Reagan (Hengist-People of the Horse Book 3)

by Jacky Gray

  ‘I can take a few sightings further out.’

  Reagan was glad to be alone, he could tune into the earth spirit much better on his own. Fifty paces later, he couldn’t imagine why he ever thought her delicate. She was strong and forceful, not as powerful as the Mary line, but not much less. He sensed a playful nature; every now and then she took great delight in sending a rush of current through him which made all the hairs on his arm stand up with a chill. As he climbed the ancient hill-fort, a burst of energy blazed through him like a flame, bringing on a hot flush as he reached the top.

  ‘I thought you’d have been in better health than that, pouring with sweat after such a gentle climb.’

  Kalen would probably have laughed at the real cause, but Reagan was far too excited about his discovery to explain. ‘See that small hillock? I’m sure it’s on the line. If you look above the ridge behind it, you can make out a knoll in the distance. A horse sited there would almost be visible from here.’

  ‘With a good viewscope. But let’s not count our chickens before they are hatched. Malduc stressed this; we must be absolutely sure. Everything must be doubly checked.’

  As they approached the hillock, Reagan climbed down again and walked across the top, feeling the tingle as the spirit seemed to greet him like an old friend. But no other lines crossed there, ruling it out. A little further on, the horses scented water. Kalen took them for a drink while Reagan looked for the first crossing point they’d identified. The intersecting spirit line linked the white horses at Cherhill and Broad Town, but the energy was weak and the ground too flat for it to be viable.

  Walking along the spirit line, Reagan again felt her playful nature as he walked level with the pond where Kalen stood. He felt a sensation as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, but his skin felt perfectly dry. A moment later, a surge of heat brought to mind Amiera’s comment about the way he blushed. At that thought, he lost all contact with the line and he stepped back a few paces to try and return to it.

  But it had disappeared. Luckily, he spotted his footprint in a soft piece of ground and glanced toward the peak of Windmill Hill, praying to the spirit to guide him to the next part of the journey. A strange buzzing sounded in his ears as she returned, crackling with life. He took care to focus on nothing but the track in front of him.

  Shortly after Kalen re-joined him, he felt the tug of the powerful line which linked Old Sarum and Stonehenge. Nothing about this site convinced Reagan it was a contender. ‘Even if it has got three lines crossing, it’s not a good position. It’s on the wrong side to be seen from the south east and no-one would see it from the west until they’d reached the peak of Highway hill.’

  ‘And more importantly, the slope is much too gentle to be a good site. Well, that’s it until we get to the ridge.’ Kalen declared a race and flew off like a teenager.

  With an exasperated smile, Reagan galloped off after him, but his mentor’s sneaky head start meant he reached the bottom of the ridge several seconds later. Kalen was too busy celebrating his victory to notice the band of fierce-looking men who appeared from nowhere to surround him.

  Reagan desperately tried to rein Philly in, but it was too late. The short burst had left her panting; he could not have hoped to outrun them. He did the most sensible thing he could think of, obeying their curt directions.

  DO NOT SHOW ANY FEAR. Kalen’s unspoken command sounded loud in his head.

  No need to shout. Reagan whispered his mental response. Somehow, he understood for the first time how to use the technique Kalen had tried to show him many times. Each attempt to direct his mind-link to a single person had failed. Reagan’s thoughts had always been heard by Malduc or another trainer in the room. Under pressure, the method seemed obvious.

  ‘Well, well, well. What have we here? Two fine gents laden down with goods. Off for a day out, are we?’

  DON’T TELL THEM ANYTHING.

  Please stop shouting.

  Try not to look so obvious. Kalen controlled every muscle to present them with the cold face. Archer talked about this training, but Reagan had never done it and his face echoed his thought.

  What do they want?

  ‘What do we want? What indeed, young master?’

  It took all Reagan’s will power not to show his shock at the Renegate’s words. Had he accidentally mind-linked with him?

  No. He was about to say it anyway. Just listen.

  Reagan’s heart beat so fast, he sought some calming breaths as the man made his demands.

  ‘Our normal toll for passage over the Highway ridge is food enough for a meal or the price of a meal.’

  Leave it to me. Kalen sent his command to Reagan an instant before addressing the man who was unmistakably the leader. ‘We have no money, but you are welcome to half of the food we have.’ He held out his bag.

  ‘Half, you say. I don’t think this bag’s going to hold enough for two of us, let alone all six.’ He took the bag, shaking his head as he peered inside. ‘As I thought. This would barely feed two of the younger ones.’

  ‘In that case, we’ll just take another path where there is no toll.’ Kalen held his hand out for the bag.

  The man gave a wolfish grin. ‘We’ve got a smart one here, lads. I reckon you’ve been to the university and got yourself a fancy education by the way you talk.’

  He sat back in the saddle as though expecting some sort of reply. Meanwhile, his thought summed up his assessment of the situation. Just an airy-fairy Magi. He’ll soon give us the money from his purse if we threaten the lad.

  Reagan’s delight at hearing the man’s thought was swamped with alarm at its content.

  29 Renegates

  ‘Are you Hereward’s men by any chance?’ Reagan’s nimble brain lost no time in working on a solution.

  The looks on several of the men’s faces were telling. Many heads were shaken and a couple of men spat on the ground. The leader focussed his attention on Reagan for the first time. ‘How do you know of him?’

  ‘He is well known in my village. Archer was only telling me the other day ….’

  ‘Archer? As in Archer, son of Sedge?’

  ‘The very same. He said …’

  ‘Archer, son of Sedge is a friend of yours?’

  ‘Much more than a friend. We are working on an extremely important project together. And this man,’ he gestured to Kalen, ‘taught Archer many of his Warrior skills.’

  ‘Is that true? You have taught Archer, son of Sedge?’

  Kalen inclined his head, doing his best impression of a wise and powerful professor.

  ‘And you are supervising this vital project?’

  ‘I am.’

  ‘And might we know the names of these two friends of Archer, son of Sedge?’

  ‘I think it’s better you don’t know our names.’ Kalen understood Reagan’s idea and played along nicely.

  ‘I see. A couple of highly-educated men, who make a secret of their names, working on a world-changing project. And claim to be friends of Archer, son of Sedge.’ With each point, he looked at a different one his men as though seeking their opinion. Each one stared back without expression, an oft-played sport.

  He rubbed his chin as he considered the idea. ‘I don’t suppose you can tell us more about the nature of this mission?’

  Kalen too met the eyes of each Renegate, ignoring Reagan who shook his head, a look of desperation on his face. Finally, the tutor turned to the leader with a cool gaze. ‘I could tell you more,’ he paused dramatically, ‘but then I’d have to kill you.’ Looking casually at the others, he added, ‘All of you.’

  The man’s face twitched for an instant as though he appreciated the game being played out here. He looked at Reagan. ‘Could he do this?’

  Reagan nodded gravely. ‘Easily. With his bare hands.’ He shook his head as though anticipating the carnage.

  The leader matched his grave tone and shaking head. ‘In that case, I have no choice …’ Heaving a big sigh, he hel
d up the bag, ‘… but to accept this offering as a full and fair payment of the toll for passage over the ridge.’

  ‘It will have to be in both directions because we’ll have nothing to give you on the way back.’

  ‘You drive a hard bargain, but I’m happy to deal on it.’ He spat on his hand and held it out. Kalen echoed his gesture and they clasped hands to seal the deal.

  As the leader gestured for his men to stand down, Kalen offered a piece of advice. ‘I think it would benefit you to know there will be rather large bands of craftsmen coming this way shortly after Beltane. They will be accompanied by several marshals, so it may be better for you to collect tolls from less well-guarded routes for a while.’

  ‘Sounds like an extremely important project.’

  ‘They don’t get much more important than this one.’

  ‘There are some routes south of here we’ve been neglecting, of late. Happen a change of scenery would do us well. I wish you both safe passage to your very secret destination.’

  Kalen said nothing until they were at the top of the ridge, then allowed a wry grin at the boy’s nerve. ‘Well met, young Reagan. I should drop the young – you dealt as a man.’

  Reagan grinned. ‘I never took you for a thespian.’

  ‘I have many talents you would never dream about.’

  Hiding a smile, Reagan pointed at Windmill Hill to the east.

  ‘The alignment is clear. There’s the small hillock we visited, and on the west, you can see Clack mount.’

  ‘Interesting that the woods are cleared just here where the spirit line crosses, I wonder if it’s deliberate. Maybe they’ll tell us at Clevancy farm. We should be able to buy some food there, too. Don’t know about you, but I’m starving.’

  After lunch, they continued for a while and had to wade through a stream before spotting their first potential site.

  ‘So, that’s Clack mount. Not very big is it?’

  ‘About a third of the height of Silburgh, I’d say.’

  ‘You wouldn’t be able to see it from far away. And you could not have the horse facing east because of those woods.’

  ‘We’ll have a look from the top of the mound. See if there is anything in the way if the horse faces north.’

  As they reached the small mound, it became clear Kalen’s initial estimate had been generous. It stood the same height as an apple tree and they walked around the bottom in sixty paces. More woods obscured the north face. Reagan climbed to the top, again feeling no spirit lines apart from the Aveburgh one. She felt much weaker this far away from the powerful holy places, but strong enough to recognise.

  ‘Your face tells me this is not very inspiring. I agree. Something does not quite feel right.’

  Reagan gazed west where the sun sparkled on the river Avon. ‘Is that Seagry over there?’

  Kalen consulted his map. ‘I think so.’

  ‘I can’t see anything which looks like a hill. But what’s that over there?’ He pointed to a mound to the north-west, following the direction of the spirit line.

  Kalen consulted the map. ‘Cam’s hill I think. See the way the Avon snakes around? If we are going to follow the spirit line we may have to cross it several times.’

  ‘Unless she follows the course of the river.’

  ‘She?’

  ‘Definitely feels like a girl, young and capricious.’

  ‘I’ll bow to your skill.’ As he moved on, Kalen’s expression and tone made it clear Reagan was more than welcome to it. ‘Malduc said we must visit the Seagry horse. If we go now, we’ll get back earlier tomorrow.’

  When they reached the white horse, Reagan knew immediately what had happened. ‘I’ve been feeling the pull of a spirit line, it’s quite strong ...’

  ‘Another female one?’

  ‘I don’t know for sure until I’ve walked on it, but my guess is no.’ Jumping off his horse, he felt the difference straight away. ‘Definitely male. But there are tremors coming from …’ He turned to the east. ‘I thought so. Can you see that river? There’s a stream about the same distance to the west, they are setting off a small vibration which feels like a spirit line. Maybe it’s why this place was chosen, even though there’s hardly a slope in sight.’

  ‘It would explain why it’s returning to the turf. There’s barely anything left. I think this was probably one of the first horses cut. Which one does it remind you of?’

  ‘Uffington, obviously.’

  ‘Because it faces right?’

  ‘And it’s very thin and in a similar style. A bit like the Marlburgh horse, only more so.’

  ‘It certainly suggests they didn’t know much about making them, they just tried to copy the original horse.’

  ‘And they didn’t think about the visibility.’

  ‘Good point.’ Kalen looked west. ‘I don’t think it would be seen from far, not with the wood in the way.’

  ‘It all seems conclusive. I’m going to walk for a while. Do you see that mound? It’s the same one we saw from Clack mount. I think it’s in Somerford.’

  ‘You could be right. Well it’s only half an hour from here, no more than a couple of miles.’

  As he’d done before, Reagan followed the spirit line on foot, feeling the minute tremors. This time, they vibrated with a regular rhythm. It spoke of the thumping of sandal on earth as many men marched to and from the second most important town in Roman Britain, Corinium, now known as Cirencester.

  Kalen dismounted and led the horses behind as he followed in Reagan’s wake. He knew the boy needed to concentrate to understand the nature of the line and be able to track it better, but he was bored with trailing behind and needed something to occupy his mind. Tying the horses to a tree, he left them grazing while he got out the large-scale map of the area. Spreading it over a nearby boulder, he looked at the lines he’d drawn to show the old Roman roads. As he studied the map, ideas formed in his mind based on his knowledge of Britain’s history.

  The invading Romans had landed at a number of ports along the south coast. They set up camps, using existing hill forts wherever possible, places like Maidun Castle, Old Sarum and Chichester. Having secured the southern areas, they’d moved up to capture London on the east and Cirencester on the west. This became a strategic post, controlling legions from the southern cities and directing them where they were needed. They built a network of roads for transporting huge numbers of soldiers over long distances, travelling no more than twenty five miles a day, laden with heavy armour, weapons and essential supplies.

  But there would have been times at the beginning, before the roads were built, when soldiers or even merchants would have wanted to travel to Cirencester. It would have added many miles onto their journey to have used the well-travelled and well-guarded routes such as the Fosse or the Portway, so they would have travelled directly. Hence this route: a shortcut between Roman cities. Packing up the map, Kalen led the horses after Reagan, giving his imagination free rein.

  30 Romans & Travellers

  ‘So you see, it was a secondary Roman route. I think they used it to move troops …’

  ‘Between Maidun Castle and Cirencester. You’re right. Exactly like the one this morning was used for troops between Old Sarum and Cirencester.’

  ‘Oh. How do you know that?’ Kalen’s voice held the frustration of any teacher whose pupil already knows the answer.

  ‘I think the line from Old Sarum probably started off as a connection to Stonehenge. They were both religious centres thousands of years ago.’

  ‘Makes sense. So you’re suggesting the Romans used the paths created by the stone-age people.’ Kalen felt like the roles had swapped, making him the student.

  ‘Up to the henges, yes. They could be seen from some distance away marking the way to monuments or big cities ...’

  ‘They became like main roads for travellers.’

  ‘From the tremors, it seems to be mainly troops.’

  ‘You can tell all that from just standing on the
line? But it happened so many centuries ago.’

  ‘I don’t know how to explain it. It’s as though everything we do leaves behind a tiny imprint in the earth. If the same thing happens millions of times, the imprint goes deeper into the earth and turns into a tiny tremor of energy. I just interpret the different types of tremors.’

  ‘Interesting. And this line feels the same?’

  ‘Almost exactly the same. Hundreds of thousands of warriors and thousands of traders have taken this route. Nothing like as many as the Fosse, but I can also feel the pilgrims who have travelled on the road. The amphitheatre at Cirencester is probably built on the same site as an old henge.’

  ‘You can tell people are walking somewhere to pray? Surely not.’

  Reagan looked as though he’d been caught out. ‘I can’t actually tell why they were travelling, but their tremor is different from the rhythmic march of soldiers and the slow gait of a man travelling with burdened mules. I decided the only other reason to travel the path would be to visit holy sites.’

  ‘Don’t worry; I was not criticizing your idea, merely trying to understand it.’ He paused as they reached the edge of the small hamlet, dominated by a motte.

  Staring at the hill, a delighted smile lit Reagan’s features. ‘I think this is it. It’s certainly tall enough, like a mature poplar tree.’

  Leaving the horses gratefully nibbling at the grass in the shade of a majestic oak tree, they climbed up the side of the structure, created by men many centuries ago for some purpose they knew not. Following the path which wound round in a spiral, Reagan discovered the Roman line on one side like an old friend. After a dozen paces tracking it toward the summit, he continued round.

  ‘It’s her. The Aveburgh line. And I think they’re going to meet at the summit. How fantastic is that?’ Despite the tiring journey, he skipped to the top with morning energy. The day had taken its toll on Kalen and he followed behind more slowly, breathing harder than normal. Reagan was sitting on the spot where the two lines crossed. ‘This is incredible. The spirit here is so strong, I’m sure you could feel it, even without your hazel wand. Try it.’