Raven's Heirs

The Feast

  They crossed the Llys to the great hall, past the array of brightly coloured tents, and the marquee where everyone who couldn't fit into the main hall would be eating. Just inside the hall doorway, Brecca settled him to perch on a high stool, whisked away his crutch, and draped his cloak to hide the stool before he worked out what she was doing. There was a table beside the stool, and he didn't have time to wonder why they had stopped there before the guests began to arrive. Relatives that he dimly remembered, the heads of families that owed allegiance to Tir Bran, and Ravenscar, and Pengwern, merchants from Aberllong - he found himself bowing and murmuring polite words of greeting to them all, and accepting so many gifts he almost didn't dare turn around to look at the pile of them on the table - books, and a chess set, and a decorated bridle, and a tunic length of purple silk, and mirrors and combs and - too many things.

  When Brecca finally returned his crutch and led him away from the table to the dais, he felt punch-drunk.

  Fortunately, all he had to do now was stand on the edge of the platform, looking out over the sea of faces. Morwenna was there, wearing black, as usual, but today it was black brocade trimmed with jet. She took Owain by one hand, and Brecca took him by the other, holding it low so no-one would notice him balancing on the crutch beneath his cloak. Olwen stood on the other side of Brecca, grinning at him. Above them was a huge lantern. The rest of the hall was a dim blur, with islands of candles where he could see faces turned towards him.

  "This is my grandson, Owain Brecca Morwenna," Morwenna said. She had not raised her voice, but her Talent carried the words clearly to the corners of the hall. "We welcome him back to the Family."

  Then she let go of Owain's hand and turned to Aidan. He presented her with a huge golden goblet. Sh raised it in both hands then, turned to Owain, and drank. She passed the goblet to Owain. He lifted it, tasted good, sweet mead, and passed it on to his mother. Around the hall, other goblets were raised, and in the clamour of welcoming voices, Morwenna led Owain round the table to sit at her right hand, with Brecca on the other side of him. He was dimly aware that he was smiling foolishly, and that Olwen had taken her place on the other side of his mother, and was still grinning at him.

  On the other side of Morwenna sat a stout man, his black hair peppered with grey - one more surprise on top of all the rest. He could only be Uncle Liam, who never left his citadel at Aberllong. He hadn't travelled to Ravenscar for longer than Owain had been alive, yet he was here now. On the other side of Uncle Liam, there was a fair haired woman; her torc had swan's head finials, so Owain knew she must have been sent by the Ard Ri, Dervaloc, of the Swan clan. Porec and Aidan took up the other places on the table.

  As the food began to arrive, Owain gazed around the room. Racks of candles brightened the darkest corners, and the fire had been built up to make even more light. Candlelight glinted off gold and silver jewellery, and tunics of every colour - and illumined the slightly amused smile of Ianto Morwenna, who had found himself a place near the centre of the long table nearest the old-fashioned fireplace in the middle of the hall.

  "Look at him, sitting there as if he owns the place already," Brecca muttered darkly. "I'd say that my little brother knows no shame, but we'll see the proof of that later."

  Owain was about to ask his mother what she meant, but he was distracted by a servant, leaning between them with a platter of roast pork. Owain suddenly found that he was very hungry. Pork was one meat that the corsairs never ate, but now he was home, in Ytir, and at this feast the hero's portion of roast pork was for him.

  Between courses, much to Olwen's delight, there were jugglers and tumblers, though there was little room for them to perform between the crowded tables. Now the formal recognition was over, no-one was paying overmuch attention to Owain, and he was beginning to enjoy the entertainment. It hadn't been as frightening as he had thought - and soon the assembled Family, and all those people who owed them allegiance, would have something else to think about.

  When the last course was cleared away, Gwalchmai Morgan was helped up onto the platform by his servant. As he settled himself on a stool, Kai Vaughan handed him a harp much more ornate than the one he had lost down the mine.

  "You will be expecting me to sing in praise of the young man who has so recently been returned to his family," the Harper began. The sound of conversation dropped to a murmur. "That would be a pleasant duty, and one that I would gladly perform. Tonight, however, I have a new satire, with my patron's permission. While all are gathered for such a happy occasion, we must not forget more important matters. This touches upon the honour of the Raven Family."

  Over a buzz of puzzled murmuration, Gwalchmai played the introduction to his poem, and began to sing.

  The hush that normally accompanied a new composition by a great Harper turned gradually to a strained silence. Owain could see Ianto growing ever more white with fury, and unable to leave the room from his place close to the dais. Others in the room were looking at him too, and there wasn't a sympathetic expression among them.

  The applause, when it came, was muted, but sincere, and Owain was glad of it. The plight of the people at Dun Darren Isaf had filled him with a sense of injustice on their behalf. Making it public like this should lead to an improvement in their situation - and make it harder for Ianto to retaliate against them for helping Owain and Gwalchmai.

  he looked back to the table where Ianto was sitting. A couple of the grey cloaked guards had quietly appeared close by. Morwenna stood up then and looked straight down the table at her youngest son. "One of your people has been searching for you, Ianto," she said. "They have a rather important matter to raise with you, and you do seem to have been rather elusive when the heads of your Duns have complaints against you."

  "Can't it wait, mother? How I deal with my estates need not concern you, or the rest of the Family."

  "But it does concern the rest of the Family when a Harper feels moved to sing such a satire against you. And you will see this headwoman now, where we can all see you."

  The door at the end of the hall opened, and there was Devorgilla, closely followed by Caradog and Tegau, lugging the sack between them. They walked straight to Ianto and emptied out the torcs at his feet. "I am Devorgilla Goch, headwoman of." Dun Darren Isaf," said Devorgilla, and Owain could hear the shaking in her voice. "You are our Lord no longer. You well know our many complaints against you." She turned then to Morwenna. "Lady, we seek your protection. Life was better for us when you were our Lady before."

  "I accept the allegiance of Dun Darren Isaf," Morwenna said. "And I promise to do all those things that are the responsibility of a Ruler in the Land. Do you promise to do all those things that are the responsibility of those who seek the protection of the Great Families?"

  Devorgilla came to stand before Morwenna at the dais. "Lady, I promise, for myself and my Dun, by Taranis and Toutates and Esus, and the Goddess over them all."

  "This is ridiculous!" Ianto was standing now, and brushed past the old woman to confront his mother. "You can't take a Dun away from me, just like that!"

  "They took themselves away from you, Ianto, when they realised what you had done," Morwenna said.

  "Where is my son Peredur?" Lady Generys stood from her place of honour as Morwenna's eldest daughter, and pointed an accusing finger at Ianto.

  He tried to laugh, but he couldn't make it sound convincing. "How in Toutates' name should I know, sister?" he flung back at her. "He came to visit me, we did a little hunting, and he went home as far as I know."

  Gwalchmai was rummaging around in a small bag beside his seat. "Perhaps the Lady of Evan Avlach should see these," he said.

  She stepped up to the dais, and looked. "You slimy little toad, Ianto. What did you do to him?"

  Ianto had seen the flash of gold too, but no more than that. "Let me see." He examined the torc and cloak pin and tossed them onto the table. "So what fanciful tale are you going t
o tell to explain how you came by these, Harper?" he asked scornfully.

  "We were all there when the body was brought up out of the mine," Tegau said, from behind him.

  Ianto swung round to face her. "And what was the body doing in the mine?" he asked.

  "That's something you should tell us," Morwenna said.

  "I told you - he went home. How should I know what happened?"

  "Alone? Without a single servant or escort? Do you really think your family that stupid?" Morwenna said.

  "Look, I didn't kill him! Get that yspridwch of yours to read my mind if you don't believe me!"

  A chair was brought and placed in front of the dais. Glynis Aide stepped forward from where she had been sitting further down the hall. With every impression of confidence, Ianto sat down on the chair and faced her.

  Glynis place her hand over his forehead and closed her eyes. She stood like that for a long time. "One thing is true," she said at last. "Lord Ianto did not kill his nephew."

  "Then what -?" Lady Generys began.

  "Then how did -?" someone else asked.

  Morwenna raised her hands for silence. "Go on, Glynis," she said.

  "He did not kill Peredur, but he did imprison Peredur'sservants at his Llys, and he did trick Peredur into the mine and close up the shaft behind him."

  Generys' hand flew to her eating dagger, and she launched herself on her younger brother. he hardly had time to react before she was on top of him, slashing down at his unprotected face left handed. The chair fell backwards, and half a dozen people from the nearest tables jumped up to drag Generys off Ianto.

  "That's enough, Generys!" Morwenna snapped. "Do you want to lower yourself to his level?" As Generys stepped back, panting, in the grasp of one of the guards, Morwenna turned to Ianto, who was still lying on top of the chair. he rolled lightly to his feet.

  "So, Mother, now you know it all," he said.

  "Now I know it all," she agreed. "And now I pronounce sentence on you. We have all the Family here as witnesses, and Lady Iona Terrwyn, the representative of Dervaloc Ard Ri." She bowed slightly in the direction of the woman with the swan headed torc on the top table. "So don't think you can go bleating about 'misunderstandings' to Dervaloc, Ianto. There will be no misunderstanding about this. I want you to be on the first ship that leaves Aberllong. I don't care where it's going as long as it doesn't touch Tiraeg soil. Never come back. Your lands go to Generys, as some small compensation for her son's life." She glanced down at Devorgilla. "Is that acceptable to you?" she asked. "Will you pledge allegiance to my daughter Generys rather than to me? I can promise you that she will rule you better than my son ever did."

  Devorgilla took Generys by the hand. "By Toutates and Taranis and Esus, and the Goddess over all," she said, "I promise that my Dun will be faithful to you if you will rule us well."

  "I promise to protect your Dun, and all the other Duns that were Ianto's," Generys said, slightly unsteadily, "and I think that my own Duns have had no complaints thus far. It is a bargain between us, Devorgilla Goch." She held her hands over the pile of torcs. "Take these back to your Dun, headwoman,and accept them as tokens of your allegiance to me."

  Devorgilla kissed her hand. Caradog and Tegau scrabbled the torcs back into the sack, and they left the hall together, heads held high.

  "Then that, I think, concludes the matter," Morwenna said. "Ianto - you may stay tonight, but I want you gone first thing in the morning."

  It was dismissal, and he took it as such, bowing elaborately to Morwenna before he marched out of the hall, with his people falling into step behind him.

  As they left the hall, Morwenna spoke again. "The feast continues," she said. "I have a grandson to welcome home, and I want to do it properly. We have more wine yet." Even as she spoke, servants were bringing more jugs out around the tables, and the acrobats came back in for another display.

  "That's not going to be the last we hear of Ianto," Brecca said quietly, but she still held her goblet out for more wine as the servant came round the top table.

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