Gormglaith | Page 6

those crushy Samhain Eve flurts at the Ben chee inn and
whom should we run into but the sunken eyed henge twins themselves,
Morfyd and Morigan Sparkenbane with their rune stern, plighted sister
Rathyen, all lately of Fen Glioon pailtfylgjic. Within an hour the lot of
us were up in a hilltop flat where we reeled and kissed with towards
and gabbish shees 'till morning light smote us down... the lane!"
"Night came soon enough and it was stark and starry. We were still
living with our kynn on Pine rood. Rathyen and Morfyd showed up at
the door like wraiths, grinning scythes, asking us out for walkies by
Linden lane henge but we wound up back at the Ben chee inn where
they put it straight. Giorsal and I had already let slip we'd only plight
together... not too much of a hitch since teach clannin plight eight
rather than the wonted three or four. Anyway we all ran off to Glas
Knoll croft at Blairie north of Kin Dails for flirty flurts, gabs and oddly,
hands of cards. It was all fylgjic but I was nettled by this gnawsome
snare... as if I was the one they truly wanted."
"That'd never haunt the henge. I guess even back then I had a stern
streak as long as my legs. Giorsal and I slipped away to loch Blairie's
wooded shore by a fleet of swans who'd swum up, where she reminded
me we'd still be together, living beyond the highlands at Haethwyck by
the coastal cliffs of Wrath Ness at the northwestern evermost of
Scotland. Then she wept and said I might plight alone."

"I thought of that tale in the Eachdraidh, how 2300 years ago the
Banning-Trendels of New Zealand were heartbroken when Meryl
Melangell nixed over like worries having to do to her sister Meredith.
Plighting another clannin nineteen moons after, they brought in Meryl's
twin daughter Morwen of Windborn who later lived a meed life among
the Banning-Trendels as a banshee."
"So before swans we grew a wild notion. After boards and plight, I'd
grasp and carry my twin daughter, we'd raise her in a snug clannin
spilled with Eachdraidh nan Fylgjic and when a maegden she and the
Sparkenbanes might meet."
"Back inside I sat down at a board of black hornblende and wrote in
mine own hand,"
Nix. We're wretches like Meryl and Meredith.
"That's when we left home for the nest mazes at school and five nights
later we hooked up with Enid..."
Gormglaith's eyes fluoresced in the moonlight.
"Later we were so enthralled and busy clannining, we forgot about
Sparkenbanes. Bryn Larach blossomed, way, with Enid braidin' ash and
Giorsal spinnin' robots, Flann tuggin' the freayll and me twonkin' hex
but as the years spun off we heard of their plights. They'd soon found
their fourth and I was flattered. I knew Tegan Nichneven! She was a
dozen moons behind me at KD pailt. Then by the time thou wast fifteen
there was talk of three banshees."
"They're meant to plight whist," said Gormglaith, "to thwart fads."
Geileis smiled.
"With no hint of a fourth we guessed they might be thinking of us after
all. Then it came."
"What."

"Thy coorsyn," Geileis answered, laughing, "and thou wast late! But
tha bleedst like a maegden now and I got this today," she said, pulling a
swatch of cloth from the wrap over her ribs.
"Grainne?"
Geileis quickly shook her head.
It was linen, token of Eachdraidh. The runes shone in bright
moonbeams, written by a true hand with stark heed:
In a dale of tales so thrillin' Plait kin by flaxen linen Nigh pumpkins on
pine needles Pulling moon to light what's sown Now fast under elms
Bats beat wings Whilst dreaming things Towards fall and Harvest
Home.
"Hmph. It's from Hackled in Hastings..." said Gormglaith.
"...Tangwen Toreth. They know how to strum the strings,
huh? ...Geileis! On the noon after Tangwen wrote this in Rye... two
banshees came!"
"I know. I looked it up in thy book."
"What about Findabair?"
"Findabair's like clannin..."
"What'll I do?"
Geileis shook her head as three small bats fluttered nearby.
"Maybe I could hang with them," said Gormglaith, "like for the thrill of
it, kind of..."
"There are seven of them now and I glark they'll send the two they
think'll thrill the most..."
"...to spill 'n sway for kin and clannin," said Gormglaith.

"I'd say sly's the word," put Geileis, smirking.
"What does our shenn Grainne have to say about all this?"
"She's rather fixated on thee, Gormglaith."
"In other words... I might stop to think of Eachdraidh and plight my
bottom over to Wrath Ness like a bred 'n born kin Grendel girl."
"She told me this afternoon she knew all along it would happen. She
showed