Silver Hill (32 page)

Coragwenelan
– The
Queen of Annwn
.

Coriss
– A
Water Nymph
living in the
Mere Pool
, not far from
Beconbury
. She’s an expert on swords and daggers and has a large collection of both. She does not like visitors unless they have a special and unusual gift for her.
(I thought
Jennet
was bad tempered until I met Coriss.)

Cory
– A
Dryad
who knows where the
cauldron plates
have been hidden for safe keeping on
Glasruhen Hill
.

Dorysk
– A small creature with the ability to shapeshift. In its natural form it looks a bit like a hedgehog and can only change into something of equal or smaller size. There is usually only one Dorysk living in an area. Dorysks are very hard to catch. If you see a small creature wearing a pair of glasses it will be a Dorysk, without them they can hardly see at all. Dorysks like to gather information.
(I’m the best Dorysk catcher in the whole of Glasruhen.)

Draygull
– A strange looking creature the size of a man with an owl-like, feathered face. One lives in
Silver Hill
and conducts the
Hag
choir. Draygulls have a very good sense of smell and can identify and locate creatures by sniffing. A long time ago Draygulls were
Dragon Screechers
. They would screech strange music that soothed
Dragons
and hypnotised them into a deep sleep.
(Draygulls must be tone deaf if they think Hags can sing.)

Dugmore
– One of the
Spriggan
cooks inside
Silver Hill
.

Elan
– One of the
Fair Folk
of
Annwn,
she was trapped on Earth for hundreds of years. Jack sees Elan as she really is when he visits Annwn. She is skilled in magic.

Fergus
– One of the youngest rats in the
Night Guard
. Fergus has tousled fur, which he finds difficult to groom. He’s not as big as the older members of the guard and can always be found with
Berry
.
(I can usually get Fergus and Berry to do odd jobs for me.)

Fernella
and
Fernilla
– Two
Dryads
who attend the
Mother Oak
in
Annwn
.

Finnola Fytche
– A
Hag
living in a cave at the base of
Westwood
.
(If you ever visit a Hag’s cave, take a clothes peg for your nose.)

Gavin
– A former
Acolyte
of
Gwillam
, now a boatman in
Annwn
.
(Gavin’s great, he bought
Saige
for me from the fair in Annwn.)

Gerda
– A large white goose who guards and keeps watch over the grounds of
Ewell House
for
Nora
. Her mate is called
Medric
.

Gnori of Newton Gill
– A Gnori is a dead tree and was once a
Hamadryad
. The other trees refer to it as a hollow tree because the Hamadryad has died and is no longer inside. The Gnori in
Newton Gill Forest
was once a
Hamadryad
called
Allana
, the Beautiful, Guardian of the Grove, Most Kind and Wise.

Grabble
– One of the
Spriggan
cooks inside
Silver Hill
.

Grandad
– Samuel Brenin, known to everyone as Sam, is Jack’s Grandad. The Brenin family have lived in
Brenin House
for generations. It’s next door to
Ewell House
. Grandad loves cricket and he looks after the ground at
Glasruhen Cricket Club
. He is also a very keen gardener and is the vice chairman of the local gardening club. He has a very large vegetable garden and greenhouse. Grandad’s house is on the
back lane
just past the playing field and close to the cricket club
. (Jack’s Grandad doesn’t know about me so I have to be very quiet when I visit Jack in his bedroom. I think Jack should tell his Grandad that ravens don’t eat birdseed.)

Grol
– One of the two
Gargoyles
that guard
Uriel’s Well
.
(You can read about how I outwitted Grol in
Glasruhen Gate.
)

Grub
– A
Spriggan
in
Chief Knuckle
’s band who gets loose and turns into a giant.
(Giants snore loudly and eat vast amounts of food.)

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.)