It made my heart ache to see it, for it seemed to me as if we were a dying race walking through the fading light into oblivion’s darkness. But I kept this to myself, and waited for Llew to speak his heart to me.

He began again as we moved out from the mouth of the black glen. “There is a war raging in my world,” said Liew softly. “It is not a war of swords and spears-I wish it were: we could fight the enemy then. But the enemy is here,” he struck his fist against his chest. “The enemy is within us-it has poisoned us and made us sick. We are sick inside, Tegid. Siawn and I have been poisoned, and we have brought this poison to Albion. i~ we stay here, we will poison everything-we will destroy everything.”

“Liew, but for you it would have been destroyed already. You saved us when no one else could.”

He seemed not to hear me, for he continued as before. “Simon-Siawn has already spread the poison far. He has put ideas into the prince’s head-ideas that have no place here in Albion.”

“He would have little trouble there. Meldron was ever greedy for more than he was given.”

“I believe the murder of Meldryn Mawr was Siawn’s idea. He thought kings were chosen by right of succession, and he—

23

“Right of succession?” I wondered, halting him. “I know nothing of this right.”

“Dilyn hawl,” he said, choosing other words. “It means that the kingship is passed from father to son. In our world, that is how it is done. Simon-Siawn Hy, that is-did not know that it was done any other way. He thought if Meldryn Mawr died, the kingship would pass to Prince Meldron directly.”

“He told you this?”

“Not in so many words, no. But I know Simon; I know how he thinks. And he convinced Meldron that together they could change the way kingship was held and conferred-they could alter the rites of sovereignty.”

“So that is why they tried to silence the song,” I said. “And that is why they hold the Singing Stones now.”

“The Song of Albion…” he grew silent, remembering.

“They think the stones will give them power,” I informed him. “They hope to use the song as a weapon.”

“Then it is even worse than I thought,” Llew muttered. “If I had done what I set out to do, none of this would have happened.”

He stopped walking and caught me by the arm. “Do you hear, Tegid? All those people-your clansmen, Tegid, the king and all the others-they would still be alive if I had done what I came here to do. Meldryn Mawr and all those who fell to Lord Nudd would still be alive.”

“What do you mean, talking this way?” I said. “It is only because of you that any of us remain alive now. We owe our lives to you.”