A Soul of Steel

by Troy A Hill

  “There are days I wish I were young again,” Bleddyn said. He touched his side where the bandages lay under his tunic. “Then I remember that I’m old enough, and wise enough to let the young do the hard work.”

  I chuckled.

  “Didn’t you say that Emlyn is close to your age? And Ruadh isn’t far behind that. Gwen and I, however…” I said with a grin. He already knew I was far older than he, but I wasn’t sure if he had guessed at Gwen’s true age. Bleddyn chuckled.

  He reached for a walking stick leaning against the table at his knee. Afon had presented it to him that morning. The guardsman said he had found a nice piece of oak and had whittled away on it during the calm nights on watch. He had cut in several Celtic designs on the upper third, and I could see where the pattern would continue on when he finished the design.

  “I smell sweetbread baking,” Bleddyn said. “I need to get Rhian to find Cadoc, so I’ll see if I can grab some bread while I’m in the kitchen.” He winked at me. “I’ll get a slice for you, too.”

  His footsteps were careful, and he put a lot of his weight on the staff. It was obvious his wounds caused him discomfort when he walked. A few seconds later I heard a familiar voice from the kitchen.

  “Now milord,” Haf scolded, “Lady Penllyn, she told us in no uncertain terms you were not to be up.” She held the door open for him as he hobbled through it. “We’ll bring you the sweetbread you want in a few moments.”

  “And some for Mair,” he said, as he ignored her rebuke and glare.

  “Of course we will, milord. Now back to the fire with you.”

  She stayed by his side all the way to his chair and hovered behind him to make sure he didn’t fall as he sat. She bent and retrieved a metal bell from the floor and placed it on his small table.

  “Lady Penllyn said to use the bell when you want something. We all be listening for it. We will be here in a jiff if you need us.”

  “You’re a brave woman, Haf,” I laughed. “I’m not one to tell the lord of the keep he can’t have his sweetbread.”

  “You got your hands full with Lord Emlyn, Lady Mair,” she said. She tried to imitate Lady Penllyn’s stern look at Bleddyn. “Me and the girls will try to keep his lordship in line while his lady wife is busy.”

  Haf brought out a wooden plate. Two thick slices of sweetbread lay on it. She pulled another of the small tables around, and set it between Bleddyn and I. She glanced at his mug to see if it needed refilled.

  “The girls said they found Lady Penllyn, and she’ll find Lord Cadoc.” Haf said.

  “Thank you, young lady,” he replied. “If Mair eats too much of my bread, I shall ring the bell for more.” Haf gave Bleddyn another stern glare. He ignored it and reached for the bread. Once she had walked away, he grinned at me as he took the slice of bread farthest from him.

  “I will eat your slice first, in case Cadoc arrives before I finish. You might give him your slice, but you wouldn’t think of giving him mine.”

  Bleddyn had the second slice of bread in his hand by the time Cadoc and Rhian arrived.

  “I was going to ask how his appetite has been,” Rhian said. “But I see he’s eating well.”

  “Mair was nice and gave me her slice of sweetbread,” he said as Rhian sat next to him. Cadoc picked breadcrumbs off the plate. We filled them in on the afternoon’s updates from Gwen.

  “Did they say where they think the creature is heading?” Cadoc asked. “I could get a party together and try to intercept.”

  “I would rather not lose anymore men to that creature,” Bleddyn said. “Let us see what they can discover.”

  “Plus the curse,” Rhian said. “We don’t need anyone injured and infected with it.”

  “I don’t have Gwen’s ability to heal others,” I said. I thought back to the black mark I had left on the tree in the grove. “Trust me, you don’t want me to try that magic.”

  “Still…” Cadoc said. “I’ll have Sawyl pull a few men and be ready to ride, just in case Emlyn decides we need to intercept the creature and slow him down.”

  Gwen reached out to me then.

  “We tree-walked again. Ruadh found the scent, so we tried again, with about a two hour gap. That worked too. We’ll try what we think is a four hour gap.”

  I passed that on. We stayed in the great hall as Rhian and Cadoc updated Bleddyn on the daily work around the keep. Around us, the kitchen girls worked to get the evening meal preparations made. They piled plates and cups on the large tables. Rhian and Cadoc glanced at me every few minutes to see if I had any news from Gwen. I sat and sewed, and shrugged whenever they caught my eye. Bleddyn, stared into the small fire in the hearth.

  People drifted into the great hall. Perhaps an hour had passed since I last heard from Gwen. I felt the sensation of her mind reach out to me again.

  “We went too far, and Ruadh couldn’t find the trail after searching. We will go back halfway and see if we can find where the creature veered off.”

  Rhian sighed, and Cadoc paced around the hall. Several of the early diners watched him.

  “I feel as nervous as Cadoc,” Rhian said.

  “He takes after you with that,” Bleddyn quipped. “She almost wore a groove in the floorboards with her pacing after we married. She's mellowed over the years, though, and I’ve only had to replace the boards once since Cadoc was born.”

  Rhian shot him a look. “And Mair sits here, moving her needle in and out of that dress. How do you stay so calm and serene?”

  “Years and years of practice,” I said.

  I folded my sewing. “Perhaps I should get Cadoc to give me a tour of the outer fortifications.”

  “I’m not sure he’s ever run around the hill,” Rhian said with a glance at her son, “Might do him some good, but I’d be with you in case you hear from Gwen.”

  “Before you go, perhaps you could find that nice girl, Haf,” Bleddyn said with a wink. “See if she’ll bring you more sweetbread. She likes you. Haf will give you a bigger slice than she’d bring me.” Rhian laughed and headed toward the kitchen so I didn’t have to. Enid walked into the great hall.

  “Feel like exercise?” I asked. “Get your sword, meet me on the practice field. Your husband has some energy to work off.” She darted a glance toward Cadoc then smiled and turned to leave.

  I crossed my arms and stood in Cadoc’s path.

  “Go get three practice swords.” His eyes shot up in surprise. But, he nodded after a few seconds.

  By the time I had changed into sword clothes, Enid and Cadoc walked together. The young lord carried three wooden weapons, and both had their blades strapped to them. Cadoc rarely went about without his, but Enid conformed with custom and kept hers in their cottage.

  “Waiting is never easy,” I said, as I joined them at the practice field. “Let’s start with some meditations to calm our minds.” Cadoc spread his cloak on the grass, and laid the wooden practice weapons on it, then joined us in the centre of the field. Enid spread a blanket, and used a coal to light a fire in one of the baskets near the blanket. The evening was already chilly.

  Together, we drifted through the first level meditations. Slow and methodical, yet fluid and graceful. Cadoc missed a few steps now and then, even though he had trained with Emlyn for most of his life. Enid had a faint smile drift across her face as she watched him struggle to concentrate. Her own movements were spot on. We ran through the second level meditations. The slow mediations, done with purpose, helped to quiet our minds. I hoped Cadoc would focus on our dance with the blades.

  I saluted them at the end of the second repetition. I waved my weapon toward the side of the field and suggested Cadoc watch. Enid and I changed our steel for wooden weapons. We saluted with our blades.

  “Defence only,” I said to her. I worked another set, but mixed the order of my strikes. Once I was sure that she was capable, I sped up, and tried to challenge her. I pushed her to where she wore an expression of concentration, but she kept her defence solid. At t
he end, I stepped back and glanced at Cadoc. He was wide eyed, but applauded his wife. Enid slid the wooden sword into her belt and dropped an elaborate curtsey toward him.

  I waved Cadoc to take her place. He stepped forward without hesitation. We saluted, but, unlike Enid, I gave him no restrictions. His own strike was first in, which I parried. As we shifted around the practice field, I let him lead the attack for a while. His movements were graceful, and fast. From what I had seen of the guards here, only Afon was ahead of him in skill and training.

  Once I had measure of Cadoc’s abilities, I took control of the dance, and launched a combination of strikes that should have challenged him. He countered them without hesitation. Good. Emlyn had trained him beyond a four-year student. I pushed harder and faster. I threw more advanced combinations of strikes at him. He managed them all without hesitation. Our wooden blades weren’t moving as fast as Emlyn and I danced, but Cadoc kept up.

  This wasn't a bout I was trying to win. I wanted to push him to concentrate on the sword work, instead of our other problems. I finally found a slight misstep of his. One of his counters was a just a finger’s width too low. I slid my blade over his and tapped his chest with my sword. He stepped back and saluted. A cry arose from down by the keep. A crowd had formed on the porch as the sun drifted toward its dying breath of red in the evening sky. Bleddyn, who sat on a bench, lead the others in a cheer. We saluted our audience and bowed.

  “Your husband is talented with the blade,” I told Enid as we gathered our practice weapons. She folded the blanket we had brought up to sit on. Then she poured sand into the iron basket to extinguish the fire.

  “If so,” he asked, and gathered the wooden swords from us, “why did you have to take the creature’s blows for me?” His mood had darkened again.

  “Strength of the creature,” I said. “He did slam you into the cave wall.” I tried to keep my voice quiet, so it didn’t drift. “Plus the awkward stance you were in, above Rhys. The creature had you where you weren’t able to adjust.”

  His eyes had the same haunted shadow I had seen in Emlyn’s eyes the night we came back with Bleddyn. Cadoc’s guilt, however, had taken a while to fester in his soul. He stood still, his eyes distant. On memories of that night. On the doubt he felt.

  “And,” I continued, just loud enough for him to hear. I didn’t want Enid to overhear. “I can be faster than you. Very fast. So can the creature.”

  Cadoc shook his head. I could tell he had his own battle with his own demon. He couldn’t get past the guilt that he didn’t do enough.

  “You are human,” I whispered. “I am not.”

  Cadoc stood, a thoughtful expression on his face.

  “I’ve relived that battle so many times in the last few days, and I never considered my stance. You’re right.”

  47

  Playing Bear

  The night passed without incident. Gwen kept in contact, but finally admitted she had worn out her energy. They had to stop for sleep, even though they were still a few hours behind the creature.

  As the red then golden glow of the sun stained the morning mist over the weapons field, Enid and Sawyl climbed toward me. I sat on my cloak at the edge of the field, waiting.

  We ran several sets of meditations, then I asked Enid to sit on the sidelines and watch. I waved Sawyl back out to face me.

  “You’re to lead a small force and intercept the creature if Emlyn sends word?”

  Sawyl nodded. He traded his steel for he favoured wooden practice blade.

  I raised two gnarled clubs I had found in the armoury.

  “What do you do if you fight something not human? Something like a bear?”

  “Fight it?” He shrugged.

  I swung one club at his head, which he blocked. Then I followed with another with the other club. “Don’t forget the bite” I said as I bobbed my head him and connected with his outer arm. I jumped back, so he didn’t smack me in the head.

  “Think about three points of attack as you fight,” I said and struck with both clubs and my head. “If you had a shield, that might help. But a heavy, long blade like this one is best as a two-handed weapon. Remember you can use the pommel against a foe like this, but beware of its claws. And, the creature in question is not a natural bear.”

  He nodded without surprise at that. Good. Cadoc had given him more information than we had shared with the common folks. Even Enid knew about him. Cadoc said Ruadh had already revealed his nature to her. I wasn’t ready for that leap of faith yet.

  “The beast will be much faster than you expect,” I said and raised the clubs to attack position again.

  I launched another series of attacks and called out “Head!” whenever he left an opening. He started to understand the style of attack he might face.

  “I have a group ready to ride to aid Lord Emlyn, if needed,” he said when we took a break. “Will you work them through this drill as well?” He impressed me again with his leadership. A man thinks of his own survival. A leader thinks of his team.

  “Bring your men after you break your fast,” I agreed. “Have them come with practice weapons.”

  As I waited for Sawyl to return, I reached out to Gwen.

  She answered and explained that Emlyn and Ruadh waited until daybreak to begin again. I filled her in on Sawyl’s group, and how I would train his men.

  “Emlyn approves, but says be careful. Don’t give away too much information,” she sent.

  “Unless he wants to send Ruadh back, I’m still the mysterious foreign swordswoman who can have knowledge of things like this.”

  Gwen chuckled.

  Sawyl brought his men to the weapons field shortly after. Afon was among them.

  “Live by the sword,” Afon said, for once his face was serious. “I don’t want to die like Rhys.” He fought to keep a shiver down. Siors was also among the men Sawyl brought up. He was there the night the creature attacked Bleddyn and killed Rhys. There was a haunted look in his eyes.

  He already knew the creature wasn’t a normal bear. Sawyl and Cadoc had briefed the others on their opponent. Cadoc joined us. He carried a couple of extra clubs.

  “I thought you might need another helper to play bear,” he said.

  We ran the men through the same drills. We divided the men between us, and covered several scenarios they might face with such a creature. My experience with lycanthropes was limited to just a few times before the current one, but that made me the best expert we had. We didn’t want to give away Ruadh’s secret.

  I got the tingle at the base of my neck that said Gwen wanted to check in again. I called a break in the practice, and sent everyone down to the keep for water. Cadoc stayed with me.

  Gwen told me they found several farmsteads on the Penllyn side of the borderlands that the beast went near, but had not disturbed. They interviewed the farmers and found nothing different about the farms that would have made the creature avoid them. After that the creature headed out into borderlands again, and they were following the trail with short hops through the underworld.

  “Be careful of the wind,” I sent.

  “Ruadh and Emlyn are aware of it,” she replied. “No sense in letting the creature smell us on his trail. We’re ready to make another hop. I’ll let you know when we get close to it.”

  Sawyl and his men were headed back. I had just enough time to fill in Cadoc before the men rejoined us.

  48

  An Admirer

  I wandered into the great hall of the keep. Bleddyn was in his usual chair. He ran his knife over the wood. Details began to emerge from its rough form.

  “I wondered if you had grown tired of me,” he said as I retrieved my sewing and sat what had become my favourite chair across from him.

  “Cadoc told me of today’s training,” he said. “Did I ever tell you I’m happy you’re here with us?”

  “You might have mentioned it,” I said.

  “If I forget to tell you at least once a day, please remind me,” he
grinned at me. “Rhian thinks I’ve become forgetful. She hasn’t figured out I ignore the tasks I don’t want to do anymore.”

  “What don’t you want to do?” Lady Penllyn asked as she stepped behind him.

  “Sit around and do nothing,” he replied. “Unfortunately, these gashes in my side tell me otherwise. That salve the herb-women apply is the most foul smelling stuff.”

  “Trust me,” I said. “Anyone near you agrees.”

  “Did Rhian tell you to pick on me today?”

  “No, I decided to do that all on my own.” I said with a sly glance at Rhian.

  “You’ll fit in nicely, dear,” she said. “I need to go down to the village below and spend time with the weavers today, would you like to come along?”

  “She just got here, and you steal her away?” Bleddyn complained with a roll of his eyes, but a smile on his face. I agreed to go out. Enid was correct. Penllyn was my home, and I wanted to see and learn about it as much as I could.

  The looms were set in a circular building near the centre of the village. Each was a tall and wide arrangement of several poles to make a box shape. They stood upright, but leaned back against the walls of the building.

  The main threads were tied to a horizontal pole set atop the two long legs. The thread stretched down, across another horizontal pole set on pegs in the frame’s legs. Threads hung down, across more of the wooden bars, and were tied to warps, or weights that hung from the bottom rail and pulled tension on the vertical threads.

  A small fire burned in the central hearth. Thin trails of smoke leaked through the thatch of the roof. Half a dozen women stood at the looms and ran their shuttles through the web of threads on the looms. Most gave us warm smiles as Rhian led Enid and I around the room and introduced us.

  One woman, younger than the others by about ten years kept her eyes on me as we made our way around the room. She sat at a smaller horizontal loom. She worked on narrower, yet more decorative cloth. As we approached her work area, she shifted her eyes to Lady Penllyn.