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He didn't finish. Couldn't, being unable to make that connection himself. To put it into words.
"To Ricky, right?" I said. "Is Arawn connected to the gwragedd? The human lore actually mentions that they're associated with . . ."
Now I was the one trailing off as I realized where I was headed.
"Gwynn ap Nudd, yes." The words came clipped, giving Gwynn his full folklore name, to separate it from Gabriel himself. I didn't fail to catch the snap in his voice, almost accusatory, as if I were purposely bringing this up to throw it in his face.
You dream of some fairy prince and say I'm him?
My hand tightened on the phone. "I think I'm losing the connection, Gabriel. Why don't I call you in the morning? Or I can speak directly to Patrick--?"
"No."
"My cell service is wavering here--"
"If you are disconnected, I would ask you to call me back. If, however, you are attempting to end this conversation because of the direction it has taken, I would ask you not to."
"I wasn't taking it in that direction."
"Yes, I know. I . . ." A pause, and the next words came as if pulled out with vice grips. "I apologize." A deep breath that echoed down the line. "Now, as you were saying, yes, the lore does associate the gwragedd with Gwynn rather than Arawn, but that appears to be simply another manifestation of the folklore confusion between the two. Arawn controls the afterlife, and these fae guard the entrances to it. They serve him."
"Right," I said. "Like the Cwn Annwn or the hounds or the ravens, they're another part of Arawn's domain. Fae in his service. Which should mean he's not in danger from the gwragedd."
"Incorrect. Is he still there?"
"Yes."
"Put me on speaker. This is important."
I did, and Gabriel explained as we walked. At one time, yes, the gwragedd guarded the portals between the worlds and transported souls the Cwn Annwn claimed. In that respect, they bore some resemblance to Norse Valkyrie. But once the Cwn Annwn and other fae began being pushed out of Wales, they emigrated along with humans, seeking their own new frontiers. Yet the Cwn Annwn couldn't just dig new portals to their Otherworld. Sometimes they found one and settled near it. Other times that wasn't an option, and what they discovered was that they didn't absolutely need that portal. Souls would pass over to the afterlife without a physical passageway . . . and without the gwragedd to escort them. Which meant that the gwragedd became the elevator operators of the Welsh fae world, rendered obsolete by modern automation. Some Cwn Annwn retained their gwragedd, just as some buildings might keep an elevator operator, for nostalgia primarily but also serving new functions. In most cases, though, the Cwn Annwn turned to the gwragedd and said, "You're free."
You are relieved of your obligations. Go, and reinvent yourselves.
Some certainly did, but others were like humans told their services were no longer required--they didn't want to move on. They longed for their old jobs and their old purpose.
That was why Arawn had warned Ricky against letting this particular gwragedd know who he was. He'd been right to do so, as I knew from seeing that hunger in the fae's eyes. She was the lowly elevator operator grieving for her lost life. Arawn was the CEO of the corporation, the one person who could get her old job back. At best, she'd wheedle and plead and make Ricky feel like a shit-heel for walking away. At worst, she wouldn't let him walk away.
"So, I'm thinking we shouldn't go back for a swim," Ricky said after Gabriel explained.
"Absolutely not," Gabriel said. "Do not go near that swimming hole. Do not interact with the gwragedd in any way. Do not let her even suspect you might not be fully human, let alone connected to Arawn."
Ricky and I looked at each other. A moment of silence. Then Gabriel said, carefully, "Where are you?" as if he already knew the answer.
"We're leaving," I said.
"I hope that means you are leaving the area completely, having decided to spend the night in another town, as far from that swimming hole as possible."
"We're leaving the, uh, swimming hole," I said.
"Having not encountered the gwragedd while you were there."
Silence.
"Having encountered the gwragedd, who failed to realize you were anything more than human."
Silence.
"Olivia . . ."
