This Present Past

by Traci Harding

  You did wrong me! The Night Hunter lost his patience, and so too began losing the game. I see your tactics. He calmed himself.

  ‘If we could work together, we could achieve so much here.’ Taliesin’s heartfelt appeal fell on deaf ears.

  I have my own plans. If you were the last soul on earth I would not work with you. Gwyn scattered the pieces on the board as he was but moves away from defeat. I win.

  ‘Unlikely.’ Taliesin didn’t lose his cool, and that was his only asset in this instance. ‘I was naive to think you would play fair—’

  It is not I who does not play fair! he roared, and Taliesin saw an explosion of shadow and colour in the Night Hunter’s light body, then the Lord calmed and the vision passed.

  It appeared that Gwyn ap Nudd was not as in control of his emotional body as he claimed to be; he did have feelings – quite extreme ones.

  Thus, unfortunately, I cannot grant your wish as I am no longer in charge of all things human.

  Taliesin was dumbfounded by the news. ‘So who is?’

  I am. Keridwen appeared upon the altar stone as the game and pieces vanished. Her form was not solid but spirit, glowing green as the earth – Taliesin could see straight through her!

  ‘Great Mother.’ He fell to his knees, overawed to see her again and of mind to wonder how she regarded him these days. In her presence he did not need to don the guise of an old man, but neither was he a young lad, hence he assumed a form that represented who he really was at this time – Taliesin in his prime.

  Gwyn, I told you to direct him forth to me, not play him for sport.

  What’s the difference? the Lord retorted smugly – clearly there was still ill-will between them, but the Night Hunter was more heedful of Keridwen now.

  ‘I proffered the game,’ Taliesin spoke up to take some of the heat from the Lord.

  Gwyn served him a curious look, unsure of how he felt about his rival coming to his defence.

  Thank you, nephew, you are dismissed, Keridwen stated, unamused with him all the same.

  I’ll be watching you, half-breed. The Night Hunter directed his malice at Taliesin, before he served Keridwen a reluctant bow and vanished.

  Taliesin humbled himself once more as the Goddess’s attention drifted back to him.

  ‘Forgive me, Great Mother, for all the loss—’

  I cannot forgive you, she cut him off abruptly, for instances that were of my design.

  Taliesin dared to raise his sights to look at her; had Neiryn been right about the Great Mother’s scheme, or had she simply come to accept her own shortcomings?

  The family Tegid was an exercise in evolution for me that had gone on longer than it ought, for Creirwy and Morvran were not the first children I bore on earth. There were others before them. I had forgotten my true purpose . . . but when I was carrying your soul-mind within me, my aim came flooding back. She directed him to join her upon the altar stone. Come, I have something for you.

  As Taliesin climbed upon the great flat circular stone, light – saturated with the essence and sweet aroma of the Otherworld – began to beam out of the carving upon the top, and the ruins were eclipsed by light.

  When the flare ebbed, Taliesin was still standing upon the same stone, yet a huge cathedral-like room had sprung up around him that could only be likened in grandeur to Castell Tegid proper – it contained all the artefacts he’d seen vanish from Keridwen’s library earlier that day, but he wondered after one he’d never seen. ‘No Lightning Chariot?’

  I believe you have it. At least, you will, one day.

  ‘A prophecy, Great Mother?’

  Not at all. When you first requested to store the Chariot in my vault, you said you would be back for it. Her smile was hinting at something he already knew.

  ‘I brought the Chariot to you,’ he repeated – that was why Taliesin could get access to the vault when Gwion could not. ‘I do find a means to time travel. I know Marduk has done . . . do you know where I might find him?’

  Again the Goddess had to laugh. One does not find Marduk, he finds you.

  ‘Please! I know what I must do now,’ Taliesin appealed. ‘If I could just go back a half a century, I could—’

  You are nowhere near ready for such an undertaking. The situation you return to in Gwynedd has already been altered.

  ‘Altered, in what way?’

  Sanan has taken herself out of the equation, and will not be born in ancient Gwynedd. As it was her dying wish it is beyond my control.

  ‘But she is half the plan!’ Taliesin was frustrated.

  You will find a solution.

  ‘I had it!’ Taliesin wanted to hit something. ‘How am I to figure this if the rules keep changing?’

  Educate yourself. You know how dangerous you are at this point. You have a world of knowledge in your mind that you have yet to discover! The akashic records of mankind, all that has happened and all that will happen, are now at your disposal. You are one of the first of your kind to gain access.

  Taliesin was humbled to learn this.

  Did you not wonder after the source of the prophecy you spouted in the court of Degannwy? That was you momentarily tapping into your superconscious.

  ‘I really do all those things I boasted?’

  And so much more.

  Taliesin reeled until a lounge appeared before him, courtesy of Keridwen, and he sat down.

  That is why I have created this place between worlds for you, whence you might retreat from the distractions of physical world affairs and come to know yourself.

  ‘But people are suffering now!’

  Understand, time is of no import to you any longer. It is an earthbound illusion that, once understood, shall be malleable as matter to those who learn to navigate it and explore their past selves. You need to have mastery before you can possibly instruct others.

  ‘Is that how you procured governance of the human reincarnation loop from the Night Hunter?’ Taliesin was most interested to hear about her coup.

  I appealed to Tiamat to allow me to assume control of human affairs from my nephew long ago, but without a developed emotional body I would have proven no more adept than he is.

  ‘Hence your time at Tegid.’

  My nephew thought he was doing me a disservice by insisting I relinquish my ties to the middle kingdoms. But he was unconsciously prompted by the creatrix to do what he did . . . as we all are. When I returned to the Otherworld having developed compassion and understanding of humanity, I was more qualified to rule this realm . . . created by humans for the benefit of all sentient beings, the Nefilim included. My nephew maintains his dominion over his elemental kingdoms as they are teaching him much.

  ‘But I was of the understanding Tiamat had withdrawn from this universe.’

  Keridwen grinned. I’m sure my nephew had that impression, until recently. Tiamat would never leave while her creations still languish here. She simply resides in a realm beyond my nephew’s comprehension . . . but not mine. Not now that I have resigned myself to a causal state of being. But I shall need allies who still have influence in the world of matter and with humanity. Allies whose aspirations are worthy of manifestation. Marduk has already begun to seed ‘the Chosen’, those incarnations of the Grigori who have developed what it takes to become spiritual warriors.

  ‘Myrddin,’ Taliesin named one such being with whom he’d already become acquainted.

  And there will be many more, who will drag themselves out of the abyss of the self, and realise the grander plan, as you are beginning to.

  Taliesin nodded, although he felt that full comprehension was going to take some time in coming.

  I am the partner you seek, Keridwen concluded, and it will be my honour to work with you again, once you are confident within yourself!

  ‘Work with me again . . .’ Taliesin found this part of the statement odd. ‘What was that ancient future version of me like?’

  Cocky. But wise enough to earn my respect. The Goddess smiled fondly a
s she mused. Compassionate enough to make me feel that staying on Gaia to finish the human project was a worthy cause.

  Taliesin’s eyes welled with tears; her words gave him cause to feel proud of what he would achieve, yet his behaviour today had been woeful. ‘Some example I am . . . I left my dear friend Neiryn for dead and nearly killed the Prince of Gwynedd.’

  Neiryn’s soul had moved on before you left the court. She broke the news gently, and Taliesin’s tears turned bitter.

  ‘Everyone is gone,’ he wheezed, panicked.

  That is what it is to be immortal, but . . . all are born again, until one day they become as you are. Her words, her presence, exuded calm.

  ‘So how will you know when I am ready?’

  You will know, without question, when the time to act is nigh . . . something about an informant, you said. Another of the Chosen, I assume.

  ‘But how am I to meet anyone locked away here?’

  I am not locking you away . . . far from it. Get out and explore the world, the Otherworld, learn to observe without becoming involved. The more you know about the world, its history, and the worlds that interpenetrate it, the greater your scope for creativity once you set your plans in motion. For remember, you can only teleport to—

  ‘A target or place with which you are familiar.’

  I shall leave you to your reflection. Her glowing green presence began to fade away.

  ‘Wait!’ Taliesin was on his feet. ‘When will I see you again?’ She was gone and he’d not even had the chance to say . . . ‘Thank you—’

  He collapsed on the lounge, his head already filling with questions he should have asked, yet waves of relief rushed through him. He had run the mortal gauntlet that for him had been extended by the Night Hunter’s disfavour; in just these last fifty years he’d been thrice born. This was the first step of a much longer quest to achieve the same liberation for all the Grigori and, indeed, all mankind. Beyond that, Taliesin could not even speculate; this odyssey on which he now embarked could only be imagined one breakthrough at a time.

  EPILOGUE

  THE COHORT

  Sydney, Australia, nineteen-ninety-three, was a most agreeable time and place to live in Taliesin’s opinion. Even in the middle of winter, this city was as warm as Mon in summer. The gym in which he sat was decked out as a dojo for a martial arts championship. The place was packed to the rafters with spectators and competitors, and so the room was rather heated – both metaphorically and literally. Taliesin was here to double check that his cohort was still on track to make their fated rendezvous.

  He hadn’t been lying when he told Keridwen he would meet an informant, but someone failed to mention it would take umpteen centuries for that beacon of enlightenment to come calling at Llyn Cerrig. And here she was before him – Tory Alexander – kicking the living shit out of her opponent. Taliesin could hardly suppress his amusement as he watched on; Maelgwn was going to find her quite the handful.

  He would never have been so bold as to start misplacing people in time had Tory – a future incarnation of Sanan – not sought him out at Llyn Cerrig to inform him that he would do exactly that. The puzzle pieces of his plan that he had studied centuries to configure all fell into place as soon as Tory opened her mouth that fateful day. She told of how he would be sent by Keridwen back to Atlantis and make his way through history, influencing change and making allies in lofty places as he went. Not only did this claim prove completely true, but he met up with Tory again in Atlantis, after Keridwen sent her there on a quest. It was outlined to him how he would pull Tory out of the twentieth century and send her back to Sanan’s time, where she was destined to challenge Maelgwn Gwynedd, and train more of the Chosen. The way Taliesin had felt about Maelgwn at the time of their meeting he’d not been inclined towards her plan, until he’d learned of another. For this was not the first time he was to match a King of Gwynedd to his perfect female accompaniment from another age. Tory disclosed that he would first perform this service for Caswallon – Maelgwn’s father. The Prince would grow to be a very different man under the guidance of loving parents. This was how Taliesin became aware of Sorcha – another major player in his scheme. Through some past life regression he’d discovered her in a lifetime they’d spent together in ancient Gaul, but that was a whole other story.

  ‘That’s my sister!’ boasted the young man next him, as Tory was declared victor of the bout.

  ‘She is amazing.’ Taliesin stood to applaud, already aware of the lad’s relationship to his cohort. In ancient Gwynedd, he’d know this soul as Brockwell; here, his name was Brian Alexander.

  ‘I’m up next.’ Brian was brimming with anticipation.

  ‘I know.’ Taliesin smiled kindly.

  ‘Here to watch me win?’ The fair young lad gave a cocky grin.

  With a nod of confirmation from Taliesin, Brian gave the thumbs up and took off down the stairs to congratulate his sister. Brian was right; he would win the title, but a misdiagnosed injury would see him dead by the morrow.

  Centuries of past life regression, and his own life experience, had taught Taliesin that there were several convergences of the Grigori in history, and this was one of them. He had a past life incarnation here himself, Teo, friend and instructor to both Tory and Brian. Teo was by the ring now, congratulating Tory on her win and whispering guidance for the fight ahead into Brian’s ear. In that lifetime, he’d had quite a crush on Tory, but they had parted ways upon the death of her brother. This was all before he’d ever been born as Gwion Bach.

  It was not as difficult as it previously would have been to do nothing to warn those he cared about of the pending tragedy. This reality would be altered once their plan was set in motion, and due to shifting circumstances in timelines, Brian would also be spared his untimely fate eventually. Taliesin could be certain of this as Brian had accompanied his sister on the first occasion they’d met, in an entirely different future timeline from now. But in this present timeline, Brian’s death was pivotal to landing Tory at a circle of stones in Oxfordshire, late on the eve of the summer solstice. It was here that Tory would meet her own death in a car accident; it was assumed at the time that she must have swerved to miss something on the road. Teo never recovered from losing them both in such close succession.

  Yet now, Taliesin had a cosmic licence to effect change and was hard-pressed to wipe the smile from his face. He greatly looked forward to returning to the Gwynedd of old, even though he could not alter any of the circumstances that would befall Llyn Tegid. He had visited Creirwy, just as Neiryn had foretold, which cemented his long-held suspicion that their love had borne a precious son who would hopefully grow up in a kingdom of promise, prosperity and opportunity.

  This current undertaking would, in some distant timeline, see all the Chosen united and set upon far greater escapades than any of them could imagine at this point. The notion brought his old soul a sense of peace and great optimism for their forthcoming venture in the ancient future.

  So begins our dance through time,

  a complex interplay to baffle the mind.

  She living a scheme, I have yet to invent,

  I know her from places she’s yet been sent!

  In dark age Gwynedd the Grigori gather,

  under the guidance of the Great Mother.

  Our intention clear – the die already cast,

  to awaken the Chosen of this present past.

  WELSH TERMS, PLACE NAMES AND MEANINGS

  Abred – the middle kingdoms that are the realms of men.

  Afon – river.

  Afon Banwy – the river Banwy in North West Wales.

  Afon Dyfi – the river Dovey. A river in mid Wales that formed a border between Gwynedd proper and the lesser kingdom of Meirion.

  Afon Efyrnwy – the river Vyrnwy flows through northern Powys and down into the Severn River that runs by Viroco.

  Annwn – the Otherworld.

  Beltaine – the feast of the summer solstice.

  Bra
d y Cyllyll Hirion – the Treachery of the Long Knives.

  Caer Siddi – another term for the Otherworld.

  Cair Guothergirn – Gwrtheyrn’s fortress.

  Cariad – love or darling.

  Combrogi – my fellow countrymen.

  Cornovii – the people who ruled near Viroco before and after Roman occupation.

  Creiglyn – lake.

  Creiglyn Dyfi – lake that feeds the Afon Dyfi.

  Creirwy – pronounced ‘Phrayer-we’.

  Cymru – Wales.

  Cymry – the people of Wales, the Welsh.

  Emrys Wledig – King of Kings.

  Eryri – pronounced ‘Er-er-ri’, the Snowdon Ranges.

  Gwion – pronounced ‘Gweir-on’.

  Gwrtheyrn – Vortigern the arch-traitor, who hosted the feast that became known as the Treachery of the Long Knives.

  Gwyddbwyll – Welsh game akin to the Irish Brandubh, a game of chess played in four directions.

  Llanfair – the town in Powys where Gwion was born.

  Llyn Tegid – Bala Lake in Gwynedd.

  Mawddwy Peak – the largest peak of south Snowdon.

  Meirion – a small sub-kingdom of Gwynedd, where Taliesin was raised.

  Mynydd Baddon – the battle for Bath Mountain.

  Tylwyth Teg – the folk of the Otherworld.

  Viroconium Cornoviorum – the old Roman stronghold of Viroco.

  The Winter Isle – Ireland.

  Ynys Mon – the island of Anglesey, also known as Mam Cymru, Mother of Wales.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  TRACI HARDING is one of Australia’s best loved and most prolific authors. Her stories blend fantasy, fact, esoteric belief, time travel and quantum physics, into adventurous romps through history, alternative dimensions, universes and states of consciousness. She has published several bestselling books and been translated into several languages.

  ALSO BY TRACI HARDING

  THE ANCIENT FUTURE TRILOGY

  The Ancient Future: the Dark Age (1)