![]() ![]() He told stories of the founder of Edgar’s family, Tyttla, who had sailed with his loyal companions over waves like mountains to land on the shores of East Anglia, and there claimed his kingdom in the rich flat country so different from the barren dunes and marshes he had left behind: and of his son Wuffa, the little wolf, and his descendants, Anna and Sigeberht and the great Raedwald, ruler of all Britain, their deeds and victories, betrayals and deaths. Creatures flew, kings fought, death came with grim abundance from sword or axe or elf-shot. Under the spell of his voice and his music, dragons and monsters and heroes filled the thick air in the Hall, made flesh in Mabyn’s mind. ![]() ![]() And yet when he brought out his beautiful harp, with the strings that shivered like a maiden at his touch, he seemed to her to be master of a far greater power than her father possessed, commanding souls and hearts with a sweep of his hand. Beside his master’s golden glory, he looked humble and unimpressive, the sort of man, Mabyn thought, that you could meet in a crowd and immediately forget. ![]() Dena was a small, pod-bellied man in late middle age, with a head as brown and smooth as an egg, fringed with lank grizzled hair. ![]()
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