Emyr's Smile Read Online Free PDF Page A

hollow in the rock, next to a freshwater spring that was
rumored to have healing qualities. Behind and above the shrine was
a hostel which offered shelter and care to those sick pilgrims who
came seeking a miracle from Dwynwen’s spring. From the newness of
the wood, it was obvious that the hostel had been both repaired and
extended recently.
    Heilyn wasn’t quite
sure why Emyr had sent him here, unless he thought it might be
cheaper than the inn’s attic. He went into the shrine anyway, to
offer a quick prayer and greeting. Dwynwen was the Queen of Love,
after all, and he could do with a bit of her help at the moment.
Then he climbed up the shallow steps to the hospice.
    “A painter?” the priest
repeated after Heilyn had introduced himself, his tired face
lighting up. “And already staying on the island?”
    “For a while longer, I
hope,” Heilyn said.
    “Wonderful. Oh, do you
have some examples of your work, something I could look at? If
you’re interested, of course, and I should really explain what the
job is, shouldn’t I? Come and see!”
    He led Heilyn into the
new wing of the hospice. Inside, it was clean and empty. There were
no beds yet, and the walls had been plastered a plain white.
    “We get so many
pilgrims in the winter,” the priest said, eyes sad, “and many of
them are bedridden, you see, with nowhere else to go. They struggle
to make it down to the shrine and anything further away is
impossible. It’s such a miserable life that I thought they deserved
something beautiful to look at.”
    “You want paintings for
the walls?” Heilyn said, the idea catching his interest. “Something
bold and bright, yes? The things they miss when they can’t see the
sky.”
    “Yes, yes,” the priest
said, nodding, “except not small paintings. I heard that in Ynys
Llys, in the palace, they have painting that cover whole walls,
straight onto the plaster.”
    “Murals,” Heilyn said,
turning around on his heel to survey the bare plaster with
interest. “Big skies and ships and islands, for a start. Scenes
from different islands, to show all are welcome. A bit of humor and
life in the detail work. You could have a bit of fun with the
refectory, paint big rowdy pub tables on the walls so it looks like
it just keeps going, and… Sorry, I’m running too far from the wind
again. I have a tendency to do that.”
    But the priest was
smiling and nodding. “That’s exactly it. I have paint donated and
volunteers willing to help, but I need someone to do the designs
and detail work. I don’t really know how they do it in the capital,
but surely it’s more than one man’s job.”
    “Oh, they get their
apprentices to do the backgrounds,” Heilyn said. “And then the
apprentices need paying too, though at a reduced rate, and it all
puts the price up.”
    “No wonder I couldn’t
afford their fee, then,” the priest said with a sigh, and then
looked anxious. “They all want the journey and their accommodation
paid for, you see, and I can pay an honest wage, but it’s all from
donations, so…”
    “I understand,” Heilyn
said, a little amused by the honesty. “Well, I’m planning to stay
on the island for a few months anyway, and all my rent is paid in
washing up. It sounds like something I would love to do, but you’ll
want to know I’m talented enough. If I run back to the inn for my
portfolio, you can have a look through overnight and see if it’s
the right style for what you want.”
    The priest nodded.
“That sounds like the way to do it. I have a good feeling about
this, Heilyn. I think Dwynwen may have blown you to our doors.”
    “I hope so,” Heilyn
said and dashed back across the common in high spirits. A
commission, a proper one, and one which suited him so well, would
be a far better gift than he deserved from Emyr.
     
     
    BY THE NEXT DAY, he had
a job and spent a blissful day sketching out possible designs,
sticking the papers to the appropriate walls with little bits of
putty.