The Aebeling by Michael O'Neill Page A

have spoken often about the history of our people.’
    Conn nodded; it had been a regular discussion.
    ‘Well, there are some things that we have not explained as well as we could.’
    That didn’t surprise Conn. He could tell that information was missing. What he knew already was that there were three tribes of man – the Ancuman, the Priecuman and the Twacuman, and at some time in the past they lived on different lands – a long way from here, but that volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunami – as well as rising ocean levels – had caused them to flee those lands in search of new homes. There had been four such events – which they called the Great Darkening. The last one was only four hundred years ago. Those events often brought them into conflict with each other as they found themselves on the same lands. Warfare was more common between the Priecuman and the Ancuman; the Ancuman had a society that depended on owning slaves, and whilst the Twacuman were ambivalent at being theow, the Priecuman had a particular aversion – hence the ongoing conflicts. Conn knew that the Twacuman did not engage in warfare except when absolutely necessary – surrendering was sometimes the best way to protect their people.
    Brina continued. ‘There is a part of the history of Meshech that we need to explain in more detail. You know of the first Casere?’
    ‘Osstan, yes; I have been told he came here over six hundred years ago, with several thousand, and it his was his descendant Sherric who finally drove the Ancuman from Meshech.’
    She nodded. ‘Indeed. But long before the Priecuman arrived, Meshech was home to just the Twacuman, but then the Ancuman arrived, enslaved us and took our homes. We didn’t tell you that it some of our ancestors – Kolmarr – who went in search of the Priecuman and brought them here.’
    ‘No, you didn’t. Where did he find them?’
    ‘That we do not know – that knowledge was lost in the wars that followed, and the Great Darkness that followed the wars. Our history is oral; passed down from Wothbora to Wothbora. Sometimes they didn’t live long enough to pass down everything.’
    ‘Do you know why he went? It seems a strange thing for one of the clan to do – to endanger everyone else. Surely Kolmarr was missed?’
    ‘No – Kolmarr was a fisherman, and he made it seem that his boat was lost in a storm. He was not missed – instead he was able to cross the ocean in search of the Priecuman. The success of his story is told to all our children.’
    ‘How did he find them? Abrekan tells me that there are no visitors from other lands here since the Ancuman were expelled.’
    ‘It is said that Kolmarr found a holtwudu, and inside he found the knowledge to find the Priecuman. It is also said that he met a Gyden who told him what to ask the feldelfen. If you don’t have the right questions, you will never find the right answers.’
    Conn nodded – he needed a Gyden to help him ask the right questions sometimes. It made a little more sense to him now. ‘I don’t understand why this is so important now?’
    ‘We also didn’t tell you that when the Priecuman arrived, they brought one of our kin with them.’ She paused. ‘Her name was Finnaelfa, and she was Osstan’s Scylcen. After he died, however, she became bedda to Kolmarr, then Aebeling of Halani, and they had a daughter who later became Scylcen to Sherric. But it is their daughter who is most of interest to us.’
    ‘Their daughter?’
    ‘Yes; her name was Ingeulfur, and she was half Twacuman and half Priecuman.’
    ‘Oh.’ Conn paused. ‘But I thought that Twacuman do not get pregnant to Ancuman or Priecuman?’ In all their ‘fornications’, Elva had been unconcerned about getting pregnant due to that reality.
    ‘Indeed, that is true. Ingeulfur was the only Twacuman we have ever heard of that became pregnant to a Priecuman.’ She paused. ‘Until now.’
    ‘Elva is pregnant?’ Conn blurted out the obvious.
     
    Conn was