Q & A with Rhys, hero of Silver Silence

Rhys, a Druid in the time before King Arthur, wanders Britain in search of Celts in possession of outlawed Druid magic. He brings these initiates to the hidden Druid settlement on Avalon, where the Light of the Old Ones is preserved for a future warrior king's battle against darkness.

Q:  Rhys, how many years have you wandered Britain, searching for Druid initiates for Avalon?

A: Sixteen winters, since I was a lad of fourteen.

Q: Is it a life you sought out?

A: Far from it. When I was a lad, I wanted nothing more than to live on the sacred isle of Avalon forever. I wanted to take my grandfather's place as Guardian when he died. But Grandfather was a Seer, and his visions of Britain's future did not allow for my dream. My twin sister, Gwen, was to become Guardian. I was to be banished from my home. At fourteen, I was sent away with little more than my harp and the clothes on my back.

Q: You've found many Druid initiates for Avalon over the years. Many of them were children when you encountered them. Why is that?

A: Children are not yet set in the way of good or evil. They more easily learn the ways of the Light that will one day save Britain from war and chaos.

Q: Out of all the children you encountered in your journey, one stands out. Tell us about her.

A: I first encountered Breena when she was a child of three summers. Even at so young an age, her rare Seer's magic shone. My grandfather insisted I bring her to Avalon. But Breena was not like the other children I'd found--poor, destitute, eager to travel with any stranger who offered food and safety. Breena's father was a Roman landowner, and she lived on a prosperous farm. I could not ask her family to give her up to a clan of outlawed Druids. I would have been arrested for the mere suggestion! I visited her home for years, watching over her. It was only when she was fourteen years old, and was nearly killed by her own untutored magic, that her parents finally agreed to let me take her to Avalon.

Q: By then, Breena was convinced she was in love with you.

A: That's right. As a child, she worshipped me. As a girl, her fantasies turned romantic. I did everything that I could to discourage her. Her older brother was my best friend. I thought of her as a sister.

Q: Or, more accurately, you tried to think of her as a sister. But that wasn't so easy when she became of age. During one of your rare visits to Avalon you found her dreaming of handfasting and marriage. And you discovered she'd used her Seer's magic to spy on you during a night of passion with another woman.

A: Gods in Annwyn! I wanted to turn her over my knee for that wanton misuse of her power. If she had seen everything...well, suffice to say, I'm far from proud of my behavior that night. It sickens me to think how close Breena came to witnessing that sordid encounter.

Q: You know, it's becoming clearer and clearer how much you care for Breena. You love her, don't you? And she proposed to you! Why didn't you accept?

A: Love? What do I know of love? I'll admit I want Breena in my bed. But you are mad if you think I would even consider marrying her. She's an innocent, and she was raised in a Roman household, with luxuries most Celts have never even dreamed of. Living on Avalon is difficult enough for her. Do you really think I would subject her to a life as the wife of a wandering bard, sleeping on strangers' floors, or in barns, or by the side of the road? All for the sake of my own base desires? She's a fragile flower--she wouldn't last a fortnight. Which is what I told her, in no uncertain terms.

Q: You quarreled bitterly. And the very next day, she disappeared. The only trace you found of her was a spell of deep magic, cast by a Druid more powerful than any you had ever encountered in all your wanderings.

A: That's right. I found the remnants of a spell of forbidden Deep Magic near an ancient standing stone. The magic was so powerful that no Druid of Avalon, or any Druid I have ever known, could have cast it. I followed it. The spell led into the Lost Lands, that shadowy landscape that exists outside time and place.

Q: What did you do?

A: Of all the Druids of Avalon, I was the only one powerful enough to gather the remnants of the strange magic, and recreate the spell that spirited her away. So I did.

Q: You cast forbidden Deep Magic? You, Rhys, who have always tried so hard to uphold every rule of Avalon. You vowed never to risk such dangerous magic.

A: What did I care of vows? Breena had been taken. Of course I followed her. Through the Lost Lands and into Britain's chaotic future. Mark my words, I will find her in that dark place. And I won't rest until I bring her home.

» Meet Rhys, the Druid hero of Joy's November 2009 Dorchester release, Silver Silence.