The Black Cauldron

small wallet at his belt, he drew out a handful of dried herbs, which he ground into a powder.

'What,' said Ellidyr, 'are you a healer as well as a dreamer? If it does not trouble me, why should it trouble you?'

'If you do not choose to take it as a kindness,' Adaon answered, unperturbed and continuing to treat the cut, 'take it as a precaution. There is hard and dangerous travel before us. I would not have you fall ill and delay us.'

'I shall not be the one to delay you,' Ellidyr replied. 'I would have stood my ground when the chance was offered. Now we have let ourselves be run to earth like foxes.'

Gwystyl had been peering anxiously over Adaon's shoulder. 'Do you have anything that might be useful for my condition?' he asked tremulously. 'No, I don't suppose you do. Well, no matter. There's nothing to be done about the dampness and the drafts; no, they'll last longer than I, you can be sure,' he added in a dismal voice.

'Stop muttering about the drafts,' Doli ordered brusquely, 'and think of some way to get us out of here safely. If you're in charge of a way post, you're supposed to be ready in emergencies.' He turned away, furious. 'I don't know what Eiddileg was thinking of when he put you here.'

'I've often wondered that,' Gwystyl agreed, with a melancholy sigh. 'It's much too close to Annuvin for any decent kind of person to knock at your door? I don't mean any of you,' he added hurriedly. 'But it's bleak. Nothing of interest, really. No, Doli, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for you. Except set you on your way as quickly as possible.'

'What about the Huntsmen?' Taran put in. 'If they're still tracking us…'

'Huntsmen?' Gwystyl turned a sickly greenish-white and his hands trembled. 'How on earth did you come across them? I'm sorry to hear that. If I had known before, it might have been possible? oh, it's too late for that. They'll be all over the place now. No, really, you could have shown a little more consideration.'

'You might think we wanted to have them after us!' cried Eilonwy, unable to curb her impatience. 'That's like inviting a bee to come and sting you.'

At the girl's outburst, Gwystyl shriveled up in his robe and looked more dismal than ever. He choked, wiped his forehead with a trembling hand, and let a large tear roll down his nose. 'I didn't mean it that way, my dear child, believe me.' Gwystyl sniffed. 'I just don't see what's to be done about it? if anything at all. You've got yourself into a dreadful predicament. How or why, I'm sure I can't imagine.'

'Gwydion had led us to attack Arawn,' Taran began.

Gwystyl hurriedly raised a hand. 'Don't tell me,' he interrupted with an anxious frown. 'Whatever it is, I don't want to hear about it. I'd rather not know. I don't want to be caught up in any of your mad schemes. Gwydion? I'm surprised he, at least, didn't know better. But it's to be expected, I suppose. There's no use complaining.'

'Our quest is urgent,' said Adaon, who had finished binding Ellidyr's wound and had come to stand near Gwystyl. 'We ask you to do nothing to endanger yourself. I would not tell you the circumstances that brought us here, but without knowing them you cannot realize how desperately we need your help.'

'We had come to seize the cauldron from Annuvin,' Taran said.

'Cauldron?' murmured Gwystyl.

'Yes, the cauldron!' shouted the furious dwarf. 'You pale grub! You lightless lightning bug! The cauldron of Arawn's Cauldron-Born!'

'Oh, that cauldron,' Gwystyl answered feebly. 'Forgive me, Doli, I was thinking of something else. When did you say you were going?'

The dwarf seemed on the verge of seizing Gwystyl by his robe and shaking him, but Adaon stepped forward and quickly explained what had occurred at Dark Gate.

'It's a shame,' Gwystyl murmured, with a sorrowful sigh. 'You should never have got mixed up with the thing. It's too late to think about that, I'm afraid. You'll just have to make the best of it. I don't envy you. Believe me, I don't. It's one of those unfortunate events.'

'But you don't understand,' Taran said. 'We aren't mixed up with the cauldron. It isn't in Annuvin any more. Someone has already stolen it.'

'Yes,' said Gwystyl, with a gloomy look at Taran, 'yes, I know.'

Chapter 7 Kaw

TARAN STOPPED SHORT. 'You know that?' he asked in surprise. 'Then why didn't you…'

Gwystyl gulped and darted nervous glances about him. 'Oh, I know. But only in a very general way, you understand. I mean, I don't really know anything at all. Just the usual unfounded rumor you might expect to hear in a beastly place like this. Of no importance. Pay no attention to it.'

'Gwystyl,' said Doli sharply, 'you know more about this than you let on. Now, out with it.'

The gloomy creature flung his hands to his head and began moaning and rocking back and forth. 'Do go away and let me alone,' he sobbed. 'I'm not well; I have so many tasks to finish, I shall never be caught up.'

'You must tell us!' cried Taran. 'Please,' he added, lowering his voice, for the wretched Gwystyl had begun to shake violently, his eyes turning up as though he were about to have a fit. 'Do not keep your knowledge from us. If you stay silent, our lives are risked for no purpose.'

'Leave it alone,' Gwystyl choked, fanning himself with an edge of his robe. 'Don't bother with it. Forget it. That's the best thing you can do. Go back wherever you came from. Don't even think about it.'

'How can we do that?' Taran cried. 'Arawn won't rest until he has the cauldron again.'

'Of course he won't rest,' Gwystyl said. 'He isn't resting now. That's exactly why you should drop the search and go quietly. You'll only stir up more trouble. And there's enough of that already.'

'Then we'd better get back to Caer Cadarn and join Gwydion as quickly as we can,' Eilonwy said.

'Yes, yes, by all means,' broke in Gwystyl, with the first trace of eagerness Taran had glimpsed in this strange individual. 'I only give you this advice for your own good. I'm glad, very glad, you've seen fit to follow it. Now, of course,' he added, almost brightly, 'you'll want to be on your way. Very wise of you. I, unhappily, have to stay here. I envy you, I really do. But? that's the way of it, and there's little anyone can do. A pleasure meeting you all. Goodbye.'

'Goodbye?' cried Eilonwy. 'If we put our noses above ground and the Huntsmen are waiting for us? yes, it will be goodbye indeed! Doli says it's your duty to help us. And with that, you haven't done a thing. Except sigh and moan! If this is the best the Fair Folk can manage, why, I'd rather be up a tree with my toes tied together!'

Gwystyl clutched his head again. 'Please, please, don't shout. I'm not up to shouting today. Not after the horses. One of you can go and see if the Huntsmen are still there. Not that it will really do any good, for they might have just stepped away for a moment.'

'I wonder who'll do that?' muttered the dwarf. 'Good old Doli, of course. I thought I'd done with making myself invisible.'

'I could give all of you a little something,' Gwystyl went on, 'not that it will do much good. It's a kind of powder I've put by in case of need. I was saving it for emergencies.'

'What do you call this, you clot!' Doli growled.

'Yes, well, I meant, ah, more for personal emergencies,' Gwystyl explained, paling. 'But it doesn't matter about me. You can have it. Take all of it, go ahead.

'You put it on your feet, or whatever you walk on? I mean hooves and so forth,' Gwystyl added. 'It doesn't work too well, hardly much sense in bothering. Because it wears off. Naturally, if you're walking on it, it would do that. However, it will hide your tracks for a while.'

'That's what we need,' said Taran. 'Once we throw the Huntsmen off our trail, I think we can outrun them.'

'I'll get some,' Gwystyl said with eagerness. 'It won't take a moment.'

As he made to leave the chamber, however, Doli took him by the arm. 'Gwystyl,' said the dwarf severely, 'you have a skulking, sneaking look in your eyes. You might hoodwink my friends. But don't forget you're also dealing with one of the Fair Folk. I have a feeling,' Doli added, tightening his grip, 'you're far too anxious to see us gone.