Boudica's Daughters 7-8

7.

The druidess continued to leave offerings of food and mead. Sometimes they saw her – ghost-like, appearing and disappearing in an instant; other times, if they were busy playing knucklebones or else sleeping, they missed this human apparition. Now, as dusk settled, Siara was alerted to unknown figures emerging from the misty gloom – long robed men and women who she knew dwelt among the holy ancient oak trees in the forest.

‘The Romans have fallen upon the tribe of the Iceni’ said one.

‘Boudica has raised a great army and attacks the invaders to the south’ said another.

‘Only the west is safe’ said the first – ‘the black mountains of the Silures and the holy island of Mona.’

The sisters listened as the druids stood before the cave and sang of the mysteries of earth, light and darkness. They cursed the Romans for bringing death and oppression to the land, their song becoming louder and louder until it was filled with the most terrifying sounds - shrieks and warblings that called upon the gods to give them strength to oppose the painted emperor’s soldiers. Then, when they had sang all they could, they drifted again into the mists in order to prepare for the great battle they knew was about to come.

In the dark hours Siara was plagued by dreams. Amminus came to her, standing on a battlefield, his face bloodied, his tartan breeches torn, a deep sword wound exposing the bones of his chest. ‘Forgive me’ he said. ‘The tide of the battle has turned. Our warriors have been crushed. Queen Boudica, your mother, has fallen. The land between Camulodium and Londinium is littered with Iceni dead. Think kindly of me, my love. My life ends with thoughts of you.’

A flock of ravens descended upon him then - vicious cawing agents of death – each taking a turn to stab and peck Amminus in his eyes, until rivers of blood poured out. Siara woke, shaken by the intensity of her dream. What spiteful demon had conjured such a tale ? Which hostile spirit had sent her such a foul and deceitful message ?

Beyond the cave’s entrance something moved on the sands. Siara rubbed her eyes, willing them to adjust to the darkness of the night. It was Ygerne, scritting and scratching like the cave rat she was. Was she the perpetrator ? Siara looked to where Gwynned lay, sleeping soundly. Do it now, she heard her mother whisper. Kill them both. But even as she thought such a thing, Ygerne ran into the cave and knelt beside her. ‘Look, sister’ she said holding two small rock crabs. ‘I have learned they are bolder in their movements at night. We will eat well at first light.’

Siara stared at the hideous creatures in Yngerne’s hands, thought of Amminus standing naked before her on that warm day when they made love in the forest, then of him bloodied and scarred on the battlefield.

‘You are a clever girl’ she said ‘and we thank you for your gifts. But remember: you are not of our tribe - despite what my sister may say - and you never will be.’

8.

In the days following the news of the great uprising against the Romans the druids left for Mona.

Because Siara and Gwynned had been ordered not to stray beyond the immediate confines of the cave, Ygerne said that she would assume the mantle of provider. She began to wander during the daylight hours, her natural curiosity leading her to unknown forests and along hidden trackways to the very edge of villages some miles to the east. There, she lay in the long grass and spied on the comings and goings of the people inhabiting the thatched dwellings and rounded bothies, occasionally stealing a crust of bread or a fish cake left in a fire pit.

Other times she would fall upon an animal caught in a local hunter’s trap. The girl was skilled in butchery and she showed the royal sisters, who had never had to prepare the meat they ate, how best to skin a hare or pluck a rook. She took great pride in fashioning charms from feathers or stringing necklaces from the bleached bones of her prey. Gwynned wore one such necklace proudly, the piece rattling whenever she moved. Ygerne made a necklace for Siara too, but she said she had no need for such a thing.

While Gwynned and Ygerne were content to pass the days walking and running on the beach, Siara remained at the mouth of the cave engulfed by a sense of foreboding. Her thoughts were of the great battle that was taking place. At first she imagined the Iceni warriors driving hard against the Romans, scattering them like autumn leaves, celebrating great victories. But her mind drifted towards another, more painful, outcome - an outcome that saw fields of dead and her mother the queen taken in chains to Rome. She couldn’t understand how Gwynned could remain so carefree at such a time. Siara watched as her sister played chase with Ygerne at the far end of the beach, heard their girlish giggles as one caught hold of the other and they tumbled onto the sands, despite knowing that only silence would help keep them alive. Gwynned flitted and flounced as though the tribe’s imminent destruction was of no consequence. Siara decided that when Amminus finally returned to her she would claim the throne without resorting to her sister’s murder. Instead, she would order that Gwynned be imprisoned in the highest tower in the land along with her irritating friend.

Go to Parts 9-10 here: Boudica's Daughters 9-10 | ABCtales