"It was the craft of the Druids that defeated her in the end. It was obvious she wanted to hold them off until night fell, and then escape in the dark, for she was mortally afeared of the sun, and rightfully so as it turned out. For a while it seemed she might escape, for she withstood all their wiles. They cast spells and she laughed at them. They satyrized her and she called for more blood. In the end it was the hidden flame of Rowan that drove her out into the sun, from her darkened lair."
"I remember well the pink flush of her skin beneath her linen gown. How hautily she glared around at us. No Queen could have looked more disdainful. No plea for mercy or forgivness disgraced her lips. Her great dark eyes glimmered with rage, but in a moment grew wide, and wider still, and she began to tremble. Her pink skin reddened and I saw tendrils of smoke begin to rise from it. Then it split and blood was everywhere. At this point she found her voice, and so piercing were her dying screams that we onlookers fell to the ground, writhing in agony, as if it were we who were dying, for our ears were rupturing, so loud were her cries. Many a man and woman I saw in the crowd that day has been deaf from that day to this very one."
" She burst into flames then, and burned as if the very blood in her veins were lamp oil. Indeed the flame she made burned so hot all her fine jewelry melted and was lost. She herself was reduced to ash, which the druids scattered, least her spirit remain to trouble the living."
The older woman paused, gazing around at the children, who were all well impressed with their Grandmother at this point. Then she leaned forward and reached into her pocket.
"I fetched something out of the ashes though, once they were cool," Grandmother half whispered.
Slowly she drew out her hand and extended her prize for them to see. There on her palm was a tooth, long and sharp, like a dog's but whiter, gleaming, almost opaline in quality.
"You took her tooth Grandmother?" I asked, gazing in awe, as were all the other children now that they too comprehended. "You sifted it out of the ashes."
Grandmother looked uncomfortable for a moment.
"Nay, she didn't child."
Brangaled had entered unheard, so deeply had we all been enthralled. Her sudden interjection startled us.
"It is nothing but an old dog's tooth that she payed too much for."
"It is too her tooth. I only said I bought it because I was too embarassed to admit what I had done, but, as this child has guessed, I did sift through what was left of the creature's ashes. Look at how it gleams. No mortal creature ever wore such a smile," and she smiled hoping to disarm her daughter's ire.
Brangaled snorted. "I should think you would be embarassed to tell your bloody tales to such innocent ears. Have you no sense? On you be it when they cry and cannot sleep for their night fears."
"It's history, daughter, and do not think to chide me. I am proud of our history. Beside which..."
As the women bickered I edged closer to the hand that held the tooth, for it fascinated me.
Gavynn, watching me as ever he did, knew I would touch it. And he knew absoloutely that I shouldn't. He told me much later that he had wanted to yell out for me to stop, to spare us both the evil he senced, the nature of which he couldn't quite divine. Dread blossomed in his breast, but too late. I touched the thing, and it seemed to his eyes it quivered. For a moment my eyes became vacant, my mouth slackened, and then it passed. I pulled back my hand, just as if I had not experienced a terrible thing, a shameful thing.
My casual air fooled Gavynn. He shrugged off his premonition, and forgot about it for a very long time.
As for me, when I touched Grandmother's token the thing actually shivered, it's desire to taste my blood was so great. The metalic tang of blood flooded my own mouth; but worse, the lust for blood flooded my soul. I was filled with a great pity for the creature Rwn. And then Rwn was there, saying something, but I could not catch her meaning. Was it a warning? Put it down? Then the spirit of Rwn was swept aside and in her place a man stood. A man more beautiful than I had ever seen. He glimmered with a bright darkness. Smiling he reached out a hand, a hand much too large to be human, and touched my face, much as a lover might. My spirit loosened from my embodyment, yearning for this man's touch never to be removed. I moved a toward him in a great rush, my body far behind. Then the tooth turned beneath my fingers, cutting me, jarring me back to myself.
