, there were Ysbrydion on the other side, one banged on the glass! Gwyn saw it too.’

Dai
turned to Gwyn who was nodding vigorously in agreement. Dai whistled through his teeth. ‘This is nasty business, Dafydd, and no mistake. Have you told the Council? Does Bryn-Wisgi know?’

Dafydd shook his head and accepted a steaming mug of tea from his son
. ‘No, I’ve told only you. I want Anwen back, Dai.’

Dai
took his own mug of tea and a slice of thick cut bread oozing with butter. ‘Anwen is not Chosen, they can’t just take her, so you need the Chosen Council behind you if you are going to demand her back.’

‘Should I call Bryn-Wisgi then? Get the Council called?’ Dafydd spoke through a mouthful of toast.

‘I would.’ Dai slurped at his tea. ‘Phone Bryn now and see what he says.’

Dafydd made the phone call and was frustrated that Bryn-Wisgi was more concerned with the
Ysbrydion than he was about Anwen. ‘Just call the bloody Council,’ Dafydd barked down the phone, ‘tell them I need their help, I’ll be home all day.’ He slammed the phone down and returned to the kitchen. ‘Bloody stupid man,’ he muttered. ‘Gwyn, sorry son, but you’ll have to start in the fields without me this morning, I’ll have to wait for the damn Council.’

Gwyn nodded and pulled on his boots and jacket. He called for Bara to follow and they left to load the tractor before starting work on the top fields.

‘I’ve got to get going too.’ Dai stood to leave. ‘Let me know what they say. I’ll second your petition if needs be.’

Dafydd thanked
Dai and waved him goodbye before closing the door. He busied himself with scrubbing the burnt frying pan and clearing away the remnants of breakfast. His hands were covered in soapy washing up liquid when the Council arrived.

‘Come in, come in.’ He greeted three delegates of the Chosen Council: Bryn-Wisgi, Soar-Bones Selwyn and gratefully,
Glyn-Guinea; there’d be no messing about with Glyn-Guinea on board. ‘Thank you for coming so quickly.’

‘So,’ Glyn-Guinea began
, as they arranged themselves around the kitchen table, ‘Aeron Ddu got his way, did he? They have your daughter? Which Chosen ratted her out then?’

‘No, no Chosen, Taliesin found her
,’ Dafydd answered, as he began preparing more tea.

Glyn-Guinea’s eyebrows shot up
. ‘Oh, and what does the Prince of Winter have to do with Anwen?’

Dafydd slowed his movements; he’d slipped up and he cursed himself for it
. ‘That I don’t know,’ he lied, with his back turned to them as he prepared the tea. ‘Perhaps he was with the Seekers? All I know is they have her and I want her back. The Bwy Hir nor the Druids have any sway over our women.’

‘True, true
.’ Glyn-Guinea tapped his gnarled fingers on the table. ‘But what I cannot ascertain is what they want with her? I am presuming they want her to stand against Afagddu? But that should be done through us … it is unheard of for a woman to stand up in a Triskelion Court, it should be via us. I have never heard of a woman being allowed into Maen-Du, they are supposed to be a secret … what is going on Dafydd? I cannot help you if I am unaware of the truth.’ He finished by jabbing his pipe back into his mouth and waited for Dafydd to answer.

Dafydd felt like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place: nowhere to go. He turned back to them, disregarding his tea-making
. ‘Look. I’m not sure what is going on, maybe something, maybe nothing, and I’ll not start spouting hearsay and have it bounced round the village until it becomes something it’s not – yes, I’m looking at you Bryn-Wisgi.’ Bryn huffed indignantly at the slant but Selwyn and Glyn both smiled knowingly.

‘Well, there is nothing for it,’ Saw-Bones Selwyn interjected, ‘
we must approach the Druids and see what they say. As I understand it, you have no proof they are holding your daughter, so let us broach the question to them in the first instance.’ He looked to his counterparts and got their nods. ‘We shall go to the pub and use the mirror there.’

‘There’s something else.’ Dafydd looked towards the hallway
. ‘I was going to use my Dderwydd Ddrych
and contact the Druids directly – yes, I know I shouldn’t have, but when I went to … something happened … there were Ysbrydion waiting behind the glass.’

‘You sure?’ Glyn-Guinea looked shocked
, as did the others. Dafydd nodded. ‘Both Gwyn and I saw it. I didn’t use the mirror after that, we were too scared and so I’ve secured the room, no one or nothing is going in or out of that room.’

Bryn-Wisgi stood
. ‘We must inform the Druids immediately.’ The others stood as well and they filed out of the kitchen and out into the yard. ‘You best come too,’ he said to Dafydd, and they all piled into his car.

They arrived at The Eagles in good time despite the snow that had fallen during the night. The roads were mainly clear although every field, garden and rooftop
was white.

They entered the pub via the back entrance and
went through into Bryn-Wisgi’s home, a small cottage attached to the back of the pub. The Dderwydd Ddrych
was in the front room and they piled into the tiny space, all fearful of the mirror and what may lurk behind it.

‘Go on then,’ Glyn-Guinea
said, nudging Bryn. ‘It’s your mirror.’ Bryn fished out his amulet and cautiously stepped up to the mirror, his hand shaking slightly as he touched it to the surface. Nothing unusual happened; the mirror misted and became insubstantial and so he stepped into it and vanished, the mirror closed behind him.

‘That went alright.’ Glyn-Guinea peered into the mirror, looking beyond his reflection for any sign of abnormality. ‘Have you seen this?’ he said, calling the others to him. They shuffled forward and stared at the tiny anomaly on the surface of the glass
. ‘What do you make of that?’

They all peered where his walking stick pointed, squinting to make sense of what they saw. ‘What is it?’ Saw-Bones Selwyn asked
, as he blinked at the tiny shape.

Glyn-Guinea stepped back and removed his pipe from his wizened lips
. ‘I know a rune when I see one,’ he announced, ‘what do you make of that?’ he asked Dafydd and Selwyn. They exchanged glances. ‘Runes?’ they chorused.

‘Runes!’ Glyn-Guinea wagged a finger at them
. ‘Don’t see them much nowadays. My grandmother used to swear by them.’

‘What does it mean?’ Selwyn asked, peering again at the tiny shape.

‘Beats me.’ Glyn-Guinea fished a scrap of paper and a pen from his pocket. ‘Here, copy it down and we’ll hand it to the Druids – see what they make of it.’

Selwyn took the paper and pen and copied down what he saw
. ‘Are you sure it’s a rune?’ he said as he etched.