he ran, his fingers clawed at his armband and then caressed it. Though his path meandered, inevitably and without reason he found himself in the pasture of the Druid Stone once more.
And there stood his wife, Mônda, with her goodly father who smiled on Owain as a prodigal come home. All else blurred but their sweet faces as he fell sideways to the turf. “Take it off … Take it off. In the name of mercy, take it off!” he called.
Mônda bent down and, with her long black hair covering his face, touched his covenant armband, whispering words that took away the pain.
Owain relaxed … until his fingers curled against his will. His elbows jolted straight, his legs numbed, and his back went rigid. He wanted to scream, but his mouth wouldn’t obey.
“My daughter,” Mórganthu said, “your spell of binding has grown strong since the first days of your union. Here is one of my enemies, and what shall I do with him?”
Mônda looked at Owain in love, and this gave him hope. She would help him, she would —
“To the Stone. Take him to the Stone,” she said. “Then he will always be mine.”
CHAPTER 16
THINGS FORGOTTEN
Merlin sat on his hands, leaning against the wall where his tas had left him. “Go and tell the brothers about Prontwon. I’ll stay and keep vigil.”
“I’m sorry about your father, Merlin,” Dybris said.
“Nothing can be done now. He’s gone.”
Dybris helped Merlin stand up and gave him back his staff. “Don’t give up. You can pray. All of us can pray.”
Merlin nodded.
“And don’t forget Garth. Keep praying for Garth.”
“I will.”
After Dybris left, Merlin pulled up a bench so he could sit near Prontwon’s body but decided to stand instead. He found the old man’s hands and folded them upon his chest. How could he have died just when Merlin needed him most? When everyone needed him?
Then Merlin did something he’d never done in life. He reached out and felt the shape of Prontwon’s face. He knew the man’s voice. Knew the gruffness when the abbot coughed to rebuke an improper joke. Knew his earnestness when he corrected Merlin’s thoughts about God or the Scriptures. Knew the abbot’s kindness when he held Merlin’s hands in greeting.
Yet Merlin couldn’t remember the man’s face, since his family had little to do with the monks before Merlin became interested in following Jesu.
Thus, he had never seen Prontwon smile or laugh, nor had he seen the twinkle that must have been in the old man’s eyes when he teased.
Warm sunshine filtered through the hole in the roof, and there Merlin stood, feeling the old man’s stubble and the shape of his nose. The forehead that held such intelligence, such wit, framed by his balding head and his surprisingly thick eyebrows.
Merlin held back a sob, for only in the coldness of death did he now understand Prontwon in a way God had intended him to be known and yet had always been hidden from Merlin. He patted Prontwon on the shoulder and sat down to pray for his own father, whose face he knew.
The room grew dark, and Merlin pulled his cloak about him, feeling suddenly chilled and alone. He tried to imagine the shape of his father’s eyes, and he begged God to open them.
But the wind began to whip through the rasping chapel door. A small animal pawed through the crack and jumped onto an unsteady bench several feet in front of Merlin.
The creature began to purr.
Soon the cat fell silent, but Merlin felt it watching him. He held his staff between himself and the black shadow where the cat wisped its tail. He kept praying, but it was hard to keep his mind on the words.
More cats arrived. One by one, they crept hush-clawed into the chapel until Merlin was surrounded by a coven of silent felines. Some on benches, some on the floor, and some on the table near the far wall.
Fear crawled into his heart, but he kept praying for his father despite the unnerving presence of the abbey’s sudden guests.
They hissed. Then they began to yowl, and the din of it unnerved Merlin. If the cats attacked, what would he do? He wanted to make a mad dash for the door and slam it closed behind him. That would leave the animals locked inside with … with … Prontwon’s body! The desire to defend the poor abbot and the desire to flee overwhelmed him. His stomach began to burn.