Chapter 12
Non
An hour after nearly getting impaled by a giant icicle, I found myself standing on a raised platform while a painfully handsome man poked me with needles. After the morning I’d had, this was a vast improvement.
Rhun had introduced himself as the Northern Coven’s stitcher, which apparently meant he made all the gaudy purple clothing they wore.
From the habits to the leggings, he hand-made each individual item with the help of his younger sister.
Every bead and decal were sewn on by hand, and even the horse and snowflakes that were featured on the front were sewn with care.
“You’re not a Wielder then?” I had asked. “Does that mean you didn’t get chosen as a vassal?”
Both questions had Jazz sniggering behind their hand while Rhun levelled me with an unamused look.
His eyes were a steel blue, and his hair was buzzed short, enhancing his strong jaw.
I couldn’t help but wonder if all Wielders were hot.
Or had it just been so long since someone poked me down there that anything with a pulse got me a bit worked up? Maybe both were true.
“I’m a vassal of Mabon,” he said, “meaning I wield the power of wards. I weave that power into each piece of clothing, making them virtually impenetrable.”
I opened my mouth to ask what exactly could penetrate his wards but thought better of it. Rhun didn’t seem like the type who was open to a discussion about his power’s only weaknesses.
“What type of Arf do you have?” he asked, pulling me from my thoughts. It took a tremendous amount of self-control to pull my gaze from his perfectly arched cupid’s bow.
Instinctively, I looked to Jazz, who was now lounging with their eyes closed in Rhun’s sewing chair, feet propped against the worktop. “She didn’t complete her Cychwyniad. A visit to Henffych is on our to-do list.”
I quirked a brow at Jazz.
“Arf is just our word for weapon, Henffych is the Wielder who makes each weapon given to a Child of D?n.” Something about that man’s name seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place it.
“Why doesn’t he make Arfs for the Children of Llyr?” I asked.
Rhun stood to his full height from where he’d been crouching to take my measurements. My toes curled as he towered above me. I really needed to get a grip.
Jazz picked at their nails. “Children of D?n’s Arf’s are made with different materials from those of Llyr’s. Henffych specialises in woodwork; Children of Llyr’s are made with stone.”
Neither of those materials seemed logical to make weapons out of. Wood would be destroyed by a blade, and stone was brittle and heavy.
Rhun cleared his throat. “Once you know what exactly you’ll be battling with, make sure you stop by my workroom and let me know. I’ll have appropriate holsters sewn in your habit.” Workroom was a bit of an overstatement for the space we stood in. Storage cupboard seemed more appropriate.
“Why do we need weapons? Surely a wand or something would be more useful?” I asked.
Jazz burst out laughing, knocking spools of fabric from the worktop in the process.
“I suppose our Arfs are sort of like a wand in a way,” Jazz replied.
“They are made with those specific materials as they amplify our power. Wood for D?n’s children and stone for Llyr’s.
” I thought back to the front doors I had seen on my first day, which was exactly what was shown behind the two Crewrs.
“Then why not just make some wands out of wood and stone?”
“Because wands aren’t as effective when running people through,” Rhun whispered, causing a shiver to run down my spine.
Jazz strode towards us and placed a hand on Rhun’s shoulder, changing the subject.
“Before I forget, Non is going to need something to wear to the Anoethau celebration tomorrow night.” They fluttered their eyelashes dramatically, but Rhun’s mask of broody indifference didn’t falter; he grabbed a notebook and pencil off the worktop and passed them to Jazz.
“Do you wear dresses?” they asked, hiding the notepad from my view.
“Not really, but I always wanted to. I’ve never really had the confidence to wear one. I was always envious of Cat when she wore them.”
The mention of Catrin made Jazz pause in their frantic scribbling while they waited for me to continue. I shook my head, telling them this wasn’t the time for that story.
They handed the notebook back to Rhun, who looked at it with a furrowed brow.
“She won’t be able to try it on beforehand…” He bit his lip in contemplation, and I had to look away before I started dribbling on the floor. “But I think I can get it done.”
“Thank you, Rhun. I owe you big time.” Jazz grabbed my hand and pulled me through the door while I threw a quick wave over my shoulder to Rhun.
“Start by agreeing to that date I mentioned!” He called after us, causing Jazz to mutter a for fuck’s sake as they picked up their pace and rounded the corner. Once we were clear of Rhun’s cupboard, I pulled them to a stop.
“That fine specimen asked you out on a date, and you said no?”
Jazz massaged their temples. “Can we talk about it when I have coffee in my system?”
My stomach growled in response. “Absolutely.”
The smell of breakfast was divine.
Jazz had led us to another dining area, which was considerably more modern than the rest of Llwyn Onn. If we hadn’t walked through the castle to get there, I would have sworn we were somewhere else entirely.
The semi-circle room was made almost entirely of windows and jutted out from the back of the castle.
Despite the size of the dining hall, only a handful of people were sitting around the long oak tables.
All of them were wearing traditional habits in various Coven colours, although most had significantly more formal bottoms on than Jazz and me.
The leggings I wore clung to my skin so tightly, I felt half naked.
Jazz encouraged me to help myself to the plates of food laid out on a long table at the rear of the room.
No one needed to tell me twice when it came to food, and I hadn’t hesitated in loading my plate with one of everything in sight.
The ungodly hour of my meeting with Granny meant that it was technically lunchtime anyway.
As we made our way to one of the tables closest to the windows, the room fell uncomfortably silent. Multiple pairs of eyes tracked us as we walked past the rows of benches.
“What are they staring at?” I whispered out of the corner of my mouth.
“You, of course.” Jazz nudged me with their elbow, nearly sending my black pudding flying.
“It’s not that much, is it?” I said, looking down at the tower of food stacked on my plate.
Jazz shook their head. “They’re staring because we don’t get many outsiders suddenly discovering they can wield. Certainly not ones who eat in the dining hall reserved for the Cyngor Blaen and their families.”
Once we were seated, the low murmur of conversation picked up again. I poured us both a cup of coffee from the steaming carafes on the table; Jazz sniffed it before taking a deep sip. Their eyes rolled into the back of their head with euphoria. “Gods, that’s fucking good coffee.”
I took a sip of my own cup and had to stifle a moan when the rich and earthy flavour hit my parched tongue. Jazz was right. It was fucking good coffee.
Scanning the room as I sipped my drink, I noticed only Northern, Central, and Southern Wielders sat at the tables based on their habit colours.
“Do the West and East eat somewhere else?”
Jazz froze midway through a spoonful of porridge. Their eyes darted around the room before shaking their head. Later, they mouthed, and I went back to scarfing down my breakfast. We continued eating in silence for a while before I decided to brave another question.
“Ledr Bronwen mentioned all Covens come here for these trial things. Surely this isn’t every Wielder in the country.”
The corner of Jazz’s mouth kicked up.
“No, it’s not. Only Ledrs and their Ails stay in the castle, along with some of Bron’s cronies and the nepo babies like me.”
Their eyes focused on something above my shoulder. “Speaking of nepo babies,” Jazz grumbled.
I turned to see two Wielders walking towards our table, both dressed in immaculate red habits.
The male, who was the taller of the two, beamed as they approached.
He had kind brown eyes that matched his dark skin.
His hair was twisted into tight coils that fell just below his chin.
Red beads adorned the ends of some of the coils.
“What are you two dickheads doing here?” Jazz said as the two Wielders sat down. The taller one sat on the opposite bench in the seat next to Jazz, and the other took the seat next to me.
“Hey! That’s no way to speak to your fellow brother in arms,” the male with the beaded hair argued.
“Non, this is Addae. The cause of all my headaches. His father is Ail Taran, second of the Southern Coven. That’s the only reason why he’s tolerated in this dining room.”
Addae gasped and smacked Jazz’s arm with the back of his hand. “What they really mean is I’m the light of their life and best friend of twenty-four years.”
He grabbed my hand, which was still clutching my fork, and shook it vigorously; pieces of sausage scattered across the table.
“Pleasure to meet you, Non. It’s not often we get new blood, especially someone who’s gone under the radar for so many years.
Jazz told us all about you.” He waggled his eyebrows.
My eyes widened in panic as they met Jazz’s, but the shake of their head confirmed they hadn’t divulged who I was related to.
Without warning, Addae leaned across the table, his face suddenly only a few inches from my own. “Wow, your eyes are super weird, huh?” The girl sat next to me shoved at his shoulder, forcing him back into his seat.
“Addae, don’t be so ruddy rude!” She shot me an apologetic look. “Sorry about him, he’s not used to meeting new people.”
Jazz huffed out a humourless laugh. “He’s no different with us, just think of him like an overgrown toddler.”
“Sat right here!” Addae said through a mouthful of food.
The girl to my right cleared her throat as she tucked her wavy auburn hair behind an ear pierced with silver rings.
“I’m Alaw, by the way. My parents aren’t a Ledr or an Ail.
I’m only here because we lie and say that Addae and I are a couple, so Ledr Bronwen lets me stay at Llwyn Onn.
As much as it’s tradition, sleeping in a pabell doesn’t do it for me.
” She offered me a tight smile before sipping her coffee.
“Downside is I have to share a room with this idiot.” Her freckled nose scrunched as she jutted her thumb towards Addae.
I hid my smirk as I thought of the two of them bickering over who got what side of the bed.
“We swung by your room this morning, but it was empty. What had the two of you up and out so early?” Addae asked.
The lie spilled from my lips with a surprising ease. “Jazz was asked to bring me up to speed with the whole D?n-Llyr and vassal situation. I’m struggling to wrap my head around it all, honestly.”
Addae lit up as he started bouncing in his seat, but Jazz and Alaw groaned in unison.
“He’s going to do the condiment thing, isn’t he?” Jazz said with their head in their hands.
I looked at them all in confusion. “I’m not following.”
Alaw sighed. “Addae has a small obsession with the gods and their history. Spends most of his time in various Coven libraries with his nose shoved in a book.”
Although we’d only just met, I found it hard to picture Addae sitting still long enough to read a book. Oblivious to our conversation, Addae swiped a salt and pepper shaker off the neighbouring table. He shoved my plate of food aside and placed them in front of me.
“Best way to visualise the whole thing is like this”— his eyes gleamed with excitement— “the salt is D?n, Pepper is Llyr.”
He scanned the surrounding tables before spotting a pot of sugar cubes at the end of our own. He grabbed them and began placing them in two neat rows in front of each of the dispensers.
“These are children of D?n”— he gestured to the line of white sugar cubes— “and these are children of Llyr.” He pointed at the brown cubes.
I nodded as I followed along, remembering what Ail Llew had told me on my first day. Addae picked up each shaker and shook a small amount out on the table in front of the lines of sugar.
“This is a Wielder before competing in the Anoethau; they only have a pinch of D?n or Llyr’s magic in them.
Not enough to do any serious damage, that’s why we need the gods—aka Children of D?n or Llyr—to choose us.
” He broke off a corner of a sugar cube and mixed it in with the seasoning.
“And this is a vassal, someone chosen by the gods to wield their power, the perfect mixture of a Crewr and a god’s powers. ”
I had to give it to Addae, the visual made it all a lot clearer.
“All vassals are Wielders, but not all Wielders are vassals?”
His grin widened. “Exactly.”
I was surprised at how quickly I had become accustomed to discussions about gods and how they were tangible beings. “Where exactly are these gods? Are they…you know”—I gestured to the ceiling— “up there?”
“No, they reside in the Otherworlds. D?n’s children in Annwn, Llyr’s in Annwfyn.”
“And can you go to the Otherworlds?”
Addae’s smile faltered slightly. “Technically, yes, but only the—”
Jazz patted Addae’s chest. “I think that’s enough for today, mate. My head is pounding.”
Addae pouted but quickly recovered to his usual joyful self and turned to the clock on the wall. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he said with a sigh. “It’s nearly our morning showtime, anyway.”
The grin Alaw gave us all was almost feline. “My favourite time of the day.”