The Golden Acorn - Catherine Cooper [45]
Camelin covered his eyes with his wings. Nora and Elan stood with their mouths open then dashed towards Jack as he crashed into the flowerbed.
‘You have to keep flapping your wings if you want to fly,’ croaked Camelin.
Jack groaned.
‘Come on, If you don’t get up we’re in trouble,’ Camelin whispered when he saw Nora and Elan rushing over to where Jack lay.
Nora fussed over him then frowned at Camelin.
‘I thought we agreed you’d just to do the basic training today. Groundwork we said. There wasn’t any mention of trees.’
‘It’s my fault. I asked to go higher,’ admitted Jack. ‘I’m OK, nothing’s broken.’
‘Well, I think you’ve probably done enough for today.’
Nora went into the herborium and came out with her cloak. She draped it over Jack so only his head poked out.
‘If you transform down here you won’t have a problem getting upstairs.’
Jack and Camelin touched foreheads. The flash of light frightened several sparrows from the bird table. Jack was sure he heard Camelin laugh.
‘We’ll have a picnic lunch by the lake, so when you’re ready come and join us,’ said Nora.
‘We’ll tell you more about the cauldron,’ added Elan.
‘Can I tell him about the Treasures of Annwn,’ Camelin asked excitedly.
‘I don’t see why not,’ agreed Nora, ‘but just keep to the facts.
By the time Jack was changed he felt hot and sticky. Even with the window open the heat in the loft from the midday sun was almost unbearable. It wasn’t much better on the patio. When he got down to the lake everyone was underneath one of the great willows. Nora had spread a rug out and Elan was helping her to unpack a large basket. It was cooler by the water and the long slender leaves of the willow swayed gently to and fro providing them with a constant breeze.
‘I’ve brought these to show you Jack,’ said Nora as she took something from the bottom of the picnic basket.
Jack watched as Nora laid a package, wrapped in cloth, carefully on the rug. It was tied with a cord but instead of undoing the knot she took out her wand and tapped the package three times. The cord fell apart and the cloth peeled itself back to reveal three metal objects. They were the same shape and size, one piled on top of the other. They didn’t shine or sparkle and didn’t look expensive but the green metal they were made from made them look old. He’d seen something like them before, but not this shape. These were like the shin pads he wore for football, only with holes down each side.
‘When you go through the window in time you’ll be looking for three plates like these,’ explained Nora.
‘The cauldron plates!’
‘Yes. Each has a different tree embossed in the bronze.’
Elan pointed to each of the plates in turn.
‘These are the beech, pine and holly, which I look after.’
‘I’ve got the hazel, apple and elm and Arrana keeps the rowan, ash and birch safe,’ explained Nora.
‘The missing plates are the ones I collected from the hawthorn, oak and willow wells,’ sighed Camelin. ‘Those are the ones we’ll be looking for.
Jack looked puzzled.
‘But I thought there were thirteen altogether?’
‘The last one isn’t this shape,’ explained Elan. ‘It’s the base plate…’
‘…and it’s round and it’s on the wall by the front door!’ interrupted Jack when he suddenly remembered where he’d seen a tree on a green metal plate before.
‘‘That’s the one,’ Elan replied.
‘The name of the house and the surname I adopted should tell you where it used to hang,’ added Nora.
‘Ewell,’ said Jack. ‘The yew well!’
Camelin flapped his wings and hopped around to show Jack how pleased he was that he’d been able to work out the answer without being told.
‘The embossed trees represent a special time of the year. Each plate hung on its own tree, which stood by a sacred well. Whenever there was a festival on Glasruhen Hill the keepers of the wells would bring their plates. I’d lace them together and we’d use the cauldron and the golden acorn in our rituals,’ explained Nora.
‘The well in this garden is the Yew Well. Gwillam looked after the Oak Well in the Sacred Grove and the one on the edge of Glasruhen Forest,