times now, in the same circle. Breakfast is on the ground. The eagle is pretending not to know.’
‘You can see that from here?’
Yssobel laughed and looked up at her father. ‘Can’t you?’
When he looked back, the eagle had disappeared, only to reappear a moment later, rising with speed, legs dangling, wings beating, its prey hanging limply in its talons.
‘Sometimes,’ Steven said, ‘I believe you know this world better than I do. And I’ve lived here for twenty years.’
‘I dream that I’ve lived here for ages,’ the girl said quietly, then kicked the stone seat again with her heels and said in a sing-song voice: ‘The valley. The valley. Tell me. Tell me.’
‘Have you heard of the giant known as Mogoch?’ Steven asked. The girl frowned, then said brightly, ‘Yes. From Jack. He used his tooth to mark a great man’s grave.’
‘It is a big tooth,’ her father agreed. ‘And it marks the grave of Peredur. And do you know who Peredur is?’
‘An eagle!’
‘He transformed into an eagle, certainly. But he was a great king. And . . . and . . .’ The two of them exchanged a stare.
‘And?’ Yssobel prompted.
‘He was your grandfather.’
‘My grandfather was an eagle?’ The girl looked delighted.
‘More than that. Much more than that. But about the valley: this is the short and simple story: ‘At that time, in the life of this people, Mogoch the giant was set a task by the Fates and walked north for a hundred days without resting. This brought him to the furthest limit of the known world, facing the gate of fire that guarded Lavondyss.
‘At the top of the valley was a stone, ten times the height of a man. Mogoch rested his left foot on the stone and wondered for what reason the fates had brought him this far from his tribal territory, to the edge of the Unknown Region.’
‘What’s the Unknown Region?’
‘It’s what I call Lavondyss. Now be quiet and listen . . .
‘A voice hailed him. “Take your foot from the stone.”
‘Mogoch looked about him, looked down, and saw a hunter, standing on a cairn of rocks, staring up.
‘ “I shall not,” said Mogoch.
‘ “Take your foot from the stone,” shouted the hunter. “A brave man is buried there.” ’
‘Peredur! Peredur!’
‘Yes, Yssi. Peredur. Now be quiet.’
‘ “A brave man is buried there.”
‘ “I know,” said Mogoch, not moving his foot. “I buried him myself. I placed the stone on his body with my own hands. I found the stone in my mouth. Look!” And Mogoch grinned, showing the hunter the great gap in his teeth where he had found the brave man’s marker.
‘ “Well, then,” said the hunter. “I suppose that’s all right.”
‘ “Thank you,” said Mogoch, glad that he would not have to fight the man—’
‘He would have won - the hunter would have won!’
‘Yssi! Quiet! I’m trying to tell you the story.’
She jumped up and down on the rock, her face beaming, hair swirling.
‘ “And what great deed brings you to the borders of Lavondyss?”
‘ “I’m waiting for someone,” the hunter said. “Someone of importance to me.”
‘ “Well,” said Mogoch after a moment, staring down at the hunter. “I hope they’ll be by shortly.”
‘ “I’m sure she will,” the hunter said, and turned from the giant.
‘Mogoch used an oak tree to scratch his back—’
‘An oak tree ? He should have used a pine!’
‘Quiet!’
‘—then killed and ate a deer for his supper, wondering why he had been summoned to this place.
‘Eventually he left, but named the valley ritha muireog, which in his own language meant: “where the hunter waits”.
‘Later, however, the valley was called imarn uklyss, which means: “where the girl came back through the fire”.’
For a short while after he had finished recounting this tale, Steven was silent, his gaze on the steep-sided valley, his mind detached from the purpose of this visit to the place where he had finally settled.
It
‘You can see that from here?’
Yssobel laughed and looked up at her father. ‘Can’t you?’
When he looked back, the eagle had disappeared, only to reappear a moment later, rising with speed, legs dangling, wings beating, its prey hanging limply in its talons.
‘Sometimes,’ Steven said, ‘I believe you know this world better than I do. And I’ve lived here for twenty years.’
‘I dream that I’ve lived here for ages,’ the girl said quietly, then kicked the stone seat again with her heels and said in a sing-song voice: ‘The valley. The valley. Tell me. Tell me.’
‘Have you heard of the giant known as Mogoch?’ Steven asked. The girl frowned, then said brightly, ‘Yes. From Jack. He used his tooth to mark a great man’s grave.’
‘It is a big tooth,’ her father agreed. ‘And it marks the grave of Peredur. And do you know who Peredur is?’
‘An eagle!’
‘He transformed into an eagle, certainly. But he was a great king. And . . . and . . .’ The two of them exchanged a stare.
‘And?’ Yssobel prompted.
‘He was your grandfather.’
‘My grandfather was an eagle?’ The girl looked delighted.
‘More than that. Much more than that. But about the valley: this is the short and simple story: ‘At that time, in the life of this people, Mogoch the giant was set a task by the Fates and walked north for a hundred days without resting. This brought him to the furthest limit of the known world, facing the gate of fire that guarded Lavondyss.
‘At the top of the valley was a stone, ten times the height of a man. Mogoch rested his left foot on the stone and wondered for what reason the fates had brought him this far from his tribal territory, to the edge of the Unknown Region.’
‘What’s the Unknown Region?’
‘It’s what I call Lavondyss. Now be quiet and listen . . .
‘A voice hailed him. “Take your foot from the stone.”
‘Mogoch looked about him, looked down, and saw a hunter, standing on a cairn of rocks, staring up.
‘ “I shall not,” said Mogoch.
‘ “Take your foot from the stone,” shouted the hunter. “A brave man is buried there.” ’
‘Peredur! Peredur!’
‘Yes, Yssi. Peredur. Now be quiet.’
‘ “A brave man is buried there.”
‘ “I know,” said Mogoch, not moving his foot. “I buried him myself. I placed the stone on his body with my own hands. I found the stone in my mouth. Look!” And Mogoch grinned, showing the hunter the great gap in his teeth where he had found the brave man’s marker.
‘ “Well, then,” said the hunter. “I suppose that’s all right.”
‘ “Thank you,” said Mogoch, glad that he would not have to fight the man—’
‘He would have won - the hunter would have won!’
‘Yssi! Quiet! I’m trying to tell you the story.’
She jumped up and down on the rock, her face beaming, hair swirling.
‘ “And what great deed brings you to the borders of Lavondyss?”
‘ “I’m waiting for someone,” the hunter said. “Someone of importance to me.”
‘ “Well,” said Mogoch after a moment, staring down at the hunter. “I hope they’ll be by shortly.”
‘ “I’m sure she will,” the hunter said, and turned from the giant.
‘Mogoch used an oak tree to scratch his back—’
‘An oak tree ? He should have used a pine!’
‘Quiet!’
‘—then killed and ate a deer for his supper, wondering why he had been summoned to this place.
‘Eventually he left, but named the valley ritha muireog, which in his own language meant: “where the hunter waits”.
‘Later, however, the valley was called imarn uklyss, which means: “where the girl came back through the fire”.’
For a short while after he had finished recounting this tale, Steven was silent, his gaze on the steep-sided valley, his mind detached from the purpose of this visit to the place where he had finally settled.
It
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