“What is wrong with your eyes?” the man said with worry in his voice.
“It's nothing to worry about. Here take this,” he said giving the man the credit chip.
“I don’t understand. I tried to rob you and threatened you, why would you give me this much?” the man said.
“Because you’re telling the truth and I want your kids to be taken care of. Share it. That’s enough money to last your village a few months if you’re frugal. Now go home and take care of your kids. Your nose might be broken. If you go by Camelot, I’ll make sure you get medical treatment. I’ll give them a heads up you’re coming,” Sebastian told him.
The man thanked him then took the money and left.
“You would give a violent man money? Why?” Merlin asked.
“Because I looked into his heart. He’s not a violent man. He’s a good man driven to bad things by the destruction of the world. I want you to think about him. I want you to think about what the Masters did. When I looked inside him, I saw his life. He is a husband and father and your actions, and the actions of the other Masters turned him into a thief. The world is shattered, and you don’t see it. We travel using expensive shuttles and live in fortified buildings with plenty of food and medical supplies and we are isolated from the destruction and death but it’s out there and it’s everywhere. There is not a single place on this planet that didn’t feel the breaching of the Seal. He has a wife and two children in a small village near here and they’re hungry. The factory that was his village’s main source of work was destroyed and it isn’t high enough on the list of essentials to get rebuilt for some time. So, they suffer. His family suffers. His friends suffer. His neighbors suffer. They starve. They die from illness and infection and other things we should be able to treat but we lost too many hospitals and doctors and nurses and everyone else that worked to heal people. That’s your fault Merlin,” Sebastian said.
“Arthur…” started Merlin but Sebastian wouldn’t let him talk.
“This isn’t the time for discussion Merlin and don’t call me Arthur again. Arthur died a long time ago. I’m Sebastian. I'm a Warden, not a king and if I have anything to do with it, this world will never have another king or Master lording over people like they're pets or vermin or slaves,” he said and started walking.
The group proceeded in quiet to the monument.
“There are no above ground structures here and as far as we know there are none below ground either. The area isn’t that big, so it shouldn’t take long to search. Trish, Xavier, I want you on crowd control. There are still some tourists and they need to be vacated to a safe distance. Play nice if possible but invoke Warden authority if and only if you have to,” Chelsea told the group.
Some of the tourists were angered they had to leave but they didn’t question the Wardens in the end. The group spent the next half hour scanning the area and found nothing.
“It’s just the usual mix of dirt and rock we’d expect in the Scottish countryside and nothing more,” Bruce told them.
“She’s here. I can feel it,” Chelsea told them.
“It’s just a matter of figuring out how to find her. Merlin, what about a simple divination? You’re generally good at gathering information,” she said.
“I’ll try but divining is tricky. Pulling fragments of knowledge from the threads of time is...difficult. This isn’t like finding the hidden doorway on the Sphinx. I’ll need to look at the past to find where she is hidden and looking at the past is...discomforting. You saw what happened when I tried to show you your past. It was fragmented and hopped randomly throughout the ages,” the aged wizard said and walked to the center of the henge.
He sat down facing the keystone and meditated. After a few minutes, the ground started to rumble.
“Looks like a small quake,” said Xavier.
Merlin stood up.
“She’s here and our presence isn’t welcome. The Earth thinks we’re here to steal her instead of just wake her up,” Merlin said.
Trish screamed and fell to her knees, holding her head.
Chelsea ran over to her but was knocked back by some kind of energy pulse.
Trish continued to scream for a moment and was writhing on the ground. Plants grew up around her and encompassed her completely and she went silent. The rumbling stopped, and the plants receded. Trish stood up but was changed. Her skin was like the blue stones around them and small plants grew sporadically on her body. Her hair was replaced by vines with flowers growing from them and her eyes were like lava. She turned towards the group and walked towards them. Her skin cracked and formed into small rocky plates as she walked with lava glowing through the cracks. As she walked, flowers grew rapidly behind her everywhere her feet touched the ground. Extreme heat emanated from her that heated the air enough to make everyone sweat but had no effect on the plants near her.
She spoke, and her voice was a mixture of blowing winds and a crackling fire. “You come to steal the queen. You have violence in your hearts and will not take her,” said Trish.
“We do not wish death on our sacred ground, so we give you leave to flee and never return. The queen must remain,” the Trish creature said as the ground rumbled again.
Sebastian motioned everyone to get back. “Chelsea, stay with me, the rest of you get away from the henge. Make sure you’re outside the final ring,” he ordered.
“Trish, we’re not here to hurt Boudicca or take her away. We just want to talk to her. You know me, Trish. I’m not a bad guy and I just want to talk to her,” Sebastian said.
The Trish creature spoke again. “You are old and new. You break the cycle of time. She is queen and queen must rest. Queen must stay outside the cycle of time. You brought a destroyer. You walk in circles of death. Queen must live. Queen must rest.”
“Trish, think. You’re our friend. Whatever you are now, you’re still inside there and you know my intentions. I only want to talk to Boudicca, to the one you call the queen. If she wishes to go back to sleep or stay here forever then I won’t stand in her way,” Sebastian told it.
“This is her home,” said Chelsea, “We’re not here to take her from it or from you. She is free to take her own path. Darkness is on the world and she deserves the right to choose if she wishes to fight it again.”
“Queen sleeps. She rests. We feel the darkness. Queen must sleep until the darkness is passed,” said the creature.
“If queen sleeps the darkness may never pass,” Sebastian said.
“Trish she must be allowed to choose,” said Chelsea.
The Trish creatures shrieked “NO! You lie! You seek death from afar!”
“What do you mean death from afar? I don’t understand,” said Sebastian.
The Trish creature outstretched its arms and threw its head back. It opened its mouth and insects of all types came pouring out followed by snakes, spiders, and scorpions. The swarm of creatures advanced on the group outside the perimeter.
Chelsea looked over at the group and realized Merlin was chanting. “Wait, Trish! Give me a chance,” she said and walked towards the swarm. The swarm slowed and stopped.
Sebastian grabbed her hand. “You can’t walk into that. They’ll eat you alive,” he said.
“That’s exactly what I have to do. She stopped the swarm, she’s giving me a chance. No death on the sacred ground, right? Merlin is doing something stupid. We need to show it that we’re different and not like him. I love you,” she said then walked towards the swarm that was paused as if against some invisible barrier at the edge of the outer circle of the henge.
“How do you know they won’t attack you?” Sebastian asked.
“Because I don’t intend her any harm. This thing can sense our motives and mine are good,” she told him.
Chelsea walked slowly into the swarm and the haze of insects was so thick she could barely see but other than brushing into her, they left her unharmed. She walked her way to the edge and stopped.
“Merlin, whatever you’re
doing, stop!” Chelsea ordered.
“That thing has taken one of your people and you don’t want to lose anyone else. I’m going to remove its tether to nature and that will break its hold on her,” Merlin said.
“Merlin, no. You said yourself keep your intentions pure and you’re the one causing this. Leave and return to Camelot you’re no longer needed here,” she told the wizard.
“I am here to help you,” Merlin replied.
“You’re not helping. Now stop and return to Camelot you are risking everything. That’s an order,” Chelsea told him. “
You’re making a mistake,” said Merlin.
“It’s my mistake to make,” Chelsea replied said.
“Xavier, Bruce, escort our friend to the shuttle and take him back to base please,” Chelsea ordered.
“Aye Chelsea, consider it done,” replied Xavier and they started walking Merlin away. Once the shuttle left, Trish inhaled a deep breath and the creatures returned to whence they came.
“Hey, Chelsea, take care of Trish. She's like a sister to me,” Xavier said as he was leaving.
“She's like a sister to all of us, Xavier. I'll bring her home in one piece. I promise,” Chelsea said then returned to Trish.
“Young one protects. Old one destroys. Young one stopped old one. Mother agrees. Queen comes,” the creature said.
The ground rumbled again and started to heave up in the center of the henge and pour away like something below pushing it up. A moment later a large pile of dirt was in the middle and atop it sat the crystal sarcophagus of Boudicca.
They rushed over to it with the Trish creature following more slowly behind. Sebastian and Chelsea started breaking the crystals and pulled the lid off while the Trish creature stared blankly at them through its lidless, lave eyes.
Boudicca opened her eyes and sat up.
“Hello, Arthur,” Boudicca said and stood up.
She was not what they expected. She looked like she was thirty at most. Her long red hair appeared as though she had never had a real haircut. She was tall and voluptuous and had bodily dimensions that would make men beg. She was heavily tattooed in tribal designs. The best word Sebastian could think of to define her was wild.
She saw Chelsea and exclaimed, “Guinevere!” and hugged her.
“Why are you both dressed so strange and you changed your hair,” Boudicca said as she looked around.
“The forest has changed. The henge is older and decayed. A lot of time has passed, has it not?” the redhead asked.
“It has,” said Sebastian.
“Almost two thousand years,” Chelsea said.
Boudicca walked over to Trish and touched its face.
“Mother Gaia, release your child. Free our sister,” she said.
“I don’t seem to have the power to speak to Gaia. That’s troubling,” said Boudicca.
“It’s been the pattern with the other Masters that have been awoken. Your power will return slowly it seems,” Chelsea told her.
“Then you will have to free her. She is under the thrall of Mother Gaia and needs to be released. Do you have any power now?” Boudicca asked.
“I do but I wouldn’t even know where to begin,” said Chelsea.
Boudicca held out her hand and Chelsea said: “No, Sebastian is stronger he should do it.”
Boudicca shook her head no. “He is a conduit, not a vessel and cannot channel the power of Gaia. Gaia is the mother goddess and only a woman may channel her power. Your essence as a mother will make it easier. He would channel the Stag Lord but that would be of no help here,” she said and extended her hand again.
“I’m not a mother, I have no children,” Chelsea told her.
“I saw you with child before the Seal,” Boudicca told her.
“That was a past life, I have been reincarnated many times over since that and in this life, I have no children,” Chelsea replied.
“Your essence doesn’t change. What you were you will always be,” Boudicca told her.
“I don’t understand. Trish has had no children and isn’t reincarnated like me as far as we know so there is no past life where she was a mother yet she’s obviously channeling this power,” Chelsea said.
“Not exactly. She isn’t controlling it. It’s controlling her and mother or not, she is still a vessel. I understand. You’re scared. I am your friend and have not and never will do anything to hurt you. Trust me,” Boudicca told her.
Chelsea took her hand and they put their free hands-on Trish forming a circle.
Boudicca closed her eyes and spoke. “I will guide you. Open your mind and let your life energy flow out and into me and your friend. Feel the Earth. Feel the life on it. Feel it flowing and ebbing and let yourself drift on the current.”
For a moment Chelsea could feel the entire Earth, the collected living essence on it and it overwhelmed her as it flowed through her. She saw the essence of life flow from her and into Trish. She saw the essence of Trish and could see the alterations to her, the changes made by the power she was channeling. Boudicca guided her in removing the energy that was not Trish's. Though they succeeded in cleansing her of the foreign essence, she could still see its impact on her life and knew Trish was changed irreversibly. As she cleansed her, she could see the physical changes to her friend fade away then she and Trish both passed out.
Sebastian ran over to Chelsea.
“She will be fine. She touched the pure essence of life on this planet and had no training or context. That can be difficult to do but she’ll be fine with a bit of rest. If there was a danger I would not have asked it of her. Now, while she rests, can you help me understand the past I have missed?” Boudicca asked him.
“Of course,” he said.
He moved the two sleeping women to soft places in the grass under the shade of the standing stones and made them as comfortable as he could, using his jacket as a pillow for them. He and Boudicca then sat on a fallen stone and talked.
Sebastian finished giving her the details of what had happened, or at least the short version with all the major details of the Seal, his and Chelsea's reincarnations and the big points of world history and the Cataclysm while the other two women slept. He answering as many questions as he could until Chelsea and Trish awoke. Sebastian went to Chelsea and helped her and then Trish.
“Are you okay?” he said. “I’m more than okay. I’ve never felt so good. I’m tingling. I want you. Now.” she said then licked and bit his ear.
“Hey stop that! It tickles!” he said.
She started kissing him.
“What’s gotten into you?” he said.
“It’s an effect of touching Gaia as a novice. It’s a crude way of putting this but she’s just been so connected to life she wants to make more,” said Boudicca.
“How do we fix it?” said Sebastian.
“Well the most obvious way is to fulfill her desire,” Boudicca told him.
“Make life? Get her pregnant? Are you crazy?” Sebastian said.
“Conception isn’t always the result from copulation but if you choose not to copulate she’ll eventually return to normal. It will take a few hours or a day or so and in the meantime, she’ll be exceptionally amorous. Your other choice is you could do what husbands and wives do and help her purge the energy immediately,” Boudicca told him.
“Here? Now? We’re in the open,” he said.
“You were always a shy one. This is a sacred site, Gaia would smile on you. It’s okay,” Boudicca told him. Chelsea led him, practically dragging him, behind one of the fallen sarsen stones.
In the meantime, Trish and Boudicca sat and talked, doing their best to ignore the sounds coming from behind the stone.
“Why didn’t it impact me like that?” asked Trish.
“Because you were possessed, more or less, and not consciously channeling the power. She was filled with life and now is drained. Her body misses that power and her instincts as a woman is to have that life inside her again. Our instinct as a w
oman is to do that in the form of a child. She’s not entirely rational right now and her base instincts are stronger than her intellect until the latent energy fades. He will help with that. Life is instinct as well as intellect and powerful magic can overwhelm a person. Her's is very powerful. For a novice, she has a vast well to draw on. I must speak with her about that when time allows,” Boudicca told her.
“Oh, I get it. She was filled with life and now she’s empty and wants to be filled again so he’s filling her,” Trish said laughing and Boudicca laughed along with her.
“Like my own, that’s a crude analogy but yes, that’s the basic idea. You, however, were imbued by the spirit of life that guards this grove. It felt a danger and you were a capable repository, so it created a guardian and from what I saw, a strong one at that. You were imbued with a tremendous amount of energy. The spirits that manifest here poured as much power into you as you could hold. Your natural talents must be very great,” Boudicca told her.
“I didn’t feel possessed. It felt natural. At least I didn’t have any after effects like Chelsea. I don’t think she’d share him with me and I don’t see any other men around,” Trish said laughing.
“It felt natural because it was natural. The Earth needed a guardian and you were capable and did not refuse it. Don’t be surprised if you have some effects left. That left a permanent change on you and one that can't be removed. It's a part of you now and you may have any number of blessings,” Boudicca told her.
“Like what?” Trish asked.
“It’s impossible to say. Gaia’s gifts are unpredictable and what gifts remain within you only time will reveal,” she told Trish.
“Who is Gaia? Is that your goddess?” Trish asked.
“Life exists in duality. Good and evil, life and death, male and female, sun and moon. We are all aspects of that duality and a Druid’s power is drawn from the duality of life. Our gods are not actual beings. They are simply the male and female embodiment of the force of life, of nature itself and we use a name for simplicity. We give the essence its form, its identity,” Boudicca told her.
“So, this life energy, it’s sentient then,” Trish said.
The Seal of Solomon Page 33