by Rex Sumner
“The Pathfinders would be very happy if you were able to shed light on her whereabouts,” said Drummond. “She was adopted by us, and the regiment is not happy with the king regarding her disappearance. The men don’t accept she is dead.”
“Shut up Jeremy,” said Lionel as Jeremy opened his mouth to establish the exact parameters of ‘adopted’ from a sexual point of view, to a raised eyebrow from Drummond and frowns from the girls. Jeremy subsided in a sulk. “What time of year did she go? Early spring, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, just as we marched north to face the Spakka.”
“Hmmm, if she went while we were coming north, she would have come into Coillearnarcha before the Border Patrol would be out,” said Lionel. “Where do you think she went, Jez? Maelbelenus?”
“They all go to him. But the renegades will have picked her up. That will be tough on her, if that nasty bastard got his hands on her. What was his name, Matt? The one you had a run in with in Llanfihangel-ar-Arth?”
“Beorsach,” said Matt, his face turning as hard as granite beneath the beard. “He’ll have gone renegade for sure. The Elf girls didn’t like him one bit. He hurt Romseuch real bad. I want another crack at him, Jez, but with a sword this time.”
“You’ll need an axe, you’re crap with a sword and his head is as thick as a plank. Anyway, we won’t know until we get there and now I want a drink and it’s time to eat. Morag, go find Eleanor and tell her to string her harp, I have a mind for some Elven songs tonight.”
*
Lionel nodded to Jeremy, who made a cutting motion at his throat and Eleanor allowed her song to hang in the air, humming as it lingered and she laid down her lyre.
“Tell us about your trip back to the capital, and what happened,” said Lionel to Colonel Drummond.
Drummond blinked, coming back into the world from the woodland glade to which the music transported him. The fawn with liquid eyes, gazing at him with a fixed fascination, morphed into a girl, and with a start he averted his eyes as Morag smiled.
“Ah, the trip back,” he said, hurried by his mutinous thoughts. “Ran into some of your lads on the way, under a fellow named Jack. The Princess spoke to them, and they joined us. Said you wouldn’t mind, though they did send a rider to check.”
Jeremy nodded. “Sure, we knew. Heard a bit from the lads, wanted your side of the story.”
“Those boys can ride,” said Drummond with grudging admiration. “Fastest I’ve ever done the trip, and they muttered at our slowness. We slowed as we entered the final mile, and the Princess had words with Donnell. Discussed what we were likely to find. Donnell reckoned they would try and shut the gates on us, and I tried to think of a way in, over the wall. We could get in, but not easy if they saw us coming up the pike. And the Princess wanted to talk first, didn’t believe they would shut us out.”
The great hall fell silent as they followed his words, Drummond’s eyes unseeing as he recounted the scene.
“Princess turned to Jack, asked him if he still thought he could get in quickly. He grinned, and said no problem. She nodded and cantered off, leaving me wondering what the plan was, and, truth to tell, more than a little worried.”
“Jack’s an idiot,” said Jeremy. “He vaulted in, didn’t he?”
“Hush,” said Lionel. “Let him tell the story.”
“Well, it was my idea,” said Jeremy, annoyed.
“I did it first,” said Matt, before subsiding under Lionel’s glare.
“Princess cantered straight up to the gates,” said Drummond, not put off his story and seeing it again in his mind’s eye. “We could see them closing them as we approached, and she went straight up to the gates, back straight as a lance, determination radiating from her and looking every inch a queen. I can hear her now:
‘In the name of King Richard Starborn, open the gates of my city and pay homage to your Princess. I, Princess Asmara Starborn, Lady of High Reaches, so demand.’
“Her voice soared through a sudden silence, and in moments the parapets bristled, while along the wall windows threw open and people stared out. You could see them climbing onto roof tops to see the return of the Princess. One face stood out, very pale with a mop of blond hair. Princess knew him, didn’t she just.
‘Why Rupert, I never thought to see you in the army. And already Guard Commander. Isn’t that a little below your station? Now come along, open the gates and stop this tom-foolery.’
“Well, he went red in the face and stammered, apologized and started over. Couldn’t open the gates, been ordered by parliament to keep them closed.”
Lionel interrupted, a look of enquiry on his face. “What’s this Starborn? I thought they were the Starrs?”
“It’s a figure of speech they use when they are being formal. Anyway, I thought, that’s a turn up, who would think parliament would try something like that. Princess was well ahead of me.
‘Rupert,’ she said. ‘You know perfectly well the parliament answers to me. Now I give you a direct order. Open the gates to my city. Failure to do so makes you guilty of treason to your King and warrants a death penalty. Now open the gates!’ This last she cracked like a whip, and Rupert started, jumped he did. But he shook his head. Mumbled he couldn’t.
“Princess, she nodded, and dropped her hand. I heard the twangs, and three arrows appeared in his chest, while a couple clattered off the walls. Next thing, Jack thunders past me and the princess, standing on his horse’s back. He’s holding his lance right by the bottom end, and you can see he’s tied three lances together. As he comes up to the gate, he leans forward and sticks the point of the lance in the ground. Lance bends, lifts him up, horse peels away and next thing he is flying through the air and thumps into the wall, sliding down to the ground without a sound.”
The hall erupted into laughter, Jeremy needing a large swig of uisge to recover, tears of laughter pouring down his face. Matt fell off his chair, to the delight of the wolfhound at his feet.
Lionel banged his mug on the table, till the tumult died down.
“This is the vault,” he said. “We practice it. Jack was never very good. Who went next?”
“Not sure of the lad’s name, but he was at Jack’s heels and he went right over the wall, crashed down the other side.”
“Yes,” said Lionel. “You have to dig your point in at the right moment to get the right elevation. First two or three can get it wrong, but it helps those following to go in the right place.”
“This worked all right,” said Drummond. “All the defenders turned to look at the guy who went flying over, and weren’t ready as the next four lads landed right on the wall. Arrows flew again, and they spread out, swinging light axes. Two on the outside, protecting and giving them room, while the inner two dropped ropes over the wall. They held the top while we skinned up the ropes, Princess pushing ahead of us. Once she reached the top, it was over. The soldiers wouldn’t stand against her, throwing their halberds down.”
“Who were the lads who landed on the wall?” Jeremy leant forward, his interest peaked.
Lionel forestalled him. “Later, Jez, if Drummond knows. What happened next? Was the city up against her? Parliament in full control?”
“Oh, she’s smart, our little lady. Parliament sat in council chambers making their decisions, and for what end? To line their purses, and don’t think the ordinary people don’t know it. They aren’t stupid, never mind what the nobles think, and they were scared, scared of Spakka invasion rolling up the north and arriving on their doorstep. So first she rounds up the guard, gets them down on their knees and makes them take an oath to her. Promotes a corporal she knows to commander, first job she gives him is to hang Rupert’s body from the gate. The lads enjoyed that.”
“They would,” said Matt, with enthusiasm.
“She sets us up in parade formation, leading horses trailing Spakka banners, and two Pathfinders wit
h trumpets. They blare out as we go, with Sergeant Murphy crying out as we go. He has a voice on him, reaches right across a parade ground to startle a soldier. He used it well, announcing the return of the Princess, the rescue of the King, the defeat of the Spakka, the conquest of the Uightlanders and the betrayal of Lord Hardenwall. The people streamed into the streets and before we knew it, they were raining flowers on us and cheering the Princess’ name.”
“Clever,” said Lionel. “Some people never think of the ordinary folks, while they are laying their plans for control.”
“So where did you go?” Jeremy asked. “To the palace or to parliament chambers?”
“To the palace. Chased out the soldiers there, all Rotherstone men, and replaced them with my Pathfinders. Sent a runner to the barracks for those we left behind, mainly long term injured, and she sent a messenger to the parliament chambers instructing them to report to her the next day. Immersed herself for an hour with those ladies from Lady Susan’s court, the Ruling Court, kicked out some fellow who claimed he was the new chamberlain and dug the old one out of the cells. Were a few people in those cells.”
Drummond paused, sipping his uisge with more care. “And that was it. Parliament boys came the next day, cap in hand, falling over themselves to show they were nothing to do with Hardenwall.”
“What about Rotherstone?” Lionel cut straight to the point.
“No sign of him. Of course he is nothing to do with the parliament.” Drummond paused for another sip. “When they first came in, these parliamentarians, nobles the lot of them, marched into the great hall, full of themselves. Asked the Princess to clear the hall so they could talk, or to move to a meeting room. She looked them right in the eye, and told them she had no secrets from the people. Told them to wait their turn and continued right on with court business. Oh, they were sore about that, but nothing they could do.”
“Clever girl,” said Lionel. “Something to remember.”
“Where do you think she learned that?” Jeremy said before answering his own question. “From Hardenwall. She saw how the people rose up and tore down the Wall. She won’t forget that, and these parliamentarians don’t know anything about it. Was the same in Coilleanarcha, remember, it’s the people that make the difference.”
“We’ll leave for Praesidium on Monday. Give us the weekend to get ready. Midir, do you want to come? Bring your likely lads.”
The tattooed warrior smiled, his long blond hair rippling down his muscled back. “A pleasure. A long time since my people visited Praesidium in the flesh. My Picts will come, they will enjoy frightening the soft southrons.”
“I want to come,” said Matt. “Never seen Praesidium. All the lads will want to come.”
“We’ll take those who fought in Coilleanarcha,” said Lionel with finality.
Historical Notes
While writing this book, I did considerable research in a variety of areas and combined results from many sources. I went back a lot further than mediaeval times...
I wanted Elves. So I thought, what caused the legends? I dug, and found they are based on the Tuatha da Danaan, the Children of Dana, the third wave of inhabitants of Ireland who conquered the Fir Bolg before being conquered by their cousins, the Milesians. Legend says they signed a truce which split Ireland in half, but they didn’t read the fine print which stated their half was underground. They were led there by the chieftain Manannan nac Lir, the Sea God. Through a portal known as a Sidhe - which became another name for the Elves.
Great! So where did the Tuatha da Danaan come from? There is no historical record so far back, just legend so we can pick the one we like. The legends say they were a red-headed and blonde race originating in the east of Europe.
So I switched to the archaeological and anthropological record. At the time of writing it is accepted that the original inhabitants of Europe were dark-skinned and green eyed. Perhaps the first homo sapiens or perhaps Cro-magnon man. Around 20,000 years ago the first blonde, pale skinned people arose in what is now Syria, developing agriculture at the same time. At a similar time, or even earlier, a red-headed mutation occurred on the borders of Mongolia and China.
There are seven tribes of red-haired people in Siberia, stretching from the east to the west, and to the credit of Russia these tribes have been allowed to continue their lives. For me they are an indication that the red-haired gene spread west... And came to the Celtic races. I suspect the Tuatha da Danaan were a combination of the two, giving rise to new thoughts and powers.
Switching back to legend and myth, the Tuatha da Danaan were a people who had no religion as such, but their wise women, healers, used drugs, alcohol and sex to transport the mind, achieving cures of many conditions, mainly mental. The origins of the modern-day shrink! One legend suggests the priestess would mix her blood with the supplicants, add psychedelic mushrooms and both would drink it. This allowed the priestess to guide the subsequent dream and heal the supplicant. Their healing and prophetic powers established such a reputation that others would come to them and in due course they became gods in the eyes of other people. Can you think of a modern religion which also has the worshippers drink the blood of the god?
We see further signs of their existence in Roman reports of white skinned slaves from the banks of the Black Sea and in the Mysteries of the Greek priestesses, no doubt their descendants.
Romania seemed to be the place of their origin, according to myth, so reports of a pyramid in Bosnia were encouraging. Unfortunately, this turns out to have no scientific backing, but I’ve purloined the idea of pyramids to be used by them! Hey, this is fantasy!
Perhaps 12,000 years ago the Aryan race arose - this is nothing like the people advocated by the Nazis, but the name for the ethnic group known as the proto-Indo-Europeans, the forebears for both Europeans and Asian Indians. How these became blonde and blue eyed is beyond me, because the Aryans conquered the blonde people and enslaved them, with their loose empire lasting 4,500 years and stretching across Europe and down into India. Please note this is myth, not established fact, but an indication of one possible past history from the archaeology. Though of course the proto-Indo-European race known as the Aryans existed, and we have a good idea of their sphere of influence, calling it an empire is an exaggeration.
Religion.
These early people did not have a religion per se, and we know little of their beliefs. Indeed, our knowledge of them comes from the archaeological record and the writings of the Greeks, which are contradictory. However, I have made assumptions based on a combination of Greek mythology, European folklore and the intrinsic beliefs of local people all over world, in particular in Bali. Some of the similarities raise the hair on the back of your neck...
The Aryans took with them to India 14 unwritten histories of mystic practices, which they may have received from the conquered Tuatha da Danaan. Three of these have survived to the present day, written down in Sanskrit as the Vedas, the forebear of Hinduism, which itself gave rise to Buddhism and Jainism when it became too expensive for the ordinary people. I suspect the Aryans brought with them not just this mysticism, but the origins of Tantra, used by the Tuatha da Danaan not for pleasure but to reach the infinite.
On this subject, we have the enigma of the Shelagh na Gig. These are dramatic carvings found on mediaeval church doorways in Ireland, Britain and Germany, possibly other countries. They depict a woman holding open her vulva. Some suggest these are to ward off evil spirits. Yet there is a myth these were the protectors of the Goddesses and this I think far more likely - for surely this is a reference to the use of pre-tantric sex to access the infinite. I link this to the legends of the Amazon warriors like Hippolyta, the wife of Theseus, who came from Scythia, modern day Romania, and again another name for the Tuatha da Danaan is Royal Scythian.
Somehow, I doubt these people just succumbed to the Aryans, for surely they were Aryans themselves. I suspect that these pe
ople, who worshipped their Goddesses as the Feminine Incarnate, inspired jealousy in men, who usurped the female role and banned the use of short cuts in achieving union with the godhead. Short cuts like sex and drugs. Certainly, we can see in much of Greek mythology the war between the sexes, especially regarding religion and the mysteries.
My descriptions of the religion of the Tuatha da Danaan are based on myth, modern research by Universities into astral travel, discussions with astral travellers and numerous conversations with spiritual people on the paranormal. I am reluctant to call them shamans, priests or healers, for although they perform all these functions; the credible ones defy allocation to some pre-defined slot. Every single one is reluctant to talk about their abilities and it takes time, knowledge and trust to discover more of their world - yet I feel it not dissimilar to the beliefs and activities of the Tuatha da Danaan from 12,000 years ago.
On the destruction of their home, many of these people fled, and I suspect went onto become gods in other countries. People like Odin, Zeus and the Celtic pantheon. In Egypt, the God of Knowledge, Thoth, created the Egyptian religion. Thoth could easily be a Tuatha da Danaan name. The Egyptian religious story continued into many others, each time with a few new wrinkles, and can be traced into Christianity.
So there we have links to the origins of all the major religions, while the minor religions tend to be so similar one wonders as to the origins. One place where I have left the clues of history for pure fantasy is with my dragons, really intelligent dinosaurs. There is no indication they were the abbots of Eastern monasteries...
About the Author
Rex is English, but was born in Java, Indonesia and has spent many years in the Far East. He speaks Indonesian and Malay, with a smattering of other languages.
He has had an interesting life - as a youngster worked his passage on a container ship to Australia where he worked as a cowboy, gold-miner, door-to-door salesman and fruit-picker, before switching from Zoology to the Army to study at Sandhurst.