He replaced the book in his pocket and took a draught of water from his skin bag. Some of it dribbled onto the stone under him. The water quickly seeped into grooves on the surface. Collun peered more closely and saw there was something carved into the rock. It was lettering in the old language.
He suddenly experienced an odd feeling of breathlessness; a hushed expectant sensation he could not account for.
Then, as he bowed his head to make out the lettering, he heard the faint splash of water coming from underneath. His breath still short, he dug his fingers around the sides of the rock. It was a square slab, fashioned by man, not nature. He tried to pry the slab up, but he had to do more digging around the edges until it was loosened enough to move. Even then he had to use a stick as a lever to help raise it.
He finally was able to slide the heavy rock off. Underneath was a pool of water. The sides were reinforced with white marbleized stone. The water rose to within a hand's length of the top. Collun could not tell how deep it was.
Suddenly a silver shape broke the surface. It was a salmon with spots standing out on its gleaming body. It glided back down, out of sight. A few moments later, it reappeared and was accompanied by a second salmon. Then they were both gone.
A man-made well with salmon swimming in it. Collun looked up suddenly. The trees around him were hazel trees, and he counted nine of them.
The boy drew a deep breath. Beara's Well. Was it possible?
Tentatively, Collun extended a finger and dipped it into the water. It was cool. It looked and felt no different from any other water.
His heart beating loudly, Collun put his finger to his lips.
NINETEEN
Arracht
"Collun?!" Crann's voice echoed in his ear. Collun blinked several times. Crann was standing over him, his hand on the boy's shoulder. The wizard's face was unreadable in the twilight.
Collun blinked again. Twilight? When he had pried up the stone it had been the middle of the afternoon.
"What...?"
"You found the well, spriosan. Did you drink the water?"
"Only a drop, on my finger. And then—"
"There is no time to tell me more. The morgs have gained on us." The wizard leaned down and slid the stone back over the well. He pulled Collun, still in a daze, to his feet. The two ran through the apple orchard.
"I found him," Crann called ahead.
Soon they had left Trout Beck and the apple orchard far behind. The Ellyl horses were flying at the top of their speed.
"Brie was scouting ... found the morgs coming up on us fast..." Talisen shouted to Collun as they rode.
The moon had risen, casting an eerie brightness on the landscape. They were heading due west. Collun began to smell the sea.
It was well after midnight when they came to the coast. Crann gestured for them to slow their horses. They were on a rocky cliff high above the ocean. The moon's light dappled the endless moving expanse below with silver. It was Collun's first glimpse of the Siar Muir. He was awestruck.
Brie made another scouting foray and came back with the news that the morgs had slowed their pace and, strangely, that there were now only two in pursuit. Crann looked thoughtful.
Following the coast north, they maintained a moderate pace for the next several hours. Collun began to feel drowsy, as he'd had little sleep that day. He had to struggle to stay awake. Crann came up beside him.
They rode silently for a while, then Collun asked, "What happened to me by the well? The sun was high in the sky when I put my finger to my mouth, but when you spoke my name, the sun was setting. I remember nothing in between."
"The waters of the well are unpredictable. Only Beara knows their secrets." He paused, then said in a measured tone, "Did you bring anything with you from the well, or from Beara's orchard?"
"Only some apples and a few eggs. Why?"
"You did not fill your skin bag at the well?"
"No."
Crann shook his head. "I sense something strange. What sort of eggs?"
"The lapwing's. Oh, there was something else." He drew out the small apple he'd found in the nest.
Crann gazed unblinking at the apple for several long moments.
Collun grew uncomfortable. "What is it, Crann?"
"Guard it well, spriosan," the wizard said softly. "You have found Beara's life."
"You mean...?"
Crann nodded. "The spell I told you of. It appears I was right. And she used this apple as the vessel." The wizard abruptly turned away, peering ahead.
"The Forest Ceryddwyn," he said. Collun could see the outline of trees looming ahead.
"Morgs!" shouted Brie.
They turned to see two morgs streaking up behind them from the south and two more coming from the east.
"Fly," called out Crann, and the horses raced along the cliff side.
"Why do we not turn and fight, Crann?" yelled Prince Gwynedd. "We are five..."
"No," shouted back the wizard. "To the forest."
But as they came up on the Forest Ceryddwyn, they saw four more morgs on horseback waiting for them,
Collun wheeled Fiain around, reaching for his dagger. He saw a volley of arrows fly through the air, and one of the morgs behind them went down.
Crann had raised his oak staff. Gealach stood very still under him. The two morgs coming at them from the side were less than a hundred paces away when Crann shouted, "Stadanna Eacha!"
The morgs' horses suddenly seemed to lose their footing and tumbled forward, hurling the morgs to the ground. One did not move from where he lay, while the other rose shakily and bent over his horse, trying in vain to get the animal to move.
Crann, Gwynedd, and Collun turned to face the morgs coming from the forest, while Talisen and Brie grappled with the remaining morg, who had approached from behind.
"Don't let it touch your skin!" Crann called back.
Meanwhile Gwynedd, with an almost fanatical gleam in his eye, had drawn his sword. He was relentlessly urging Gerran forward. The horse's eyes were wide with fear at the sight of the oncoming morgs.
"Hold, Prince," cried out Crann. "Stay out of the way!" But, Gwynedd did not heed the wizard's words and kept pushing Gerran on. Crann again lifted his staff high. He paused, trying to see beyond the prince to the advancing morgs. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get the words out, he was tackled from behind by the morg whose horse had gone down. The wizard was dragged off Gealach, who struck out vainly with her hooves.
Fiain pivoted. Collun lashed at the morg with his dagger, but his blows fell short.
Wizard and morg wrestled on the ground for several moments. Then with his staff, Crann landed a mighty blow to the side of the morg's head, and the creature lay still.
Suddenly Fiain let out a shrill whinny. Collun was grabbed from behind. He looked down. The hand clutching his shoulder was disfigured by a blackened, puckered scar.
He heard a hissing voice in his ear. "I told you we would meet again." He was looking into the yellow eyes of Mister Urlacan.
The morg had shifted its damp hand to Collun's throat. The boy felt a torpor begin to steal over him. He was slowly being dragged off Fiain's back. But the horse kicked out savagely, dislodging the morg's grip.
Collun fell to the ground. The force of his landing knocked the breath out of him. His forehead struck sharply against a rock. He reached up to feel a jagged gash. Blood was running down the side of his face.
Wiping it away from his eyes, Collun saw that Gwynedd was surrounded by three morgs. The prince brandished his sword, keeping the creatures at bay, but one moved behind him. Collun let out a warning yell as he saw a long thin blade emerge from the folds of the creature's cloak. Gwynedd's horse bolted forward into the two morgs in front of them. The animal went down with a high-pitched bray of pain. The prince fell, too, a morg on top of him.
Crann was on his feet, striding toward the fallen prince, his staff raised once again. Collun could not hear the words this time, but there was a great flash of light. Two of the morgs lay still, the fronts of their cloaks blackened.