Garth flinched when he spotted a slightly curved brass blade tucked into the man’s belt. Dried blood stained the tip.
Garth was struck with the feeling he’d seen this man before, but where?
“Do you have a voice, boy? I asked your name.”
“Sir, I’m … I’m named … Garthwys mab Gorgyr.”
“Are you from Bosventor? Your accent is slightly wrong for these parts.”
“No, sir! I come from Porthloc.”
“I see. And what is this meat in your hand? From the looks of it, you are, perhaps, some sort of cook-in-training for the local abbey?”
“Oh no, sir. I can cook fish an’ oysters … but not chicken. I was just … borrowin’ this.” Heat rose to Garth’s cheeks.
The tall man bent his long legs and sat down next to Garth. In his left hand he held a chicken leg … the one Garth had dropped, apparently.
Another man, whom Garth hadn’t noticed at first, stepped back and busied himself studying the flowers on a nearby bush. This man was much younger than the first and wore a red-and-amber cloak that didn’t quite hide his copper torc.
The older man beside him spoke. “So now, look at you … You are not quite skin and bones, but you are hungry, yes? May I get more meat for you? Perhaps the whole chicken?”
“Yes, sir. I mean, no, sir … if’n I can just have this one piece, I’ll be right glad.” Garth held up his chicken leg. “May I, sir?”
“Not yet.” The man reached down for a strange stick hanging off his belt, unclasped it, and held it up.
Tied to the end were many strings of small seashells. Down the length of its handle had been cut a collection of lines. They almost looked to Garth like letters, but he couldn’t make them out. They certainly weren’t Latin.
“What are those lines, sir? On your stick, I mean? I’ve never seen words like those afore now.”
“You ask a lot of questions, don’t you, boy? They are Ogham, an ancient writing. Yes, yes.”
The man waved the musically clinking shell wand over the chicken leg in many circles as he uttered some words in a strange tongue. While he did this, one of his sleeves slipped back on his arm, revealing that it was covered in blue lines of scarred tattoos.
That’s funny, Garth thought. Why’s he have those marks on his arm? Is he a Pict?
“There, there, all ready for you to eat. And if you want more, you are welcome to it.”
Garth was amazed. Who was this man to be so generous? Much nicer than those stingy monks! And the chicken smelled so good. “Thank you, sir!” He took a big bite, chewed, and swallowed.
“Oh, the pleasure is all mine.”
Garth reached out to touch the shells hanging from the wand.
But as fast as a shark to bloody bait, the man’s hand clamped onto Garth’s wrist. “Very interesting, yes? But do not touch, I say, do not touch.”
Garth’s breath caught in his throat.
The man let go, and Garth’s wrist hurt. “May I ask you, sir — beggin’ yer pardon — where did you get those seashells on yer what’s-it stick?”
“Another question, I see. I found them over in the land of the Eirish. I have just come back from there after many long years.”
Come to think of it, the man himself had a bit of Eirish accent. “You came over the sea?” Garth said. “You mean you sailed?”
“Yes, yes. How else would I get here? I have sailed all over. Across the southern sea to Gaul and Brythanvy. I have even been among the Kallicians. Do you like sailing?”
“Oh yes, sir!”
“Maybe we could go sailing sometime. Would you like that?”
Garth was nearly speechless. “Do you mean that, sir?”
“Surely, surely.”
“That’d be just wonderful! Do you mind me askin’, sir, what yer name is?”
“Oh, yes. Sorry to have forgotten those pleasantries. I am given the name of Mórganthu, and this is my son, Anviv.”
Garth looked to Anviv, who was breaking off all the heads of the flowers and dropping them to the ground in an absentminded way.
Mórganthu coughed. “I am about to address the order of our brotherhood. Would you like to hear what I have to say? I have been waiting all my life to share such as this, and the stars will be in a highly propitious alignment tonight.”
Taking another bite from his chicken leg, Garth suddenly remembered the silvery-dark stone, and realized why the two men were familiar. Would he get to see the