CHAPTER 7
The Talking HeadsIt was the time for the cutting of the mistletoe. All around the country, the Druids were preparing for the most important ceremony of the year in their sacred groves.
For the first time since Bladud had gone seeking Rheinid there, he was required to re-enter the forest on Thorn Island. Hudibras had encouraged his eldest son to learn as much as he could of the ancient Druid rituals. He was not a fully-fledged initiate, for the training was long and arduous, and Bladud had many other commitments and duties as prince and royal heir, but he was far enough advanced to play, on this occasion for the first time, a small part in the most secret of the ceremonies.
When Fergal led the small group of seven towards the sacred grove, it was late in the afternoon, for they
