XXI – Compendium of a Legend #2

'Come on, Odín’s Wolf, it is but a tiny prick,' joked Gregor. 'Let us ascertain if we are in the presence of Tyr’s very own dagger.'

Arwel tapped the absent Owin upon the shoulder and bade him lend a hand in keeping watch. They stood side by side. They would regard the dagger, yet with a sweeping glance they would ensure that no other soul observed their actions.

With Gwion’s arm outstretched and his palm upon the table, Cheas pressed the golden tip into the tip of his ring finger.

Blood flowed until it formed a large drop and there, when he thought it was enough, he raised the dagger vertically so that the liquid bathed the blade.

The effect was instantaneous. As the blood ran down, six runes became visible, of which they could recognise Tiwaz, Gungnir, Dagaz and Sigel, linked by symbols they did not know.

In his hands, Gregor held his chin, and his smile was so broad it creased his cheeks.

No one needed to tell him or convince him of the presence of the deities in all things; he knew himself to be humble and imperfect, so he simply contemplated his own insignificant self and gave thanks for being able to witness such a majestic creation.

Cheas’s shoulders hunched slightly, and he buried his head between them to thank his father, wherever he might be.

He made no attempt to hide the heavy tear that trickled down his left cheek until it fell upon the cover of the diary; with the fabric of his shirt sleeve in a sort of caress, he wiped it away.

When he raised his head, he was startled to find Arwel, kneeling upon the floor, leaning towards him.

The impulse to venerate his comrade, the bearer of his god’s dagger, was stronger than he could resist.

Owin lowered his head slightly and, from beneath the hollows of his eyes, beheld Gwion.

There was no longer any doubt about his comrade’s divinity.

He clenched his teeth. Might his admiration be as strong as his envy?

, he wondered, and, lest he feel inferior, he clung to Celtión’s words.

He would be the one to save them, and he raised his cup towards the wolf, but Gwion passed him by and the astonishment of the rest. With his finger between his lips, he forgot the letter and could think only of the possibility that his younger brother was in danger.

One of the knights of Ubberia espied the strange manner of their comportment and, perceiving Arwel crouched upon the floor, rose to his feet.

'Fear not, the commander hath had one mead too many,' quoth Gregor as he stood beside Arwel and, laying a hand upon his shoulder, compelled him to his feet. 'Act as the warrior of Narg you are,' he muttered through clenched teeth.

Cheas opened the book again at the marked page. Raising his eyebrows, he invited them to continue, but not before glancing out of the window towards the castle. The lights were on; it seemed Lerg had not yet finished his restorative midnight snack.

'It was all thanks to Halfdan, my dear friend. What would become of my research without the aid of his vast knowledge? If Colquen could see us, he would be proud that his pupils are working side by side on his behalf.

He still fears that it is Narg who shall unleash the evil; I have already ruled that out.

Last month we travelled to Lepontia for the funeral of the regent lord and to name his son Pelit in his stead.

There I consulted with the Sages of the North, and one of them was present at Narg’s birth.

He certainly did not fall from the moon, far from it. '

The full stop at the end of the page gave them pause, so that, in unison, they picked up their mugs and emptied them down their throats, gulp after gulp, without breathing.

Gregor’s astonishment made his hair stand on end, but the smile of pleasure that this suggested to him would not fade from his lips. It was all intertwined, and they, there, were a mere dot in the web of destiny.

'Colquen, the Hermit?' quoth Gwion, recalling the tale Gregor had told him. 'And Halfdan in the same sentence. Maltón, Colquen and Halfdan.'

'My father was Colquen the Hermit’s apprentice and Halfdan’s companion—how?' asked Cheas incredulously, pretending to comb his invisible beard.

'I told you your father was a great sorcerer, though I never imagined just how great,' replied Gregor.

'Thus, are you saying that Halfdan, the old tyrant, went from being the despicable swine who never desired to sign an accord with Old Minister to being a secret hero?' said Arwel, overcome by the impetus of his warrior’s blood.

And, as was to be expected, those words were overheard by the Ubberian troops.

Despite all their diplomatic manoeuvres, Cheas, Gwion and Gregor were unable to prevent the brawl that broke out. With several tables overturned and vases smashed, they departed the tavern whilst Arwel untied his headband from his belt to brush the fringe from his eyes.

Thus, in the early hours of the morning in the courtyard of Old Minister, the commander was found duelling with three of the neighbouring soldiers.

He was in his element; he loved to fight.

The need to wield his sword and swing it through the air made him feel alive, all the more so when it came to defending his king’s name.

Between thrust and thrust, parry and parry, he would hurl a provocative remark with a smile.

Phrases such as 'three babies against a man, let us see if you can do anything'; 'you should go back to your mummies'; 'I will send you where your pig of a king is'; and a few others alluding to the sexuality of the women in their families, were hurled into the wind.

It was not because he needed succour that Cheas stood in the midst of the makeshift arena.

'I remind you that you swore allegiance to Narg after we defeated Halfdan. Do you want us to execute you for treason against the king of the empire?'

At first, the Ubberians lowered their swords, but as soon as Arwel followed suit, the voice of a Welst soldier rang out from among the onlookers.

'King Lerg requires the council’s presence in the throne room.'

Cheas walked as the last man in the retinue ascending the steps to enter the castle. He desired to know more; reading his father’s words had brought him closer to him.

'I must get hold of the golden cup at all costs. It was when my master drank from it that the first revelation came to him.