Page 10 of Broken Veil
Duncan muttered something under his breath in Gaelic, and Cadell said something back in guttural Welsh.
Before they could start arguing in different languages, Carys decided to distract them. “Did you know that Dr. Beck is the current expert on the fourth branch of theMabinogion? She’sprobably published more papers on Blodeuwedd than any other writer.”
Cadell and Duncan turned to her with confused expressions.
Perfect.
“What’s theMabinogion?” Duncan asked.
“Who is Blodeuwedd?”
“It’s a thirteenth-century collection of oral traditions and folklore that chronicles much of early Welsh mythology,” Carys said. “And Blodeuwedd is the adulterous wife of a Welsh hero who plotted to kill him but instead was turned into an owl.”
Cadell nodded silently. “Appropriate.”
“Obviously I grew up knowing most of the stories in theMabinogion, but then as I studied more, I became more interested in the links between different traditions and their common threads.”
“Because the same stories reoccur all over the world,” Cadell said.
Duncan smiled. “You’re saying folklore doesn’t repeat, but it often rhymes?”
“Exactly!” Carys smiled. “My doctoral thesis was on the parallels between Blodeuwedd and Persephone. Both women in arranged marriages who exhibited two natures, one light and one dark.”
“Huh.” Duncan tapped his teacup to hers. “I do enjoy listening to you fly your nerd flag, Dr. Morgan.”
Carys beamed. “Thank you. Hopefully you’ll enjoy meeting Dr. Beck too.”
Cadell was back to staring at the cat on the edge of the lawn. “That’s not a cat.”
Duncan turned to look at it. “It very clearly is a cat.”
“No, it’s not.” He stood up and started walking toward the animal, which darted into the bushes and out of sight.
“We have got to get him back to the Shadowlands,” Duncan muttered under his breath.
“Maybe there’s a gate nearby,” Carys said quietly. “I’m still not sure it’s good for Naida to be here.”
“I’d agree except that of all of us, she can sense the gates more clearly on this side,” Duncan said. “Even ones that are dormant. For right now we need her.”
Carys spotted Godrik’s silver and black hair over the top of a tour group. “I see them.”
Laura and Naida were on either side, sticking close to the large man as the crowds grew busier.
“Good.” Duncan finished his tea and stood. “We’re headed to the Bodleian Library then?”
“No, the Weston,” Carys said. “Dr. Beck has a reader card for the Bodleian, but she reserved space at the Weston for the manuscript she wanted me to look at.”
“Dra— Cadell!” Duncan shouted. “We’re off, old man.”
They started toward Godrik, Laura, and Naida, but as Carys turned, she collided with a swiftly moving woman wearing large glasses and sent the smaller woman’s massive handbag tumbling to the ground.
“Oh, I am so sorry.” Carys immediately bent and started gathering up the papers that had fallen on the sidewalk. “I didn’t even see you there.”
“It’s my fault entirely,” the woman said. “I was rushing to meet a colleague and?—”
“Dr. Beck?” Carys sat back on her heels, took in the woman’s heart-shaped face and the mass of dark hair piled on her head, and suddenly realized who she was. “It’s me! Dr. Morgan.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Dr. Beck’s Irish lilt grew stronger. “Of course you are. Your hair is longer of course. I don’t know why I didn’t realize?—”
