“I don’t know how, it just sort of happened.”
“The starstone will always oppose evil. As the bearer you will discover how to control it. But come; let us get back to our meeting. This shows how important our plans are.”
They walked back between the buildings and September was dismayed to see dead and injured villagers lying on the ground. More buildings had been damaged and smoke was still rising from some hit by the flaming bushes and the cosmic fire of the Adarllwchgwin. The pride that she had felt at her victory, however accidental, drained from her. Berddig hurried her past the fallen while Arianwen turned aside to tend to the wounded. They reached a hut where Berddig stopped. Iorwerth marched on with his band of warriors, leaving September alone with Berddig.
“Come into my home,” he said, opening the door and ushering her inside. It was furnished simply and similarly to Arianwen’s. Berddig indicated a chair and went to pour two cups of water. September relaxed and drank, suddenly feeling exhausted. She was used to running away and hiding from her tormentors, but those at home just called her names. She wasn’t familiar with fighting giant birds that were out to kill her. Berddig settled himself into a chair.
September spoke, “I think there is something you haven’t told me.”
“There are many things, I am sure,” Berddig replied.
“Oh, I know there’s lots I don’t know, but there is one thing in particular.”
“What is that?”
“Those birds, those adarluck things were after me weren’t they?”
Berddig frowned and covered his mouth with his hand. He seemed to be deciding how to respond. Finally he spoke.
“You’re right. It is as the Mordeyrn feared. He said that you may be a target of the Malevolence as he was himself. The attacks on Cysegr and on the village were directed at the Mordeyrn and now they are drawn to you.”
“So you want rid of me as soon as possible.”
Berddig shook his head, “I don’t want you to leave us but it is true that the sooner you begin your journey the less likely it is that Amaethaderyn will be attacked again.”
September was thoughtful. The realisation that as well as being the hope of the people she was also the target of the evil filled her with fear but she knew that she had to leave so that the villagers could continue their lives in safety.
“Will I be attacked on the trip?”
“Probably, but if you move quickly and with the minimum of fuss and energy and use the Maengolauseren as little as possible, then you may be difficult for the manifestations of evil to track.”
“Then I should leave as soon as possible. Is Tudfwlch ready?”
“I am sure he is, but you still need a guide, and transport and supplies. Tomorrow or the next day will be soon enough. Relax today, talk to the other cludyddau, meet the villagers. They want to congratulate you after your victory over the Adarllwchgwin.”
“It doesn’t feel like much of a victory with people dead and injured, all because I’m here.”
“If you hadn’t been able to use the power of the stone then it could have been much worse, particularly if you had been lost. We have all heard the Mordeyrn’s warnings that the strength of the Malevolence is increasing and that terrible things will happen unless he and the other members of the Arsyllfa find ways of defeating the Evil. You are an important part of that hope.”
The door opened and the black haired young woman entered, now dressed once again in her white gown.
“Ah, Eluned. Well done,” Berddig greeted her, “You destroyed one of the Adarllwchgwin.”
The young woman grinned, “Yes, I sank my teeth into its neck and it dissipated. But it was September who brought them down.”
“Well, why don’t you take September and convince her that she has done good deeds today. I have to get arrangements made for her journey.”
“I’ll be delighted,” Eluned took September’s hand and drew her from the chair, “there’s so much to show you.’
9
Eluned guided September through the bustling village. It was as if the attack by the Adarllwchgwin had not happened. Chickens ran hither and thither and flocks of small birds flew overhead. September realised that during the attack the birds had disappeared but now they had returned as noisy and busy as before. They made slow progress because every few steps a villager would stop them, thank them for defeating the attackers and wish them well. September was taken aback. She was not used to people appreciating her or thanking her for something she had done. Back home it was mostly, “Get out of the way” or “That’s not how you do it” or “Oh, don’t bother I’ll do it myself”. It was a strange feeling not being useless.
By the time they reached the bank of the lake, September was feeling dazed. Eluned took her arm and pointed out the reed bed that stretched out into the water, the reeds that the villagers used to thatch their homes. September could barely see over the tips of the tall flat leaves to see the clear water beyond where flocks of ducks and geese were noisily taking off and landing on the water. Eluned turned to the left following the bank and soon they had left the village behind. They skirted the edge of the gardens where vegetables and fruits grew. Sparrows and starlings pecked at the ground. Then they were into the woodland with the trees growing right to the bank. The rooks squawked at them and other woodland birds called to each other.
“There are so many birds,” September noted.
“That is how the village got its name,” Eluned said, “Amaethaderyn, farm of birds.”
It was easy to find a path though the trees as the undergrowth was sparse. September realised why when she saw dark brown cattle moving amongst the trees stopping now and then to tear at some grass or nibble at a sapling. Despite the shade, she was beginning to feel warm. It was not yet noon and yet the air felt hot, surprisingly so for late September. For the first time, she had hardly had an opportunity before, September began to wonder where in the Land she was. Although the trees and plants looked sort of familiar she wondered whether Amaethaderyn was in a similar part of the Earth to her home. Was the Land even on Earth? It was another puzzle to add to all the others that were building up in her head.
It had been difficult to talk as Eluned led the way through the trees but after a short while they reached a patch of the bank where trees did not grow. Eluned flung herself down on the soft grass and beckoned September to do the same.
“This is one of my places,” Eluned said, “I come here for a bit of peace.”
“Don’t other people come here?” September hadn’t thought they had come that far from the village.
“Oh, they do, but when I’m on my own it just feels so calm and soothing. Don’t you think so?”
September looked out at the smooth water, barely troubled by a breeze and the surrounding trees standing guard. There was the smell of the water and the grass that they sat on and other unfamiliar smells from the trees and plants.
“Yes, I see what you mean, but, well,” suddenly the realisation that she was far from her own home, in unfamiliar surroundings, got to September. The sob started as a lump in her chest and rose up until it burst out of her mouth. “Oh dear, I’m sorry,” she said through tears, “everything is so different, I don’t know why I’m here, what I’m supposed to do or what would happen if those dreadful big birds got me...”
Eluned shuffled close and put her arms around September’s shoulders.
“Oh, Cludydd, I’m so sorry, I didn’t think. I’ve never been away from here. I hadn’t thought what it must be like for you drawn from your own world to defend us from the Malevolence.” She hugged September tightly until the tears ceased to flow. “I see it must be confusing, having just arrived, the gathering and then the Adarllwchgwin attacking.”
“Everyone has been very kind,” September said weakly, “but I’m just feeling lost.”
“I’ll try to answer some of your questions,” Eluned offered, “but first, let’s have a swim. It’s been a hot, tiring morning.” She rele
ased September, stood up and in one sweeping movement pulled her dress over her head. She dropped it on the grass and ran toward the bank. September barely saw her naked back before she leapt into the air and dived into the water a couple of metres from the shore. September was unsure what to do. She wasn’t used to swimming in lakes and she never took her clothes off so that others could see her rolls of fat. But she didn’t have fat here and Eluned seemed so comfortable with her nakedness and swimming in the water. September did feel hot and sweaty. She made up her mind, got to her feet and struggled to tug her dress over her head. She wanted to feel the water on her skin too. In just a few moments she stood on the bank looking down at her unfamiliar body, then at the water, deciding whether to jump, dive or step in gingerly. There was a huge whoosh and a silver-skinned dolphin leapt from the lake in front of her. It crashed back down into the foaming water and swam towards the bank, it circled around in front of where September stood, bobbing its snout, then raced away. September stared after it. Before her eyes there was another eruption of water and there was Eluned treading water.
“Come on, the water’s lovely,” Eluned cried. September decided to half step, half jump and found herself immersed in the cool water. It was nothing like as cold as she feared, practically the temperature of the swimming pool where she had been for her compulsory swimming lessons in school. She felt comfortable and relaxed. She wasn’t a strong swimmer but the new-found strength in her muscles gave her confidence. She struck out to join Eluned. Something clicked in her mind.
“The dolphin. That was you?” September asked. Eluned nodded and swam away. September chased after her.
“Can you really change into a tiger and a dolphin? What did Arianwen call it? Traws... something.” September called out. Eluned rolled over in the water and faced her.
“A tiger when I want to be fierce, a dolphin when I want to swim, a monkey that climbs through the trees and a fox that hunts by night. Trawsffurfio. It is the gift of arianbyw.” She held up the small crystal phial she wore on a silver chain around her neck. September noticed that the phial contained a silver liquid – mercury.
“But that’s magic,” September exclaimed.
Eluned looked confused, “I don’t know the word ‘magic’. When I was a child I was tested and found to have an affinity for the power of arianbyw. For many years I have been training to use the metal’s properties and the power of Mercher,” she pointed into the sky, “I hope that one day I will be able to adopt the shape of any animal I wish, as the Prif-cludydd can.” She rolled in the water, kicked her feet and surged away. September thrashed away with her arms trying to keep up. She didn’t catch up until Eluned stopped.
“Prif-cludydd?” September repeated.
“The chief, the most accomplished, the senior bearer of the metal in all of Gwlad. Each metal has one.”
“Where are they?”
“Oh, I don’t know. The Prif-cludydd o arianbyw visited here when I was very young. I don’t know where he lives but I expect he’s at the Arsyllfa now. He must be quite old. “ September had come to think of the few villagers she had met as being the only people in the Land. Now she was beginning to realise that the Land was a bigger place and that there were a lot more people in it.
“What about the others, are they Prif-cludydds?”
Eluned laughed, “Oh no. Iorwerth, Arianwen, Berddig, Padarn, Catrin. They are all wonderful cludyddau but if they were here they would be the first to admit that there are others in Gwlad who can wield their metals with more strength and skill.”
“What about the Mordeyrn?”
“Ah, now he is different. He is the Prif-cludydd o aur. We have been so fortunate to have him live amongst us, but the loss of his golden plate is dreadful. He was so ill after it was destroyed but he set out on his journey immediately.” Eluned dived and September gasped as in a blink she changed into the dolphin. It swam around her, its tail washing powerful currents against her legs. Then it headed back towards the bank. September swam as fast as she could to try to keep up with it but to no avail.
Eluned was already sitting on the bank squeezing the water out of her black hair when September reached the land. She climbed onto the bank and sat beside Eluned. Sitting there, naked in the warm air, felt natural and relaxing.
“Berddig said it was many days of travel to the observatory,” September said thoughtfully.
“Yes, it’s a long way,” Eluned agreed, “even using the river and travelling all day.”
“So the Land, Gwlad, is pretty big?”
“It’s all the land of the world,” Eluned nodded, “I’m sorry but as I’ve never been away from Amaethaderyn I don’t know a lot about the rest of Gwlad.”
“But there are other villages, towns even? People living in different parts?”
“Oh yes. I can tell you what I was taught about the seven regions of Gwlad.”
“Seven regions?” September noticed the important number again.
“Yes, we’re in the Southern River region, people that live within reach of the river and use it for travel and trade. South of here are the great plains where the nomads who ride horses live. Their lands end in the desert. To the north is the other great river, it’s cooler than our river. Both rivers end at the coast in the east where people grow rice and catch fish in the ocean. North of the northern river is the great forest where the woodfolk live and then further north still is the Mynydd Tywyll where the miners and metal workers live.”
“What’s beyond the mountains?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing!”
“Well, not nothing, but no-one lives there. It’s too cold and covered with ice.”
“So, um, let me see. What did you say the regions were? The Plains, north river and south river, coast, forest, mountains. That’s six regions.”
“That’s right. The seventh is the western hills, the Bryn am Seren where the Arsyllfa is.”
It was a lot to remember and September wasn’t sure that she had all the positions of the regions sorted but she had something of a picture of Gwlad. She realised that Eluned had described not just a country but a continent. But it was the number seven that intrigued her.
“Seven regions, seven metals, seven objects in the sky. Why is it always seven?” Then she remembered what she had discovered; was it really only last night? “And I’m the seventh child of my mother.”
“That’s what the Mordeyrn said you were,” Eluned agreed, “The Cludydd o Maengolauseren is always the seventh child.”
“Yes, but I didn’t know that until yesterday,” September said, “Last night at my birthday party I found out that I had a twin I didn’t know about.”
Eluned was excited.
“A twin! Twins often share their powers.”
“But my twin is dead. She was dead when she was born just before me.”
Eluned clapped her hand to her mouth.
“Oh, oh. That’s awful.”
September wondered at Eluned’s reaction which seemed more than just sympathy.
“Well, I was shocked, since Mum had kept it from me, but it happens.”
“No, you don’t understand September. Dead unborns go to the place above the stars where the Malevolence resides. Being a twin you will have a link to the evil.” September saw horror on Eluned’s face. September thought she was being superstitious.
“That’s nonsense. She’s dead. That’s it.”
Her birthmark started itching; September rubbed her hip. Eluned noticed what she was doing.
“Do you have a mark on you?”
September rolled over displaying her hip and her buttock to Eluned.
“Yes, I’ve always had it. It’s a birthmark. It just irritates me now and again.”
Eluned’s expression had changed to one of awe.
“It’s a rich pink colour and shaped like the new Moon. It must have formed when you were in your mother’s womb with your twin sister. It is a sign.”
“A sign?”
> “Yes. A sign of your connection to the heavens, the Maengolauseren and to your twin.”
“It’s just a birthmark,” September dismissed Eluned’s ramblings.
“No, September, it could be important. Never forget your twin.” Eluned got to her feet and pulled her dress over her head, “We should continue our walk.”
September dressed too and dropped into step beside Eluned. They walked in silence for a few minutes. Eluned seemed to be thinking and not wanting to chat. September didn’t mind because she was contemplating what Eluned had said. She had hardly had time to take in the knowledge that she had a twin sister in the womb, now Eluned had suggested that her dead twin may not be lost completely, that some part of her still existed somewhere beyond the world. What sort of personality could she have? Dead before being born, she had no experience in the world. Would her only knowledge be of the Malevolence, above the stars – whatever that meant?
“Eluned,” she said to her companion as they weaved in and out of the trees lining the lake.
“Yes, Cludydd,” Eluned turned and smiled at her.
“What can you tell me about the Malevolence? I don’t really understand what it is.”
Eluned frowned and her face darkened, “It’s not something we like to discuss. It just is and it brings unhappiness.”
“But the Mordeyrn said it exists above the stars but has no leader.”
“That’s correct. It is responsible for all the sickness, disease, bitterness and jealousy in the world. It is within us and around us but its origin is beyond the sphere of stars.”
“You’re saying that anything bad that happens, any bad things that people do, is caused by the Malevolence.”
“Yes. Without it people cooperate and are happy and fulfilled, but when the Malevolence attacks, people become suspicious and greedy. Whole villages can be destroyed because people stop trusting each other and become selfish.”
“But there are also the other things – the Draig tân and the Adar-whatever – they’re real, not just characteristics of people?”
Seventh Child Page 8