&&000 The Castle of Llyr p9 &&111 =Eilonwy of the red-gold hair, the Princess =Eilonwy Daughter of =Angharad Daughter of =Regat of the Royal House of =Llyr, was leaving =CaerDallben. =Dallben himself had so ordered it; and though =Taran's heart was suddenly and strangely heavy, he knew there was no gainsaying the old enchanter's words. On the spring morning set for =Eilonwy's departure, =Taran saddled the horses and led them from the stable. The Princess, looking desperately cheerful, had wrapped her few belongings in a small bundle slung from her shoulder. At her neck hung a fine chain and crescent moon of silver; on her finger she wore a ring of ancient craftsmanship; and in the fold of her cloak she carried another of her most prized possessions: the golden sphere that shone at her command with a light brighter than a flaming torch. &&000 p 28 &&111 "But a bard of the harp is honored at every court in =Prydain," =Taran said. "How could they overlook." =Fflewddur raised a hand. "True, true," he said. "I was certainly honored here, and handsomely, too. That was before they learned I wasn't a real bard. Afterward," he admitted, "I was moved into the stables." "You should have told them you are a king," said =Taran. "No, no," said =Fflewddur, shaking his head. "When I'm a bard, I'm a bard; and when I'm a king, that's something else again. I never mix the two." "King =Rhuddlum and Queen =Teleria are decent sorts," =Fflewddur continued. "The Chief Steward was the one who had me turned out." &&000 p47 &&111 Casting caution aside, fearful he would lose track of =Magg, =Taran broke into a run. Along the wall moon-bright water lapped and whispered. A shadow moved for an instant among the stilted piers. In alarm =Taran checked his pace, then hastened on. His eyes were playing tricks. Even the rocks themselves seemed to rise before him like crouching, threatening beasts. Gritting his teeth, =Taran climbed the dark barrier of rocks. Below, the water churned in glittering eddies and foamed among the stones. The surf rang in his ears as he hauled himself to the crest. There he clung, not daring to follow farther. =Magg had stopped not many paces beyond, at the edge of a narrow spit of land. =Taran saw him kneel and make a rapid motion. In another instant a light flared. &&000 p66 &&111 "He might have fallen from his horse," =Taran said. "Even now he might be lying hurt or unconscious." "Then I suggest we find our way back to the rest of the band," said =Fflewddur, "and ask them to help us. In this gloom the more eyes the better." "We would lose too much time," =Taran answered, pressing on through the underbrush. =Gurgi followed, whimpering softly to himself. The rising ground told =Taran they were moving above the foothills. No sound came but the hiss of saplings that whipped back as he passed and the click of the horses' hooves over pale stones. =Taran stopped short, his heart in his mouth. From a corner of his eye he glimpsed a fleeting movement. It lasted but an instant, a shadow within a shadow. Fighting down his fear, he groped ahead. The horses had turned more skittish than before, and =Taran's mount laid back his ears and voiced a frightened whinny. &&000 p85 &&111 "Fly from here," urged the bard, never ceasing to pluck his heart strings! "Begone! I've no idea how long she'll want to listen -- or how long I can keep playing!" "There must be another way," =Taran cried. "We can't leave you." "I like it no more than you do," replied the bard. "But this is your chance. You must take it now." =Taran hesitated. =Fflewddur's face was grim and drawn, and he seemed already weary. "Begone," =Fflewddur repeated! "I'll play as long as I can. By then, if she's decided not to gobble me, she may go out hunting. Don't worry. If the harp fails, I'll think of something else." &&000 p104 &&111 "=Fflewddur," =Taran said in an anxious voice, "I fear the landslide has blocked the pit. Dare we try to dig our way out?" "I don't think it's so much a question of digging as it is of finding, if you take my meaning," replied the bard. "Whether we can burrow through all that dirt is, to say the least of it, highly doubtful. Even a mole would be in trouble, though I'm willing to give it a try. A =Fflam is undaunted! But," he added, "without a light to guide us, we shall spend the rest of our days looking for the right spot to dig." =Taran nodded and knitted his brows. "It's true. Light is as precious to us as air." He turned to =Gurgi. "Try to use your flints. We have not tinder here, but it I can catch the spark in my cloak it may be enough to set it alight." He heard rustling, slapping sounds, as though =Gurgi were searching himself all over, and then a dismal wail. &&000 p123 &&111 "Great =Belin," shouted =Fflewddur. "I'll call you king, prince or whatever you choose. Only show us the way out of here -- Sire!" =Glew's spirits seemed to lift as he shambled toward the dim reaches of the cavern. The companions scrambled down the ledge and hastened to keep up with his huge strides. =Glew, having spoken to no one since his confinement, never left off talking. He had, he explained, tried to brew new potion -- this time to make himself smaller. In one of the chambers he had even set up a kind of workshop, where a bubbling pool of steaming how water served to boil his concoctions. =Glew's cleverness in devising makeshift pestles and mortars, cookpots and basins from painstakingly hollowed-out stones surprised =Taran and filled him with a pitying admiration for the desperate giant. But his mind turned over and over on itself, seeking an understanding that escaped him like a will-o'-the-wisp each time he drew close to it. He was certain the answer lay in the ruined halls of =CaerColur, and certain the companions would find =Eilonway there. &&000 p142 &&111 "Hullo, hullo," called =Rhun, hastening to the companions. "I've never been so surprised in my life. I didn't mean to disobey orders, but after I'd crawled out the passage, I -- I just couldn't leave you there to be cooked up; I simply couldn't do it. I kept thinking to myself that none of you would have gone running off." He hesitated and looked anxiously at =Taran. "You aren't angry are you?" "You saved our lives," replied =Taran. He clasped =Rhun's hand. "I only reproach you for risking your own." "Joy and happiness," cried =Gurgi! "Poor tender head is spared from stampings and trampings! And kind master is safe from brewings and stewings!" &&000 p161 &&111 Near the massive portals wind and water had gouged a cave-like hollow, and here =Gwydion moored the boat and gestured for the companions to disembark. As they clambered to the rocks =Taran heard a tormented groaning and creaking from the gates, as though they had gained their own voice and cried out against the onslaught of the waves. =Gwydion climbed upward. Finding a handhold among the sharp stones, =Rhun painfully toiled after him, with =Taran and =Gurgi following to catch the Prince of =Mona should he fall. =Fflewddur struggled along silently. =Kaw had already flown to the walls, and =Taran envied the crow his wings as he saw the sheer facing of stone and the broken parapets brooding high above. =Gwydion led them along the base of the wall toward the heavy lintels of the gates. The bastion was cleft as though by a sword stroke, and loose rubble had fallen into the breach. The Prince of =Don signaled them to halt. &&000 p180 &&111 "Lord of =DinasRhydnant," =Fflewddur exclaimed! "A steward's chain is too much honor for you." "Tremble, harper," sneered =Magg! "=DinasRhydnant is mine. It has been promised to me. And all the realm. King =Magg! =Magg the Magnificnent!" "King =Magg the Maggot," the bard flung back at him! "Does =Achren promise you a kingdom? A scullry would be more than you deserve!" "=Achren's promises are false," cried =Taran. "Learn this to your grief, =Magg!"