Geraint (Hengist-People of the Horse Book 5)

by Jacky Gray

  The two men seemed happy with the information Geraint had provided, promising to put it before the council as soon as they returned. They could not resist a few teasing comments before leaving to find their families. Geraint was surprisingly shy, finding himself alone in the darkness with his girlfriend for the first time.

  Except they were not really alone, surrounded by thousands of strangers, and it wasn’t completely dark, despite the sun setting several hours earlier. The moon had waxed her way up to about half full. All around them, people had lit fires, torches and candles to wait for the sun to greet them. Something about the time and place felt magical, and they were aware of little blankets of energy enveloping the groups of people sitting round patiently or sleeping. Some groups tried to prolong the party atmosphere, singing and dancing or simply standing round talking and drinking. The energy layers around them were thicker and brighter, but brightest of all were the groups who were performing their own, pre-dawn rituals. They tuned into the plentiful energy from the ground and the air, breathing it in and filling themselves so they glowed almost as brightly as the candles.

  Sitting down on her cousin Bethia’s groundsheet, he wrapped his mother’s blanket around them. Siany snuggled up, resting her head on his shoulder. They talked for several hours about their interests, discovering each other’s likes and dislikes on a range of topics. She approved of his father’s new scheme to improve things for the girls, and he was fascinated by her store of anecdotes about the way the Sabbats were celebrated at the lehren.

  When the crowds crammed around the stones to watch the dancers, they claimed an abandoned spot by the gateway stones. They’d both seen the splendour of the rituals, but neither had been on the sunrise line before. Watching the sun rise over the heel stone was made so much more magical by the fact she held his hand and it seemed natural to kiss her. What a kiss.

  Although the rays of the sun did not angle down far enough to reach them, his skin heated up with a fiery energy. Despite closed eyes, he was unexpectedly up above looking down at their bodies from a great height. He saw both of them glowing with a golden light which radiated out, touching people around who stirred, as though bathed in the sun’s warmth. Incredibly, Siany was up there with him, smiling and holding his hand, but then she was pulling him back down and he re-entered his body just as she ended the kiss.

  ‘How did that happen? How could we be up there and down here at the same time?’

  ‘I don’t know how it works, but it’s happened to me during an Esbat meditation. I never glowed like that before; it must be because of you.’

  ‘Nothing to do with the fact we’re in the most sacred place in the country at the very moment the sun wakes up at the height of his power, then?’

  ‘Well yes, there is that, too. But I’ve been here lots of times on the solstice, and it never happened before.’

  They had no further chance to discuss it as Thanet found them and did not leave his hero’s side no matter what they said. When Siany had to leave, Geraint would have liked to kiss her again, but it was impossible with such a big audience. Patricia seemed to sense his dilemma as she gave him a parting hug, opening the gates for a flood of hugging and handclasps between both parties. They were at least able to share a moment of contact which he ended with a very polite kiss on her cheek before Thanet claimed her for a hug. Fletch clasped his hand and clapped him on the back with a final word of thanks and a command to “Keep in touch if you hear any more.”

  Geraint found out from Siany that time had severely diminished the impact of the experience for her father. He’d arranged a meeting with one of the councillors a few days after they’d returned home, but the man had cancelled twice. As the weeks dragged by without incident, the Litha preparations had taken precedent and by the following full moon, it was well and truly forgotten.

  Rattrick took Geraint along to speak to Hereward and, although he listened politely, the other Renegate chief was proud of his tribe’s warrior reputation and did not perceive any threat. He spent most of the time gloating about the lad who would be competing at the Herfest challenge, who was apparently unbeatable. After a number of attempts to invite himself to their Lughnasadh trial because he had no boys of that age, he gave up. Rattrick did not extend any hospitality as he wanted to keep it private.

  When questioned, he explained to his men he wasn’t ashamed of the two boys competing, saying it should be a good bout as they were evenly matched and reasonably skilled. But this would be the first chance for the girls to compete in a trial and the two girls were tasked with creating a meal for four people using the foods of the season. The competing boys were to be part of the judging team and would have a small portion of each girl’s meal. It all worked reasonably well and the next camp fire meeting was full of praise, especially from the women.

  As Lughnasadh came and went with no sign of the fearsome bandits, it seemed they were all being too cautious. The various parties settled into familiar routines. Siany regularly visited Aveburgh, Bethia encouraged the romance between her young cousin and Geraint, frequently inviting him over for meals. These were very different to his nightmare first experience of a Townie dinner: much more relaxed with fun and laughter. It was at one of these dinners he met Archer for the first time since the demonstration of his bow at the Bowman’s workshop. He was thrilled when Archer remembered the encounter, saying how impressed he’d been by Geraint’s knowledge.

  Herfest marked the end of this calm before the storm. Bringing in the harvest took a lot of effort and it was normal at this time of year for strangers to be around. A number of townspeople reported unusual dream activities which left an uneasy feeling. The council put out a special intention during a meditation to reveal any danger to the village and, in the following week, several people reported seeing strangers in the village asking questions. They did not fit any of the descriptions Geraint had given them, but the council were concerned, deciding to bring the census forward a year.

  Geraint happened to be at Fletch’s on the first day, so his name had to be included. This was a new concept for him, and Fletch explained what it was all about. On the three days of the new moon, each householder had to make a note of all the people staying or working there, giving their age, gender and where they usually lived. Several householders reported one of their hired labourers did not turn up after the first day of the census and they were asked to provide details and full descriptions.

  Siany returned to the house after saying goodbye to Geraint and it was quite by chance she walked in the room when Fletch was telling Bethia about the men who’d mysteriously disappeared.

  ‘Of course it could just be a coincidence, but their names all looked a bit unlikely. Guicta and Frealof and Foleguald, if you please.’

  ‘Not unlikely in Germania in the fifth century. They were all ancestors of Hengist and Horsa.’ This was something Siany had studied with Geraint, and she knew it well.

  ‘Wherever they got the names, it’s strange none of them turned up for work the day after the census.’

  ‘Maybe they were on the run from marshals.’

  ‘Well it won’t help them. We’ve got full descriptions now, although they do seem quite different from the ones your boyfriend gave us.’

  Siany compared the lists, saying there were some similarities, but she sensed something on the new list. ‘It says here the tall chap had a squeaky voice. One of the men who held up the carriage had a very high voice. I thought it might have been a woman.’

  ‘Really? That could be important.’

  ‘And both lists have a short, stocky man but in this one his hair is short and dark. Geraint’s man had long sandy hair. He could have cut it and dyed it. And there’s another one like that.’

  Fletch looked at the lists where she’d marked the two men. ‘But this one has a scar on his cheek. Geraint’s doesn’t say that.’

  ‘He didn’t get a close look at all of them. Or it could have been covered by his long hair.’

 
‘Well it’s certainly worth looking into.’

  The following day, they heard the famous White Horse painter Thearl had been sent for. He would work with the householders to sketch some faces based on their descriptions.

  33 Tamas and Kia

  Something was wrong. Geraint couldn’t determine exactly what, but from the moment they hitched up the horses and moved out, he felt a growing sense of disaster. The journey down to Pitivo’s camp passed without incident, and their first overnight stop was at Glastonburgh. They made it to the town about an hour before sunset and Geraint accompanied Savannah to the Chalice Well. Here, she stocked up with supplies of the red and white waters from the springs for use in healing potions. Then they walked up to the top of the Tor in time to see the sun set in a blaze of red and gold. Several people lit their lanterns and headed back down the path, but she seemed content to pause awhile, listening to the night sounds. When she spoke, it made him jump. ‘This girl, Siany. Do you see a future in it?’

  ‘What do you mean?’ He’d not really thought about it and struggled to understand her thoughts. ‘Handfasting and family?’

  ‘Is that your desire? Can you honestly see her parents agreeing to a union between their precious daughter and a mere Renegate?’

  ‘I hadn’t thought about it, but they seem to like me, and I don’t think they see a great difference between them and us. Her father and mine got on very well while we were in Kent.’

  ‘You seem to like your father a lot better these days. Has he changed, or is it just your opinion of him?’

  ‘I got to see a different side of him while we were away. He’s very brave and quite cunning.’

  ‘But you’re not sure he always gets it right. That’s natural. You shouldn’t expect to agree with everything he says or does, just because he’s your father. It’s always good when someone questions a leader; it stops them from being too besotted with their own power.’

  ‘The women appreciate that he cares about their point of view.’

  ‘He always did.’ She looked at him with an intense expression, as though she wanted to say more, then turned away. He wasn’t sure if he imagined the tear in her eye, but a short while later she got up and directed him to breathe in deeply. The sacred place had amazing energy which he would need in the moons to come. Sensing she wanted him to go because she had something important to do, he spotted several other women putting on white robes. He worked out what day it was. ‘The full moon, it’s tonight. Are you going to do an Esbat up here?’

  ‘Yes. Your father agreed we could take the longer route down to Pitivo’s camp so we could celebrate in this special place. It’s the first time he has paid any attention to the Esbats. Normally he stays well away from what he calls women stuff.’

  ‘That’s because we went to one in Kent. They held it at the White Horse Stone. It was very powerful.’

  She didn’t speak for a moment and he thought she’d finished with him, but as he turned to go, she touched his shoulder. ‘Would you like to take part in our Esbat?’

  ‘Could I? You wouldn’t mind? I mean I haven’t got a robe or brought anything …’

  ‘That doesn’t matter. Just yourself will be enough. I will need to check it with the other women, but I’m sure they’ll agree.’

  So Geraint became the first male to participate in a Renegate Esbat in many decades. The women were a little shy at first, but they welcomed the difference in the energy flow and all agreed it worked well. He appreciated the subtle differences in their incantations, but it was generally very similar to the one in Kent.

  They reached the camp in the early evening of the next day, after a small detour to take them closer to the Rude Man, a white figure carved into the hill at Cerne Abbas. The women had plenty to say about the giant and were still chuckling and making disparaging comments to their men folk as they rolled into Pitivo’s camp.

  Although they had a lot further to travel, Hereward’s tribe had left a day earlier and taken a more direct route to arrive first. They pitched their wagons in the better of the two spots, close to the stream and the small copse for collecting water and wood for the fires. Pitivo invited them to bring along a dish of food and a jug of ale to share at an informal feast that night and it was quite a jolly affair as Pitivo’s women told tales about the supposed aid to fertility of the giant hill figure. Rattrick’s women spoke of the powerful magic they’d experienced on the previous night at Glastonburgh.

  Hereward’s women were quite jealous of the special detour and that they could celebrate an Esbat so openly. The women of the other two tribes who wanted to mark the occasion had to slip away to the woods for a private ceremony as many of the men did not approve. Before the talk got too heated, Pitivo’s wife decided it was time for some entertainment. She clapped her hands summoning drums, flutes and fiddles which were played long into the night as the moon travelled across toward the west.

  After a day for the two visiting tribes to recover from their journey, the contest started at mid-morning. This time, there were just two bouts with Pitivo’s contestants each fighting a boy from the visiting tribes. Because of Hereward’s boasting, Pitivo had put his best lad up against Rattrick’s boy, but it did not work out quite how he planned. Both bouts were evenly matched. Rattrick’s contender was well trained by Geraint, and narrowly won his match.

  Hereward had vastly exaggerated his boy’s abilities. After watching the first bout, Pitivo’s lad pulled out all the stops, so Hereward’s tribe went home empty handed.

  At the feasting that night, Manfrid and Georgios pursued a couple of the younger girls from Rattrick’s tribe, plying them with drinks and trying to get them to go into the woods. Tamas spotted them on his way over to see Geraint, who was listening with a grin as Oeric described his Imbolc trial to a couple of Pitivo’s seniors who were due to do their trials in the following year.

  ‘… so there’s only an hour before sunrise and I’m still in with a chance. I knew Hunter was still out there; the only boy who has ever beaten him is my cousin Geraint there …’

  Tamas couldn’t wait any longer. ‘Sorry to interrupt, but I thought you’d like to know a couple of our seniors are coming on a bit strong with two of your girls. I could be wrong, but they look like juniors.’

  ‘One of those seniors wouldn’t be Manfrid by any chance?’

  ‘How did you guess? And Georgios. I would have stepped in, but I thought it right you should know.’

  Oeric was up on his feet, spilling ale as he growled, ‘Lead me to ’em. I owe that brat a black eye or two for …’

  ‘No you don’t. I think you shouldn’t get involved. It’s probably exactly what he’s looking for, some kind of big gang fight.’ Geraint stood up and took his cousin’s beaker before he spilt any more, then settled him back down and returned it to him. He turned to Tamas. ‘Are any of your seniors prepared to risk getting on the wrong side of Hereward by teaching his nephew a few manners?’

  He shrugged. ‘I can only think of one. Manfrid is very sly.’

  ‘What about the adults? Someone discrete.’

  ‘Maybe two. What did you have in mind?’

  ‘I can get a couple of people. If we present a united front, there should be no danger of it causing a rift between the tribes. We’ll meet behind your wagon as soon as you can.’

  Oeric protested, but Fredulf had not drunk as much and urged him to finish the tale. One of Pitivo’s seniors offered Geraint some support, but was content to stay and ensure Oeric remained calm. He promised to keep a watchful eye out for trouble.

  Emilian was keen to minimise the fuss and better placed to gather the other adults without arousing the suspicion of the leaders. His first ally was Savannah, and the two of them quickly worked out a plan and discretely alerted a few key players. Within minutes a small hunting party were slipping into the woods to try and avert the potential danger. If any of Hereward’s men were surprised the small team was led by a youth and a woman they did not show it, responding to the
situation with the ease of experience.

  It was all over in a matter of minutes; the girls appeared grateful to be rescued from a situation which had quickly got beyond their control. They accompanied Savannah back to the camp, submitting to her scolding with bowed heads, although one of them looked back at Geraint with an expression reminding him of Ptivo’s wife.

  Manfrid recognised he’d been outmanoeuvred once again by his rival and had the good sense not to respond to his elder’s terse words with anything but meek apology. But the anger in the fierce glare he shot at Geraint and Tamas suggested the incident would not pass without retribution.

  That night, Geraint’s nightmare had the three Renegate tribes facing up to each other from three sides of a triangle with Savannah in the centre trying to calm them.

  The next couple of days were a watered down reminder of his time at Kent as they spent the days by the sea. The sun was not as strong, and few of the Renegate youths were keen to swim in the cold, turbulent waters. The beach had little sand; at high tide it held nothing but grey pebbles which were hard on their tender feet. Although some stones had interesting veins of colour, most of them were monochromatic, ranging from almost pure white to charcoal grey. The sea had worn them to a smooth regular shape, but even the smallest of them was bigger than a hen’s egg, making them no good for collecting. Geraint’s father asked him to keep an eye out for anything which could be used in artefacts. As he complained to Tamas about the lack of shells, Pitivo’s daughter Kia listened nearby.

  ‘The next beach has some beautiful shells; I can show you if you want.’ She smiled shyly at them.

  Geraint remembered how beautiful he thought her at first sight. But next to Siany, she was just another pretty girl. Nice enough, with pleasant manners and a gentle nature, but she didn’t make his heart swell inside his chest the way Siany did.