Arthur by Stephen R. Lawhead

Author:Stephen R. Lawhead
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Fiction
ISBN: 9780061802720
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2012-11-10T13:02:38+00:00

* * *

We awakened to a blood-red dawn and a white mist upon the lake. We ate the food that had been prepared for us through the night: fresh barley bread and brose, and good roast meat. Fare to fill a warrior’s stomach with warmth, and his spirit with courage.

Arthur walked among the men, talking to them, laughing with them, stirring their mettle with bold words, praising their valor, encouraging them, exhorting them.

The other kings saw how he was with his men—and how the Cymbrogi repaid his respect—and they began to follow the Duke’s example. When the time came to don battledress and to mount horse, the battle flame had already begun to burn in our hearts.

I do not think a more gallant army will ever be seen in the Island of the Mighty than the one that rode along the lake that brilliant, sunlit morning. We moved like a great silence through the empty hills. The forest lay directly ahead of us to the east. We marched swiftly along the Yarow River toward where the Yarow water met the Etric and the forest together—a good flat place of wide shallow water surrounded by thick-wooded hills behind, and Celyddon before.

Upon leaving the glen we came upon something very strange and little seen anymore: a band of Hill Folk. We saw them on the ridgeway above us, and as we passed by, three of their number rode down to meet us on their shaggy, thick-legged little ponies. Arthur, Myrddin, and I turned aside to receive them while the army continued on.

Although I was there and heard every word, I will not pretend to know what they said. I heard only the words kentigern and tyrfa drwg gelyn ffyrnig. I would not have understood those but for the fact that they were repeated several times with great emphasis. Still, the airy ripple that passes for speech among those quaint folk was meaningless to me.

“What do they want?” I asked Arthur. “And who are they?”

Arthur turned to Myrddin at his right hand, who did not answer but held conversation for some moments with the Hill Folk leader. This gave me the opportunity to observe them carefully, which I did with great fascination. They were small men, yet fair of form; straight of limb, fine featured, and fully grown—yet none of them above the height of a boy of twelve summers. They were dressed in scraped skins and wore gold liberally about them: gold earrings and neck rings, armbands and bracelets. Each had a small blue mark on his right cheek: four tiny slashes.

When they finished speaking, Myrddin turned to Arthur. “They are of the Wolf Clan,” he explained, “and have come looking for the leader of Bear Fhain. That is you, Arthur. They want to fight the beast-men who have been destroying their crannogs and killing their children.”

“But how do they know me?”

“They heard that the Ken-ti-gern, the Wise One of the Tallfolk—that is me—had raised a mighty son who is to drive the beast-men into the sea.

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