Gormglaith | Page 9

and waved a hand near its edge. A smeary blue and white ball
popped up, a yard across. She blinked through sundry casts, stopping at
one showing splashes of light scattered mostly across the north and
south of a moonlit world.
She went to the window and its misty green landscape, took the prism
and beamed true colours into a chalken hand.
"Gormglaith? Gormglaith?"
Geileis leaned over her, hair swept forward, smiling.
"It's nearing noon in Rye. I thought thou mayest've gotten lost."
"Ok. I was only reading."
"Swap the linens at least! I'll answer the door if thou wantst."
"I'll do it. I want to see the looks on their faces."
Geileis cast a braided look.
Gormglaith dragged herself from the staddle, lit to the bath, pulled on
tidier greys and stared at the looking glass. She ran fingers through her
thatch, shrugged, shook it, came back to the nest, put on black klompen,
breezed out to the gather lair and faced her kynn with a grin. Geileis

looked her up and down, then up again... and nodded.
"Truth be told," said Gormglaith, "I was thinking the same thing about
thee!"
"Uh oh."
Gormglaith's grin swayed into a broad smile.
"So if thou needst me," said Geileis, shoving back a stray bit of straw
thatch, "I'm here."
"Don't worry, twinsikins," she put with a shrug. "I can grip."
"I know..."
They heard a low thump outside as Gormglaith waved a bony, blue
veined hand at the latch.
sheaf 3
Swans and Magpies
The banshees gaped and stared, then giggled. The taller girl's long face
belied a shrewd look with popinjay eyes and a toothy lopsided smile.
Thin as a sheaf of wheat, straight red hair tumbled to her bottom whilst
narrow braids tied off by sleeves of many hued threads fell with flat
locks over a black cutty sark. Each wore a sparkling platinum nose ring
grazing the top of her lips. Alikely wraithish in black longstockings
they walked in blond wooden klompen.
"Hi Gormglaith, I'm Bairrfhionn Sparkenbane," said the taller one,
holding out a hand, her smile an edgy sway. "I'm thrilled to meet thee!"
"Hi!"
"Gwenhwyfer Sparkenbane," the other put shyly with a hint of Frisian
lilt, her yellow, chin length hair freaked with white, swaying lank at the
sides but combed straight back on top, nose ring glinting as she leaned

forward to grasp hands.
"Hi!" Gormglaith echoed like greeting someone at thorpe school as
Bairrfhionn spotted her twin.
"Thou'rt Geileis. I've always wanted to meet thee."
"Morfyd and Morigan often talk about thee," said Gwenhwyfer, taking
Geileis' hand
"...and we think of them."
Geileis showed the banshees to a low elmwood bench padded in blue
grey cloth and wrapped by a paned window bay looking over the foggy
hills and meads beyond Bryn Larach.
"Coffee?"
"Please!"
The Sparkenbanes plopped down as Gormglaith sat on an elm block
and leaned forward.
"So..." Bairrfhionn said with a toothy grin, "I hope thou dostn't think
we're like, wanton or whatever for trampling in on thee like this."
"No way! My friends do it all the time."
"I like the elms on the lane out in front!" said Gwenhwyfer.
"I climb them."
The banshees smiled.
"To hang with the magpies," said Gormglaith, nodding once. "I've fed
them since I was little, the bats too, upstairs in the southeast loft. They
were there when my kynn came to Bryn Larach and nobody had the
heart to put them out."

"Bats!" said Gwenhwyfer, her sunken sky blue eyes widening.
"Kerfuffle!"
Flighty banter fluttered as Geileis came from the kitchen with three
coffees in brightly puzzled mugs along with rowanberry in a heavy
tumbler.
"I hear tales of Bryn Larach's haunted lofts! How was your trip?"
"We took the skate from Fen Glioon," said Gwenhwyfer. "I told
Bairrfhionn I think it's dreamy out here. So gloomy! The afternoon
light on the hills is amazing."
Gormglaith sipped ruddy rowanberry whilst watching the banshees
from behind a lock of straw blond thatch.
"So... are y'all gonna put it straight or what?"
Gwenhwyfer gasped (with a grin) as Bairrfhionn twirled her eyes.
"We have like, this song."
"Kewl."
The banshees swapped glances, shrugged, then like maegden gone stir
behind the fizzy tent on Midsummer's Eve, they spoke as rain swept by
outside.
Dreams loom By morning gloom It's cormid soon
Under mabon we'll walk On moors of ancheisht Where swans and
magpies lurk
Kin stabbed with rings Fling in a hush Their shivering sings
To crush until They spill and sway In plighted clannin.
Bairrfhionn and Gwenhwyfer waited wide eyed, abashed.

"...Y'all!? That was so too stern! Ok... what happens now?"
The banshees grinned wraithenly.
"Oh Gormglaith how thrilling!" Gwenhwyfer put with balled, waggling
hands. "Come with to Glas Knoll! It's on the loch by Blairie in a
chilling,