Shadow of Stone (The Pendragon Chronicles)

by Ruth Nestvold

  The canonical body of Arthurian tales in our era goes back to the reworking of earlier legends and accounts often considered history by the authors of the High Middle Ages, in particular Chrétien de Troyes. Chrétien is the first known source we have for both Lancelot and Camelot; his French renderings of the original Celtic names are often still used as well. The chivalric version of Arthurian society created by the authors of the Middle Ages was reflected in the most influential work of Arthurian literature in English, Sir Thomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur.

  In this novel, I have tried to create a coherent whole out of scraps I discovered on the far side of the chivalric tradition. Not all of my plot threads are to be found there, however; for example, the Welsh Triads claim that Arthur had three wives, all named Gwenhwyfar. That would have been a bit much for my narrative, which is why I decided on two, one Gwenhwyfar and one Ginevra. I have also made use of less well-known tales from the continental tradition. The story of Cai and Arthur's son Loholt is derived from an anonymous French Arthurian romance of the thirteenth century, Perlesvaus. Here too, however, I have not followed the source religiously; instead, it served me as inspiration for an important twist in my own version of the events leading up to Camlann. One of my Clarion instructors, Paul Park, told us that when basing fiction on myths or legends or older works, make it your own. Over time, those words have become something of a mantra for me.

  There will probably be any number of readers for whom I have made it too much my own. But I like to imagine that if there ever was a Britain in which a Dux Bellorum by the name of Arthur led men named Cador and Bedwyr and Cai to battle, it might even have been a little like the world I have created in Shadow of Stone.

  I would like to thank the wonderful people who helped me in various stages during the creation of this book. My beta readers gave me excellent feedback on the first complete draft: Elisabeth Hartel, Katrin Somers, Britta Mack, Alex Mack, Debbie Ploss, Claudia Hagemann, Susanne Bosch-Abele, Anna Ivey, Beate Schütz, and Helen Moll. Tremendous fellow writers from the Villa Diodati workshop provided critiques of individual chapters and the outline: Aliette de Bodard, Nancy Fulda, Ralan Conley, Stephen Gaskell, Sara Genge, Jeff Spock, Floris Kleijne, Deanna Carlyle, and Rochita Loenen-Ruiz. Other critique partners who provided feedback include Pete Aldin, Tim Brommer, Phillip Spencer, Kathryn Allen, and Shiloh Carroll. Thanks also to my copy editor Lyn Worthen of Camden Park Press for being able to fit the final manuscript into her busy schedule. I want to thank you all for making Shadow of Stone a much stronger story than it would have been without your input. Finally, without the support in every phase and aspect of the writing from my husband Christian Schmidt, it is unlikely this book would ever have been written. Thank you again, my dear.

  Glossary

  Ard Ri - Irish High King

  Atrium - The open central court in a Roman house

  Ban file - Wise woman

  Century - A group of originally 100 legionaries in the Roman army, later reduced to 80 men

  Civitas (pl. Civitates) - Roman city with administrative function

  Durotriges - A tribe of eastern Dumnonia; kingdom, Dortrig

  Dux Bellorum - Leader of battles

  Eriu - Ireland

  Erainn - Irish

  Feadh Ree - The oldest race in Ireland, the ones who were there before the arrival of the Gaels. Many of them have powers the Gaels do not possess, and as such, they enjoy great respect, even though the Gaels hold most of the political power now. People with blood of the Feadh Ree make up a large proportion of the druids and bards of the land.

  Fianna - Powerful bands of warriors in old Ireland

  Fili (plural filid) - Umbrella term for the wise men of Eriu (Ireland), including druids, bards, ollamh, and brehon

  Garum - A salty fish sauce used for seasoning

  Imbolc - Fertility festival celebrating the first signs of spring at the beginning of February

  Laigin - The Gael tribes of the southeast, traditional enemies of the Ulaid.

  Medb - Legendary Irish warrior queen

  Morrigu - Celtic goddess of war and death

  Ogham - Irish alphabet, scratched into wooden sticks or the edge of stone

  Otherworld - The mysterious realm of the gods and the Feadh Ree, often seen as a paradise of eternal youth.

  Patria - Fatherland

  Principia - Headquarters in a Roman fort

  Protector - Leader responsible for the defense of a particular region in Britain

  Rath - A royal seat, usually a hill-fort with earthwork ramparts.

  Romanitas - The spirit and ideals of Rome in everyday life; the advantages of a civilized Roman way of life

  Samhain - Irish celebration bringing in the dark half of the year

  Sidhe - "Of the hills"; another term for the Feadh Ree, emphasizing their dwellings in the magic hills that are often seen as doors to the Otherworld

  Stola - A Roman women's garment

  Torc - A circular neck or arm ring

  Tuath - Tribe or sept (plural tuatha)

  Tuatha Dé Danann - The tribes of the goddess Danu; the "political" organization of what is left of the Feadh Ree. While they hold only small, scattered seats between the areas held by the larger Gael tribes, their political clout is much more far-reaching as a result of the mythical place they have in the mind of the Gael people, their conquerors. (Short form: Tuatha Dé)

  Ui Neill - The tribe which traces its descent from Niall of the Nine Hostages, Lóegaire's father.

  Characters and Places

  Main Characters

  Yseult, once a princess in Eriu, is now a queen in Britain, regent for her son Kustennin since the death of her husband, Marcus Cunomorus.

  Cador is one of the most important regional kings in Dumnonia. He has been good friends with Yseult for many years, and her son Kustennin is in fosterage with him.

  Gawain, Arthur's nephew, is Yseult's lover. He has asked Yseult to marry him, but after the disaster of her first marriage and the trauma of Drystan's death, she never intends to marry again.

  Other characters:

  Agravaine (deceased) - Brother of Gawain, Gaheris and Gareth

  Aircol - King in Demetia

  Alun - Cador's steward

  Ambrosius Aurelianus (went missing on a campaign in Gaul) - Former High King of Britain, Arthur's uncle and mentor

  Anir - Arthur's bastard son by his mistress Indeg

  Anna - Arthur's half-sister, mother of Medraut

  Arthur - Dux Bellorum of Britain

  Bedwyr - One of Arthur's most important military leaders and companions

  Brangwyn - Yseult's cousin and best friend

  Budic - A king of Armorica, married to Arthur's sister Anna

  Cai - Arthur's Master of Horse and one of his most important companions

  Caw - A former king of the north who rebelled one too many times and was sent to Armorica where he would cause fewer problems

  Cerdic - Former Count of the Saxon Shore, now allied with the Saxons

  Chlodovech - King of the Franks (original Germanic of Clovis)

  Cwylli - Daughter of Labiane and Caw, older sister of Gildas, wife of Medraut

  Drystan (deceased) - Was Yseult's lover. Killed by his father, Marcus Cunomorus

  Enid - Cador's mother

  Hengist - One of the Saxon kings in Ceint

  Hoel - A king of Armorica, married to Arthur's mother, Ygerna

  Honorius (deceased) - Former King of Gower

  Gaheris - Brother of Gawain, Agravaine and Gareth

  Gareth - Brother of Gawain, Agravaine and Gaheris

  Gildas - Son of Cador's cousin Labiane and her husband Caw

  Ginevra - Arthur's wife

  Gurles - A minor regional king in Dumnonia

  Gwythyr - One of the seven kings in Dumnonia and father of Ginevra (seat Celliwig)

  Illtud - Priest at Dyn Tagell, formerly a prince and a warrior

  Judual - Adopted son of Brangwyn and Kurvenal, bastard of Marc
us Cunomorus

  Kurvenal - Was Drystan's man-at-arms and best friend, now in Arthur's service. Married to Yseult's cousin Brangwyn

  Labiane - Cador's cousin, daughter of an Armorican king, married to Caw, mother of Cwylli and Gildas

  Loholt - Son of Arthur and Ginevra

  Lot (deceased) - Former King of the Gododdin, father of Gawain, Gaheris and Gareth

  Marcus Cunomorus - (deceased) Former king of Dumnonia and husband of Yseult

  Medraut - Arthur's nephew, son of his sister Anna and her husband Budic of Armorica

  Melehan - Son of Medraut and Cwylli

  Modrun - Daughter of Ambrosius Aurelianus, second wife of King Honorius of Gower, and cousin of Arthur

  Morgawse (deceased) - Cousin of Modrun, wife of Lot, and mother of Agravaine, Gawain, Gaheris and Gareth

  Myrddin - Arthur's advisor

  Natanleod - Ruler in Calleva

  Nimue - A member of the Old Race, lover of Myrddin and former lover of Medraut

  Owain - King of Gwynedd (north Wales)

  Uthyr - (deceased) Brother of Ambrosius Aurelianus and father of Arthur, who was conceived when he raped Ygerna

  Vortigern - High King before Ambrosius Aurelianus

  Ygerna - Mother of Arthur

  Yseult the Wise - Kingmaker of Eriu, mother of Yseult the Fair

  Places in Britain:

  Abona - Sea Mills on the coast near Bristol

  Aquae Sulis - Bath

  Buellt - Kingdom in Mid Wales

  Caer Baddon - Little Solsbury Hill northeast of Bath

  Caer Camulodon - Huddersfield, West Yorkshire

  Caer Custoeint - Cadbury Camp west of Bristol

  Caer Gwent - Caerwent, seat of Honorius, near Caer Leon

  Caer Leon - Caerleon (present day Wales)

  Caer Tamar - Plymouth

  Calleva - Silchester

  Ceint - Kent

  Celliwig - Castle Killibury, Cornwall (northeast of Wadebridge)

  Cerniw - Sub-kingdom of Dumnonia, roughly equivalent with Cornwall

  Corinium - Cirencester

  Demetia - Southwest Wales

  Din Eidyn - Edinburgh

  Dortrig - Sub-kingdom of Dumnonia, roughly equivalent with eastern Devon / western Somerset

  Dumnonia - Present day Cornwall, Devon and Somerset

  Durnovaria - Dorchester

  Dyn Draithou - South Cadbury

  Dyn Tagell - Tintagel

  Eburacum - York

  Elmet - Kingdom in what is now West Yorkshire

  Erainn Sea - Irish Sea

  Glevum - Gloucester

  Gododdin - Southeast part of Scotland

  Gower - Kingdom in South Wales

  Gwynedd - Northwest Wales

  Island of Vectis - Isle of Wight

  Isca Dumnoniorum (Isca) - Exeter

  Lansyen - Hill fort north of Fowey in Cornwall

  Lindinis - Ilchester

  Londinium - London

  Moridunum - Carmarthen, Wales, civitas capital of Demetia

  Mount of Frogs - Brent Knoll, hill-fort and beacon site in present-day Somerset (Dumnonia)

  Powys - Kingdom in central Wales

  Rheged - Kingdom in the area of northwest England and southwest Scotland

  Sabrina - Severn (Estuary and river)

  Uxelis - Launceston, Cornwall

  Venedotia - Latin word for Gwynedd (Northwest Wales)

  Venta / Venta Belgarum - Winchester

  Verulamium - St. Albans

  Voliba - Fowey, Cornwall

  Ynys Witrin - Glastonbury

  Ystrad Clud - Strathclyde

  Places in Eriu (Ireland):

  The five provinces of Eriu:

  Laigin in the Southeast (contemporary Leinster)

  Mumu in the Southwest

  Connachta in the West

  Ulaid in the North (contemporary Ulster)

  Midhe in the central East

  Ard Ladrann - Courtown Harbour near Gorey

  Bend Atair - Dublin

  Brega - A sub-province of Midhe, inland from the middle of Ireland on the east coast

  Bruig na Boyne - Newgrange

  Cashel - Cashel

  Cruachu - Royal seat in Connachta (Rathcroghan, Roscommon)

  Dun Ailinne - Near Kilcullen

  Druim Dara - Kildare

  Erain Sea - Irish Sea

  Midhe - The middle of Eriu, an area surrounding present-day Dublin

  Rath Inber - Arklow

  Places in Armorica (Brittany) and Gaul (France):

  Andecaves - Angers

  Bro Leon - Province in the northwest part of Armorica

  Caer Brioc (east of Leonis) - St. Brieuc

  Diablintis - Jublains

  Domnonia - Province in the northeast part of Armorica

  Gwitreg - Vitré

  Leonis - Seat of kings in Bro Leon (St. Pol de Leon)

  Liger River - Loire

  Parisius - Paris

  Riedonum - Rennes

  Sequana River - Seine

  Turonorum - Tours

  Vicenonia (river) - La Vilaine on the border to Brittany

  Map of Fifth Century Britain and Ireland

  About the author

  A former assistant professor of English in the picturesque town of Freiburg on the edge of the Black Forest, Ruth Nestvold has given up theory for imagination. She has since replaced her university career with a small software localization business, and the Black Forest with the parrots of Bad Cannstatt, where she lives with her fantasy, her family, her books, and no cats in a house with a turret. Her fiction has appeared in numerous markets, including Asimov's, F&SF, Baen's Universe, Strange Horizons, Scifiction, and Gardner Dozois's Year's Best Science Fiction. Her work has been nominated for the Nebula, Tiptree, and Sturgeon Awards. In 2007, the Italian translation of her novella "Looking Through Lace" won the "Premio Italia" award for best international work. Her novel Yseult appeared in translation as Flamme und Harfe with the German imprint of Random House, Penhaligon, in 2009, and has since been translated into Dutch and Italian. She maintains a web site at http://www.ruthnestvold.com.

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  Did you enjoy Shadow of Stone? Check out some of my other ebooks!

  Yseult

  Never Ever After: Three Short Stories

  Dragon Time and Other Stories

  Looking Through Lace

  The Future, Imperfect: Short Stories