Ides of the May (Children of the May 2 - updates weekly)

Chapter Thirty-One: Reunions

Of all the moments in all my years I think that the reunion of Palomides and his sister was one of the two or three most lovely. It was made all the moreso for me by the way in which Palomina attempted to retain her composure in front of her crew, but was clearly and obviously wholly overwhelmed with joy. She tried not to throw her arms around her twin, worried that the display of affection would make her men lose respect for their captain, but could not resist, and her smile was such that no one could have doubted the mixture of relief and strength she gained from Palomides’ return. The old seadogs nodded indulgently at their captain’s uncharacteristic display of emotion, while the younger men shook their heads and continued the task of winching the horses aboard. The men had decided to lift the raft with Martha still on it, rather than try to lift her unconscious body separately. When she was satisfied that the men were accomplishing their task properly, Palomina guided Palomides towards Sagwarides’ cabin. The huge older brother embraced Palomides, and the three disappeared inside, shutting the door behind them.

Once they had brought Martha up, four of the men helped me to carry her to a cabin, where we placed as much of her as would fit on the bed. I took a stool by her side and waited for her to wake, her hammer in my hand. After I had plunged the chisel into Merlin’s skull her tools had faded from silver to a dull iron-grey; I could no longer feel any magic in them.

It was perhaps an hour later when Palomina quietly entered the cabin. In the absence of the mainsail they were rowing the ship along the coast. I heard the voice of the chief oarsman keeping time for his fellows down below.

‘How is she?’ said Palomina gently, as she pulled up a stool by my side.

I shrugged. ‘A-A-A-A-Alive, b-b-b-b-but I-I-I don’t know if she’ll w-w-w-w-wake. I-I-I-I wish Epicene w-was here. She’d know.’

Palomina reached out as if to touch my hand, but thought better of it, and laced her fingers between her knees. ‘I wanted to thank her for rescuing my brother,’ she said. ‘I wanted to thank you.’

‘H-How do you find h-him?’

‘Shaken by his ordeal, though he does not say so.’

I looked at her out of the corner of my eye. She had barely spoken to me since I confessed what I’d done with Bellina, so it was both lovely and frightening to hear her talking to me in such a calm manner.

‘I-I-I saw a little of it. They m-m-mistreated him b-badly.’

She nodded. ‘They left him with an offer, which he is eager to accept. Peace for my family if we leave now, on the condition that neither I nor Palomides ever return to Britain.’

‘W-W-W-Will you t-take it?’

‘Neither I nor Sagwarides believe that any of the May-children will be truly safe unless Arthur falls. Camelot will eventually come to the circle sea for my twin and me. This offensive of king lot’s and the work of your sister the lady Neave are the best chance of fulfilling the prophecy of the May we will have, though the odds are stacked against us. The force Camelot has raised against Tintagel is formidable.’

Now I turned to her, looked her full in the eye. ‘I-I-I-I don’t know if you can help – it m-m-m-might be safer for you if you g-g-g-g-go.’

‘You want me to go, Drift?’ There was a caution in her tone, she didn’t want to express any emotion as she had upon the deck.

‘N-N-N-N-No, I don’t –’ lord jesus I didn’t want her to go. I wanted things to be as they had been between us in the cave on Avalon, where we had built the longboat together, and laughed, and quietly fallen for each other. ‘I-I-I-It’s just... One of the f-first things you ever s-s-said to me, b-back on Avalon’s grasslands, w-w-w-was that your p-p-people don’t h-have the May. And there are other p-p-p-prophecies, a t-t-t-tangle of them, from M-M-Merlin and from H-H-Hilda. I d-d-d-don’t think either you or P-P-Palomides are the M-M-May-child.’ I swallowed hard. ‘I-I-I-I want you t-to be safe, Palomina.’