woman. She was indeed young. Slightly older than me, I guessed at first, but not by much. She had short black hair which framed a very pale face. At the moment her face was turned away from me and I could see a bruise starting to show where Eluned had struck her. It was difficult to tell because of the way she was lying, but I guessed that she was not as tall as me, or Eluned. She seemed somehow quite short, and this made her look almost child-like.
As I looked at her it became clear to me that her body was also child-like. She had no chest or hips such as I had developed in these past years. I began to wonder if she was indeed a child. I turned her face towards me. It was the face of a young girl, hardly a woman. ‘A child-woman’ as Nefyn had described me. Yet next to this creature I was definitely not a child. Her eyelids flickered. She opened her eyes. The look of sheer terror that appeared in them melted my heart.
“Eluned,” I called softly. “She’s awake. I think she’s little more than a child.”
Chapter 25
“There are some clothes in here,” Eluned called.
“Never mind those for now. Come in here.”
I had put my arm beneath the girl’s shoulders and lifted her into a sitting position. As I did so, she moved her legs and tried to get up.
“Stop,” I said. “Take your time. That was a hard blow. You’ve been unconscious.”
She turned her head to look at me. I could still see the fear in her eyes. She was terrified. Eluned came in. She stopped when she saw me kneeling, cradling the girl.
“You must leave her, my lady. She will report us.”
“We can’t leave her in this state. It’s because of you that she looks so afraid. And so shaken.” I turned back to the girl. “What is your name? Why are you here?”
She mumbled something that I did not catch.
“Say that again. What is your name?”
“Arachne0644,” she said, more clearly. “I will say nothing else.”
She turned on her side and pushed herself into a kneeling position, from which she stood up. She was indeed as small as I had thought. She barely reached to our shoulders. She looked at the door, but Eluned was blocking it. She scuttled round the other side of the table, grabbing her Bible as she did so. She held it to her chest, protectively.
“Arachne0644 is your Ovidian name. Mine is Semele0442. Do you have a family name? I am Non. This is Eluned.”
She said nothing, staring at us. I realised that we must have looked very strange to her. Two tall women, dressed in ragged shifts that barely covered the tops of our legs, one blonde, the other dark-haired. We were both frightening to look at for someone such as this girl, straight out of the world I had left.
She stopped staring at Eluned and looked at me. “You have an Ovidian name? You are from the Change?”
“I was. Many years ago. No longer.” I smiled.
“Why …?” she started. She did not continue.
“It’s a long, long story,” I said. “We do not have the time to explain. We need your clothes. As you can see, those we have are ruined. It would be better if you gave them to us. And then forget you ever saw us.”
“That is not possible, my lady,” Eluned said.
“What?” I said.
“She cannot forget us. That is why I wished to leave before she awoke. Now it is too late. She will have to be disposed of.”
I laughed. The girl shrank into herself. “Disposed of? Like a piece of rubbish? Like you did with Nefyn? To be picked over by the birds?”
I turned back to the girl. “0644. She’s two years younger than me.”
“How do you know this?” Eluned said.
“Her name. It includes the month and year she was born. Month 06. Year 44. My name is – was – Semele0442. Born in Month 04, Year 42. Two years before her.”
“Your counting is most strange, my lady.”
“For you, no doubt. You have lived for hundreds of my years, yet you look as if you are about the same as me. The same as you were when I first met
As I looked at her it became clear to me that her body was also child-like. She had no chest or hips such as I had developed in these past years. I began to wonder if she was indeed a child. I turned her face towards me. It was the face of a young girl, hardly a woman. ‘A child-woman’ as Nefyn had described me. Yet next to this creature I was definitely not a child. Her eyelids flickered. She opened her eyes. The look of sheer terror that appeared in them melted my heart.
“Eluned,” I called softly. “She’s awake. I think she’s little more than a child.”
Chapter 25
“There are some clothes in here,” Eluned called.
“Never mind those for now. Come in here.”
I had put my arm beneath the girl’s shoulders and lifted her into a sitting position. As I did so, she moved her legs and tried to get up.
“Stop,” I said. “Take your time. That was a hard blow. You’ve been unconscious.”
She turned her head to look at me. I could still see the fear in her eyes. She was terrified. Eluned came in. She stopped when she saw me kneeling, cradling the girl.
“You must leave her, my lady. She will report us.”
“We can’t leave her in this state. It’s because of you that she looks so afraid. And so shaken.” I turned back to the girl. “What is your name? Why are you here?”
She mumbled something that I did not catch.
“Say that again. What is your name?”
“Arachne0644,” she said, more clearly. “I will say nothing else.”
She turned on her side and pushed herself into a kneeling position, from which she stood up. She was indeed as small as I had thought. She barely reached to our shoulders. She looked at the door, but Eluned was blocking it. She scuttled round the other side of the table, grabbing her Bible as she did so. She held it to her chest, protectively.
“Arachne0644 is your Ovidian name. Mine is Semele0442. Do you have a family name? I am Non. This is Eluned.”
She said nothing, staring at us. I realised that we must have looked very strange to her. Two tall women, dressed in ragged shifts that barely covered the tops of our legs, one blonde, the other dark-haired. We were both frightening to look at for someone such as this girl, straight out of the world I had left.
She stopped staring at Eluned and looked at me. “You have an Ovidian name? You are from the Change?”
“I was. Many years ago. No longer.” I smiled.
“Why …?” she started. She did not continue.
“It’s a long, long story,” I said. “We do not have the time to explain. We need your clothes. As you can see, those we have are ruined. It would be better if you gave them to us. And then forget you ever saw us.”
“That is not possible, my lady,” Eluned said.
“What?” I said.
“She cannot forget us. That is why I wished to leave before she awoke. Now it is too late. She will have to be disposed of.”
I laughed. The girl shrank into herself. “Disposed of? Like a piece of rubbish? Like you did with Nefyn? To be picked over by the birds?”
I turned back to the girl. “0644. She’s two years younger than me.”
“How do you know this?” Eluned said.
“Her name. It includes the month and year she was born. Month 06. Year 44. My name is – was – Semele0442. Born in Month 04, Year 42. Two years before her.”
“Your counting is most strange, my lady.”
“For you, no doubt. You have lived for hundreds of my years, yet you look as if you are about the same as me. The same as you were when I first met
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