Silver Hill

by Catherine Cooper

Gwillam – Gwillam no longer lives on Earth. He is a Druid and used to be the guardian of the Oak Well, which was in the heart of Glasruhen, close to where Newton Gill is today. Gwillam was killed by the Romans in AD 61 and since then has lived on in Annwn, the Otherworld. Like all ancient Druids, Gwillam has a magical staff and knows a lot of magic. He is also Nora’s twin brother. He is now the leader of The Blessed Council in Annwn. (I miss Gwillam and wish we could go back to the time before the Romans came.)

  Hesta – one of the two white ravens belonging to the Queen of Annwn. (She pesters me and giggles too much – I call her Hesta Pester, but don’t tell the Queen.)

  Jack Brenin – He’s not much to look at, a bit on the small size with very untidy hair, but he’s The One we’ve all been waiting for. He had to help me rescue Nora’s lost cauldron plates but to do that he had to become a Raven Boy, like me, and I had to teach him to fly. He is very polite, always keeps his promises and tries his best. He likes football and cricket and he was born on October 31st, which is the day we celebrate Samhain. He lives at Brenin House, with his Grandad now, before that he lived in Greece with his mum and dad. Sadly Jack’s mum died and his dad is still in Greece, working as an archaeologist. Jack has a special wand, given to him by Arrana, the oldest Hamadryad in Glasruhen Forest. He also has a golden acorn, made for him by the master craftsman of Annwn, Lloyd the Goldsmith. (He’s my best friend and it’s great when we go flying together.)

  Jed – One of the guards of the Western Portal in Annwn.

  Jennet – A Water Nymph living in the spring by The Hawthorn Well on Glasruhen Hill. She doesn’t like being disturbed and can be very bad tempered at times (Actually, she’s bad tempered all the time.)

  Lloyd the Goldsmith – All the Druid’s Golden Acorns were made in Annwn by Lloyd, the master craftsman and goldsmith.

  Medric – Nora’s watch-goose and Gerda’s mate.

  Mortarn – Gatekeeper of the Caves of Eternal Rest and Guardian of the Crystal Key.

  Motley – Leader of the Night Guard. (Of course Motley reports directly to me because I’m the only one who can do the warning call of the raven owl.)

  Myryl – A Water Nymph living in the spring by The Mound, not far from Beconbury. She’s an expert on cauldrons and has a large collection. She loves visitors and can talk for hours. (Be prepared for a long visit if you go to see her, Myryl talks more than Timmery.)

  Nora – Nora’s full name is Eleanor Ewell. She’s a Druid who was trapped on Earth after some of her cauldron plates were lost. Her full title is: The Seanchai, Keeper of Secrets and Ancient Rituals, Guardian of the Sacred Grove, Healer, Shape-Shifter and Wise Woman. Nora is skilled in magic, knows all about herbs and healing, is very wise and can shape-shift into lots of different forms. Nora has her own library, it’s full of books she’s written and bound herself. Her favourite place is her herborium where she makes all her potions and preparations. (I live with Nora at Ewell House, which is at the bottom of Glasruhen Hill. She’s nice, but she doesn’t always appreciate what it’s like to be a raven.)

  Norris – A dragonette from the Westwood Roost. He was captured by the Spriggans of Silver Hill and imprisoned in a cage. His brothers are Charkle and Snook.

  Orin – Motley’s sister. She is pure white and would be a great prize if caught by a Spriggan. She is not allowed to be a member of the Night Guard because it would be too dangerous for her.

  Raggs – A member of the Night Guard. He used to be a ship’s rat but when he got too old for a life at sea he made his way to Glasruhen and joined the Night Guard. He has long whiskers, grey fur and a very twitchy nose. (Raggs tells really great stories; he’s been around the world several times and has seen some amazing things.)

  Saige – An Oracular Frog from Annwn. Saige is able to accurately predict the answers to mathematical questions. (Saige is my frog but I’m not allowed to keep her in my loft. Nora gave her my secret cave to live in.)

  Sam Brenin – See Grandad.

  Snook – A dragonette from the Westwood Roost. He was captured by the Spriggans of Silver Hill and imprisoned in a cage. His brothers are Charkle and Norris.

  Sylvana – The Mother Oak in Annwn. Her full title is: Sylvana, Mother of all Hamadryads, Guardian of the Oaks and Bearer of the Sacred Mistletoe.

  Teg – One of the guards of the Western Portal in Annwn.

  Timmery – A very small pipistrelle bat who loves to talk, is full of enthusiasm and enjoys visitors. He roosts in the belfry of All Hallows Church next to Glasruhen Cricket Ground. He’s very brave and has a really good sense of direction. (I like Timmery best when he’s asleep in his belfry, as far away from me as possible.)

  Uriel – A Water Nymph living in a well on the south side of Glasruhen Hill. She does not welcome visitors and is feared by everyone. Her well is difficult to find and is guarded by two Gargoyles. (The Gargoyles were no match for me.)

  Velindur – The self-appointed King of Annwn, Velindur has no magical powers. He seeks revenge on all Druids because The Blessed Council banished him from Annwn. (He doesn’t like ravens either.)

  Winver – One of the two white ravens belonging to the Queen of Annwn. (Just as giggly as Hester but not as much of a pest.)

  WHAT’S WHAT ?

  Acolyte – The training for an acolyte is long and hard. You have to learn and be able to recite the histories, sing the songs and tell stories. You have to know all about plants, potions and spells, and eventually learn how to read and write. Acolytes were allowed a lath (a twig with magical properties which can be used as a wand) when they’d reached a certain point in their training and were then taught how to use it. Gwillam always had several acolytes, all at different stages in their training. (Gavin was one of his acolytes; he was always kind to me.)

  Bogies – Small, bad tempered little men who snoop and then trade the information they’ve acquired. They are particularly proud of their noses. The longer a Bogie’s nose the more important he is. They are slightly bigger than Spriggans and usually live alone. Addergoole Peabody and Addergoole Pyecroft are brothers. They always like to have a feather in their cap and don’t think twice about pulling one out of a bird’s tail. Don’t ever tell a Bogie anything. (Peabody’s tried to pull out one of my tail feathers more than once.)

  Book of Shadows – This is a magical book, a bit like an encyclopaedia. There is a special way to access the book, known only to its owner. Should anyone else open the book its pages will look blank. The first page can be used to write messages to anyone else who also has a Book of Shadows. (I’ve got my own Book of Shadows now.)

  Book of Sorrows – A book kept by Mortarn, the gatekeeper for the Caves of Eternal Rest. Before Druids can enter the caves they have to empty their sorrows into this book, only then will they be able to find rest and sleep peacefully.

  Book of Dragon Lore – A book, compiled and handmade by Nora, that contains all the known information about dragons. It was bound with dragon skin. (Jack’s read the whole book and told me all about it.)

  Cauldron of Life – One of the Four Treasures of Annwn, this is a cauldron made from thirteen bronze plates that can be laced together. Each plate has a different tree symbol on it. The cauldron was too precious to be kept in one piece so all the separate parts were kept in the sacred groves or wells and guarded by Druids or Water Nymphs. When the cauldron was needed for the ritual opening of the Western Gate, the plates would be collected and Nora would lace them together. Once the cauldron was re-made the portal into Annwn could be opened. The thirteen trees on the cauldron plates are beech, pine, holly, hazel, apple, elm, rowan, ash, birch, yew, hawthorn, oak and willow. (It was my fault the hawthorn, oak and willow plates went missing.)

  Cauldron Plates – Three of the plates (those bearing the hawthorn, oak and willow tree emblems) were lost in the past, which is why Nora was trapped on earth. Without these three plates Nora was unable to remake the cauldron which was needed to open the Western Portal. An ancient Prophecy foretold the coming of one who would find the
missing cauldron plates and save everyone.

  Crochan Tree – The leaves from this tree are extraordinary. An elixir can be made by brewing the leaves, when this is drunk by the Druids it makes them immortal.

  Crystal Key – This is a huge diamond shaped crystal and is the key which opens the Caves of Eternal Rest. The caves are sealed with an ice sheet. When the key is in position the gatekeeper can turn it three times to melt the ice sheet and unseal the entrance. Mortarn is the keeper of the crystal key and gatekeeper to the caves.

  Crystal Magic – The most powerful kind of magic. It can’t be controlled by anyone and has a life of its own.

  Donar – The coinage introduced into Annwn by Velindur.

  Doors – There are many kinds of doorways. Some lead into hillsides, some into Fairy Mounds and some into the Otherworld. Bogie doors are never well looked after and usually have a sign on them telling the caller to GO AWAY. Fairy doors are always well kept and usually have shiny doorknobs that can speak to the caller. A dwindling door is a special kind of magical Druid’s door. Portals are the doors between Earth and Annwn.

  Dragons – Long ago there were many dragons but now only a few survive. The bigger the dragon, the longer its name. There were three types of dragon: dragonairs, dragonors and dragonettes.

  Dragonairs – Very large with red scales and usually bad tempered. Dragonairs can fly and both males and females can breathe fire. Famous dragonairs include Brynog Long Tail the Invincible, Zacyry Jagged Tooth the Mighty, Ember Silver Horn the Magnificent, Wygrym Sharp Claw the Fearless and Petryn Long Beard the Brave.

  Dragonors – These dragons usually had blue scales and were medium sized. They didn’t breathe fire but had the sharpest teeth. They were always getting into fights, especially with knights and they are now extinct. The names of the dragonors have been lost and only the slayers’ names are remembered, for example, Sir Berwick the Dragon Slayer.

  Dragonettes – Very small dragons with shiny green scales and tiny purple wings. Only the males breathe fire. They were highly prized by Spriggans who would capture them when they could. Charkle was captured by Spriggans and imprisoned in a cage. The Spriggans would pull his tail if their candles went out so he’d breathe fire and light the wicks again.

  Dragon Screecher – The profession of a Draygull who could screech a song that would hypnotise any dragon into a deep sleep.

  Dragon Skin – A dragon sheds its skin every hundred years. The skins are highly prized because they are very strong and fireproof. The Book of Dragon Lore was bound with the skin shed by Wygrym Sharp Claw the Fearless.

  Druids – Were trained to recite stories, poems and sing songs; they learnt the whole history of the Earth and Annwn this way. They needed to know about herbs and remedies and how to heal people. Anyone chosen to be a Druid would train from an early age, for up to thirty years and while training was known as an acolyte. Once a Druid’s training was complete they could choose how to use their skills, some would become bards, others healers and some teachers. (I used to be Gwillam’s acolyte but I wasn’t able to finish my training.) Druids each have a ceremonial hooded robe, a staff, which would once have been a branch from a sacred tree, and a golden acorn. The staff and acorn give them the ability to perform magic. They can live forever if they drink an elixir, a kind of tea, brewed from the leaves of the crochan tree which can only be found in Annwn in the Druid’s Village.

  Dryads – A special type of Nymph. Dryads inhabit trees. They can move around from tree to tree and tend all the trees in a forest or wood. If their tree should die they can find another to live in. A special kind of Dryad is called a Hamadryad.

  Dwindling Door – Any door that is used by a Druid can be turned, with a little bit of magic, into a dwindling door. If any if the Fair Folk or Not So Fair Folk go through the door uninvited it gets smaller. The Druid can then tell if anyone has been where they shouldn’t. However, if a human goes through a dwindling door it will disappear altogether and trap the human inside the room, where they must await their fate.

  Fair Folk – These are the little people of this world, including fairy folk, Nymphs, Brownies, Dorysks, and the larger people of Annwn. Some can fly, some have magic, some can shape shift and all are immortal. They can sometimes be mischievous but they don’t mean any harm. Unless you have special sight you’d find it hard to see any of the small fair folk that inhabit the earth.

  Fairy Mound – Any mound found on ground between an oak, ash and thorn tree will be a fairy mound. Sometimes fairies live there all the time; other mounds are just used for feasts and celebrations. All fairy doors have a shiny doorknob. When anyone knocks on the door the doorknob transforms into a face and can speak with the visitor.

  Four Portals of Annwn – These are the four ancient and secret Gateways of Annwn. They are the boundaries between Annwn and Earth.

  Four Treasures of Annwn – These are the Cauldron of Life, the Spear of Justice, the Sword of Power and the Stone of Destiny. Each one opens one of the Four Portals.

  Gargoyles – A creature of stone with a grotesque face. It has a wide gaping mouth and a forked tongue. Never look a female gargoyle in the eye or she will terrify and transfix you. This is how gargoyles catch their prey. (They didn’t get us!)

  Gateways of Annwn - These are the four ancient and secret doorways or portals into Annwn. They are the boundaries between Annwn and Earth.

  Golden Acorn – All the Druid’s golden acorns were made in Annwn by the master craftsman, Lloyd the Goldsmith. A Druid needs their golden acorn and wand to be able to perform rituals and magic. (Jack’s got his own golden acorn.)

  Gnarles – Are dying trees, no longer under the protection of a Hamadryad. They still have some life in them but the Dryads, who once tended and looked after them have left the forest and the Gnarles are left to slowly turn into dead wood. (They don’t seem to appreciate my singing.)

  Hags – Small disgusting smelly creatures about the same size as a raven. They live in caves and aren’t very hygienic. They have large hooked beaky noses, and long claw-like fingers. Their blackish purple hair reaches the floor. Hags meet up at various times of the year and like to sing. (Not that you’d recognise it as singing.)

  Hamadryads – Are the Dryads of any oak tree. Unlike other dryads, if the oak tree dies, the Hamadryad also dies. They are part of the tree and are unable, like other Dryads, to move from tree to tree. All Hamadryads began life as an acorn from the Mother Oak in Annwn. They grow and develop rapidly and once fully grown, they give their protection to all the trees and Dryads living in their forest.

  Herborium – This is a special room at Ewell House where Nora keeps all the ingredients for her potions. It’s also where she keeps her herbarium, a collection of dried herbs and pressed flowers that have been studied, labelled and written about in one of her many books. Nora also has books about plants, spells and potions in the herborium. (I’m not always allowed in the herborium but Jack is.)

  Hudlath – A magic wand transformed from a lath. Once the wand has been empowered it will appear smooth. You have to be very careful how you use a magic wand. Sparks can erupt from the end. (Jack singed my tail feathers the first time he used his wand but I got my own back when I used mine for the first time.)

  King of Annwn – The rightful king of Annwn is buried deep with The Mound; he chose mortality instead of eternal life. Velindur is the self-appointed King in Annwn.

  King of the Forest – Jack Brenin is to be crowned King of the Forest when the new Hamadryads are grown as foretold in the last two lines of the Prophecy:

  When all is equal, all is done,

  And joy is brought to everyone,

  The Brenin will be crowned again,

  Over the Forests he will reign.

  Lath – A wand. A lath is a twig with magical properties that can be transformed into a hudlath. To empower the lath it has to be taken to one of the sacred wells where the keeper of the well, a special kind of Water Nymph called an Undine chooses your magical sym
bol. Once you have touched the symbol with your right hand it glows and becomes very hot, the symbol then appears on your fingertip. When you take your wand in your left hand it appears as a twig. But after you’ve been given your symbol, if you put it in your right hand the wand will transform into a hudlath (a magic wand).

  Mother Oak – This is the oak tree on which Hamadryad acorns grow. The Mother Oak will shake her branches and grant the Druid some of her acorns. She is called: Sylvana, Mother of all Hamadryads, Guardian of the Oaks and Bearer of the Sacred Mistletoe. The Druids in Annwn, and two Dryads, called Fernella and Fernilla, care for the Mother Oak.

  Night Guard – A band of eight rats, led by Motley, who keep watch over Glasruhen and report to Nora. The rats in the guard are: Motley, Podge, Midge, Lester, Morris, Raggs, Fergus and Berry.

  Not So Fair Folk – These are usually the little people of this world and some of the larger people of Annwn. They are unable to fly, they don’t have magical powers and they can’t shape shift. They may be vindictive and don’t mind causing harm. Unless you have special sight you’d find it hard to see any of the not so fair folk.

  Nymphs – There are lots of different kinds of Nymphs. Some inhabit the trees and are called Dryads or Hamadryads. Others inhabit the hills and meadows. Undines are a type of Water Nymph and the Nymphs of the air are called Sylphs. They have the ability to fly and shape-shift.

  Oak Well – This was the well tended by Gwillam in the centre of the Sacred Grove. The oak cauldron plate used to hang on the branches of the oak tree next to the well. (This was my home before the Romans came.)

  Oracular Frogs – Only found in Annwn. The males predict the weather but female oracular frogs have other prophetic abilities. (Gavin bought one as a present for me.)

  Otherworld – Another name for Annwn.

  Prophecy – this is the prophecy, which Jack Brenin is destined to fulfil:

  A Brenin boy you’ll need to find

  Born at Samhain of humankind.

  The One you seek is brave and strong