The Bwy Hir Complete Trilogy (24 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN

Gwyn pulled the Land
Rover into the yard. Bara bounced excitedly on the passenger seat, happy to be home. Gwyn didn’t feel the same, he had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he looked through the windscreen at the dark house. No lights, no sound, nobody home.

‘Come on
,’ he said, as he turned the engine off, ‘we’ve got stuff to be about, including trying to find something to eat.’

Bara jumped down and trotted to the back door, her head swinging towards Gwyn, her tail wagging. ‘I’m coming, I’m coming.’ He told her as he leaned down to retrieve the door key from under
the doormat.

He took a deep breath as he opened the door and Bara flew past his legs and into the house. Gwyn felt for the light switch and turned on the hallway light. He wanted to shout,
“Hello, it’s only me!” but he knew no-one was there.

He spen
t the next few minutes turning every light on in the house, every room from bottom to top was lit, spilling light into the yard outside and making the house at least appear to be full of life.

Next, he prepared a roaring fire in the living room, stacking the wood high and hot. He turned on the television and let the noise fill the empty silence.

‘Right, Bara.’ He patted her head as she followed him from chore to chore. ‘Let’s get something to eat.’ She followed him into the hallway, bumping into his leg and he paused at the door of the front room. He hadn’t turned the light on in this room, he hadn’t even entered it.

He gently grabbed the doorknob and twisted his hand, pushing the door open slowly. Bara stayed back, sensing Gwyn’s anxiety. He felt for the light switch and turned it on before entering the room. The room looked and felt the same as it always did: unused and cold. Ornaments covered the sideboards, china cups and saucers sat in their mahogany display cabinets. The creamy net curtains hung from the window, hiding the view to outside. The curtains were pulled back, same as always. A faded floral carpet covered the floor and the large mirror stood against the wall in the far corner of the room,
the same as always.

Gwyn
knew it wasn’t an ordinary mirror, this was a Dderwydd Ddrych: a Druid Mirror. It looked ordinary enough, the thick oak frame carved with oak leaves and vines, aged with dusty crevices, was quality carved; the mirror itself had no flaws or faults, but was tinged with age, darker, deeper somehow than an everyday mirror.

Gwyn had spent his younger years being chased out of this room by his elders
.
‘It’s not a playroom Gwyn, get out of there before you break something!’
He’d had no idea until his father had passed him the leather bound book that the inconspicuous mirror he’d spent his childhood staring into, pulling funny faces at his own reflection, impersonating singers off the television into, was in fact a thing of power, a gateway between two places – his and the Druids’.

Gwyn wasn’t one hundred percent sure how the mirror actually worked. He hadn’t got that far in the book and his father ha
dn’t explained it yet. All he knew was that when the lights dimmed it meant a Druid had entered the house and awaited attention. Gwyn didn’t know if only the Druids could pass through the mirror, or whether the Chosen could too.
I need to ask Dai
. He turned the light off and closed the door again feeling spooked by the presence of the mirror.

Gwyn went into the kitchen next. He was momentarily reassured by the familiar smell of the kitchen and the heat of the Aga warming the room. He opened the fridge and cast his eyes over the shelves
. Finding nothing that appealed to his hunger he opened the freezer and pulled out a heavy dish, one of Anwen’s ‘ready meals’. He read the handwritten label and was pleased to discover it was beef casserole, one of his favourites.

He removed the cling film and placed it straight into the Aga. In half an hour or so he would be tucking into one of his favourite meals, only he’d be eating alone, no Anwen, no Dad, no Nerys.

Pushing away the feeling of loneliness, he busied himself with cutting bread, making tea and putting food down for Bara, ‘What you got there?’ Gwyn asked Bara as she pawed at the kitchen chairs, sniffing and wagging her tail as she scratched at the floor.

Gwyn knelt down to see what she wanted so desperately, he tipped his head to look under the table and froze when he saw the small pocket knife lying between the chair legs. He pushed Bara away and stretched an arm under the table, grabbing the knife by the handle.

He stood up and held the knife to the light. He didn’t recognise the knife, but he recognised what was on the blade: blood. ‘Shit!’ he breathed, as he stared at the knife as if it was a living thing. ‘Shit!’ His head was in a spin.
Anwen? Nerys?
Who did the blood belong to? What should he do?

Suddenly the phone rang and Gwyn nearly jumped out of his skin. The knife dropped and he had to kick Bara away from it. He picked it up again and threw it onto the kitchen worktop where Bara couldn’t reach and then he ran for the phone.

‘Hello?’ he shouted, as he picked up the phone and juggled it to his ear.

‘Gwyn?’ the small voice said.

‘Anwen? Anwen, is that you?’ He squeezed the handset, desperately relieved to hear his sister’s voice.

‘Yes, yes, it’s me!’ Anwen’s shaky voice answered.

‘Oh my god, you’re okay!’ Gwyn put his hand on his forehead. ‘Is Nerys with you?’ he asked.

‘No.’ Anwen sounded worried
. ‘Isn’t she there?’

‘No. We thought she was with you. You’ve both been missing since last night. Where are you?’

‘Chester. I’m in Chester. I don’t know what to do, Gwyn. I’m scared.’ Anwen’s voice cracked, she was crying.

‘Oh, Anwen, shit. What the hell are you doing there?’

‘Where’s Dad? Is he alright?’

‘Yes, no, yes, ah, he’s in hospital Anwen, but he’s okay
,’ he added quickly. He could hear her panicked breathing.

‘Oh, Gwyn, they came in the house when you went to find
Dad.’ Anwen spoke between sobs.

‘Who did, Anwen, who did?’ Gwyn was gripping the phone with both hands.

‘A Druid, Gwyn, Nerys was wrestling with him, she told me to run, so I did … Gwyn are you there?’

‘I’m here, Anwen. Who was it, did you see?’

‘No, no, I just ran. I was so scared. Where’s Nerys?’ she wailed.

‘Are you on a public phone, Anwen?’

‘Yes.’

‘Then keep your voice down, get yourself together, Anwen. Don’t draw attention to yourself.’ Gwyn wished he could fly down the telephone and grab her in a huge cuddle.

‘Okay.’ She swallowed and forced herself to calm down. ‘What happened to Dad?’

The lights dimmed and Gwyn switched his tone
. ‘Yes, Mrs Jones, thank you but my father is fine, recovering in hospital. Thank you for watching after Bara for me.’

‘Gwyn?’ Anwen’s confused voice filled his ear.

‘Yes, phone me tomorrow, that’ll be nice. If I think of anything I need then I’ll let you know. Okay, speak to you tomorrow. Goodbye.’ Gwyn forced himself to hang up, he could hear Anwen’s desperate voice as he clicked the handset down onto the receiver.

‘
Gwyn, Gwyn!’

He turned to the front room and opened the door. Clenching and unclenching his fists, with a flutter of fear in his stomach, he walked into the room and stood to face the
Druid standing in the centre of the carpet.

‘Gwyn Morgan?’ The
Druid’s voice was as unfamiliar as his face. Gwyn had never met this man before.

‘Yes. That’s me.’ Gwyn kept his voice conversational, hiding the fear and anxiety that made his hands shake.

‘We are ready to resume the hunt for the Ty Mawr women. They are still missing? They have not contacted you?’ The Druid’s voice was deep, his tone formal.

Gwyn shook his head
. ‘No word yet. I’ve not long got back from the hospital, but I’ve had no word from them or anyone else.’

‘And the telephone conversation?’ the
Druid stared into Gwyn’s eyes, displaying no emotion, no hint of what he was thinking.

‘A neighbour checking for news, checking I’m okay.’ Gwyn swallowed.

‘And are you?’

‘Am I what?’ Gwyn was confused.

‘Are you … “okay”?’ The Druid smiled at Gwyn’s choice of words, but his face grew passive again. ‘How are you coping with these recent events?’

Gwyn blinked,
how am I coping?
‘Okay, I guess. I mean I’m managing. Dad will be home soon and they’ll find the girls. Everything will be set straight soon.’ Gwyn wished he could believe his own lies.

‘Good
… then we will continue searching for them. Is there anywhere they would go? One of the women does not live here permanently, is that correct?’ The Druid folded his hands waiting for Gwyn to answer.

‘Aunt Nerys, you mean?’ Gwyn thought how well informed this
Druid was. ‘No, she has a home in Criccieth, she was just staying here for a while, until her house was finished. She’s having a new kitchen and that.’ Gwyn was rambling.

The
Druid sighed, obviously not giving two hoots what was happening in Nerys’ kitchen. ‘Have you tried to contact her at her home? Has she just decided to return to Criccieth, taking your sister with her?’

‘Oh my god!’
Gwyn put his hands on his head. ‘With everything going on, I didn’t even think – how stupid! That’s where they’ll be!’ Gwyn hoped he wasn’t overacting. ‘I’ll call her now, the phone line’s back on.’

‘I shall wait.’ The
Druid stayed where he was.

Gwyn darted out of the front room and grabbed the address book that lived on the hall stand. He flicked through the pages of handwritten numbers until he came to ‘J’. He ran his finger down the page
and found Nerys’ name. Picking up the phone he began to dial and waited for the line to be connected. He gave it a good half a minute and then returned to the Druid.

‘No answer.’ Gwyn shrugged his shoulders
. ‘What shall I do now?’

‘No answer does not mean they are not there. I will send a Seeker. Do you have an address?’ The
Druid was becoming impatient.

‘Yes, I’ll get it.’ Gwyn returned to the address book and scribbled down Nerys’ address and telephone number, he then handed it to the
Druid.

‘Will you still continue to search locally for the girls?’ Gwyn knew where Anwen was, but Nerys was still unaccounted for.

‘Yes. The Chosen are also resuming their hunt, but not too many. I do not want the Lost becoming suspicious of our actions.’

Gwyn nodded earnestly. ‘No, that won’t do. I don’t want any of them poking around in our business. I’ll be out searching tonight too. I’ll have a search close to the farm
… I need to feel I’m doing something, you know?’

The
Druid didn’t know. He couldn’t particularly care less whether Gwyn walked through his own fields or not. ‘I wish you luck in your search, but do not stray too far, Gwyn Morgan, we would not like to lose you too.’

Was that
a warning? Gwyn nodded and the Druid turned his back on him to face the mirror. Gwyn watched the Druid’s reflection lift an amulet and place it against the glass. His jaw dropped open as
he watched the mirror’s surface fog, small wisps of mist lifted from the fog, spilling into the room. The Druid caught Gwyn’s eyes and smiled at his obvious wonder and then stepped into the fog, disappearing in the silvery glow. The mirror solidified again leaving a cold mist of condensation on the surface of the glass, blurring Gwyn’s stunned reflection. ‘
Wow’
was
the only word Gwyn could mouth before a knock at the back door roused him from his bewilderment.

It was
Dai Jones and PC James Mallard. James was obviously off duty by the casual way he was dressed.

‘D
ai. Mr Mallard. Come in.’ Gwyn stepped back into the hallway blocking the entrance to the kitchen. ‘Go through to the living room.’ Gwyn was wondering what would bring these two to the house together.

The three men stood in the living room, the firelight muted by the bright glow of the ceiling light bulb. ‘What’s up?’ Gwyn asked.

‘It’s Anwen.’ Dai’s expression was a mixture of relief and concern. ‘She’s only gone and nicked James’ giant peach!’

‘What? You’ve seen her?’ Gwyn fought down panic –
Anwen was on her way back?

‘This afternoon.’ James looked glum.

‘You sure it was her? Did anyone else see her?’ Gwyn was confused again, something that was happening a lot lately.
Perhaps it’s sleep deprivation.

‘I’m sure it was her. I know it was her. I watched her drive it away, leaving me stranded in the middle of nowhere at the back of Betws yn Rhos.’ James gave
Dai a snide look, he obviously didn’t like his campervan being referred to as a “giant peach”.

‘Anwen can’t drive
… was Nerys with her?’ Gwyn drew his eyebrows down.