The Castle of Llyr

'Are you wounded?' Taran asked. 'How did you escape? How did you find us?'

Still puffing, the bard raised a hand. 'Give me a moment to catch my breath, for I lost it somewhere along the way. Wounded? Well, yes, in a manner of speaking,' he added, glancing at his blistered fingers. 'But I had no trouble finding you. Rhun must have carried off all the ashes in Glew's fireplace. I could hardly miss the trail.

'As for Llyan,' Fflewddur went on, 'the bards will sing of that, you can be sure. I must have played, sung, whistled, and hummed everything I ever knew, and twice over. I was sure I'd have to keep plucking and strumming for the rest of my life, however short that might be. Recall my plight!' he cried, leaping to his feet. 'Alone with a ferocious monster. Bard against beast! Beast against bard!'

'You slew her,' Taran exclaimed. 'A bold stroke? though a pity, for she was beautiful in her way.'

'Ah? well, the truth of it is,' Fflewddur said hastily, for the harp strings had tensed as though they might all break at once, 'she finally went to sleep. I snatched up our swords and ran for dear life.'

Fflewddur sank back to the turf and immediately began munching the food Gurgi had offered him.

'But I shouldn't vouch for Llyan's temper when she wakens,' the bard continued. 'She's bound to come after me. These mountain cats are trackers born; and since Llyan's ten times bigger than an ordinary creature, she's surely ten times more cun­ning. She'll not give up easily. I have the feeling her patience is as long as her tail. But I'm surprised you've not gone farther. I thought you'd be well on your way to join the search.'

Taran shook his head. He told the bard of the decision to return to Dinas Rhydnant.

'I suppose it's the best thing to do,' Fflewddur reluctantly agreed. 'Especially now, when Llyan may be prowling.'

Taran scanned the hills for the easiest and safest path to follow. He caught his breath. A dark shape sped high above. It veered, circled, then drove directly toward him.

'It's Kaw!' Taran ran ahead and held out his arms. The crow dropped swiftly and lighted on Taran's outstretched wrist. The bird showed signs of grueling flight; his feathers were askew and he looked like a bundle of rags, but he clacked his beak and jabbered excitedly.

'Eilonwy!' Kaw croaked. 'Eilonwy!'

Chapter 9 The Luck of Rhun

HE'S FOUND HER!' Taran shouted, as the companions pressed around the frantic crow. 'Where has Magg taken her?'

'Alaw!' croaked Kaw. 'Alaw!'

'The river!' Taran exclaimed. 'How far is it?'

'Close! Close!' replied Kaw.

'No question of going back to Dinas Rhydnant now,' cried Prince Rhun. 'Magg's in our hands. We'll have the Princess back again in no time at all.'

'If Llyan doesn't have us in her paws first,' muttered Fflewddur. He turned to Taran. 'Can Kaw bear word to the Master of Horse? I don't mind telling you I should feel safer with a few warriors behind me.'

'We dare not lose time,' Taran answered. 'Prince Rhun is right. We must act now or Magg will slip through our fingers. Quickly, old friend,' he said to Kaw, urging the crow aloft, 'guide us to the Alaw.'

They set off in haste. The crow fluttered from one tree to the next, jabbering impatiently until the companions drew closer. Then, launching himself once more into the air, Kaw streaked onward in the direction he wished them to follow. The crow, Taran knew, was doing his best to bring them as quickly as possible out of the hills; but many times the forest and underbrush formed such a tangled barrier the companions were forced to draw their swords and hack their way through.

Their path did not ease until well past midday, when Kaw led them across a low, rolling plain which soon fell into pebbly ravines. The turf was short and stubbly, with many splotches of bare ground where chalk-white boulders were strewn like giant hailstones.

'With all of Rhuddlum's warriors combing Mona,' Fflewddur cried angrily, as they began the descent toward the river, 'how has that spider managed to escape us for so long?'

'Magg has been more cunning than we thought,' Taran said bitterly. 'I'm sure he took Eilonwy into the Hills of Parys. 'But he must have hidden away, without moving until he knew the search had swept beyond him.'

'The villain!' Fflewddur snorted. 'So it must have been. While we all went tracking farther and farther away from the castle, that foul Magg waited at his ease until we'd gone so far ahead that he was behind us! No matter. We'll soon have him by the heels and he'll pay for that trick!'

Kaw, circling in great loops above the companions, had grown more agitated and began a raucous croaking. Taran caught a glimpse of the Alaw flashing below: Kaw, in a burst of speed, flew directly toward it. With Prince Rhun gasping and puffing behind them, the companions ran down the slope. Kaw, light­ing on a branch, madly flapped his wings.

Taran's heart sank. There was no trace of Eilonwy or Magg. In another moment he dropped to one knee. Fflewddur!' he shouted. 'Quickly! Here are hoof prints. Two horses.' He followed the trail for a few paces, then halted, puzzled.

'See this,' he said to the bard and Gurgi, who had come up beside him. 'The tracks follow different paths. I don't understand what could have happened. Prince Rhun,' he called, 'can you see anything of the steeds?'

No answer came from the Prince of Mona. Taran leaped to his feet and spun about. 'Rhun!' he cried. But there was no sign whatever of the Prince. 'He's wandered off again!' Taran shouted furiously. 'Feckless dolt! Where has he gone?'

Calling anxiously for Rhun, the three raced on to the riverbank. Taran was about to set off alone to seek him when the Prince of Mona appeared from a stand of willows.

'Hullo, hullo!' Rhun hurried forward, beam­ging delightedly. Before the relieved but angry Taran could take him to task, the Prince called out, 'Look at this! Amazing! Really astonishing!'

Prince Rhun held our his hand. In it lay Eilonwy's bauble.

His heart pounding, Taran stared at the golden sphere. 'Where did you find this?'

'Why, over there,' answered Rhun, pointing to a moss-covered rock. 'While you were looking at hoof prints, I thought I might go and search somewhere else to save us time. And this is what I found.' He handed the bauble to Taran, who carefully tucked it into his jacket.

'He's led, us to fresh tracks,' said Fflewddur, studying the grass. 'Something fairly large and flat has been dragged along here.' He scratched his chin thoughtfully. 'I wonder? a boat? Could it be? Did that sneering spider have one ready and waiting? I shouldn't be surprised if he had planned it all before Eilonwy reached Mona.'

Taran strode down the bank. 'I see footprints,' he called. 'The ground is badly torn. Eilonwy must have struggled with him? yes, right there. And there she would have dropped the bauble.' In dismay he looked at the wide, rapid-flowing Alaw. 'You have read the signs well, Fflewddur,' he said. 'Magg had a boat here. He set loose the horses and let them run as they pleased.'

Taran stood a moment watching the turbulent water, then drew his sword. 'Come, lend me a hand,' he called to Gurgi and the bard, and ran to the willows.

'I say, what have you in mind?' cried Rhun, as Taran chopped hastily at the lower branches. 'Making a fire? There's hardly any need.'

'We can build a raft,' replied Taran, throwing the cut branches on the ground. 'The river has helped Magg. Now it shall help us.'

The companions ripped vines from the tree trunks and lashed the cut branches together, lengthening the makeshift cords with strips torn from their own garments. Ungainly though it was, and looking more like a bundle of kindling wood, the raft was soon ready. But no sooner had Taran begun tying the last knots in the tangle of vines and rags when Gurgi shrieked in fear. Taran leaped to his feet and spun around as Gurgi gestured wildly toward the trees farther up the riverbank.

Llyan had burst from the woods. The great tawny mountain cat halted for an instant, one paw raised, her tail lashing, her eyes blazing at the companions, who fell back in terror.

'The raft!' Txran shouted. 'Into the river with it!' He seized one end of the clumsy craft and struggled to haul