Ashes Under Uricon (The Change Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

present. Well, grandfather?”

    “Taid,” I blurted.

    “‘Time and tide wait for no man’? What was that, my dear?”

    “She calls me Taid. The Welsh word for grandfather. As I’m sure you know.”

    “Another offence punishable by law. I begin to see why I find the pair of you out here in the wilds of wherever. Well, at risk of punishment myself, are you going to explain our situation to your grand-daughter, Taid?” She emphasised the last word.

    “I was half way through it when you so rudely interrupted us.”

    “Then quickly fill me in so that we can carry on. There’s a good Taid.” Again the emphasis.

    I looked into her eyes. “He was telling me about the time he went to a house somewhere and saw some books. He thinks those papers are something to do with those books. Oh yes, and he saw a woman who looked just like you in the house. She locked him in the library.”

    “She didn’t lock me in, cariad. She closed the door but it wasn’t locked.”

    “I think we’re all ready to hear some more, aren’t we – what does he call you? - ‘cariad’?”

    I scowled at her. Taid cleared his throat.

Chapter 8

    “I was on a course. To do with studying Welsh at A Level. We had a free afternoon so I had taken a walk on my own. I came across a lovely house called Plas Maen Heledd. To my surprise I was invited in by a lady who you say was your mother. She showed me into the library then left me there. Are you sure you don’t know this story?”

    Unlike his usual smooth telling of a story, Taid was hesitant, his delivery staccato.

    “I know all this is new to my grand-daughter, but are you sure you haven’t heard this before? From your mother? In much the same way as I was telling her?”

    “My mother sadly passed away shortly after I was born, Richard. I was not as fortunate as young Semele here to have someone like you to tell me stories of the past.”

    “Good lord, Mererid. You make me sound a thousand years old. Stories of the past, indeed. This is something that happened to me when I was about her age. Not that far back.”

    “Before the Change, Richard. Might as well be prehistory to a child like her.”

    “Well, yes. Maybe.” He looked at me. “Are you interested in what I’ve been telling you, cariad? Truthfully.”

    I nodded.

    “Much of what you’re saying must be meaningless to her. She doesn’t even know what a gun is, for goodness’ sake. You heard her version of the story as you’ve told it so far. I’m sure you used a few more words than she did, didn’t you?”

    Taid looked downcast. “A few more, perhaps. There was a little more detail.”

    I laughed. “Lots more, Taid. Lots more.”

    She looked at me. “Do you want to hear the rest of your grandfather’s story, young lady? Or are we boring you?”

    “Boredom is a state of mind,” I snapped.

    “Well, you are a perfect example of post-Change child, aren’t you?”

    “Leave her alone, Mererid.” Taid squeezed my hand. “How else is she to find out about life in the past? It’s people like me – like us – who are the last remnants of life before the Change.”

    “Don’t count me in with you, Richard. I’m only half your age, remember.” She glared at him.

    “But old enough to remember a time before the Change, I think.”

    This discussion was going nowhere. “Can you just tell the story, Taid? Please? I still haven’t had anything to eat for two days.” It seemed to me that once he had finished his story we could move on. Away from this place. Away from this odd woman. I hoped.

    “Just get on with it, Richard.” Her voice had that sharp edge to it again.

    “I had climbed the ladder in the library and discovered on the top shelf a copy of ‘Y Gododdin’. As far as I knew then there was no known copy of the poem left in existence. Yet what I held in my hand seemed to be completely original. I couldn’t read it, of course, and if it hadn’t had the title on the spine I wouldn’t