by Troy A Hill
“Thank you, milady! A thousand thanks!” Wassa collapsed into Seren.
Seren returned her embrace, careful to keep the blood-covered torc away from Wassa’s flesh.
Emlyn held Soul out towards me. I took her and slid her home into the scabbard, then did the same with Osmund son of Tata’s sword.
“Your Grace,” Wassa said, “I have caused the death of many of your men. I am truly sorry for my actions and await your judgement.” She knelt in front of Penda, head bowed. “I am ready to die. All I wanted was to be human when I faced the headsman.”
“Had I not seen Lady Mair drive that entity from you tonight,” Penda said, “you would face the headsman. The creature that killed my men, however, was that cloud, not you.”
He reached out and raised her chin to look at him. “Ludló, can you use someone like Wassa in our werod?”
“I suspect we can, Your Grace,” Ludló said. “She’ll have to take an apprentice position and learn to use weapons. We wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise when she changes forms in battle.”
Wassa’s eyes darted between the two men. Realisation that her life was hers again set in, and tears began to trickle down her cheeks.
“Thank you, Your Grace,” she said.
“Do you swear your allegiance to Mercia and her rightful king?” he asked. He held his hands out in a V. She placed her hands in his, ready to swear her oath.
“I do, Your Grace,” she said, her voice strong. Then her eyes widened and she jerked him down, even as she leapt up.
Ludló and others gasped. Damn, I was slow. I should have seen it coming. Instead I just stood there as Emlyn drew his swords and slashed at the creature that controlled Dunstan’s corpse. Wassa flowed into her half-wolf form.
“Deodamnatus!” Both Seren and Gwen swore behind me. Even they were faster with the profanity. My earlier battle, channelling the energy of the goddess, had definitely slowed me down.
Dunstan’s body stood, sword in hand, with those jet-black eyes. The monster that controlled the corpse had a second sword. Probably Talian’s. Both of the blades flickered as the blackness of death pushed the light away.
Behind me, I heard a body hit the floor. I risked a glance back and saw Father Adda had fainted once more, his torch sputtering on the floor. Beyond him stood the last figure I wanted to see.
“Afon!” I cried right as one of Baldwin’s jet-black blades emerged from Igil’s chest. His eyes rolled back, his hand spasmed, and the silver seax he held clattered to the floor.
43
A flood of Shadows
Move, feet, move! I screamed at my body. I poked my demon, my blood energy. She was still recovering, so to speak, from all the divine energy I’d channelled earlier. That much energy had driven my demon well into the background.
Emlyn and Wassa confronted Dunstan. That left Afon and I to handle Baldwin. Penda and Ludló would have to figure out which fight to join.
Afon turned in time to intercept and redirect Baldwin’s stroke. His silver blade flashed in and scored a minor hit across the dead man’s side. I was afraid to tap the energy of the goddess again, even to make my blades glow with magic. The wet blanket that draped my mind was still there. Damn! I was still groggy, and that nagging headache hovered at the back of my mind. I could make it explode again if I pulled in The Lady’s magic. Even the little needed to light my blades.
The tangy, metallic odour of blood hit my senses. My feet moved. My demon started her song as the smell of Igil’s blood woke her. Two steps. Three and four. Afon deflected a blow with his small shield and barely moved out of line of Baldwin’s second thrust. He found his match in the undead creature, and the look on his face showed it. His expression matched the one he wore when he realised undead Osbert was beyond his skill level at the Battle of the Abbey.
Baldwin belted in two more quick blows, and I saw where the third strike would get through Afon’s defence. Soul caught that blade a finger’s width from Afon’s gut. Baldwin’s black eyes were difficult to track. He seemed to look right at me.
“Let’s dance,” I said and pushed the power of the goddess into my blades. Good. No flash of pain.
Baldwin launched two blows at me. My swords caught both. Afon slid in a strike that almost hit home. But Baldwin was fast and locked blades with him. He pushed hard and pricked Afon’s shoulder.
Merda! I pulled energy from my demon. I needed undead speed. To hell with who might notice. Adda sure wouldn’t.
Baldwin and I traded blows faster than even Emlyn and I danced. Speed, talent, and training, we both had. That surprised me. The creature inside Baldwin, however, used different techniques than I was used to. Different from what Aemi taught me over the centuries, but effective and deadly. I had not been this challenged like this by anyone other than my brother of the undead.
I moved farther and farther into advanced techniques. Dodge and parry. Slide a hair out of line of Baldwin’s ebony blade-hands. Drop my blade down to feint, then up again. The corpse anticipated almost every move. I snuck in one quick strike and pierced his shoulder to match Afon’s wound. As Osmund’s sword connected, I pushed power through the blade. Baldwin’s corpse jerked back and stepped right back into measure with me.
Afon and Ludló flanked us and punched with occasional strikes. Baldwin and I moved too fast for them to stay in the fight. Half of their blows came close to hitting me.
Behind me, another flash of energy lit the cave. No warning echoed in my mind to dodge or hide. I hoped that Gwen wasn’t using her daylight spell again.
Nothing knocked me on my arse or slowed me down. I pushed in with some of the strikes I’d practised in Penda’s weapons hall. Those pushed Baldwin’s corpse back half a step. He blocked and parried each blow or shifted enough to avoid damage. We ended with our blades locked, guard to guard.
He kicked out. I sensed the weight shift, however, and I couldn’t dodge it. Instead I disengaged my blades and moved down towards his leg. I flew back. Fortunately, I scored two slashes with my glowing blades on the creature.
I slid on the dusty rock floor. Gwen was next to me. She thrust her hand at the undead creature and pushed a blast of energy, almost like a bolt from a storm at it.
“Impressive!” I sent.
“Seren’s idea,” Gwen replied. “Like the daylight spell. Almost. This one shot out in a line. My head is fine with this version.”
Baldwin’s corpse staggered back under the blow. The black of its eyes flickered twice. I could almost see glazed, dead human eyes behind the black. Ludló and Afon stepped in and sliced at the walking corpse.
Next to me, Father Adda groaned and stirred.
I wasted a glance at the priest. I should have known better.
Father Adda righted himself and glanced around, his eyes wide. Two undead hands grabbed him. Baldwin surged by me, scooping along the priest. I slashed with Soul, but I pulled the blow to avoid hitting the priest.
Emlyn, along with Penda and Wassa, still battled Dunstan’s corpse, and they had made little progress. A scorch mark showed on Dunstan’s clothing where Seren’s bolt had hit it.
Baldwin twisted his hold on the priest. Father Adda’s legs swept through the melee, knocking both Emlyn and Penda off their feet. Penda crashed into Wassa’s hybrid wolf form. She had shifter speed and caught him before he slammed into the floor.
The creature inside Dunstan’s corpse turned and ran with Baldwin, back into the cavern.
“Don’t let them escape!” Penda bellowed.
Gwen, Seren, and I charged. I felt the tingle of magic around me. Each of them pulled in the goddess’s divine energy.
The undead leapt through the rubble-strewn opening.
“Let us see first,” Gwen sent.
I stayed back a pace. Seren and Gwen both stopped at the rubble field. It looked as though a section of the cave wall had collapsed outward. Just like in the old tombs Ruadh and I found in the cave. I cursed. This wasn’t good.
Bolts of energy flew from S
eren and Gwen. The energy slammed into the two undead corpses. They staggered and dropped to their knees. I blinked my eyes shut in time to avoid seeing spots from the brilliant flashes.
Beyond Baldwin, old burial niches lined the walls. Dried white bones covered in dull dust lay silent. The bones stood in piles. These were ancient graves. Newer custom laid the body out whole. Old burial practices let the body burn or decompose. Then the bones were gathered and piled in small niches.
Undead Baldwin and Dunstan struggled to their feet.
“Die, already,” I cursed. Gwen and Seren both pulled in energy.
Baldwin’s corpse reached out and touched a pile of bones. A slit of blackness opened in the air before him. Dunstan jerked Father Adda upright and used the priest as a shield.
“Oh, Perfututum!” I said. Roman legions swore like that when they realised they were totally screwed. That’s how I felt. Lecerf had summoned a portal like that.
“Deodamnatus!” Gwen swore. “We’ll hit the priest!” Both she and Seren held off on unleashing their blasts. Both of the undead stepped into the rift.
“Help me!” Father Adda called right as the rift slammed shut and cut us off from him and his two undead captors.
“Perfututum!” I said again. I had no idea how to save the Witch Hunter. And I never thought I’d be in a position where I’d want to do so.
But even he didn’t deserve whatever those two walking flesh-bags of evil would do to him.
The battle for the soul of the goddess and all of Britannia is just beginning… To be continued…
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The adventure continues
Maria’s adventure will continue. Book 5 coming Autumn of 2019.
If you enjoyed this story, you can learn more about the people of Penllyn in The Penllyn Chronicles Collection 1. This collected volume includes: Penllyn, Emlyn, and Ruadh’s Stories, as well as never before published story Tempting Fae.
Get your copy of both today to continue the adventure.
Welsh Pronunciations
Throughout this series I’ve opted to use modern Welsh words in place of old Brythonic variants.
Any errors in word use or selection are solely mine. Variations in northern and southern Welsh accents are not included in this guide.
Below is a limited guide to some of the spellings and pronunciations you will find in this series.
Welsh Pronunciations: In Welsh, all letters are pronounced, even when it appears impossible to do so. Vowels typical are pronounced in their “soft” forms with a few exceptions:
A as in man
E as in met
I is a hard E sound, as in Queen
O as in hot
U is a hard I or E sound, as in Pita
W (yes, it’s a vowel in Welsh) is the double O sound, as in Zoo
Y has several variations:
Alone it’s usually pronounced uh as an article: y caer (the fortress)
Within a word, it acts as a Welsh U
Double Vowell Dipthongs:
Ei, Eu: as ay way
Ow: long O as in tow
Ae, Ai, Au: as the y in my
Ywy: as in the ui in Fluid
Other Welsh Sounds:
dd: pronounced as the TH sound
Bleddyn = Blethun
Rh: to pronounce this, reverse the sounds. H then R, and trill or roll the R
LL: This is the “dreaded” Welsh sound, and is almost unique to the Welsh language. To pronounce this sound, place your tongue against the roof of your mouth, as though you’ve finished the sound of “EL”, then blow as though you’re pronouncing the beginning of the “H” sound. Add in the “EL” sound. This sound has also been described as pronouncing an L with a th in front of it.
FF: is F as in fan
F: is V as in Avon (Welsh pronunciation of “Afon”)
C: is always hard, similar to the K in English, as in “Cat”
CH: as in the Scottish “Loch”
Names in Penllyn
Mair: Ma-ir
Neirin: Nayreen
Rhian: Hrrian
Rhos: Hrross
Bleddyn: Blethun
Owain: O-wine
Fadog: Va-dog
If you are a native Welsh speaker, and notice any flaws in the above, please let me know via email: [email protected]
Glossary
of terminology, places, and historical figures
In the early and mid-seventh century, the divisions we know of today, England, Scotland and Wales didn’t exist then. Throughout history, different names and terms have been used for various factions, peoples, and areas of Britain. Below are the terms used in this book. The author has also included historical figures of the time that may be referenced in the various stories.
Bernicia: A Kingdom, in north-central Britannia. Later, it was combined with Deira to form what would be called Northumbria.
Britannia: The largest of the British Isles.
Britain: Modern day Wales: A dark-ages political division that denotes the western half of the lower section of Britannia that is still controlled by the native British. The other sections are often controlled by Saxon and Pagan Kings.
Cadwallon ap Cadfan: King of Gwynedd, died 634/5.
Cantref (plural cantrefi): A division of land within a Cymry kingdom. Cantrefi were ruled by Lords, who owed allegiance to Kings.
Cymry: A term referring to the native Britons who remained following the withdrawal of the Roman legions at the beginning of the dark ages (late fourth century and early fifth century CE). This term typically refers to the people we know today as the Welsh. The author will use Cymry to distinguish the Welsh from their Anglo-Saxon neighbours.
Cynewise: (Chen-eh-wix-ah) Queen of Mercia
Edwin: King of Deira and Bernicia (d. 632 or 633 CE).
Fadog (cantref)*: A former part of the Kingdom of Powys.
Gwynedd: A Cymry Kingdom, in what would be North Wales today.
Ida: first known King of Bernicia, (d. 559 CE). His descendants were among the kings and rulers of several of the non-Cymric kingdoms of Britannia. "Sons of Ida" refer to his descendants who were fierce rulers and warlords.
Mercia: a Saxon Kingdom in the midlands of today’s Britain.
Peada: (Pay-dah) King of Middle Anglia, under Penda
Penda: King of Mercia, overking of the Midlands
Penllyn (cantref)*: A cantref of the Kingdom of Powys.
Penteulu: The leader of a Cymry Lord’s war band or guard.
Rhos (cantref)*: A cantref of the Kingdom of Gwynedd.
Saxons: Germanic settlers into the British Isles following the withdrawal of Rome from the land. They controlled many of the Eastern British kingdoms during the dark ages.
* The Author has taken liberties with people and location boundaries, as well as with historical timelines surrounding several Cantrefi and their lords.