Read Online High The Vanes (The Change Book 2) by David Kearns - Free Book Online
Authors: David Kearns
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I shall never forget the first time we had to crawl through the tunnel into the Room.
I suppose that I had somehow come to expect that Uricon would be a kind of paradise. After everything we had endured to reach this place, I was shattered to discover nothing but some old ruins. When Gwenllian had greeted us, she had swept her arm across the view as if she was revealing something magnificent. Every night of our journey, huddled in whatever hovel or hole we found ourselves, I had dreamed of ‘Uricon’ – my ‘Uricon’, a place of comfort and warmth, generously provided with everything I could need. Water to take a bath. Fresh clothes. Fresh fruit and vegetables. A bed with a soft, comfortable mattress. When I awoke, cold, damp and miserable, the thought that this was where we were headed kept me going.
How wrong I was. Uricon was all that remained of a great Roman city, according to Nefyn. We had been introduced to him shortly after Gwenllian left us. She had taken Eluned aside and they spent nearly an hour talking in whispers, while I sat on what remained of a wall, shivering and hungry. Eventually, they had returned. Gwenllian said nothing to me, smiled enigmatically, turned and walked away. Before she had gone a few yards, she had disappeared.
“She will return, my lady,” Eluned had said, also smiling. “We are to await her. Her servant will assist us in the meantime.”
I didn’t care to ask where she had gone, or why we were supposed to wait for her. I was too cold, too hungry, too, too disappointed that the paradise I had been expecting had evaporated into thin air.
Moments later, Nefyn materialised. I don’t remember seeing him coming. One minute he was not there. The next minute he was. A tall, thin, scrawny looking individual, the thought that this was the servant of the last high servant of the lady only served to extinguish any residual hope I may have had left. He introduced himself to Eluned, but seemed to ignore me.
“Eluned Llyn Y Gadair, it is indeed an honour and my privilege to welcome you to my humble dwelling. My name is Nefyn fab Cunedda, last of the Votadini. Long have we expected you.”
He bowed deeply to her. She bowed back. “Your welcome is music to our ears Nefyn fab Cunedda. My people, the Ordovices, send you greetings from afar. Soon, alas, we also shall be gone into the past.”
She turned to me. “This lady, you know, is the Expected One.”
He did not look at me, but said, “Long have we awaited her, Eluned Llyn Y Gadair. It is my fortune to join with you in serving her.”
These formalities quickly became tedious. “Does he have any food, Eluned?” I asked angrily. “Anywhere decent to sleep, perhaps? Or to have a wash? Never mind the long names and ancient people. This is now, and I am dirty, hungry and tired.”
Nefyn still spoke to Eluned. “When my lady Gwenllian returns there will be plenty. Until then I can only offer you what little I have. Please ask her to follow me.”
“I can hear you, you know,” I exploded. “You can talk to me.”
Eluned touched my arm. “He cannot, my lady. He belongs to the High Servant. He is only allowed to speak to her and others such as myself, also servants of the Lady.”
“Come. Bring her,” he said and turned away.
So it was that we arrived in the Room. I was not at all willing to get down on my hands and knees and crawl through the tunnel at first, but it was made clear that there was no choice if I wanted to eat and sleep. What I found, of course, was even greater disappointment. The room, which now lay around me, scarcely visible through the damp murk of early morning, was almost bare. A low truckle bed, a table and two chairs and a pile of books. There was a fire place but it was filled with long dead ashes. Once Eluned had encouraged me to sit on a chair, she whispered something to Nefyn who promptly disappeared back down the tunnel.
Eluned looked about, eventually discovering two
I shall never forget the first time we had to crawl through the tunnel into the Room.
I suppose that I had somehow come to expect that Uricon would be a kind of paradise. After everything we had endured to reach this place, I was shattered to discover nothing but some old ruins. When Gwenllian had greeted us, she had swept her arm across the view as if she was revealing something magnificent. Every night of our journey, huddled in whatever hovel or hole we found ourselves, I had dreamed of ‘Uricon’ – my ‘Uricon’, a place of comfort and warmth, generously provided with everything I could need. Water to take a bath. Fresh clothes. Fresh fruit and vegetables. A bed with a soft, comfortable mattress. When I awoke, cold, damp and miserable, the thought that this was where we were headed kept me going.
How wrong I was. Uricon was all that remained of a great Roman city, according to Nefyn. We had been introduced to him shortly after Gwenllian left us. She had taken Eluned aside and they spent nearly an hour talking in whispers, while I sat on what remained of a wall, shivering and hungry. Eventually, they had returned. Gwenllian said nothing to me, smiled enigmatically, turned and walked away. Before she had gone a few yards, she had disappeared.
“She will return, my lady,” Eluned had said, also smiling. “We are to await her. Her servant will assist us in the meantime.”
I didn’t care to ask where she had gone, or why we were supposed to wait for her. I was too cold, too hungry, too, too disappointed that the paradise I had been expecting had evaporated into thin air.
Moments later, Nefyn materialised. I don’t remember seeing him coming. One minute he was not there. The next minute he was. A tall, thin, scrawny looking individual, the thought that this was the servant of the last high servant of the lady only served to extinguish any residual hope I may have had left. He introduced himself to Eluned, but seemed to ignore me.
“Eluned Llyn Y Gadair, it is indeed an honour and my privilege to welcome you to my humble dwelling. My name is Nefyn fab Cunedda, last of the Votadini. Long have we expected you.”
He bowed deeply to her. She bowed back. “Your welcome is music to our ears Nefyn fab Cunedda. My people, the Ordovices, send you greetings from afar. Soon, alas, we also shall be gone into the past.”
She turned to me. “This lady, you know, is the Expected One.”
He did not look at me, but said, “Long have we awaited her, Eluned Llyn Y Gadair. It is my fortune to join with you in serving her.”
These formalities quickly became tedious. “Does he have any food, Eluned?” I asked angrily. “Anywhere decent to sleep, perhaps? Or to have a wash? Never mind the long names and ancient people. This is now, and I am dirty, hungry and tired.”
Nefyn still spoke to Eluned. “When my lady Gwenllian returns there will be plenty. Until then I can only offer you what little I have. Please ask her to follow me.”
“I can hear you, you know,” I exploded. “You can talk to me.”
Eluned touched my arm. “He cannot, my lady. He belongs to the High Servant. He is only allowed to speak to her and others such as myself, also servants of the Lady.”
“Come. Bring her,” he said and turned away.
So it was that we arrived in the Room. I was not at all willing to get down on my hands and knees and crawl through the tunnel at first, but it was made clear that there was no choice if I wanted to eat and sleep. What I found, of course, was even greater disappointment. The room, which now lay around me, scarcely visible through the damp murk of early morning, was almost bare. A low truckle bed, a table and two chairs and a pile of books. There was a fire place but it was filled with long dead ashes. Once Eluned had encouraged me to sit on a chair, she whispered something to Nefyn who promptly disappeared back down the tunnel.
Eluned looked about, eventually discovering two
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