eyes surrounded by leaves.” He briskly brushed the leaves off my clothing, but I kept on shivering uncontrollably.
“We’d better get you moving,” Tarvos said, giving me a shove. He might think of me as a druid, but he did not let that intimidate him. I liked him all the more for it.
As we walked back to the fort, I heard a sound in my ears like the sound a glass bottle makes if you strike it with metal. Tarvos somehow eased himself into my armpit and took part of my weight on himself. “Crazy druids,” he muttered.
“I’m not a druid yet,” I felt constrained to remind him.
“I’m a warrior because I was bom a warrior,” he replied. “You’re a druid for the same reason.”
Menua was not in our lodge. I yearned for my bed. Since I had given Tarvos no instructions, he followed me inside.
“Grog!” screamed the raven on the roof.
“Druids don’t live very well,” commented Tarvos, looking around. “I thought you’d have a lot of gold in here.”
“It’s in here,” I told him, tapping my forehead.
He looked dubious. “If you say so.” He shrugged his burly shoulders as if shrugging off a cloak; a characteristic gesture, I was to leam. “Do you want me to build a fire to dry your clothes?”
My head reminded me I should not have brought anyone into the chief druid’s lodge without Menua’s invitation. And a druid’s fire was sacred; no flame could be kindled on the summerdead hearth without an elaborate ritual.
I was chilled, my teeth were beginning to chatter. I had lain
44 Morgan Llywelyn
for a long time in the rain, I suppose. I started to say, “I can take care of myself, you can go now …” but the ringing in my ears grew louder and I wandered off into a grayness.
From a distance came the raven’s voice, chirping like a wren. I awoke to a sense of urgency. My skull was filled with cobwebs. Sorting among them, I could not find the thought I wanted. Menua was bending over me and I wanted to tell him about the night and the music, but my tongue refused to obey me. Tarvos is more obedient than my body, I thought angrily.
I became aware of a fire blazing. Raising my head dizzily, I saw Tarvos feeding sticks to the flames… .
The next time I emerged from the grayness, Suits the healer was rubbing a foul-smelling paste on my chest. “You should not have let him stay out all night m a storm,” she said over her shoulder to Menua.
“He’s a strong young man, and it was important to him. He must be given every opportunity to discover his abilities; our numbers are too small as it is. This is not the safest of times.”
Sulis bowed her head. “It is not. I don’t question your judgment,” she added submissively. Menua was the chief druid.
And Tarvos had. dared to build a fire on his hearth! I struggled to sit up. Sulis pushed me back onto my bed with one firm hand in the center of my chest. As she bent over me I saw the valley between her breasts in the deep neck of her gown.
“Where is Tarvos?” I demanded to know. “Did you put him in a cage? It wasn’t his fault!”
Menua’s face swam into my wavering sight.’ ‘Of course I didn’t put him in a cage. He took care of you, we are grateful.”
“I want to see him now,” I demanded feverishly. To my surprise, for I was not used to commanding the chief druid, Menua nodded and beckoned to someone. Tarvos stepped forward, unharmed.
“I’m here, Ainvar. You didn’t dismiss me, solstayed.”
I lay back bemused, imagining Tarvos stubbornly holding his place when the chief druid returned to the lodge.
Suits rubbed a fragrant liquid onto my upper lip. As the fumes drifted into my nostrils, I fell into an easy sleep, from which I eventually awoke, clearheaded but weak.
Tarvos was sitting on the floor near me, sharpening a knife on a whetstone. The bulky shape of his shoulders was reassuring. He wore me only tunic and leggings I had ever seen him in, garments unacquainted with washing, and the hair flowing down his
“We’d better get you moving,” Tarvos said, giving me a shove. He might think of me as a druid, but he did not let that intimidate him. I liked him all the more for it.
As we walked back to the fort, I heard a sound in my ears like the sound a glass bottle makes if you strike it with metal. Tarvos somehow eased himself into my armpit and took part of my weight on himself. “Crazy druids,” he muttered.
“I’m not a druid yet,” I felt constrained to remind him.
“I’m a warrior because I was bom a warrior,” he replied. “You’re a druid for the same reason.”
Menua was not in our lodge. I yearned for my bed. Since I had given Tarvos no instructions, he followed me inside.
“Grog!” screamed the raven on the roof.
“Druids don’t live very well,” commented Tarvos, looking around. “I thought you’d have a lot of gold in here.”
“It’s in here,” I told him, tapping my forehead.
He looked dubious. “If you say so.” He shrugged his burly shoulders as if shrugging off a cloak; a characteristic gesture, I was to leam. “Do you want me to build a fire to dry your clothes?”
My head reminded me I should not have brought anyone into the chief druid’s lodge without Menua’s invitation. And a druid’s fire was sacred; no flame could be kindled on the summerdead hearth without an elaborate ritual.
I was chilled, my teeth were beginning to chatter. I had lain
44 Morgan Llywelyn
for a long time in the rain, I suppose. I started to say, “I can take care of myself, you can go now …” but the ringing in my ears grew louder and I wandered off into a grayness.
From a distance came the raven’s voice, chirping like a wren. I awoke to a sense of urgency. My skull was filled with cobwebs. Sorting among them, I could not find the thought I wanted. Menua was bending over me and I wanted to tell him about the night and the music, but my tongue refused to obey me. Tarvos is more obedient than my body, I thought angrily.
I became aware of a fire blazing. Raising my head dizzily, I saw Tarvos feeding sticks to the flames… .
The next time I emerged from the grayness, Suits the healer was rubbing a foul-smelling paste on my chest. “You should not have let him stay out all night m a storm,” she said over her shoulder to Menua.
“He’s a strong young man, and it was important to him. He must be given every opportunity to discover his abilities; our numbers are too small as it is. This is not the safest of times.”
Sulis bowed her head. “It is not. I don’t question your judgment,” she added submissively. Menua was the chief druid.
And Tarvos had. dared to build a fire on his hearth! I struggled to sit up. Sulis pushed me back onto my bed with one firm hand in the center of my chest. As she bent over me I saw the valley between her breasts in the deep neck of her gown.
“Where is Tarvos?” I demanded to know. “Did you put him in a cage? It wasn’t his fault!”
Menua’s face swam into my wavering sight.’ ‘Of course I didn’t put him in a cage. He took care of you, we are grateful.”
“I want to see him now,” I demanded feverishly. To my surprise, for I was not used to commanding the chief druid, Menua nodded and beckoned to someone. Tarvos stepped forward, unharmed.
“I’m here, Ainvar. You didn’t dismiss me, solstayed.”
I lay back bemused, imagining Tarvos stubbornly holding his place when the chief druid returned to the lodge.
Suits rubbed a fragrant liquid onto my upper lip. As the fumes drifted into my nostrils, I fell into an easy sleep, from which I eventually awoke, clearheaded but weak.
Tarvos was sitting on the floor near me, sharpening a knife on a whetstone. The bulky shape of his shoulders was reassuring. He wore me only tunic and leggings I had ever seen him in, garments unacquainted with washing, and the hair flowing down his
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