by Peter Green
Once more, he felt his body being gently caressed. Sceine was massaging him, manipulating him, moving him into the cleft carved into the Bluestone... Finger tip by finger tip, muscle by muscle, limb by limb he was moulded into position. He was becoming the key to the enlightened universe. As the palms of his hands connected with the cold, highly conductive Bluestone, he began to feel the universal life force tingling and surging through his outstretched body and the radiant Light of the Divine warming his soul as it poured out of the portal into the mortal realm.
His torso twisted and turned as he was massaged and manipulated by Sceine as she took him through the veil. He became one with her. Sceine was holding him, feeling him, nursing him sensuously through the veil.The back of his skull, the nape of his neck and the small of his back, every chi point resting gently against the womb shaped cleft, each point energising and conducting.
Amergin’s body flowed with the universal life force. His head filled with kaleidoscopic visions.His heart raced climactically. Gentle hands moved down his body, caressing and nurturing. Amergin gasped as Sceine pressed him into the perfectly shaped, folded rock formation. She pushed him hard into the shaped Bluestone. He fitted exactly. Sceine was before him...
She smiled, “I am with you. I will always be with you... come! ...”
Energised, he forcefully thrust into the cool Bluestone. Gliding, soft, gentle hands brushed against his body. From head to curving spine, torso arching, “You are there my love! The world of enlightenment is yours! Enter the spirit world! Come to me!” Overwhelmed and overcome, Amergin gathered himself, “Come to join me! Let the Guardians of Light pour forth! May they defend us, and bring us all to safety!
Organic form met crystalline Bluestone. Pulses of amber light surged through the Bluestone, pouring into his flexing, orgasmic being. The amber energy raced through and circulated around his outstretched body, bursting from every extremity. The porcelain surfaced Bluestone tore and ripped. Another universe came, another dimension, the Light of the Divine poured forth...
Everyone watched in wonderment... The Temple of the Sun glowed with pure, radiant light, god given and beautiful... Amergin was the key, the Temple the conduit. The champion of Milesia, the poet warrior, their Sea Druid journeying beyond the veil and bringing them to their destiny...
The enlightened ones confronted the dark Sidhe now, the prophecy nearing fulfilment. The destined one has arrived. He and the Guardians of Light face MacCuacht and the dark Sidhe...
Radiant beings poured through the portal, earthly and unearthly forms morphing in the luminescence. All kinds of weird and wonderful creations came forth...
In awe and spellbound, the Tribes of Milesia were ready. They had seen the forces of the Light unleashed...
Ominously, beyond the Temple of the Sun, their deadly foe arrives. Falling out of the skies came the rolling, turbulent, dark storm front... sweeping through the ancient Oak grove of Derwydd, past the now compromised and darkened Portal of Machlleth, beyond the abandoned and unprotected Quarry of Izion and down the misting, ghostly river valley. Rolling ever towards them...
From on high, from the escarpment of the Temple of the Sun, Amergin could clearly see his foe... the dark, brooding, deadly cloud formations... an evil shroud from which the denizens and demons of the dark would emanate
CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
THE TEARING OF THE VEIL
A few hours to the east, in advance of the marauding dark Sidhe, Eiru and Terese had met with the wizard Endinou, the Guardian of the Quarry of Izion, the source of all the Bluestones. The Bluestones are the keystones that open and energise the myriad of portals throughout the land, some are known, many unknown.
Accompanying Endinou were the giant Cyclops, the quarrymen of Izion, a fiercesome sight in the gloom of the encroaching storm front. Endinou informed Eiru and Terese how the Portal of Machlleth had been overwhelmed, and of how MacCuill and the defending elite guard had to flee deep into the portal, taking refuge beyond the veil. They were trapped, in limbo, in the spirit world.
They would wait in limbo, until a keystone is placed in the entrance of the Portal of Machlleth by an enlightened being... Endinou impressed on them how important the Quarry of Izion was to the land of the Prophecy.
MacCuacht and his hordes could inexorably infect each portal. In time as more and more portals were breached and converted to the dark, the veil becomes more impenetrable. To protect the enlightened world, the Bluestones must be protected.
Terese of the Xantha still struggled in the aftermath of her capture, but she offered to stay with the Cyclops quarrymen to protect and defend the Quarry of Izion. It was agreed that Eiru should take flight and find the Milesian Sea Druid Amergin, who has arrived on the Western shores at the Temple of the Sun. Eiru can bring him to the Quarry of Izion. Together they will go to battle for and reopen the great Portal of Machlleth. The enlightened Amergin can put the purest of Bluestone keystones in place... he can release MacCuill and his guardsmen from their limbo beyond the veil.
The plan was fraught, riddled with uncertainty... In an instant, Eiru the changeling witch, morphed into her alter entity. Giant wings beat downwards, and she was aloft, soaring westwards into the diminishing light of the day, seeking out the Temple of the Sun.
Terese of the Xantha, Endinou, the Guardian of the quarry of Izion, and the the giant Cyclops made their way back to Izion. They would defend the Bluestone source with all their combined might. They would wait for the Sea Druid Amergin and go to reopen the Portal of Machlleth.
Eiru was now a dimunitive winged form disappearing way over the distant western horizon. Endinou prayed for her, “May the Guardians of Light guide you safely to your destination!” and added thoughtfully, “May they bring protection to Izion, the Portal of Machlleth and this sacred Isle.”
Before long Eiru was way out of sight. The light of the day almost gone, Endinou instructed the Cyclops to make haste and gather all the carved Bluestones, placing them in alignment with the lay line connecting the Temple of Sun and the Portal of Machlleth. The Western Province is the last bastion of the enlightened ones. Endinou knew that only together would they stand a chance of protecting this enclave of light...
Eiru with her avian super senses, saw and felt the amber radiance and pure white Divine Light glowing and pulsing from the energy source of the Temple of the Sun. Occasional sweeping shafts of silver white energy bursting over the horizon. Strange kaleidoscopic, hallucinogenic creations sped towards her. “The Temple of the Sun must be open already!” Soon she was surrounded by the strangest anthropomorphic life forms she had ever seen.
The creations of the Divine Light sent by the Guardians sensed a friend in the arriving airborne changeling. She was a kindred spirit in support of the cause of the Light. The strange shapes and forms encircled her and guided her to the Temple of the Sun. Amergin saw the creations bringing this avian wonder to him. He was curious as to who this amazing white tailed transformation really is...
*
The Cyclops worked long into the night. Muscle bound giants straining and grafting. They dragged, rolled and levered the purest Bluestones from deep within the Quarry of Izion. They worked and toiled, breaking their bodies. Gradually they were able to position these purest of Bluestones into preparation for alignment. Endinou, a universal conductor, stood high above the quarry, with a panoramic view. He could see the darkening horizon in the direction of Machlleth. He sensed the glowing radiance of the Temple of the Sun over the western horizon. He orchestrated the giant servantile Cyclops with his ornately engraved and decorated staff. Orchestrating them in an otherworldly labour of endurance, using all their ancient time honoured skills, they worked unremittingly into the growing gloom. They dug the last pit, then coaxed and eased the monstrously impressive dead weight of the biggest and most impressive Bluestone into place. The rolling Oak timbers were removed and sling ropes tightened over lofty pine timbered ‘A’ frames. The team of Cyclops heaved on the ropes in unison... the l
ast of the Bluestones was in place... the alignment complete.
Immediately a faint mauve blue luminescence exuded from the tip of each monolithic standing stones... a photonic connection charged through the lay line energising from the Temple of the Sun to the great Portal of Machlleth... “We have it! We must act now!” Endinou enthused, “Before the hideous MacCuacht arrives!” All of them rejoiced, even the giant Cyclops!
Terese went to join Endinou from the panoramic view point. From here she could see the blue radiance streaming over the horizons, blues of all shades from mauve to deep indigo.
Endinou read Terese’s worried expression... Had Eiru found the Milesian poet warrior? Could they act in time to salvage the Portal of Machlleth? “We are in the lap of the gods! By the grace of the Guardians we will prevail!”
Amergin took a step back, in awe and bewilderment, just as the white tailed, winged avian creature alighted and morphed before his very eyes into a beautiful raven haired temptress clad in a shimmering silver fabric. “I am Eiru, the estranged wife of the dark one MacCuacht! He comes from the east! You must be the prophesied one, the Sea Druid Amergin, champion and poet warrior of the Milesian nation!”
“I am”, replied Amergin, slowly regaining his composure, and the power of speech, “I am destined to be on this sacred Isle! I am destined to be with your High Priestess, the beautiful Sceine!”
Eiru nodded knowingly, “I am aware of your mission... but your priority now is to go to the Quarry of Izion, and go with the wizard Endinou to save the great Portal of Machlleth, and to release our faithful warriors!” Eiru went on to explain about the sacred source of the Bluestones, and the purest of pure keystones he, as an enlightened one, must take to Machlleth. She also explained how MacCuill, the enlightened brother of the dark one MacCuacht, is in limbo in the spirit world, and how he will be vital to the cause of the Light. She went on, “I must take you to Izion, and to Endinou, the Guardian of the Bluestones... He will then take you to Machlleth. “
Amergin studied the changeling, witchcraft or not, he implicitly believed her. He followed her graceful pointing finger along the lay line connecting the Temple of Sun with the far distant Quarry of Izion “We must go to Izion, and we must go now!”
Beyond the horizon, the storm rolled and brewed. MacCuacht and his hordes came with the tempest of darkness.
No time to question, no time to waste... Amergin looked into the darkening distance as the changeling witch morphed once more. A kaleidoscope of photons, fronded wing tips and mighty powerful beating wings... Talons gripped him and took him... his feet left the ground... he too was airborne! In a swooping graceful, skyward arc they followed the radiant lay line. Amergin looked down at the rapidly disappearing Temple of Sun, the escarpment and the Milesian tribes, mere indistinguishable dots and shapes. The lay line lit their way, intense emerald and dark indigo, all colours fused into one. Amergin continued to look back... they were being followed by a formation of the strangest, weirdest, most peculiar morphing creations of the Light... an unending stream of unending strangeness... following them, pouring out of the Temple of the Sun.
Endinou, the Guardian of the Quarry of Izion and the sacred Bluestones, sensed their coming from the west, “The enlightened one, the Sea Druid Amergin, arrives!” He was aware that he and the High Priestess Sceine have the power to reopen portals that have been infected by the dark Sidhe.
Endinou had crafted the purest Bluestone keystone in readiness for his coming. He was overcome at the prospect that Amergin in harmony with the Divine in nature will counter the scourge of the dark Sidhe. His faith was restored, his courage renewed. A tear fell on to the Bluestone, separating into a myriad of rainbows as it fell to ground.
The creatures of the Light arrived first, speeding along the lay line conduit. Endinou and Terese of the Xantha looked on in wonderment as wave after wave of living Light. Creatures from all dimensions swept in from the West. Down into the Quarry of Izion, flying in dizzying formation around the iridescent Bluestones. The unerring eye of each of the Cyclops blinked as they witnessed with incredulity the light show that unfolded around the Bluestones. They raised their hands to the heavens trying to touch and hold the elusive Light forms. The Cyclops were incongruous and ungainly as they clumsily clutched and grasped at thin air as the ephemeral beings morphed and reformed.
Terese of the Xantha smiled at the strange juxtaposition of graceful Light and ungainly muscle.
A fusion of the strangest beings! She looked back to the west, along the lay line, a winged form growing larger with every powerful wing beat, “Eiru!” Gripped in her talons was Amergin.
Terese held her breath. It seemed a veritable age since she had last seen the champion of Milesia, the Sea Druid Amergin. She had ventured forth with the much lamented Bith to the Island of Destiny. Now the Milesian prince came to their rescue... Amergin’s time had come!
*
Way, way to the south in the lofty peaks of Sliebh Mis, Sceine surveyed the defences of her mountain fortress, built to withstand the forays of waves of invaders. Since long before the days of the Tuatha, this place has been legendary, the highest most inpenetrable bastion. For centuries the Tuatha had made this place invincible.
Legend has it that a one-eyed giant, Sliebh, protected the steep sided glacial valley from the invading Firbolg. Even the Firbolg could not overcome the giant Sliebh with their weaponry and black magic. They were driven far to the north of this sacred island. From there they launched sporadic and terrible attacks.
The Tuatha were borne of this place. They were said to be children of the land. Ancient tales told of spirit folk who would occasionally venture out from the portals of this province from the under world and seek the protection of the giant Sliebh. They lived in the high glacial valleys and over the centuries built the fortress of Sliebh Mis.
The children of the Tuatha were groomed in the teachings of the enlightened ones, divine beings that occasionally transcend the veil from the spirit world and enter the mortal realm to guide and train the children of the Tuatha in the ways of the Light. Legend also tells of the day when three children of the Tuatha ventured to the north of the high glacial valleys, a long way from the protection of the giant Sliebh. The tale tells that they were soon captured by the Firbolg.
The three children were the sons and daughters of three chieftains. The children were held captive by the Firbolg in the Northern Province. The Tuathans of Sliebh Mis called upon the spirit folk to help. They conjured a force from beyond the veil. A fiercesome force formed in the likeness of the one eyed giant Sliebh. Strong, muscle bound, battling warriors hewn out of the rock surrounding Sliebh Mis. One eyed giants who came to be known as the “Cyclops of Sliebh Mis”, marched to the North to rescue the three children of the Tuatha from the terrible tyranny of the Firbolg. A bloody battle raged for a year and a day... the Cyclops were no match for the black arts of the Firbolg.
The Children of Tuatha were held to ransom. The mothers and fathers must give themselves to the Firbolg with all their secrets of the spirit world. Or they will see their children tortured and slain.
This was the day that became known as the “Tearing of the Veil.”When the dark secrets of the veil became known and the dark forces of the spirit world were unleashed. The parents of the ransomed children were the first beings to be turned into servants of the dark and were controlled by the Firbolg.
From that day on the veil had been torn and even with the eventual vanquishing of the Firbolg by Sceine’s father Antiem, the forces of the dark, the dark Sidhe, had entered the mortal realm. With each successive mortal converted to the dark, the dark Sidhe grew ever stronger... a terrible evil now stalked the Promised Land.
Sceine surveyed the Western Province from high up on the battlements. A view unsurpassed of the gloriously spectacular gorge to the south, a glimmer of white strand and a sliver of green in the far, far distance. To the north, the mountains gave way to the rolling hills that seamlessly fused with sweeping bays and
finger like peninsulas protruding into the endless Northern Ocean. To the west, high ridges and mountain peaks ascended into the transforming, life giving Western Light. High altitude thinning air, mixed with the heady ocean ozone, energising, spirit raising and life affirming.
Sceine breathed deep... Now she stared into the east, she was disorientated, plunging into the gruesome despair of the truth that confronted her and her race and the enlightened world. She gave out a long, lingering exhalation of air as she studied with trepidation, the dark rolling storm clouds over the mountains to the east. Pondering the future of the Western Province, she knelt on the cold bare stone of the battlements, clasping her hands around the amber pendant hanging on an exquisite pure silver chain from her gracefully beautiful neck. She placed her finger tips on the apex of the Pendant of Xhara and gently rubbed and massaged it, while quietly murmuring under her breath, “Amergin my beloved. I feel your presence close now... You are in mortal danger! Be brave, be courageous! Come safely to me!” An amber radiance emanated from the pendant.
A dark fleck in the amber pendant became a point of infinite power embedded in a cosmos of amber... a gateway to the universe of enlightenment... She connected to him... She was with him, inside him... She saw what he saw... they were one! Sceine smiled... and he smiled...
Amergin was with Eiru! “Good, she had found him!” She could see the downward flight path, feel the grip of her talons, and see the ever nearing alignment of Bluestones at the Quarry of Izion. Now! Endinou, the Guardian of the Quarry of Izion! There! Terese of the Xantha!
Sceine felt the energy of the lay line guiding them to Izion, and from there to the great Portal of Machlleth! Sceine concentrated every iota of corpuscular and spiritual energy she could, sending it to her beloved Amergin! “I will be with you as you go to reopen Machlleth my love! Go! Release our brave warriors from the depths of the spirit world!”