The Runaway

by Claire Wong

  “Elin was a dreamer, and she made many mistakes with bad consequences, but what happened to Emrys was not her fault. Emrys was driven out by people who were frightened into cruelty. And he did not die that night.”

  “How do you know this? Have you heard from him since? I thought he vanished without a trace.”

  “He did, but two weeks ago his children returned to the village.”

  “What? Who? Wait, two weeks ago… Not Adam and Grace?”

  Maebh nods. “No one else in the village knows who they really are.”

  Diana gasps. “They must be so angry with us all!”

  “I think they are able to forgive the people who hurt their father.”

  Diana sits and reconsiders everything she knows about these two visitors to her village. She goes through each interaction she has had with them and realizes that all this time they have been showing even more kindness and grace to the people of Llandymna than she ever understood.

  “I recruited them to help with setting up for the party,” she remembers with a groan, “and they never complained once.”

  “There is more,” Maebh continues. “Something I know Tom Davies is actually coming to tell you later, but given our conversation I think you need to know now.”

  “It’s about Rhiannon, isn’t it?” Diana tightens her grip on the arm of the chair.

  “She is alive.”

  Diana exhales a breath she feels as though she has been holding for a long time.

  “She is living in Dyrys, a long way into the forest where the police search parties could not find her. But Adam and Grace have been helping her.”

  “And Callum? Is he there too?”

  “Yes.”

  “All this time. Why didn’t they tell me before? Don’t answer that – I imagine I’m the villain in all this, aren’t I? The cruel aunt whose niece runs away from home. Do you think they would take me to her? Do you think she would want to see me if I went?”

  “I do not know.”

  Diana stands up. “Then I have to find out. What’s the time? Oh goodness, the party’s due to start soon! At least that will make it easy to find the others. Maebh, can I drive you to the church hall?”

  “Thank you, my dear. I would be glad not to walk.”

  Eira is delighted that Maebh is coming with them. They pile into the car with more chaos than usual, due to the excitement of the party.

  “Do you like my dress? It’s swooshy,” she says, demonstrating by trying her best to twirl as Diana fastens her seatbelt.

  “Eira cariad, that’s not helpful,” her mother reasons. It is a short drive to the church hall from the house, but easier than walking with two small children and an elderly woman.

  “Are you going to find Rhiannon?” Eira asks suddenly. Diana stops so abruptly she almost hits her head on the car roof.

  “What makes you say that?”

  “I heard you and Maebh say that she’s in the woods. Are you going to see her?”

  If there were one thing Diana did not want, it was for her children to be dragged through the turmoil of what is unfolding today, and yet she is suddenly reminded of how she too as a child used to sit quietly and listen to the adults, so that she always understood more than they realized.

  “Yes, I am. Now I don’t want you to worry about any of it. We’re going to go and play at the party, and Maebh is going to look after you while I go and see if I can find Rhiannon.”

  Eira smiles and nods, as if this makes complete sense to her.

  “I’m not worried, Mummy. I’ll be like the fox on the bridge.”

  “The what?” Diana wonders what her daughter has imagined up this time. Maebh looks pleased.

  “Maebh told me about him. There’s this little fox, and he wants to be at home with his family instead of lost in the snow, and there’s a magic bridge, and he has to tell someone what he’s worried about. And then suddenly he’s not worried any more. So me and Owen can be like the fox and the fawn, and then we won’t be scared of anything.”

  Diana looks at her children in amazement, then turns back to Maebh.

  “Never underestimate the power of stories,” the old woman says with a shrug.

  They pull up outside the hall, and as they do, a teenager loitering on the steps outside runs into the building with a shout of “She’s here!” There is a scuffle of chairs and bodies rearranging themselves inside, and as the group enter the hall they are greeted with a cheer.

  The hall is decorated beautifully, with pots of lavender on every table, while bunting and fairy lights hang from the ceiling. A banner wishing Diana happy birthday hangs over a raised platform intended to work as a stage for speeches.

  “You two stay with Maebh now. Mummy has to go and have boring conversations with grown-ups,” Diana tells her children, as she scans the room for the people she needs to find. Crossing the hall is difficult, as every one of her guests approaches with cards, gifts or an inquiry as to when she will be making a speech. She makes her way to the far side in a whirlwind of platitudes.

  “Thank you… So kind of you… So glad you could come… How is your husband now?… I’m just so touched that everyone has gone to so much effort… Would you excuse me?… There’s something I need to see to first.”

  She selects a side table to hold all the cards and presents she has received so far, and then finds Grace making some final adjustments to the layout of the buffet table.

  “Happy birthday, Diana. Thank you for inviting us to your party.”

  “Is it true?” Diana asks. “Do you know where Rhiannon is?”

  Grace’s whole expression changes. For a moment she looks troubled and then turns solemn as she answers, “Yes.”

  She waves to Adam urgently as he walks past with folding chairs under his arms, and he stops.

  “What’s this?” he asks.

  “Diana knows that we’ve seen Rhiannon,” Grace updates him, before turning back to Diana. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you. We’ve done what we thought was best for her, but –”

  “Yes, never mind that. Can you take me to her?”

  “Um, yes. At least, we can take you to the part of the woods where she is. But we wouldn’t be able to make her come out of hiding to meet us if she didn’t want to.”

  “Of course,” Diana nods, “and she may not want to see me. Perhaps if we were accompanied by someone she would talk to…”

  Adam and Grace look on in bewilderment as Diana considers her options, rules out Maebh as not being sufficiently mobile to make the journey out into Dyrys, and fixes on her best chance.

  “Do you know where I can find Nia?”

  They direct her to the little kitchenette, separated from the hall by a hatch that is currently lowered so that food can be prepared out of sight. Diana finds Nia opening the oven door and releasing a mushroom cloud of steam into the room. She removes two trays of quiche and then turns around to spot Diana.

  “Oh! I didn’t realize you were there. I’m sorry – the food’s almost ready to come out. It’s taking a bit longer to prepare than I expected.”

  She looks around frantically at the trays set out on the counters and counts them again. She starts muttering under her breath about timings for the oven. Diana is tempted for a moment to step in and help Nia work out her timetable properly, but stops herself.

  “There’s no hurry. I wasn’t coming to chase the catering. I have something else to ask of you. But before that, I need to apologize first.”

  “You – you do?” Nia stops and looks puzzled.

  “Yes,” Diana says firmly, determined not to be talked out of her resolve now. “I have behaved very badly towards you. As my daughter wisely says, grown-ups are not supposed to be rude to each other, but I have been unkind to you. I even tried to blame you, and the interview you gave, for the fact that Rhiannon hasn’t come h
ome. I never really believed you had anything to do with it; I just wanted someone else to point the finger at. I know you only did what you thought was best for her.”

  “I don’t know what to say.” Nia leans back against the kitchen counter, now looking shell-shocked.

  “I hope that you won’t hold it against me –” Diana is trying hard not to revert to her usual brisk tone, even though anything gentler feels unnatural – “because I need to ask for your help again. You see, I know where Rhiannon is.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes. Or rather, Adam and Grace have found her. They have agreed to take me to her. But I’m afraid she won’t want to talk to me. I hoped you might come with me, so that there’s a friendly face for her.”

  “Of course, anything I can do to help!” Nia cries. “When are you going?”

  “As soon as possible. It’s terrible timing, but I’m going to have to try to slip away from the party without offending anyone.”

  “Is she nearby?”

  “Yes. She’s in the woods. So here’s the plan: I’ll go out and show my face quickly, then when people are occupied with eating, I’ll come and find you, and we can leave while no one is watching.”

  Diana leaves Nia to finish putting food on trays as she goes out to mingle with guests, though her mind is not on the party. She is quickly ambushed by Joan Perry and Elsie Jones, who want to update her on their respective families.

  “Diana, I’ve just seen Eira playing over in the corner. Hasn’t she grown? She reminds me of my brother’s youngest, you know – they’re about the same age. Of course, I only get to see pictures of her that he emails over from Vancouver.”

  “Of course,” Diana smiles, and takes her cue perfectly, “and how are your brother and his family? Are they preparing for another severe winter?”

  “Oh, they’re well, thank you,” Elsie answers with delight, “though you know Sara was ill for so much of the summer that he had to look after the children himself!”

  Elsie seems to be blaming her sister-in-law Sara for being selfish enough to fall ill during the school holidays, but Diana is only half paying attention.

  As the clamour for food sets in, she catches Nia’s eye and gives a nod. Nia, Adam, and Grace gather by the side door of the hall.

  “So what’s the plan?” asks Grace.

  “We can leave now and no one will notice. If you two can get us as close as possible to where you think Rhiannon will be, then Nia can talk to her first. If nothing else, I just want to see her, to know that she is all right.”

  “OK,” says Adam, “there are a few places in the woods we can try: there’s a clearing where we’ve met before, or where Callum’s staying –”

  “You’re going to find Callum?” exclaims another voice. The four of them look around to see Ifan standing nearby. “Good, I’ll come with you. I want to have a word with him.”

  “Ifan, please –” Nia begins.

  “Look, clearly you all know where he is. You’ve been hiding him, haven’t you? Is that what the four of you have been scheming about all evening? I’ve seen you all talking together in a huddle. That boy nearly killed me and he thinks he can get away with it. Tell me where he is!”

  “Ifan,” Diana reasons, “you already dropped all charges against him. Even if anyone tells you where he is, what do you suppose the police are going to do about it? Leave him be.”

  Ifan snorts. “As if they would do anything either way! You have to take care of these things yourself. My father and his brothers, they never called the police to fix any of their quarrels. They resolved things properly.”

  “Ifan, we are not going to tell you where Callum is, especially if you’re planning a rematch against him,” Adam says firmly.

  “You’ve already told me he’s in the woods. That’s a good enough start for now,” Ifan says, and he strides over to a table where Simon and other local farm workers have started to eat. They watch as he gestures wildly with his arms while addressing them. His friends’ faces start out puzzled, but then one man stands up abruptly.

  “Oh no,” says Nia, “he’s gathering a search party!”

  “Well, now we can’t go to find Rhiannon,” whispers Grace, “or he might follow us.”

  “Not if you have a head start,” says Adam. “I can delay them while you find her and then warn Callum that Ifan is looking for him.”

  “I’ll help you,” says Diana, to everyone else’s surprise.

  “But I thought you wanted to see Rhiannon?” says Grace.

  “I do. But I don’t want that man anywhere near my niece while he’s in such a state. Nor do I want Callum to get hurt – the boy seems to keep on paying for his stupidity and it needs to stop. I can use my influence here far more than I would be any help in the woods. Nia and Grace, warn them to hide. I don’t know what exactly Ifan is capable of when he’s this angry.”

  Nia gives a look that suggests she might have some idea, and agrees to the new plan. Adam and Diana block the doorway behind them as Nia and Grace slip outside.

  Ifan’s raised voice has drawn some attention now, and Tom walks over to see what the matter is. “Everything all right here?” he asks.

  “Tom Davies, I’d like to report the whereabouts of a wanted criminal – not that you’ll do anything about it, as usual.”

  “Go on.”

  “Callum is in the woods. We’re going to find him for you!”

  “Ifan, you can’t just take the law into your own hands. Tell me what you know, and the police will take care of it.”

  “Like you did when he got away before? No, I think it’s time we actually got something done around here.”

  There is a general rumble of laughter and agreement from the farmhands and friends of Ifan gathered around him. Others, particularly the families who have come to celebrate Diana’s birthday, look disapproving and uneasy at the disturbance taking place.

  Diana marches up to join the conversation.

  “Ifan, that’s a police officer you are talking to, and don’t forget it!” she snaps, like a parent irritated by a child’s bad behaviour. “Besides, you’re making a scene. I invited you here as my guest.”

  “She’s got a point,” says Ifan. “I guess we’ll take this outside then.”

  He starts walking towards the door and then falters for just a split second, turning back with his own invitation to his friends: “So who’s coming with me?”

  Tom ignores Ifan and addresses the others, sensing that there is more hope of reasoning with them. “Stay where you are,” he warns them. “If you go with him, I won’t be able to protect you from the consequences.”

  “Consequences?” Ifan repeats. “Where were your precious consequences when I was being sewn back together in hospital? Or when you had the opportunity to arrest Callum in the first place?”

  Ifan’s furious speech seems to draw others in, and though a few men stay seated in response to Tom’s plea, several get up and follow Ifan to the door. As they reach it, Adam steps forward. At first they think he has come to join them, but then they realize he is blocking their path.

  “You should listen to Tom,” he says. He stands where he can bar their way out, and shows no sign of moving.

  “Out of the way,” Ifan cautions, “before this gets ugly in front of all these children.”

  Adam glances from Ifan’s tight-knuckled fist to the many faces fixed on them. Parents, children, and the elderly are among Diana’s party guests. Reluctantly, he steps aside to let them leave, realizing that once he loses the advantage of the narrow doorway, the group going with Ifan will be too many for him to stop them all. He grimaces at his decision as he lets them all walk out of the hall, knowing they are on their way to Dyrys.

  Chapter four

  Rhiannon

  Callum asks me what time I think it might be. I look up at the gaps of sky visible
through the browning canopy and try to guess. We have been waiting here for hours. Callum has finished packing all his belongings away. I’ve begun to build a fire to keep off the evening chill.

  “It’ll be dark in about an hour,” I tell him. “That won’t make travelling easy. Maybe you should leave tomorrow instead, to avoid losing your way.”

  “No,” says Callum, rising to his feet and fastening his coat. “I said I would leave today, and so I will. I’ve waited long enough. Can you say goodbye to Adam and Grace for me?”

  I think about this for a minute as I stoke the fire. “No.”

  “What?”

  “I think you owe them a proper goodbye, after everything they’ve done for you. You’d have starved if it wasn’t for them. It’s not like I would have fed you – not for the first few days you were out here at least.”

  Callum sighs. “You’re probably right.”

  “Wow! Can I have that in writing?” I tease. He laughs.

  A noise up ahead catches my attention and I run to the other side of the clearing.

  “What is it?” asks Callum.

  “Someone’s coming.”

  “At last,” he says.

  “No, something’s wrong. It sounds like people running.”

  “Why would Adam and Grace be running?”

  “Wait here,” I say, and I duck low to the ground and edge forward, trying to get a glimpse of whoever is coming. Callum falls silent behind me, finally picking up on my unease. It is definitely more than one person, and heading this way. I creep forward and in the distance I can see two faces. I try to block out memories of that day, months ago, when men and dogs raced through these woods in search of me, and I ran wildly and blindly away from them into the depths of the forest.

  “It’s Grace!” I hiss back to Callum. “And someone else is with her – I think it’s Nia!”