The Aduramis Chronicles: Volumes 1-3: The Definitive Collection
Page 139
And then, as if a flame had lit inside him, he stopped and placed both hands on the table. His head lifted in thought, and suddenly he whirled to greet the boys once more, but not this time as strangers.
‘I’m a grandfather?’
Coinin nodded and smiled. ‘Soon to be a great-grandfather.’
Marrok looked to Coinin quizzically, and then realisation dawned. ‘Aniol?’
Coinin stood and took a couple of steps forward. ‘May I formally introduce ourselves. We are Coinin and Marrok Wulf, sons to Godwen and Ædelmær Wulf. Your daughter is our mother, and you, our grandfather.’
The old blacksmith did not know whether to laugh or cry. He embraced each tightly and commented on how strapping they were.
‘There is more,’ Coinin began. ‘Outside waits my soon to be wife, Aniol. Marisa, your daughter’s sister by marriage, also waits beyond. Would you care to meet them?’
‘I feel overwhelmed, and yet a feeling of joy eats away at my grief,’ Aatu replied in his thick, countryman drawl.
‘Perhaps I should go to them; they may be concerned –’ Marrok announced.
‘Now, there’s no need to be doin’ that.’ Aatu nodded with conviction. ‘We is family, and I have had none for many a year. Let my heart fill with happiness, rather than grief. Lead the way.’
Coinin dipped his head and opened the stiff, cottage door with a creak and was barraged yet again by Aatu’s overexcited dog. Coinin saw a stick beside the entrance and picked it up. He waved it before the dog to get its attention. ‘What’s his name?’
Aatu joined Coinin. ‘I call him Patch, on account of that white spot on his neck there.’
‘Patch!’ Coinin waved the stick and threw it hard. It sailed through the air and the little dog, all head and muscle, barrelled away as fast as his legs could carry him.
‘You’ll have made a friend for life there, you’ll see,’ Aatu chuckled.
Sure enough, the small animal raced back and dropped the stick before Coinin. ‘Maybe later, boy.’
Aatu was led to the boundary of his land, and there waiting was an anxious group of people. Aniol raced to Coinin and hugged him. ‘Is everything well?’
Coinin nodded. ‘Everyone. I’d like to introduce Aatu.’
Handshakes, kisses and hugs ensued, and he took it all in his stride. He had lost a daughter but gained much more. He would mourn Anah in his own time.
He turned to Marrok. ‘But what of you? Do you not have someone to keep you warm these cold nights?’
’My betrothed, Talina, awaits me, but has other matters to attend to,’ Marrok replied.
‘Then I look forward to meeting her another time.’ Aatu paused. ‘I’d just like to say, thank you for finding me and bringing me news of Anah … Godwen. It hurts deep, for certain. With you all at my side, I’d like to say to you all, thank you, for giving an old man something to live for.’
Marisa wiped away a tear.
‘Furthermore,’ Aatu continued, ‘you may have just saved the forge. I had planned to sell, but ...’ He looked at the boys hopefully. ‘I need someone to work the forge. I’m too long in the tooth for it now.’
Silence followed until Aniol nudged Marisa in the ribs.
Marisa stumbled forward and looked steadily at Aatu. ‘I would gladly accept a chance to start afresh. Show me the workings, and I’ll start tomorrow.’
Aatu clamped a strong arm around Marisa’s shoulders. ‘A sister by marriage,’ he said, scratching his head. He turned to her. ‘Any sister of Anah is a daughter of mine. It sounds so strange after not saying it for so long, but daughter, you are most welcome to try. There’s perhaps a good twenty years of work left in you.’
Coinin and Marrok looked at each other and raised their eyebrows. Marisa, working in a forge as a blacksmith? The world had truly changed.
Aatu turned to everyone. ‘Let’s go and celebrate inside, shall we, before this damned dog does some damage to my leg? Someone throw the stick.’
Marrok collected the stick and threw it far. Everyone laughed as the little dog stopped suddenly upon reaching the stick and his back legs flew into the air whereupon he toppled, head over tail.
Aniol, arm in arm with Marisa, strode forward, her other hand rubbing her heavily pregnant stomach.
A family was reunited at last.
Though, as they walked to the small cottage, a prickle of pain caused Coinin to stop and clutch the back of his neck, where an innocuous scar that resembled a skull, burned.
He withdrew his hand, which felt wet and sticky, and looked at it shocked. The skull had bled a dark red.
Marrok looked at his sibling curiously. ‘What is it, brother?’
‘Trouble,’ Coinin replied darkly.
THE END
PRONUNCIATIONS
DESTINY OF THE WULF
Ædelmær Wulf (Add-el-meer)
Aniol (Annie-ol)
Archmage Orodor (Or-oh-door)
Arrom (Arr-om)
Arromithia (Arrow-mith-ear)
Astanoth (Astan-oth)
Bealam (Beel-am)
Cerathil (Sir-a-theel)
Chief Scribe Polinus (Pol-eye-nus)
Coinin Wulf (Coin-in)
Dareth Jericho (Dar-eth Jer-icko)
Draken Wulf (Drake-en)
Er'ath (Air-oth)
Eraywen Jericho (Air-a-when Jer-icko)
Godwen Wulf (God-when)
King Curlicca (Curl-eeka)
King Hantestum (Han-test-um)
Laliala Menin (Lal-ee-ala Men-in)
Le’roth (Lee-roth)
Lordich Secracar (Lord-ich Seck-rack-car)
Lushan (Loo-Shan)
Mador (May-door)
Marrok Wulf (Mar-ock)
Master Ignatius (Ig-nay-shuss)
Milanus Horinch (Mill-eye-nas Hore-inch)
Minas (Mee-nass)
Mount Dibor (Dye-bore)
Nethlith (Neth-lith)
Reena Lifor (Ree-na Lif-or)
Rinoch's (Ry-knocks)
Rostha (Rows-tha)
Rosthagaar (Ross-tha-gar)
Silentus Madook (Silent-us Mad-ook)
Soliath Wulf (Sole-ee-ath)
Su'un (Sew-oon)
Su’un Quindil (Sew-oon Quin-dil)
Talina Rend (Tal-eena Rend)
Trenobin (Tren-oh-bin)
Vinchenza Aduramis (Vin-chen-za Adoo-ra-miss)
Westeroe (West-air-row)
Zaruun (Zare-oon)
UNDERWORLD
Ædelmær Wulf (Add-el-meer)
Aniol (Annie-ol)
Archmage Orodor (Or-oh-door)
Arrom (Arr-om)
Axl Tulomn (Axe-ill Thul-om)
Cerathil (Sir-a-theel)
Coinin Wulf (Coin-in)
Dareth Jericho (Dar-eth Jer-icko)
Draken Wulf (Drake-en)
Er'ath (Air-oth)
Hur’al (Hur-al)
King Hantestum (Han-test-um)
King Mathius Thuun (Math-eye-us Thoon)
Lacretia (Lack-reesha)
Laliala Menin (Lal-ee-ala Men-in)
Len’i Morii (Len-eye Mor-eye)
Lordich Secracar (Lord-ich Seck-rack-car)
Marrok Wulf (Mar-ock)
Master Ignatius (Ig-nay-shuss)
Nethlith (Neth-lith)
Oken (Oaken)
Phenil (Phen-ill)
Reena Lifor (Ree-na Lif-or)
Rinoch's (Ry-knocks)
Rostha (Rows-tha)
Rosthagaar (Ross-tha-gar)
Su'un (Sew-oon)
Su’un Quindil (Sew-oon Quin-dil)
Thruup (Threw-p)
Vinchenza Aduramis (Vin-chen-za Adoo-ra-miss)
Westeroe (West-air-row)
Zaruun (Zare-oon)
THE NEW WORLD
Aduramis
(A-doo-ramis)
Ædelmær Wulf
(Add-el-meer Wolf)
Aerëndyl Haldìr
(Air-en-dil Hall-deer)
Aniol
(Annie-o
l)
Axl Thulomn
(Axe-ill Thool-om)
Cédrick
(Sed-rick)
Cerathil
(Sir-a-theel)
Coinin Wulf
(Coin-in Wolf)
Corrine
(Cor-een)
Dalia
(Day-lea)
Dareth Jericho
(Dar-eth Jer-icko)
Dollip
(Doh-lip)
Dorn
(Dawn)
Draken Wulf
(Drake-en Wolf)
Ignatius
(Ig-nay-shus)
Jarek Symes
(Jar-ek Sighms)
Laliala Menin
(Lal-ee-ala Men-in)
Lordich Secracar
(Lord-ich Seck-rack-car)
Maresh
(Mar-esh)
Marrok Wulf
(Mar-ock Wolf)
Meone
(Me-own)
Minröld
(Min-ruld)
Nethlith
(Neth-lith)
Orodor
(Or-oh-door)
Rindor
(Rin-door)
Rneya
(Ren-aya)
Rodine
(Row-deen)
Rosthagaar
(Ross-tha-gar)
Shiel
(Sheel)
Su'un Quindil
(Sew-oon Quin-dil)
Taminoth
(Tam-ee-noth)
Thonrir
(Thon-reer)
Thronweil
(Thron-wheel)
Triel
(Tree-el)
Tulock
(Two-lock)
Ulondaar
(Oo-lon-dar)
Warital
(War-it-all)
Zaruun Mos
(Zare-oon Moz)
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