Chapter 29 Non
Non
Dylan's training methods were unconventional for sure. But I had to give it to him, my desire to be more informed about this world pushed me to try harder in mastering wielding Carnwennan.
I'd managed to get a fair amount of information out of him before the sky turned from grey to peachy pink.
He'd told me more about the missing Orwen.
It turned out she was the daughter of the Ledr and Ail of the Eastern Coven.
Her disappearance had caused a huge strain in the East's relationship with the rest of the Covens, and just over twenty-five years ago, they'd shut themselves off from the rest of the world.
The Cyngor Blaen had tried and failed many times to contact them since, but it was clear they wanted to be left alone. So no one had heard or seen them for a quarter of a century.
When Dylan had told me my father was the number one suspect for the Orwen's death, I just felt numb.
Obviously, my heart broke for her two fathers, who in their grief had shut their Coven off completely to preserve and protect their people.
But the number of people that had met their demise at my father's hands was absolutely staggering, and the more that seemed to come to light, the less surprised I was that it was he who'd killed them.
I'd also learnt that Gwaun had killed his brother, my uncle Emrys, to try and manipulate the power of the Orddu, passing it to himself. When it didn't and instead passed to a powerful Witch within the Western Coven, Gwaun slithered back to the shadows and lay low for a time.
But eventually he'd come back more vengeful than ever.
Two years ago he'd taken another life, the Witch who became the Orddu after my uncle, making him the first Orddu in history to have forcibly taken the power instead of being chosen like the Crewrs had intended.
How he'd done this exactly, no one knew.
But it came at the cost of that poor Witch and her wife, who was also killed as collateral.
Not only was I physically exhausted when we'd finished training, but I was mentally wiped out too. My head felt heavy, and the last thing it needed was being thrown from side to side while travelling back through the summoning circle to Llwyn Onn.
I'd suggested that I could walk back to the castle instead, but Dylan had insisted I take the magical way of getting there, not only for my safety but also because the Western Coven's encampment was nearly a mile away from Llwyn Onn and deep within the forest.
When I'd asked why the West didn't camp with everyone else in the grounds of Llwyn Onn and, similarly, why Ledr Caerwyn and Dylan didn't stay in the castle like the rest of the Cyngor Blaen, Dylan had told me I needed to hit another target before I got any more answers out of him.
But knowing the tension between the West and everyone else, and witnessing Dylan nearly decapitating the Pen Arwr at dinner the other night, I had a fair guess as to why.
Much like the night he had kissed me, Dylan's usually tanned complexion looked a sallow grey by the time we'd finished training.
I had nagged, probed, and, at one point, demanded to know what was wrong with him.
But the bastard gave nothing away, insisting he was just tired and would be as good as new after some sleep.
When I finally got back to my empty room and climbed into bed, the sun was well and truly in the sky and shining brightly for an autumn day.
Although the memory of Dylan calling me a good girl played in my head repeatedly for a while once I shut my eyes, sleep found me quickly. I slept better than I had in a while, thanks to training.
It was dark again when I woke. I immediately started getting ready for another evening of training with a well-needed bath.
I'd just slipped on a satin dressing gown Jazz had lent me and began towel drying my hair when a boom rang out, rattling the windows.
My immediate thought was to stick my head into the corridor to see what was happening, but when that turned out to be empty, I went back inside the bedroom and cracked the window open next to Jazz's bed.
The angle at which the window faced didn't show me much, but our room was on the first floor, so I had a decent view of the path beneath it.
A blur of Wielders in red, purple, and green all darted down the path that ran along the eastern wall of Llwyn Onn. They all seemed to be distressed, and some pointed to others in the direction of the clearing where the rest of the Covens were camped.
People screamed at each other, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I almost considered shutting the window and pretending I hadn't heard a thing until I saw Jazz, Addae, and Alaw, who all had their Arfs in hand, sprinting towards the Wielders' encampment.
Before I knew it, my legs were moving, and I was on the eastern staircase in seconds, taking the steps two at a time.
When I paused at the patio doors to strap Carnwennan to my thigh, I realised I was still wearing the satin dressing gown with only underwear on beneath. I started backing up to go change when the patio doors burst open and a grey-faced Wielder in green stumbled through.
“What's going on?” I demanded.
He panted but managed to get a few words out. “Western Coven…under attack. Orddu's creatures... They're targeting the area where the families’ tents are.”
The Central Wielder had barely finished his sentence before I pushed past him and sprinted towards the gardens where everyone else seemed to be heading.
Llwyn Onn and its gardens were elevated on a hill overlooking the clearing where the North, South, and Central Covens had set up camp.
Standing in the gardens gave you a clear view of the surrounding forest. I'd not noticed previously, but in the distance was another clearing; this was where the Western Coven had settled for the Anoethau.
Now, it was easy to spot in the distance as the far side of the encampment, next to the summoning circle, was completely ablaze.
A large crowd had gathered at the back of the gardens, and I pushed my way through the bodies until I found Jazz, Addae, and Alaw.
Addae, whose eyes rounded like saucers when he saw what I was wearing, spoke first. “Clearly, I didn't get the dress code memo this evening.”
Alaw swatted his arm. “Not the time for joking, you idiot!”
Jazz turned and looked me up and down but didn't comment on my unusual choice of clothing for an autumn evening in the gardens.
“Has anyone seen any of the Cyngor Blaen yet?” Jazz asked. “Everyone is waiting for their orders on how to proceed.”
We all scanned the crowd but didn't have much luck locating Granny or Aeron. Addae spotted his father, Ail Taran, but he knew as little as the rest of us. He insisted we wait for further command from the Pen Arwr; Taran was certain he'd show his face at any moment.
Another deafening explosion rang out, and a plume of flames shot up from the West's already burning camp. The outline of four winged creatures was illuminated by the explosion. They must have been at least three times the size of a mortal to be seen from such a distance.
One of the winged creatures dove for the encampment, slashing at the innocents below with razor-sharp claws. Its screech, like that of a bat, but a thousand times louder, tore through the air.
“What the fuck are those?” I asked Jazz.
“They’re the Cyhyraeth that Henffych was talking about the other day.”
If that's what nearly sliced someone as large as Henffych into ribbons, then I couldn't imagine the damage four of them would do to unprepared families.
We needed to do something, immediately.
I pulled at Jazz's sleeve and motioned for Addae and Alaw to come closer as I dropped my voice to a whisper.
“I know how we can get to the Western encampment in seconds. There's an old summoning circle hidden in the copse of trees to the west of Llwyn Onn.”
Addae beamed, likely because it was utterly scandalous that I knew this information. The beads at the ends of his braids clacked together as he bounced like an excited toddler. Alaw just nodded, content to follow my lead. Jazz didn't seem the least bit fazed that I'd just spilled such a secret.
“Where exactly does the circle land?” They nodded towards the fire.
My stomach hollowed out when I realised that the cluster of trees where the circle had been tucked away was exactly where the fire raged as the Cyhyraeth circled like vultures.
Jazz scanned my face and patted my shoulder in understanding. “Hopefully, we'll get some guidance from the Cyngor Blaen soon on how we can help.”
With that, someone clapped their hands twice, and everyone turned towards one of the balconies that overlooked the gardens. On it stood Granny, the breeze whipping her loose hair around her face. She wore the same silver dress robe as the day I'd joined her for breakfast in her dining hall.
“Wielders of D?n, may I have your attention?” Ail Llew commanded, standing to the left of Granny.
Everyone seemed reluctant to pull their gaze away from the disaster unfolding behind us, but Granny cleared her throat, and within seconds, the crowd had all turned to listen.
“I have just come from an emergency meeting with Penn Arwr Aeron.
We have very little information on what's happening at the Western Coven's encampment, but we do know that the Orddu and his underlings have attacked tonight.” A mumble of whispers spread through the crowd, but Granny continued, “The Cyngor Blaen has decided that the Wielders of D?n will not be interfering with the situation or sending our own sentries to assist in securing the Western camp.”
A few people audibly gasped at the announcement, likely those who had family in their midst. Jazz was as stiff as a board beside me. Stunned by disbelief, I couldn't pull my eyes from my grandmother.