Chapter 38 Non #2
“Nowhere. It was just dark, and then I was falling from the sky.”
Dylan was clearly unconvinced, but I turned my attention to Zenn and Lleucu, who'd begun sparring.
It wasn't that I didn't want to tell Dylan what I had seen as I fell. I just wasn't convinced I had even seen those things. I had tumbled and flipped so many times I wasn't sure where was up and where was down, let alone if I'd really seen flying beasts in the sky.
Mercy and Dylan each took turns giving me pointers that could help me summon my power at will. All had been fruitless, though.
Lleucu, Efydd, and the lavender-haired girl all sat on a log on the outskirts of the ring. I assumed she sat this session out as she'd yet to be chosen as a vassal, but she certainly looked old enough to have competed in the Anoethau.
After a few exercises, Zenn had been the one who'd successfully coached me to produce a small ball of shimmering shadows in my palm.
I graduated to moving that ball from one hand to the other, then to shooting them at a target.
We finished training by firing the balls at a moving target, which Efydd had been chosen for as he was the youngest.
I fired shadow after shadow, but he was quick, and my magic moved at a snail's pace. As I lined up a shot that would hopefully hit Efydd in his shoulder, a voice called out, causing me to misfire towards the approaching figure.
They acted quickly and crossed their wrists in front of their face; the shadows were absorbed into the silver manacles they wore.
“Your power is slow because you've drained your reserve in such large quantities over the last few days,” Caerwyn said as he stepped into the ring.
Confused, I looked at Dylan.
“Do you know how a Witch's power reserve works?”
“What do you think?” I asked, crossing my arms.
“Adding it to the mental list of things I need to explain to you.”
Caerwyn clapped his arm around Dylan's forearm as the two thumped their chest together. “Sorry if I'm interrupting, but everyone will be leaving for Nos Calan Gaeaf soon, so time is of the essence. I was informed you wanted some questions answered?”
“I know I told you Caerwyn would be happy to answer your questions. We hadn't had a chance until this evening to talk, so I asked him to swing by. I hope that's okay?”
“Absolutely. Thank you, Ledr Caerwyn, for taking the time to speak with me.”
“Caerwyn or Uncle Caerwyn—whatever you're most comfortable with. But no niece of mine needs to use such a formal title.”
Efydd scoffed. “The last time I called you Caerwyn, you put me on pot washing duty for six weeks!”
“And you'd do well to remember that, good boy,” Caerwyn said with a tone I guessed he used often when pulling rank.
Efydd kept his head down as he toed a rock on the floor.
Before the Western Coven made their way to Llwyn Onn, where the other Covens would be attending the celebration, they held a small gathering around their own Aelwyd. People drank and ate. Some danced, but with less vigour than they had the night of the Anoethau celebration.
Zenn had sourced the group some drinks that smelt like liquorice. I took a cup but had no real intention of drinking alcohol tonight. The absence of feeling like I needed a drink to deal with the evening felt good.
Caerwyn had a few people he needed to speak to before answering my questions, so I sat on a bench near the fire as I pretended to sip my drink.
“I wondered where you'd snuck off to,” a voice said from behind me.
Looking up, I saw the face I found myself wanting to see more and more of. Dylan offered me a tankard, but I declined and held up my cup of liquorice liqueur.
“This one doesn't have any alcohol in it. I guessed you'd want to steer clear of that stuff for a little while.”
I placed the drink Zenn had given me on the floor and accepted his. As I took a sip, it tasted of spiced berries and was utterly divine.
We sat in a comfortable silence for a while as people danced and socialised around us. Eventually, I took a deep breath and spoke.
“Enlighten me as to what exactly we're celebrating tonight? I've heard Halloween referred to as Calan Gaeaf before, but I don't see anyone dressed as a pirate with a bucket for sweets anywhere.”
Dylan leaned back on his hands and crossed his feet at the ankles.
“Nos Calan Gaeaf is the night before the first day of Winter. We celebrate the night prior because, as the seasons turn from Autumn to Winter, Witches believe tonight is when the gateway between this realm and the Otherworld is at its thinnest. Never weak enough for the gates to open without the Orwen or the Orddu, but thin enough that our messages and thanks to our lost loved ones can be heard by their souls.”
We sat in peaceful silence a little while longer until, eventually, Caerwyn returned.
“Apologies, Non. Everyone wants everything from me this evening.”
“I'll give you two some privacy,” Dylan said as he stood. He leaned back down and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I'll be over there if you need me.”
Nodding, I gave him a genuine smile, and he gave me one back.
Caerwyn cleared his throat.
“Dyl tells me you had questions about my manacles?”
I chewed on the bottom of my lip. “I did, I mean, I do. Although I had a brief rundown from Cadoc at Llwyn Onn today.”
Caerwyn smoothed his beard as he took my words in.
“Poor dab has witnessed so much loss. Tell me what he told you, and we can go from there.”
I relayed the confrontation I'd had with Cadoc earlier in the day. Caerwyn showed no emotion when I shared the cruel things he'd said about the Western Coven. I guess these were things Caerwyn had heard so many times by now he was immune to the slander.
“Cadoc was right about a couple of things.
These manacles are designed to keep my power contained.
Dylan's mother, Desra, who was the Forge Mistress before him, came up with a way to incorporate ground foxglove into the steel. She took inspiration from the method used to infuse our weapons with stone, so we can call to them.”
“That must be incredibly painful.” My eyes flicked to the red welts at his wrists.
“It was in the beginning, but I've been wearing them for so long now I've become used to the pain.”
I felt myself subconsciously rubbing at my own wrist.
“And was he right when he said you'd chosen to wear them?”
“He was.” Caerwyn took a drink from his cup.
“Just over twenty-five years ago, the daughter of the Eastern Coven was chosen as the Orwen.
Around the same time, your uncle Emrys succeeded his father, my brother Gwilym, as the Orddu.
At that time, those whose power came from D?n still referred to themselves as Witches, and we'd been in a period of peace between the Witches of D?n and Llyr for some time.
We had my brother to thank for that; he worked mercilessly on bridging the gap between the two.
Even the Eastern, Southern, and Northern Covens were a mixture of D?n and Llyr's Witches at one point.
The fivefold symbol you've seen was a favoured icon of my brother; it represents the five Covens all interlocked and equal.”
He took another long drink before continuing.
“Gwaun wasn't chosen by his father to take over as the Orddu.
He was always a malicious and spiteful boy and took the news terribly.
Emrys, at the time, had fallen head over heels in love with the new Orwen from the east. Lo and behold, Gwaun decides he is also in love with the Orwen and is furious when she doesn't return the sentiment.
Emrys and his new love came to stay with me for a while at Plas Ffynone, as things at Llwyn Onn had gotten hostile with his brother.
Gwaun had gone mad with jealousy and started researching spells and practices that were unnatural.
But there were those who supported his bid to be the Orddu and his perverted use of magic.
With his newfound supporters, he attacked Plas Ffynone in the night.
He killed Emrys, allegedly the Orwen too, although a body was never found and no one since has been chosen to replace her.
Her fathers, who serve as the Ledr and Ail of the East, were so grief-stricken that they haven't been seen since— nor has their Coven.
Thirty-six innocent Witches were also killed by Gwaun while trying to defend the Coven.
He also focused a series of attacks on all the Covens one by one; in total, nearly a thousand were killed.
Gwaun got what he wanted and disappeared with his brother's body, only to be beaten at his own game for once.
Emrys had managed to pass the power of the Orddu on to Desra before he died.
He knew this was the one thing Gwaun desired more than anything else.
When Gwaun realised he'd been duped, he dumped Emry’s body on the doorstep of Llwyn Onn for Bron and my brother to find.
Gwaun lay low for some years until his greed for the power of the Orddu drove him to madness again.
Two years ago, he was successful in stealing the power from Desra, killing her and her wife in the process.
“Aeron had just been voted in as Ledr of the Central Coven, and he called for an immediate separation between the Witches of D?n and Llyr.
With Gwaun missing, Aeron was adamant that someone needed to pay for the lives lost. His initial suggestion involved exiling all Witches of Llyr to live in solitude and saying that we should all have our power stunted.
I pleaded on my knees for that not to happen.
I was the next most powerful Witch alive aside from Gwaun.
Aeron agreed to not punish all the Witches of Llyr under two conditions.
One, I was to wear these manacles for the rest of my days, as a physical reminder of what 'our people' had done. The other condition was that all Witches of Llyr leave the other Covens and only serve the Western Coven. Families were separated; people had to leave their homes behind and flee to the West.”
His story was astonishing. I'd barely been able to take my eyes off him the entire time. I opened my mouth to ask more questions, but Dylan returned dressed in his black habit.
“Sorry to interrupt you two, but we need to get a move on if we are going to make the celebration.”
As we finished our drinks, Dylan gave us a few more moments of privacy.
“I understand that was a heartbreaking and harrowing story to hear about your family. Anytime you want to talk about it more or ask any questions, my door is always open for you, Non.”
Caerwyn stood and helped me to my feet. With no warning, he wrapped me in his arms and squeezed tightly. My natural reaction was to go stiff, but then I relaxed into the embrace and hugged him back.
Dylan found us again along with Zenn, Mercy, Efydd, Lleucu, and the purple-haired woman. He held my hand tightly as we all made our way to the hidden summoning circle that would take us back to Llwyn Onn.