Night Birds' Reign(16)
In the center of the massive grove a large, flat stone had been set. On it now stood four tall vessels, flickering gold in the torchlight. Small, delicate rowan flowers and orange-yellow marigolds were strewn across and around the base of the standing stone.
Gwydion shifted slightly, unintentionally jostling the people packed around him. Arday was one of these. Obviously undeterred by her lack of success in cornering Gwydion the night before, she stood quite close to him, glancing at him often. She had tried, at first, to engage him in conversation, but his clipped replies had finally had an effect and she had at last begun to talk to Nest, Cai’s wife, who stood on Gwydion’s other side. Cai joined his wife, kissing her in greeting and nodding pleasantly to Gwydion and Arday.
At last, Griffi made his way through the crowd and up to the stone altar. Eight unlit torches were stacked next to the stone. One by one, Griffi picked up a torch, closed his eyes briefly, and the torch burst into flame. Each time he did this, small children oohed and aahed. As each torch was lit, Griffi set them in brackets around the stone until it seemed surrounded by a wheel of fire.
“This is the Wheel of the Year before us,” Griffi intoned as he gestured to the burning torches. “One torch for each of the eight festivals when we honor the Shining Ones.” He pointed at each torch, traveling clockwise around the circle. “Alban Haf, Calan Olau, Alban Nerth, Calan Gaef, Alban Nos, Calan Morynion, Alban Awyr, and Calan Llachar, which we celebrate now.”
Griffi lifted his hands, his voice loud in the hush. “We gather here tonight to honor Cerridwen, Queen of the Wood and Cerrunnos, Leader of the Wild Hunt. We honor these two Shining Ones, the Protectors of Kymru.”
“We honor them,” the crowd responded as one.
Griffi went on. “Let the rest of the Shining Ones be honored as they gather to witness the Hunt. Taran, King of the Winds. Modron, Great Mother of All. Mabon, King of Fire. Nantsovelta, Lady of the Waters. Annwyn, Lord of Chaos. Aertan, Weaver of Fate. Y Rhyfelwr, Agrona and Camulos, the Warrior Twins. Sirona, Lady of the Stars. Grannos, Star of the North and Healer.”
“We honor the Shining Ones,” the crowd responded.
Then Uthyr spoke the first of the ritual questions, his voice deep and assured, carrying effortlessly across the wide grove. “Why do we weep tonight?” he asked.
Griffi responded, “We weep for Cerrunnos who is dead. For Cerridwen killed a mighty stag as she hunted in the forest. And as the noble beast fell with her arrow through its dying heart, the enchantment lifted and she saw that she had killed Cerrunnos, Master of the Hunt. And Cerridwen wept for what she had done. We sorrow also.”
“The Master is dead, and we weep in sorrow and anguish. Shall we weep forever?” Uthyr called out.
“Behold,” Griffi replied. “Cerridwen called upon the four greatest of the Shining Ones to watch over the body. First she called on Mabon the Bright, the King of Fire, and he came.” Griffi gestured to Gwydion and the unlit pile of rowan wood. Gwydion stared at the pile of branches, and a sunburst of flames hovered in mid-air. Some people gasped at the sight, as the blue and orange flames lowered onto the pile of wood. As the fire took hold and roared hungrily, Gwydion heard voices in his mind. “Show-off,” Susanna and Amatheon Wind-Spoke in chorus.
“Taran, King of the Winds, came at her call,” Griffi went on, gesturing at Susanna and the fire of birch wood. She lit the fire with her torch and it blazed up instantly.
“Nantsovelta, Lady of the Waters, came at her call.” Griffi gestured to Amatheon who touched his torch to the ash wood, the flames crackling loudly in the stillness.
“And she called on Modron, Great Mother of All,” continued Griffi, gesturing to Uthyr to light the oak fire.
As the fires burned and crackled, Griffi continued. “And so these Shining Ones guarded the dead Lord of the Hunt as Cerridwen left the forest and traveled through sky, and stars, and deepest night to Gwlad Yr Haf, the Land of Summer, where the dead await rebirth. And there she spoke with Aertan, Weaver of Fate, mother of Cerrunnos. And Cerridwen begged the Shining One for a way to return Cerrunnos to life. And Aertan answered Cerridwen’s plea.
“Then did Cerridwen return to the forest, to carry out the commands of Aertan. She laid the body of Cerrunnos beneath the alder tree. And she hung the tree with marigold and the flowers of the rowan. And she played her harp and her song of sorrow caused ivy to twine and grow about the body. And behold, Cerrunnos returned to life and seeing Cerridwen, he loved her, and claimed her for his own. The two became one. And now they ride the land of Kymru, and lead the Wild Hunt together.”