It was Sarah’s birthday. Sarah had looked forward to her special day for weeks. She had hinted at the presents that would please her most and nods and winks from Mother, Father and Peter her brother gave her confidence that all her dearest dreams would be fulfilled. As her birthday fell this particular year upon a school day, a treat had been mooted for her return home. Father had said the magic words Burger Restaurant. Yes, for the last several days excitement had risen to fever pitch, only to be rewarded with the present, huge disappointment.
“Of all the mean tricks for fate to play!” thought Sarah, as she blew her nose loudly, coughed and wriggled further down in her bed.
In the next room she heard Peter give an answering cough and an absolutely humungous sneeze. Two days ago they had both felt fine and then, overnight, the local ‘flu bug had laid them low. Sarah shut her eyes. She had a headache and a sore throat and Peter was no better off. From her nest under the duvet Sarah peeked at her presents and cards which presently adorned her desk. Mother and Father had given her a necklace of silver with turquoise beads and a blue velvet jewel case to keep it in.
Grandmother, who lived in London, had sent her a Murder Mystery board game and although she was too tired to even think about playing it, she very much looked forward to sharing it with Peter. Peter had given her a beanie toy. It was a cuddly dog that she had secretly admired in the local shop for weeks. Aunt Myf and Uncle Tomos had not been round as yet. While Sarah pondered on this, as if on cue, the front door bell rang and she heard voices in the hall.
“Yes, yes,” she heard Mother say, “yes, they are still both poorly in bed.”
“Well, I won’t come in,” Sarah heard Aunt Myf’s voice float up the stairs, “but just give this to Sarah from all of us. Wish her many happies, give her a big kiss and say I’m sorry she’s ill. I do hope all of you are better soon.”
In the distance a baby began to wail.
“Look, that’s Catrin yelling again,” said Aunt Myf, “I must go. It’s nearly her lunch time and I mustn’t stay too long in case I catch your bugs and give them to baby.”
Sarah heard footsteps leaving the house and the sound of a car going up the drive.
“I wonder what she has brought me?” thought Sarah.
The front door slammed and footsteps soon came slapping up the stairs. Mother put her head round the door and then came in, bearing a very large box.
“This is a very happy birthday from your Aunty Myfanwy,” Mother said, placing the present on the bed in front of Sarah.
It looked most ‘ticing! The box was wrapped in iridescent, holographic silver paper, with silver, white and pale blue ribbons tied round it. A large card lay on the top. Sarah ripped open the card and placed the beautiful picture of a white horse to one side. Then she soon had the box out of its coverings and open to reveal:
“A fleece! Wow! Ooooh Great! Just what I really wanted,” Sarah hugged the garment to her.
“You’ll look like a sheep in it,” remarked Mother, as she removed the box and paper.
“No I shan’t,” said Sarah, “it’s really cool and as it’s white, it will go with all my clothes.”
Sarah spread the fleece over the bed as an extra cover. Peter crawled out of bed and came to see what the commotion was all about
“Hi Sis,” he whispered, “great fleece, really cool.”
Then he retired back to his bed while Sarah made herself comfortable under her new fashion statement. Mother smiled a knowing smile as she went downstairs to prepare the birthday lunch for invalids.
The rest of Sarah’s special day was a pleasant, if rather quiet one. Father came home early from the University for the ceremony of the birthday tea, but nothing else extraordinary or exciting happened. It had to be admitted, the fleece from Aunt Myf had been the high point of the day.
“I’ll phone her of course, tomorrow when I’m feeling better,” Sarah said to Mother when she came up to say Good night!
As she listened to Mother’s good night visit to Peter and her return to Father and the grown-up world downstairs, Sarah mused to herself:
“I suppose nothing exciting will happen now for ages and ages; not until Christmas anyway.”
She prepared for sleep, but as she did so, thought over the year that was past. It had been a lucky year for the Jones family.
“Ever since we met the Elves,” she whispered, “I wonder what they are doing now? I’d love to find out what has happened at Arx Emain and how Anir and Aneryn are these days. I suppose they must get quite bored with no evil monsters to fight, now that Arddu is defeated… and the Lord Gwynn-ap-Nudd; does he just sit there in those Halls of Stone, watching the Stone of Gardar?”
Sarah began to cast her mind back to last year, when she and Peter had taken part in Elvish business of the most magical, mysterious and often quite frightening kind. Unfortunately her train of thought did not proceed much further as she fell directly off to sleep.
Next morning Sarah was beginning to feel just a little better, but Peter was worse.
“Perhaps it’s ‘flu AND pneumonia,” Sarah said rather unhelpfully .
The Doctor was summoned, tablets were prescribed, and Mother fussed round Peter for the rest of that day and most of the following night. Sarah felt left out. During the afternoon she got out of bed for a while and aimlessly tidied her room. It was then that she once again put her hand on the ring that Anir had given her; the Ring of Concealment.
Since their adventure last summer, she had kept the ring in her jewel box. It lay forgotten at the bottom of the ring tray. As she moved her necklaces and bracelets, Sarah saw it glinting gold and pulled it out. During the great battle with Arddu it had kept her invisible and safe.
“I wonder,” Sarah thought to herself, “I wonder if it still works?”
She took the ring from the tray and slipped it on her finger. Then she turned the great jewel into the palm of her hand.
“Am I invisible?” she shot a glance into her mirror.
No, there was no reflection! It was very weird and most disturbing. Sarah did not like it, so she tried something else. She tiptoed into Peter’s room. No reflection there either.
“I must be invisible,” Sarah thought.
Unfortunately Peter was asleep so there was no asking him.
“He does look ill though, poor thing,” she thought, as he lay there looking extremely pale.
Beads of sweat glistened on his forehead.
“Poor Peter,” Sarah patted his hand and he stirred a little. Again, footsteps could be heard on the stairs.
“It’s Mum, bother!”
Sarah darted back into her room and put the ring back in its place. Strangely enough, she had never thought to put it on at home before today. Her reflection showed itself again comfortingly, back in its usual form.
“Hello face, nice to see you again,” Sarah whispered, and got back into bed.
“Are you all right?” said Mother, poking her head round the door.
“Fine thanks,” Sarah replied, and Mother went into Peter’s room.
Sarah’s brain by this time was seething with all sorts of extraordinary thoughts and plans. The Elves forming the greater part of them. When she fell asleep that night, she did so wondering if tomorrow Peter might be well enough to share the thoughts that were growing stronger and stronger within her brain, almost unasked… She wondered if he too wished that the Elves might contact them again… and also why on earth she did so herself!
“Anyway, at least he might tell me if the ring really works,” she whispered, and passed into dreams of Arx Emain and the Elves within it.
Next morning Sarah woke with a start, as if someone called her name. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes awake. No, she was not dreaming. Someone was calling her name and that someone must be calling from outside and not inside the cottage. The pale glimmer of dawn showed through the gap in the curtains. No-one else seemed to be awake. Sarah sprang to the window. Two very small pebbles rattled briefly on her window pane. Sarah heard the voice call again,
“Sarah, Sarah!”
Quickly she fumbled with the catch and threw open the window. Leaning out she caught sight of a grey figure by the hedge.
“Sarah!” the figure said in a loud whisper, “we have been calling you these many days. We must meet. I shall wait for you and Peter by the Stones.”
Then the shadowy figure disappeared into the bushes without giving Sarah any time to reply. A thrill went up and down her spine.
“Ederyn,” she said, “I’m sure it was Ederyn!” then, “bother!” she said, “he’s gone and I don’t know what he meant. What stones?”
This was not an unreasonable query, for Wales is full of stones: mountains, rocks, cairns and standing stones at every turn.
Mother and Father began to get up and Peter was stirring. Sarah went to see how he was.
“Hello, how do you feel?” she asked.
“OK, I guess,” her brother replied in a husky voice.
He did look a little better it was true.
“How are you, Sis?”
“Oh me, I’m fine,” smiled Sarah, “I’m a bit wobbly in the legs but I think I’m on the mend.”
“I think I’m over the hump of it too,” said Peter, “But look here; I’m sure I heard you talking to someone earlier. Mum and Dad are only just awake, so unless you have the first sign of madness…”
“You mean talking to myself? No, I wasn’t doing that.”
Peter’s eyes sparkled with intense curiosity and he half sat up; excitement lending him strength.
“Then you were talking to person or persons unknown. I knew it! I heard you open the window too. Who was it?”
“I think,” said Sarah thoughtfully, “I think it was Ederyn.”
“Ederyn!” said Peter, falling back on the pillows; his face flushed with pleasure, temperature, or both. “What on earth, or under it, did he want?”
“He wants to see us. He said that he had been calling us. Then he said:
“We must meet… I shall wait for you and Peter by the Stones.”
“Hmmm,” said Peter, puzzled, “what did he mean by the stones ?”
“Exactly,” replied Sarah, “at the moment I can’t imagine. It needs thinking about, but not now, here’s Mum.”
Sarah sat down on Peter’s bed just as Mother appeared with Peter’s breakfast tray and a thermometer. After she had satisfied herself that Peter’s temperature was definitely on it’s way down, she shooed Sarah away into her own room and took her temperature too.
“Cold, quite cold,” said Mother, “thank goodness at least one of you is nearly back to normal.”
She whisked herself downstairs and returned with Sarah’s breakfast.
“Enjoy darling, I’ll be back shortly,” and she left to clear up downstairs.
All through breakfast Peter and Sarah silently pondered the message from the Elf Lord. What and where were the stones that he had mentioned? It was all very curious. Then Peter had another thought. When were they to meet Ederyn and worse still, how? Since their wild adventure with the Elves last year, Mother and Father were disinclined to let them out of their sight for more than two minutes.
“We’ll never get away,” he thought dismally, “even if we do find out where and what the Stones are.”
He suddenly felt that he must get to see the Elves, whatever it might take to achieve this. Then he brightened suddenly with a new thought:
“Ah, isn’t there a standing stone at Dinas?” he said to himself, and smiled.
Mother came to fetch the breakfast trays.
“Now then,” she said to each of them, “be good this morning and if, I say IF you feel well enough, you might get to watch some television this afternoon. I’m going to be in the office typing some work up for your Father. He’ll be away at the University until late; today and tomorrow. Something to do with his PhD Students he said. So please be good boys and girls, and Sarah, do telephone to thank Aunt Myf.”
“We’ll be very, very good,” they said and Mother returned downstairs to wash up breakfast things and begin typing up a lecture on Ancient Celtic Lifestyles of the Iron Age.
She found the work very interesting and was so happy to be typing things about such fascinating people, she was soon lost to the world and back in prehistoric Britain.
As soon as Sarah thought that Mother was safely settled at the computer keyboard, she got up and tiptoed into Peter’s room.
“All OK ?” she asked.
“Not too bad,” said her brother, “but I’ve still got a bit of a headache with this temperature, so I can’t guarantee that I’ll come up with any genius solution this morning.”
“Never mind,” Sarah said, sitting down on the end of his bed. “Any thoughts so far?”
“Well,” Peter began, “there’s the standing stone at Dinas.”
“But there are standing stones absolutely everywhere round here,” Sarah protested. “No, I don’t think it’s that. Anyway, Ederyn said stones not stone. I wondered if he meant Pentre Ifan.”
Peter tried to think. He shut his eyes and was so quiet for several minutes that Sarah began to wonder if he had gone to sleep. In the distant study they could hear Mother tap, tap, tapping on the computer keys. At last Peter sighed and said:
“I don’t think it’s Pentre Ifan either. Pentre Ifan is the remains of a burial chamber and comprises some very large stones, but I just don’t think it’s there Ederyn wants us to go.”
“Then where does he mean?” Sarah looked completely mystified.
“You’re quite sure that it was Ederyn?” Peter said suddenly.
“Of course I am sure. I’d recognise that voice anywhere.”
“Well, in that case, I’ll hazard a guess that he means Carn Ingli.”
“Of course !” Sarah cried, clapping her hands together, but not too loudly that Mother might hear from downstairs, “that’s it!”
“I’ve been thinking,” said Peter, “you know, when we saw him for the first time it was not on the beach. THAT was the second time that we saw him. The first time we ever saw Ederyn was up at Carn Ingli, when we chased him and he just disappeared among the stones.”
“Yes,” agreed Sarah eagerly, “and he told us later that he was sent there as a lookout. Perhaps he goes there often.”
“Quite! And so that is why I think that Carn Ingli has the stones we need to look for.”
“But when shall we meet him and how can we get away?”
“Indeed, that’s just what I have been thinking. But now I feel tired again. I think, Sarah dear, that I need to be asleep.”
Peter shut his eyes again, then opened them again wide. “Before you go, Sis, do pour me some lemon barley water please.” Sarah did so and gave him the glass. Peter drank it down, turned over in bed and slept again. Sarah tiptoed back to her room. Even if Carn Ingli was the right meeting place, the when and how of it escaped her entirely, so she gave it up. She snatched a book from the shelf by her door and read furiously until lunchtime.
After luncheon, Sarah telephoned to Aunt Myf to thank her for the fleece. She was treated to a long conversation, largely to do with babies, gardening and clothes, but not necessarily in that order! After that the day passed quietly, the following day too and several days more. Peter eventually lost the temperature and was allowed to join Sarah and inhabit the sitting room where they could watch television. Mother made them comfy on the settees and chairs and they were quite content to hibernate there for the following week. Then, on Friday afternoon, the Doctor made his last visit.
“Fit as two fleas!” he commented as he went out of the front door, “send ‘em both back to school.”
Sarah and Peter were listening upstairs and groaned at the thought.
“But there’s only another week before we’re off on Christmas holidays,” complained Sarah.
“I think I feel a relapse coming on,” said Peter.
Mother laughed.
“I thought that the last week of term before Christmas was always the best. Anyway, I have so much to catch up with, that I don’t know where to start. I must do some Christmas shopping. I have been the Slave of the Bedroom Tray for too long. Make your minds up dears, it’s school on Monday.”
The weekend positively flew. Monday arrived and Father dropped them off at school in the car instead of walking.
“Can’t have you ill again,” he smiled.
They waved him goodbye as he sped off to work. In a way it was good to be back and they found the week at school was going to be fun. On Tuesday, there was a specially cooked Christmas Dinner, then on Wednesday, a visit to a local pantomime: Puss in Boots, then finally on Friday afternoon, there was the school carol concert. All pupils were obliged to participate in this and most parents were supposed to attend. This particular year it had been decided that the whole school was to perform at St. David’s Cathedral.
“A very great honour for the school,” their teachers kept telling them.
Peter and Sarah began to be rather pleased that they had not missed this event. Mother and Father would come of course. Father had already broken up from the University on the Wednesday afternoon and said that he was looking forward to hearing them sing. Mother always enjoyed things like carol concerts and this time she had asked Aunt Myf and Uncle Tomos and Catrin to come along too. However, it was just possible that Catrin might go to stay with Aunt Myf’s neighbour for the occasion.
Friday afternoon arrived. After school dinners, all the children were put on to coaches and driven away to St. David’s. All the parents were to arrive at the cathedral by two o’clock. Peter and Sarah’s coach was the first to arrive at the Cathedral. All the children were marshalled out of the coach and into the beautiful church. As Sarah walked towards the front door, she thought she saw someone moving over by the ruins. No, it could not be, or could it? There was no time for a better look as her teacher ushered them to their seats at the front of the cathedral.
The pews filled quickly. Luckily, Peter was sitting next to Sarah. She whispered to him out of the side of her mouth:
“I think I just saw Ederyn.”
“What!?”
“I think I just saw Ederyn. Don’t you see, we’ve found The Stones! He was talking about the ruins of the Bishop’s Palace.”
Sarah had to break off, as one of the teachers had noticed her whispers, glared and said:
“No talking children, please!”
The parents arrived. By twisting slightly sideways, Peter could just see Mother, Father, Uncle Tomos and Aunt Myf. They had left Catrin behind. His mind returned to the problem of how to snatch a moment to talk with Ederyn. The first carol began. One of the older boys started them off in: Once in Royal David’s City and managed the first verse quite well. The service was under way. Peter and Sarah’s class sang the third carol: Silent Night, Holy Night.
“Very nice too,” smiled Mother, as she made herself more comfortable in the pew.
She closed her eyes and let the music, children’s voices and thoughts of Christmas wash over her.
At the end of the service the Head Teacher gave an address, before prayers led by the Bishop. During the address, Peter gave Sarah a dig in the ribs. She jumped in surprise, and stared at him crossly. Peter gave her a large wink of the eye to let her know that a plan was forming in his head.
The carol service ended and parents and children filed out of the Cathedral to shake the Bishop and Head Teacher by the hand. Then filled with all the hope and excitement that comes with the week before Christmas, the congregation prepared to go home for the holidays. Most of the children were going home with their parents. Only one of the coaches was going back to school with teachers and those whose parents had been unable to come. Fortunately there were very few of these.
As Peter and Sarah passed the massive Christmas Tree just inside the Cathedral doors, Peter grabbed Sarah’s arm.
“Look, you or I have got to talk to Ederyn, or whoever it is.”
“You do it Peter, you’ll know what to say better than I will.”
“Well then, you make some kind of distraction to give me enough time to see what’s what, OK? Can you think of something?”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“Good girl! Give me at least ten minutes. Synchronise watches: it is now three ten and thirty seconds.”
Peter and Sarah always enjoyed being scientifically precise on these occasions.
“OK Peter, I’ve got the time.”
“Then off I go.”
“Good luck!”
Sarah watched as Peter slunk into the shadows outside. Her mind was a whirl of ideas.
“I know, I’ll ask them all to come and look at the tree, and I think I saw a very nice crib at the front of the Lady Chapel. I’ll say that I simply must have a closer look.”
With this in mind, Sarah went to shake hands with the Bishop.
It was about five minutes into secret meeting time, that Sarah actually found the rest of the family. Being congratulated on the performance of the carols by herself and Peter, even though it had been minimal, took at least another five minutes. Then, before anyone could ask where Peter was, Sarah had dragged them all down to the front of the Cathedral to view the crib, which was VERY nice indeed. Then it was off to the Tree, which they all proclaimed to be most beautiful. All this took nearly another ten minutes and before Mother could say:
“Where’s your brother?”
Peter appeared before them from behind a pillar and the congratulations began again, until Aunt Myf kissed them both and said she simply must get back to collect Catrin. Uncle Tomos agreed and they departed, smiling and beaming.
“Now then,” said Father, “let’s find the car and it’s home for the holidays. Although I don’t think you two deserve any. You have had enough holiday already.”
“Oh Daddy!” cried Peter and Sarah, “you are such a tease!”
“And it was ‘flu not a holiday,” Sarah told him, returning the tease. “We just opened the door and in-flu-enza !”
“No kidding!” said Peter, and after that there were more jokes and much laughter all the way home.
In the car, Sarah tried to ask Peter what had happened at St. David’s. Had he seen Ederyn? If so, what had passed between them? She was dying to find out, but only received a wink and a grin with:
“I’ll tell you later,” from her annoying brother.
A celebratory supper was enjoyed by them all. Mother pulled out all the stops and gave the family Welsh lamb casserole, followed by pancakes and syrup. They all watched some television until Father called time, and then it was upstairs for bath and bed. Peter and Sarah bathed, cleaned teeth and were bade goodnight. The lights were turned off and Mother and Father went downstairs again to the television to relax with a detective thriller.
“Now for a chat with Peter,” thought Sarah, “finally and at last! I’m just bursting to know what happened!”
Her own lust for adventure began to raise its ugly head just a tiny, little bit and just in case… she reached into her jewellery box and took with her the Ring of Concealment.
Then, as quietly as anybody could, Sarah tiptoed across the landing and into Peter’s room.
“Hi there Sis!” said Peter, “are you ready?”
“I jolly well am, brother mine, so tell!”
“OK then; it was Ederyn!”
“I knew it.”
“He was hiding just behind the Cathedral. I ran as fast as I could and we went over to the Bishop’s Palace ruins to talk.
“Gwynn-ap-Nudd needs your help,” he said.
“Our help?” I said.
“Yes, he requires the Ring that Anir gave your sister, the one that kept her safe during our last battle. Someone, perhaps you Peter, or both of you if Sarah likes, may be required to go with it, depending…”
“Depending on what?” I said, “and when shall we come, and how?”
“You will see. All shall be explained when you make your visit. You do not need to come immediately, for we want you to think seriously about this, but it must be before spring becomes summer. Enjoy the sacred time that lies before you in this present year and we shall hope to see you in the next.”
“Oh, in the new year?” I said.
“Indeed, and as to how you come to us, well, we can find a way to do that I am sure. I think, Peter, that you especially may like the idea of the adventure that is planned. Now go… return to your celebrations. Give our greeting to your sister and tell her that we look forward to seeing you both in Arx Emain. Farewell!”
Then as soon as he had said that, he disappeared into the shadow of the ruins. I ran back to the Cathedral and you and the others were just coming down the nave.”
Sarah squeezed her hands together with excitement.
“Another adventure! Oh goodeeee!”
“I thought you didn’t like them.”
“Well, I can change my mind if I like, can’t I ?”
“Oh yes, certainly you can, on account of you’re a girl!” Peter said scornfully.
“But I’m very curious to know what it is all about now. And anyway, I shan’t mind going if it’s a nice, little adventure,” his sister told him, “just as long as there aren’t any battles.”
Peter was thinking of Sarah’s many complaints during their last time with the Elves. She had often had to be extremely brave. She had also demonstrated an astonishing ingenuity and inventiveness under difficult circumstances, but then there was also her absolute terror during the battle between the Elves and Arddu.
Rightly so, now he came to think of it, for he had been totally terrified too. Even though wielding the Gardar Stone had given him something to occupy his mind, it had all been quite an ordeal. Indeed, he had been standing right by Anir when The Guardian had made the fatal thrust with his two handed sword, right into the chest of Arddu. However, that was all in the past now. Gwynn-ap-Nudd could not possibly have anything like that in mind again… could he?
“You’d better go back to bed, little sister.”
“I will, but will you stop calling me ‘little sister’, I might be your sister, but I’m not LITTLE!” Sarah scowled.
“OK, OK, keep your hair on! We’ll talk about this another time. No hurry, Ederyn obviously doesn’t expect anything to happen until after Christmas.”
“Good! I can go on making my shopping list then. Sleep well Peter.”
“Goodnight Sarah,” Peter yawned.
Sarah returned to her room and put the ring away in its place. “I wonder why they want it back now?” she said softly to herself.
She was certainly most curious by now, but after thinking for a moment she said to herself, very firmly and positively:
“Well, I just hope that it is Peter they want to wear the ring on their beastly adventure and not me. I’m not sure that I like being invisible anyway.”
Then she got into bed and fell asleep.