Neniane turned away in disgust. "Be those who can do little else."

"Second daughter be right," Dorelei settled it. "Bairn needs rest. Do not wake her."

They quieted in concern and respect. Neniane was worried and not enjoying the feast even though Dorelei saved the tenderest cuts of lamb for her.

"But did hear there be good graze south of Wall,"

Guenloie nodded. "An could use't."

"And thee's worse than fool," Neniane lashed out at her. "With thy mooning after tallfolk men and boasting thee's one of them."

"Nae true," said loyal Malgon.

Guenloie bristled. "Mother be Taixali."

"And proud to be fhain." Dorelei reminded her. It wasn't wise for Guenloie to hold such thoughts, much less voice them. Her husbands were pained by it, especially Drust who was achingly in love with her. Dorelei was suddenly sick of them all. "Neniane, hold thy temper. Do all care for bairn. Guenloie spoke only of graze."

"Which is good in Briton-land," Guenloie glowered.

"Not for us." Cru spat out a piece of gristle. "Lugh promised us Tir-Nan-Og."

23.

"When?" Neniane asked. It was a hopeless, disbeliev- ing sound. "Where?"

"In the west," Bredei said. "At world's edge."

"Or even farther," Artcois amended.

Neniane glared at her husbands like a brace of idiots.

"What be farther than world's edge?"

J "Thee knows the story," Dorelei said. "Can see the anote on thy own back?"

I, Family bickering subsided as the richness of the feast ^thickened and warmed their blood. When all were mellow with mead and only nibbling at honeycomb, when talk had ^fallen to a torpid murmur, one or two of them glanced Eatpectant!y at Dorelei. She sat cross-legged on the stone, ll&ack straight, hands on her knees, and spoke the ritual ^vords as gern, praying she had her mother's stern com- I'lBiand or at least a hint of it.

"Was in the First days."

Dutifully, fhain sat back to listen, although Dorelei inew there was none of Gawse's husky, low authority in !>er voice. Nevertheless, she told the story as her mother lid, even with the remembered inflections that she prac- aced m secret. Gawse did it so easily; her voice had the weight of distant thunder across the sky even when it sank to a whisper.

H The Lughnassadh story was mainly for children, that piey remember their honored place among the offspring Jof earth and sky. Neniane took up her child and brought her to the Fire.

I, "Gern-y-fhain, tell my first daughter of Mother and l.ugh."

^ "Was a time when all men were nigh beautiful as P*rydn," Doretei began.

But Mother and Lugh gave so much of food and jwealth that many grew larger and sleeker. They could pook down on the heads of the First children, and so pooked down on their hearts as well. In their pride, tallfolk forgot their kinship with Prydn and the animals, and even the generosity of their parents.

"Was m the long summer before Lugh grew angry Mid went away. Before the ice came. Was in the First days rf his love for Mother. A were like fhain then." Dorelei

Parke Godunn

smiled at her folk. "Young and strong and loving all the time."

But the younger children grew too proud for even Mother's patience and she admonished Lugh. "See how haughty they grow. They need a lesson."

Lugh knew Mother was right. Taltfolk were so proud they no longer spoke the language of their kin even though Lugh commanded it.

"Speak to your brothers. Thee knows I go as raven on earth. What is my song then? What does the wolf say?"

But in their arrogance and greed, in making new words for new things, they had forgotten the first lan- guage. Only the Prydn remembered and were able to speak to Mother and their brothers.

"What is that to us," the tallfolk jeered. "They're stupid and backward, these first children. We are the humans. They are not our brothers."

Well, what father or mother could tolerate such arrogance?

"So be it," Mother said in judgment.

"So be it," said Lugh to seal her command. "You are no longer my children. Do you go out and make your own way. Only these first small ones will we call our own."

And that was the whole of it. The proud ones went off in a huff, and to mark the division. Mother kissed the Prydn on each cheek to leave her sign, and Lugh saw to it that their black hair and beautiful dark skin did not lighten, as with some of the ignorant ones. This honor was passed from generation to generation among Prydn in the fhain marks they wore with pride. Oh, there were some crafty tallfolk who tried to pass as Prydn when things went bad for them, dyeing or scarring their skin as the Picts still did.

"And were some who cut the foreskins of their men,"

Dorelei confided darkly, "and others even the pleasure- buds of women."

Guenloie squirmed her tegs together at the distressing thought. "Ooo . . ."

"But could nae fool our parents. Did know a's own.

And real as the fhain marks on our cheek is Tir-Nan-Og, the land of the young where a will lead Prydn in a time after tomorrow. Was promised."

"Yah!" Cru hissed in approval.

25.

Dorelei took up her mead bowl and drank, pleased iat she'd told the tale almost as well as her mother. The tory of Mabh. now, was usually told at Brigid-feast, but he guessed it wouldn't hurt to hear it this night. Perhaps ilemane would tell it. All through the feast her sister had een withdrawn and joyless.

"Neniane second daughter, will thee tell fhain how tabh led her people to this land?"

Nemane's head was bent over the swaddled child.

torelei touched her arm. "Sister?"

From Neniane came only a low, falling whine. "A's one. My bairn is gone. Mother does turn from us."

She rocked back and forth as the bowls were lowered, yod dropped from all hands. One by one Artcois and ^redei took the dead child from her and looked to see, as only then would it be true. Then they added their *eper voices to Neniane's keening. Dorelei wanted to flee the sound of it darkened around her and tore at her >urage. Just now it was too much for her: alt this way )Uth just to find poor grass, hostile tallfolk, and dead lildren. Were she alone she'd run home to Gawse this light, whatever the shame.

The fhain swayed back and forth around the fire in ie mourning that began as feast. Neniane's cries rose bove the others. She tore at her hair and stumbled out of ie rath into the darkness of the hill. With a glance at Cru, torelei followed. Neniane stared up at the moon riding Sover a bank of cloud

"A turns from us, Dorelei."

"Nae, dost not."

"Must go home."