Seventh Child

by Peter R. Ellis

  Beyond the wheel there was another cluster of buildings beside the river. There were also trees and further away, fields and then the peaks. Heulwen was already past the wheel and heading into the upper town. Iddig came to September’s side.

  “Welcome to Upper Town. Come, we had better keep up with the lady.” There was a little less noise from the waterfall here at the top so hearing each other speak was easier even though Iddig had to shout.

  “She seems to be in a hurry,” September replied. They set off in pursuit. In a few moments they were in the town. The buildings were a mix of stone and wood and looked more homely than the stark rock hewn dwellings of the lower town. Once again people stopped what they were doing to look at them. Heulwen approached the door of one of the larger stone houses. She paused on the doorstep, glanced to see that they were just behind, and entered.

  September, Iddig and the guard reached the doorway and stepped inside. The sight that awaited September was quite unexpected. The other homes she had seen were rough and spartan in their furnishings. She had become used to thinking of the Land as primitive. This was different. There was a carpet on the floor, a window fitted with shutters with curtains hanging from a pole, and the walls, though plain, were decorated with paintings of landscapes. There was a comfortable sofa and chairs in the middle of the room and a simple but elegant desk on the far side.

  “Welcome to my home, Cludydd,” Heulwen said, spreading her arms and beaming with pride.

  “Thank you, Heulwen. It looks very smart.” September replied, still astonished at her surroundings.

  “Aye, the Mordeyrn makes sure his daughter is comfortable here,” Iddig said. Heulwen seemed to glower at him for a moment then smiled graciously to September.

  “Come and sit and I’ll call for refreshment.”

  September took a place on the sofa while Iddig lowered himself into an ample armchair. The guard remained standing looking out of the window. Heulwen went to the desk and rang a small copper bell. Almost immediately the door on the opposite side of the room opened and a woman entered. She was dressed in the rough everyday linen dresses of the women and was considerably older than Heulwen. She rubbed her hands and looked at the guests. When she saw September she rushed forward.

  “Oh, Cludydd, we are so pleased to see you here fit and well.”

  “Meryl, could you get us something to eat and drink,” Heulwen said.

  Meryl turned to the young woman and September thought she saw an angry glare pass swiftly across her face.

  “I shall Heulwen, once I have greeted our visitor,” she turned back to September, smiling broadly, “You have come a long way and from what we have heard you have had a difficult journey.”

  “Thank you. Yes, it has been hard.”

  “Right, well we shall look after you then.” Meryl turned and swept out of the room.

  “Who is Meryl?” September asked. Heulwen seemed to treat her like a servant but she had spoken as an independent woman. There had been no mistress/servant relationships in Amaethaderyn; everyone there treated each other as equals.

  “Meryl helps me look after the house,” Heulwen said, waving her hand dismissively.

  “Meryl is a fine cook and keeps this house for the Mordeyrn,” Iddig said, getting another glare from Heulwen.

  “Yes, well that’s beside the point. Cludydd, we must prepare for our journey to the Arsyllfa. We will leave early tomorrow morning. I will show you to your room for tonight.” Heulwen got up and led September from the room and up a flight of wooden stairs to a landing. There were four doors. Heulwen chose one and stopped by the open door to allow September to enter. September saw the most wonderful sight – a real bed. While the bedroom looked like it should be in a museum, the mattress on its wooden frame with sheets and blanket, a table with a washing bowl and jug of water, a wardrobe and a chest of drawers in a dark wood provided comforts that September had not seen since she was summoned from home. The sun, low in the sky, shone through the small window filling the room with yellow light that gave it a joyful atmosphere. She sat on the bed and felt a tiredness sweep over her. All she wanted was to lie down and enjoy the pleasure of a comfortable night’s sleep.

  “I’ll just leave you to sort yourself out,” Heulwen said, “Meryl will have supper prepared soon so come down when you are ready.”

  “I haven’t got any baggage to unpack,” September said.

  “No, of course not. Ah, but I did put something here for you.” She went to the wardrobe and opened it. A pale blue, silk dress hung on a hanger. “Perhaps you would like to wear it for supper.” September felt her judging her dirty and scuffed tunic and trousers beneath her cloak. “Oh, the toilet is downstairs,” Heulwen added as she left.

  Well, this is a change, September thought. Perhaps the society of Gwlad is not quite as equal as I thought, and there are rewards for being the Mordeyrn or his daughter. She unbuckled the belt from her waist and laid it on the bed then persuaded herself not to lie down, sure that she would fall asleep immediately if she did. She wriggled out of her clothes while keeping the cloak around herself and washed in the bowl using a piece of hard soap that lay beside it and a towel to dry herself. Then she pulled the silk dress on under the cloak, finding the soft smooth feel of the cloth unusual against her skin after weeks of the rough linen. She tugged her fingers through her thick, white hair, gave the bed a look of longing then descended to the front parlour.

  Meryl was as good as her word and provided a tasty and filling stew with fresh bread and fruit. She was eager to hear September’s tale of her journey while they ate. Heulwen sniffed and looked bored while September told her story again. Meryl oohed and aahed but when September couldn’t help a sob recounting the end of Tudfwlch and Cynddylig she sympathised and provided a clean cloth to dab her eyes. By the time they had finished eating, the sun had set and the room became dark. Meryl lit a few candles, but Heulwen suggested that it was time for an early night. September was sure that the real reason was that she didn’t want to hear any more of her exploits demonstrating the power of the starstone, but she was grateful to get up to that wonderful bed. She removed the dress but kept the metal cloak around her and slipped between the sheets. She took the copper horn from its leather case and blew softly. Aurddolen replied almost immediately.

  “You are safe in my house, Cludydd?”

  “Yes, I’m snuggled up in this wonderful bed. I didn’t think you had such things.”

  “Ah, they are not common but my daughter likes to do things a certain way.”

  “I’ve noticed.”

  “Don’t be hard on her, September. People expect a lot of her as my only child. It’s my fault that she is a little demanding and proud.”

  “She’s old enough to be responsible for herself.”

  “Ah, that is true and wisely said. She is indeed of an age when young people reach for their own destinies, but Heulwen is hampered in that regard by being my daughter. People have expectations of her and her freedoms are limited. So she naturally thinks that she is a leader in my absence.”

  “I think I see.”

  “She will do everything she can to help you on your journey, but now I think you need rest. Have a peaceful night.”

  “Thank you Mordeyrn, and you.”

  She put the horn back in its case and lifted the belt and the sword onto the floor.

  The mattress was hard and quite lumpy but it was blissful after many nights lying on the ground. Her eyes closed in moments.

  22

  She dreamt of monstrous birds swooping down on her and giant horses galloping through water towards her. There were noises and screams and shouts. She was alone so who was making all that noise? She looked from left to right but there was no source of the clamour. She opened her eyes. The shouting was real. Her birthmark itched. The door of her bedroom was flung open and Iddig appeared, wide eyed, flushed and sweating.

  “Cludydd you must come!”

  “Why, what’s all the shouting for?”r />
  “A Draig tân is coming. It is directed at Upper town.”

  September was already crawling from the bed cursing herself for having undressed. Or was she still dreaming? All her life had become a battle against the monsters of the Malevolence. She wrapped the cloak tightly around her.

  “One of those fiery comet things?”

  “Yes. Heulwen thinks she can stop it with her brooch, but she doesn’t have her father’s power.”

  “No, I know.”

  She recalled her first visit to the Land and her first use of the Maengolauseren to support Aurddolen and his golden plate. Could she destroy a Draig tân on her own? Well she was going to find out. She hurried after Iddig down the stairs, out of the house and into the street. They ran to the clearing near the lift. The moon was high in the eastern sky, over half full. The sky was dark and filled with stars, but lower in the sky was the latest manifestation of the Malevolence. The bright red disc was already twice the size of the moon and it trailed a tail of flickering fire that curled over the horizon. Flares burst off its surface and it grew noticeably as she watched. Some of the people of the town stood staring at the thing coming towards them while others ran hither and thither. Heulwen was there too, her brooch unpinned from her dress and held aloft. It glowed brightly but did nothing else. Meryl was by her side. September just caught her words above the noise of the waterfall.

  “It’s no use, Heulwen,” Meryl tugged at her sleeve, “Even if you had your father’s great plate of aur you would not be able to stop the Draig tân. Come with me and get out of its path.”

  “No, it’s coming to me. It is my duty to destroy it,” Heulwen replied.

  “It’s not just you,” Iddig shouted, “It aims to destroy us all.” He had drawn his sword and had raised its point towards the growing comet, to no great purpose that September could see. She reached inside her cloak for the pendant and drawing it out flicked the clasp. The stone glowed with the same blue whiteness as the moon and stars.

  “Let us try to stop it together,” September said, feeling calm and still as if in a dream. It seemed the right thing to say. Meryl looked at her and added her encouragement.

  “That’s it, Heulwen. Join with the Cludydd. Together you can destroy it.”

  Heulwen took her eyes off the approaching comet and glanced at September and the starstone.

  “Yes,” she said breathlessly, “we’ll destroy it, the two of us.”

  The comet was approaching from the direction of the gorge. It hardly seemed to move, just to grow. Its tail lashed from side to side across the plateau, and gouts of fire dropped from it to the ground.

  More people had joined them, standing silently in a crowd behind the four of them.

  “Right then. Together,” September shouted; she was confident she knew what to do. She thrust the stone out in front of her, “Ymadaelwch,” she cried and Heulwen echoed her.

  A violet aura radiated out from the starstone, Heulwen’s brooch shone a brighter yellow and Iddig’s sword glowed red hot, but nothing approached the Draig tân. Now it was a roaring, fiery sphere ten times the diameter of the moon. Fear gripped September, it felt real, this wasn’t her dream. The Draig tân really was bearing down on them all. What if she didn’t have the power to destroy a Draig tân without the Mordeyrn?

  “Again,” she shouted to Heulwen. Once again she thrust her arm with the stone aloft. “Ymadaelwch!” A violet beam shot from the stone but faded and died in moments. Still the comet approached. Now she could see that it was over the eastern cliffs surrounding the lake. Globules of fire rained down. It’s going to hit us, she thought, all this journey is for nothing. Tudfwlch and Cynddylig have died to get me here and it’s all going to be a complete waste.

  “Try again,” Iddig appealed. “It’s closer now.”

  And these good people are going to die with me, she thought.

  “You can do it Cludydd!” Meryl shouted, “For your companions who died!”

  Yes, the Malevolence mustn’t win; I’ve got to do something for Tudfwlch and Cynddylig. September held the stone above her head. She rubbed her side annoyed by the growing irritation. She took a deep breath. The Draig tân was almost on them. It filled half the sky and its roaring was so loud that even the waterfall was drowned out. Fire was falling from it into the lake and the lower town below.

  “Ymadaelwch!” September screamed out loud and long. The violet glow started tentatively. She felt the muscles in her arm stiffen and the stone seemed to grow heavy. Now the power flowed through her body. She felt it welling up from the ground, up her calves and thighs, through her trunk and up her arm. The beam stretched out, became brighter, broader. It reached towards the Draig tân. The violet light and the bright red fire met, merged, mixed. The comet swelled and flares fell to the ground setting trees and grass alight, and then the comet’s centre darkened and became a black hole with the violet shaft a spear in its centre. The blackness expanded rapidly swallowing the comet’s fire. The ring of flames blew away, dissipating. A gale blew across the plateau fanning the fires but the Draig tân was gone from the sky.

  Heulwen collapsed to the ground and September felt a great fatigue. She had triumphed again but how often would she be called on to stand against the Malevolence? What would happen if she failed to summon the power of the Maengolauseren? Her arm bent and she looked at the stone. It glowed dimly now the danger was past. She closed its case and slipped it back inside her cloak.

  “You did it,” Iddig shouted merrily, “You and the Maengolauseren; you destroyed the Draig tân and saved us all.” He grabbed her shoulders and shook her, laughing and crying with relief. September gazed around her. Everywhere seemed to be burning, the wheel of the lift, the buildings at the end of the street, trees and even the grass at her feet. The people were running to and fro. Already some had collected buckets of water to the throw on the fires. September could only watch. She felt no sense of triumph now she saw people striving to save their homes. She felt so tired that she could barely stand let alone move. Iddig saw the fatigue in her eyes.

  “Let’s get you back to the Mordeyrn’s house.”

  September looked at the prostrate body of Heulwen and Meryl crouched beside her. “What about Heulwen?”

  “Meryl’s looking after her. Come away from the fires.”

  September leaned against the plump warrior as they staggered back along the high street. The fires were restricted to the end buildings and the rest of the town looked quiet and peaceful. They reached the house and Iddig guided her in to the settee. Soon after Meryl arrived with Heulwen draped over her. She too was deposited into a chair. Iddig ran off.

  “I’ll find something to restore your energy,” Meryl announced, leaving September alone with Heulwen. The young woman sagged in the chair but opened her eyes and stared at September. A smile spread across her face.

  “We did it,” she said proudly.

  “Did what?” September asked.

  “We destroyed the Draig tân. You and I, my aur and your Maengolauseren.”

  September was about to say that Heulwen had done nothing and that it was the starstone alone that had stopped the comet but she paused. She remembered Mother’s instructions not to brag and to show kindness. She didn’t feel particularly kind towards this proud and selfish young woman but she also didn’t want to make things difficult with the Mordeyrn and she didn’t feel like a hero. She took a deep breath.

  “Yes, we did, we got rid of it.”

  Meryl returned with a tray of mugs and a jug. She poured out two cupfuls of the liquid and gave one each to Heulwen and September.

  September sipped. It wasn’t water but a sparkling, sharp, fruity drink. It seemed to flow into every part of her washing away the fatigue. She sat up straight.

  “My, that’s wonderful stuff,” she said.

  “That it is,” Meryl agreed, “I’m sure Iddig and the others will need some when they have put all the fires out. Now you two should get to bed. You’ve still got a jour
ney ahead of you tomorrow.”

  September didn’t need any further persuading despite the revitalising drink. She climbed the stairs to her bedroom and soon was beneath the sheets. The muted roar of the waterfall came through the window and the shouts and noise of the people still struggling to put out the fires, but her eyes soon closed and she heard no more.

  23

  It felt as though her eyes had just closed when there was a tap on the door and Meryl looked in. September felt so comfortable wrapped in the sheets and lying on a soft bed she didn’t want to move but Meryl urged her to get up as it was light and they needed to move. September dragged herself from the bed, washed, dressed in her worn old clothes and buckled her belt around her waist. She looked at the starstone inside its silver case. It was dull and lifeless. She felt her hip. The birthmark was not sore this morning. September was relieved. She hoped that both signs meant that there was no evil threatening her for the moment. She wrapped the cloak around herself again.

  Downstairs she found Heulwen, Meryl and Iddig sitting at the table together. Heulwen looked pale and tired, Meryl was lively and busy and Iddig was covered in sweat and soot.

  “How are the fires? Is there much damage?” September asked.

  “Thanks to you, very little,” Iddig replied cheerfully, “The rope of the elevator is burned and must be replaced, but that will only take a few hours. The other fires did little real harm. But you prevented the Draig tân from flattening the whole town.”

  “It was me too,” Heulwen insisted.

  “Of course, lady,” Iddig said, “but now we must get you off and into the hands of the Mordeyrn as soon as possible. My men are ready and waiting to escort you into the Bryn am Seren.”

  “Thank you Iddig. How are we travelling?”