Page 275 of The Daughters of Avalon
Throughout the day, he told her about his mother and his father. Evidently, his mother was a distant relation to Geoffrey d’Anjou, second husband to Matilda, and father of Duke Henry. Jack’s father’s father was a ship’s captain as well, as was his great grandsire—the latter having captained the flagship of The Conqueror’s invading fleet. No small feat. He said he’d once thought he might enjoy being a ship’s captain, too, but after his father died, he lost his love for the sea. Relieved over his change of heart, his mother had convinced him to apply himself to the Empress’s guard.
“So, you returned to France?” Rhiannon asked.
“Eventually.”
That’s when he told her about Wilhelm of Warkworth, the bastard son of Richard de Vere—a bear of a man whose bark was sharper than his bite. Sent by his brother to locate Rhiannon’s missing sisters, he’d discovered both Seren and Arwyn hidden away on theWhitshed. Unfortunately, not in time to save Arwyn. It was only then that Wilhelm had appointed himself as Seren’s champion. He later married her as well. “I don’t remember much about that morning,” Jack said. “But I vividly recall thatfire.” He shook his head. “It was like nothing I’ve ever seen—those bright, bright blue flames rose higher than the masthead.”
“Witchfire,” said Rhiannon. “’Tis?—”
“Oh, I know,” he said, perhaps hoping to spare her the explanation. “Of course, I did not witness it myself, but I’m told your sister cast the same blaze at the Battle of the Tower.”
Rhiannon furrowed her brow.
“Battle… of the Tower?”
Averting his gaze, Jack sucked in a breath, perhaps realizing how little she’d been told. He then proceeded to explain: After the fire, Wilhelm escorted Jack and Seren as far as Neasham, leaving Jack there, in the care of the nuns. He was thirteen, he said, and neither Wilhelm nor Seren had relished the thought of exposing him to danger. In those days, he’d had no knowledge of witches, and he’d begged them not to leave. Turning a deaf ear to his pleas, they left him anyway, and neither did they tell him the truth, not until they returned to collect him many months later. By then, Jack had already heard the news.
Apparently, after leaving him at Neasham, Wilhelm and Seren continued to Warkworth, taking a familiar route. It was in Holystone Wood that they’d encountered Rose and Elspeth at some ruin called the Widow’s Tower…
Of course, Rhiannon knew none of this, because all of it took place after they’d placed her in shackles, effectively blocking hermagik. Naturally, nobody ever bothered to inform her—yet another reason for her to be furious with Cael.
Evidently, having been summoned by Morwen, her sisters arrived to retrieve Elspeth’s son. Surrounded by Morwen’s army, and far outnumbered, they’d feared the worst.
“She took Ellie’s son?” interrupted Rhiannon. “I don’t understand… how was she able to enter Aldergh castle? After Eustace and Morwen’s attack, I helped Elspeth fortify a warding spell.”
Jack shrugged.
“Because your mother’s a canny old witch, that’s why,” announced Marcella, tugging on her reins and falling back to ride alongside them. Her green eyes glittered fiercely. “She gave herself aglamourto resemble Elspeth.”
Rhiannon peered around Jack to better see Marcella, and asked, “So you were there?”
“Nay, I was not,” said the witch-paladin. “’Tis simply my business to know.”
“Did my husbandknowas well?”
The witch-paladin eyed Rhiannon shrewdly. “I cannot say what your husband did or did not know.” She lifted her chin. “Would you like to feed your angry wolf, or would you like to hear the rest of the tale?”
Rhiannon’s changing emotions returned to annoyance over Marcella’s officious tone. She swallowed her ire and said, “I’d like to hear the rest, please.”
Marcella smiled victoriously. “Deceived by Morwen’sglamour, your sister’s guards invited Morwen into the castle; there, she stole the elder boy, and took him to the Widow’s Tower, threatening to murder him if they did not return hergrimoire.”
Rhiannon pressed a hand to her breast. Even all these years later, prickles of fear sidled down her spine in anticipation of hearing the rest. “What then?”
“Seren—”
“Nay,” Marcella interrupted Jack. “Seren didnotcast thewitchfire. Rather, she was the one to put it out. It was Morwen who summonedwitchfireand demanded that Seren pass through it to trade the Book for the child.”
“And did she?” Rhiannon swallowed convulsively.
Marcella shook her head. “Nay, she did not. For love of her, and in fear for her life, Wilhelm Fitz Richard seized thegrimoirebefore Seren could comply, intending to sacrifice himself to save the child. So, it seemed, the battle would be lost, but Seren saved the day, dousing Morwen’switchfirewith herwitchwater,even as your mother fled, taking thegrimoirewith her.”
So many questions sprang to Rhiannon’s lips. “What of the child?”
“Fine.”
“And Wilhelm?”
“Fine.”
