Merlin's Nightmare (The Merlin Spiral) (62 page)

Tas
— (TASS) An ancient word for “father.”

Tethion
— (teth-EE-on) An archer employed by Vortigern in
Merlin’s Shadow
.

Teyrnon
— (TEAR-non) The younger son of Vortipor. The name means “Divine Prince.”

Tinga/Tingada
— (TIN-gah / tin-GAH-dah) Merlin and Natalenya’s seven-year-old daughter.

“Tingada’s Cloak”
— (tin-GAH-dah) A song Natalenya composes and sings for her daughter. This is based on Dinogad’s Smock*, an ancient lullaby embedded without explanation in the the ancient battle poem of
Y Gododdin
. The lullaby mentions the Derwent*, and thus originated from the same valley in which Merlin and Natalenya settled in
Merlin’s Nightmare
.

Tor, The
— The nickname for Dinas Bosventor, the fortress situated partway up the side of the Meneth Gellik mountain. It has a timberbuilt tower with a beacon on top.

Torc
* — (TORK) A sign of authority, social status, and nobility in ancient Brythonic society. Made in the shape of a ring with an opening, it is worn upon the neck. They are usually twisted from wires of gold, bronze, silver, iron, or other metals, and have finely sculpted ornaments at the ends.

Tregeagle
* — (treh-GAY-gull) The Magister of Bosventor and the surrounding tin-mining region when Merlin lived in the village. His wife is Trevenna, and his children are Natalenya, Rondroc, and Dyslan. He was enchanted by the Stone in
Merlin’s Blade
.

Trendrine
— (TREN-drine) Modern-day Thorndon Cross*.

Trevenna
— (treh-VENN-nah) Tregeagle’s wife, and mother to Natalenya, Rondroc, and Dyslan.

Troslam
— (TROS-lum) The village weaver. Safrowana is his wife, and Imelys is his daughter.

Uther
* — (UTH-er) The deceased High King of the Britons, he was descended from a long line of Roman governors and kings. His father was Aurelianus, his wife was Igerna. He had two daughters, Eilyne and Myrgwen, as well as his son, Arthur. His name in Latin is Uthrelius.

Vitalinus
* — (vi-TAL-ee-noos) Usurper High King who slew Uther’s grandfather Constans. His grandson is Vortigern, and his granddaughter is Igerna, Uther’s wife. He was slain in battle by Aurelianus. In history he is known as Vitalinus Gloui*.

Voice, The
— A shadowy figure that appears to Mórgana and instructs her.

Vortigern
* — (vor-TUH-gern) The grandson of the former High King, Vitalinus Gloui, who killed Uther in
Merlin’s Blade
due to his enchantment by the Stone. In
Merlin’s Shadow
he also sought to kill Eilyne and Myrgwen.

Vortipor
* — (vor-TUH-poor) Vortigern’s son and now the leader in the battles with the Saxenow.

Walkers
— A traveling people who were the first to settle the island of Britain long ago. Most of them are tinsmiths by trade, having settled first on the Kernow peninsula. Their language is the Bélre Cèard. Gogirfan and his daughters Gwenivere and Gwenivach are Walkers. In the modern era they would be equivalent to the Highland Scottish Travelers*.

Wealas
— (WEH-lass) A Saxenow term of contempt meaning “foreigner” or “slave.”

Wild Huntsman
— A mysterious phantasmal being who hunts on horseback through the woods with a pack of hounds.

Withel
— (WITH-el) Taliesin’s friend, who is fifteen winters. His name means “Lion.”

Yahn, Tahn, Tethera*
— (YAWN, TAWN, teth-ERR-ah) An ancient livestock counting system. There are many variants of it.

T
HE VILLAGE OF
B
OSVENTOR
S
PRING, IN THE YEAR OF OUR
L
ORD
477

M
erlin frowned. He didn’t know what he wanted more: to talk with Natalenya or to hide. After all, how many young men walked past the house of the girl they admired while pushing an overstuffed wheelbarrow? And how many were accompanied by a boy wearing a too-big monk’s robe who insisted on playing bagpipe?

Wasn’t the rope, wooden tub, bundle of herbs, and sack of oats quite enough to fill the barrow? Did Garth really have to add a squawking hen and a young goat too?

Merlin turned his half-blind gaze to the bobbing boy with red hair. “You told me, ‘Not another thing to deliver,’ and now look what we’ve got.”

Garth’s lips let go of the mouthpiece, and his bagpipe squeaked out a long last note. “How could I say no?”

Merlin tripped on a large stone, nearly rolling the tub out of the wheelbarrow. “You’re supposed to warn me when a rock is coming, remember?”

“I forget those eyes o’ yours can’t see much. You’ve been gettin’ along so well.”

“Not since you added
two
extra things, and they don’t just lie in the wheelbarrow. No, they cluck, bleat, and leap out every twenty steps.”

“But they’re for the abbey. We’ll drop ’em off on the way and — ”

“They’re for your Sabbath supper.”

“Hadn’t thought o’ that.” Garth kicked a rock away from the path, and it skittered down the hill.

“When they were offered, you said, ‘A nice dinner for the brothers at the abbey’ and ‘Thank you very much.’ Hah!”

“All right, so I thought it.” Garth halted. “Ho, there, wait a bit. I saw somethin’ move.”

Merlin stopped pushing the wheelbarrow. “What now?”

Garth knelt down and advanced into the bushes on all fours.

Merlin could see only a smudge of Garth sticking out from beneath the green leaves, and then a colorful blotch flew out above the boy’s head.

“I found me a tuck snack!” Garth bounced up and placed a warm egg in Merlin’s palm.

Merlin judged the egg’s size to be about half of a chicken’s.

“Three of ’em!” Garth said. “Oh, but how can I carry ’em? The goat’ll eat ’em in the barrow, and I can’t hold ’em and play me bagpipe too.”

Merlin reached out, felt for Garth’s hood, and dropped his egg to the bottom. “How’s that?”

“Perfect. Yer clever at times, you are.”

Merlin held out his hand for the other two eggs and set them beside the first.

Fuffing up his bagpipe with air, Garth resumed playing as he marched down the hill.

Merlin followed, and as the hill leveled out, he was better able to keep the barrow steady. But that was when his heart started wobbling, because he knew by the big blur of a rock coming up that they were about to walk by —

“Look at that house,” Garth said, stopping to take a breath. “A big house . . . behind those trees. Didn’t notice it on the way up.”

In vain, Merlin shook the black hair away from his eyes. He wished he could see if Natalenya was home. “You’ve only been here a month . . . but you’ve heard of the magister, haven’t you?”

“Sure. The brothers at the abbey pay taxes to the ol’ miser.”

“He’s not old, and his name’s Tregeagle. “He and his wife have two sons and a daughter.”

“Those the boys that called you ‘Cut-face’?”

“Yeah.” Merlin scowled at the memory. The hurled insults had been followed by a goodly sized rock, which had only narrowly missed his head.

But Natalenya was different. She never mentioned Merlin’s scars. During worship at the chapel, she was always polite and asked him questions now and then, almost like a friend. So when Merlin’s father had asked him and Garth to get charcoal with the wheelbarrow, Merlin suggested that Garth get a tour of the fortress too. The fact that they’d pass Natalenya’s house twice was a small coincidence, of course, even if it was out of their way.

The problem was that an empty wheelbarrow was just too inviting, and practically everyone had given them things to deliver. And now they had the goat and chicken as well. Out of embarrassment, Merlin almost wished Natalenya wouldn’t be home.

“What does the house look like?” he asked. “Tell me what I’m seeing.”

“Ornate kind of . . . Bigger than the mill, I’d say, an’ made o’ fancy stone. The roof’s got lapped bark with a real stone chimney,
not jus’ a hole for smoke.” Garth paused. “Why does the magister’s door have a bronze bird on it?”

“It’s the ensign of a Roman legion. An eagle, or an
aquila
, to be precise. His family’s descended from soldiers on the coast.”

“Huh. Why’d the Romans come here? Nothin’ here but hills, woods, an’ a bit o’ water.”

“For the tin and copper. A little silver,” Merlin said. “None of the brothers explained that?”

“Haven’t had time for history, what with fishin’, seein’ you, workin’, and eatin’ o’ course.”

“Do you see anyone at the Magister’s house? Maybe a daughter?”

“Nah . . . no girl. Nothin’ but a little smoke.”

The sound of horses’ hooves clattered toward them from farther down the hill. Merlin had just turned in the direction of the sound when Garth shoved his shoulder.

“A wagon!” Garth cried. “Out o’ the road!”

The driver shouted as Merlin scrambled to push the wheelbarrow off to the side.

“Make way for the magister,” the man shouted. “Make way!”

A whip snapped and the air cracked above Merlin’s head.

The wheelbarrow hit a rock, and Merlin felt it tilt out of his control just as Garth ran into his back, causing him to fall, with a chicken flapping against his face. Merlin removed the feathered mass in time to see the blur of the goat leap over the tub and everything else tumble out of the barrow.

The wagon rumbled by and came to an abrupt stop in front of the magister’s house.

Merlin sat up and rubbed his knees. He felt around for the bag of oats and found it spilled on the ground — a feast for the chicken and goat. At least it would keep them nearby.

The passengers climbed out of the wagon, and amid the general din of everyone walking toward the house, Merlin heard a soft, lovely voice and a gentle strumming. “Garth, is that a harp?”

“A small one, sure. A lady is holdin’ it.” Garth rose and brushed
off his knees. “The magister ignored us, him in his fancy white robe. But did you see those boys? They’d liked to have kicked us.”