by Troy A Hill
“I didn’t bring any charcoal,” she said. Her eyes grew wide. “Do you really want me to draw it?”
“Yes, dear,” Gwen said. “I’d like to help you. You won’t need charcoal. We can embed it in the rock and make it almost permanent that way.”
The girl brightened.
“Magic? I always wanted to see how magic worked. The herb-women could tell me about it, but they couldn’t do any themselves. They said it takes the attention of a saint to work such miracles. How to set glyphs and make salves and tonics was the best they knew.”
The entrance was large enough for me to walk through. Most of the men in the keep, however, would’ve had to duck. The slit was just wide enough to get a burial litter through. Fortunately, Bleddyn’s family wasn’t prone to large or portly members. Some lords and princes in Europe wouldn’t fit through this entrance.
Gwen knelt in front of the rocky opening and motioned Seren to kneel beside her.
“Use just one finger,” Gwen said. “Trace the glyph on the rock.”
“How will that make it permanent?” Seren asked. “My finger won’t make a mark, will it?”
“I will open myself to The Lady’s power and lay my hand on top of yours,” Gwen said. “You’ll do the work, I’ll supply the magic. Unless you can access the magic yourself. Would you like to try?”
Seren gave a little gasp.
“Please? May I?” Her eyes sparkled.
I smiled. It was good to see Seren happy for once. And I found her attitude amusing. Even with her uncle as a bishop of the church, Seren wanted to explore the old ways. There really was something special about Rhian and Bleddyn’s family. Something different that didn’t lock them into strict dogma.
“Let us see if you have The Lady’s blessing,” Gwen said. “I’ll show you how. Ready?”
Seren took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and exhaled slowly. As she drew another breath, she opened her eyes and held out her bandaged hand.
Gwen laid her hand on Seren’s. “Open your mind to my touch. Notice the warmth.” Gwen drew power from our goddess, and her hand began to glow. Seren gasped.
“Did you sense when I channelled the power?” Gwen let the energy she had gathered dissipate.
“Maybe?” Seren said. “I didn’t know what to expect.”
“This time close your eyes, and pay attention with just your mind.”
Seren did as Gwen instructed. I shut my eyes as well and used my connection to the goddess to see the process. My own magic was limited to drawing small supplies of light and energy from The Lady—and living while dead. Gwen’s magical golden cord thrummed. I sensed another slim gold cord descending from Seren. It drifted down towards the Otherworld. I almost whistled like Bleddyn at the sight. Seren really was special.
Gwen let the power dissipate again. “Did you see what I did?”
“Not see,” Seren said. “But I sensed… a cord or a rope that went somewhere… It brought you energy.”
“Very good. Let’s do it again. Reach out when I do. See if you can find your own cord and your own power.”
I kept my eyes closed and watched with my magical sight. Gwen’s cord hummed with its golden light. Seren’s glowed and hummed a little, dimmed, then hummed more. “Good, dear,” Gwen said. “Keep your mind on the image of that cord. Pull a little more energy in. Like a bucket under a waterfall, you can fill yourself with just the magic you need. As you use it, the waterfall will replenish what you use. What you don’t need will wash on by.” I opened my eyes to watch.
Gwen had Seren start and stop her power flower for several minutes. Seren’s eyes to widened when her hand glowed. Feebly at first, flickering and dancing between her fingers above the splint and wrappings. She gasped, and the energy died off.
“Good,” Gwen said. “Try again, dear. See if you can hold it steady.” She shot me a quick grin. Seren did have talent. A few more tries and Seren could hold the light steady on her fingers.
“Ready to try the glyph?”
“I think so…” Seren sounded unsure. Then she set her shoulders. “Yes. I want to do it.”
Gwen slid behind Seren and set her hand on the girl’s arm.
“Let’s do just the outer circle first,” Gwen sent through the mental link.
Seren nodded as if nothing new had happened. Gwen and I raised our eyebrows at each other.
“You draw the circle," Gwen sent. "I’ll add a push to guide your power. Together, we’ll etch the rock.”
Seren’s hand glowed as she traced a circle about a foot across in the rock floor. I could sense Gwen adding magical power to Seren’s own flow.
“Did you understand what I did, how I shaped the power to embed it?” Gwen asked across the mental link.
“Most of it, I think,” Seren said aloud. She still hadn’t noticed the lack of sound in Gwen’s half of the conversation.
“Try to finish the glyph on your own,” Gwen sent. “I’ll move my touch to your shoulder and only guide you if you need help.”
Seren pulled in power. Then she traced the intricate design inside the circle she had just drawn. A three petaled loop that wove around and into itself in a single line. Outside of the that, the circle became a sun. Another set of symbols filled in the gaps the main look created toward the out circle. A more elaborate version of what I had seen in Nant Bywyd.
Gwen kept a hand on the girl’s shoulder while she worked, but she never had to correct Seren. The girl was good.
“You’re doing well. You tied the death and life symbols together in a way that works well.” Gwen projected mentally. “Now, trace a line from the outer circle around the opening. Make sure the line is unbroken.”
Seren shifted forward and didn’t notice when Gwen dropped her arm away. This part was all Seren, with no help. When she knelt again, her hand hadn’t lost contact with the line she was drawing.
“Very good,” Gwen projected. Seren had no reaction. Gwen touched her hand. Seren turned.
“I just said you did very well. Can you hear me?”
Seren’s eyes went wide. “How… ? What…?”
Gwen smiled. “We should go visit the lake. Tonight is special, and we should go to a special place for our conversation.”
I smiled as I thought of the time Gwen and I had spent there. A fire on shore of The Lady’s special lake seemed appropriate if we were to bring Seren into our little group.
“But first, I’d like Mair to test your glyph.”
“You can do magic too?” Seren whispered, her eyes wide.
“Of a different kind,” I replied. Better she not know the difference right now.
I approached the mouth of the cave and found the tingle and the invisible wall I could not pass. Then I stepped to one side and ran my hand along the line between the edge of the ward and the opening of the cave. I felt for even the tiniest crack where I could peel the ward back. Nothing. Neither side had a flaw. The girl had done well.
Seren opened her mouth to speak. I put a finger on her lips, then held my hand out to her. I pulled her up. Gwen followed and laid a hand on Seren’s shoulder.
“As long as we touch, we can speak without others hearing,” I sent.
Seren blinked rapidly as her eyes darted between Gwen and I.
I tilted my head in invitation. “What would you like to ask?”
“You have a cord, too…” she sent to us. “Where do they go?”
“To the Otherworld, where the goddess lives,” Gwen explained as she led us to the grove.
“But why is Lady Mair’s cord black, and ours are gold?” Seren asked with her thoughts.
“Let us go to the lake. Then we’ll answer whatever questions you have,” Gwen sent. Seren appeared puzzled.
“Place your hand on mine, and watch with your mind.”
Seren’s eyes were wide open, dazed. But she nodded. I understood how she felt. My life, too, had changed in a short span of time. Gwen pulled in energy and touched the tree. Seren gasped as the bark melted and a
red rip appeared.
“Where are we going?” she asked out loud.
I stepped into the slit and pulled her along behind me. “A special place,” I said.
13
Conversations
Seren’s eyes were wide as the raven led us through the white mists. It dipped its wings and flew away. Instead of red slit opening on a shadow tree, as the clouds thinned. We stepped into a twilit landscape, where the golden-red rays of the sun had just been swallowed by the night sky. The sky dimmed as we walked. Stars and a sliver of moon illuminated the land before us.
In the distance a large stream gurgled through a shallow valley. Across the stream, tents stood at the edge of wood. Beyond that soared, a building of white stone, marble from the way it reflected the moonlight back at us.
“Where are we?” Seren asked as we walked. Her eyes were wide like a child who’d received an unexpected gift.
“Apparently, The Lady had other plans for us,” Gwen said. “Our raven guide has brought us to her home in the Otherworld.” She pointed towards the stream and the majestic caer beyond, which rode the hilltop like a fin on the back of a dragon. “We need to stay on this side of the stream. We are still mortal.” She glanced at me, her face betraying an unasked question.
I shrugged. I wasn’t sure where I fell on that scale. Undead and dead might be two different states.
“Let us walk this way and see what we discover,” Gwen said.
Seren’s eyes darted about. “The Otherworld?” she asked
“The Lady’s portion,” Gwen said. “Or at least the edge of it. Mortals cross that stream only two ways: in dreams or at death.” She pointed towards the grove on the other side, where a group of semi-solid boys chased after several transparent girls. They all laughed and giggled in play. “The happiest dreams bring us here.”
“What about the bad dreams?” Seren asked.
Gwen pointed around us.
“This is the domain of The Lady, who cares for both the land of Britannia and her people. The other gods and goddesses have their own lands in the Otherworld. Some of those are not happy places.”
“Other gods?” Seren asked. “But uncle… the abbot and the church…” she let her thought trail off. Gwen put her arm around Seren’s shoulders.
“Churches often want to control the message,” she said, “to control the lives of their faithful.”
Gwen pointed to a tranquil place where the brook curved around the trees and widened into a pool.
"When I come to visit," she said, "I like to sit there. It revives me in body and mind. Let’s go there for our chat.”
As we approached, we spied an old woman sitting on the bank. A small fire danced between the crone and the pool. The golden fingers of flame provided a warm glow, like a flickering sunset, as she sat and watched the water bubble.
“Steal yer spot, did I?” the loathly old woman asked in a wizened voice. She leaned back against a log.
“We are most happy to share if you like,” Gwen said. Her eyes sparkled in their happy aqua shade.
The old woman pointed at a pile of folded woollen blankets.
“Help yourself. Plenty of room for everyone.”
Gwen and I shook out blankets and made ourselves comfortable on the forest floor. Seren followed our example slowly.
“I…” she stared at the woman in her ragged dress and cape. The wrinkles of the face framed brilliant blue eyes that danced in the moonlight. “I apologise, milady,” she said. “How did you come to this place?”
The old hag grinned a gap-toothed grin. She poked a bent and wrinkled finger towards the young lady.
“A better question would be why are you here?”
“Lady Gwen brought us here,” Seren said, but her tone indicated she knew the simple answer wasn’t the correct one.
The old woman stared at Seren, her lips set firm in her wizened face.
“I’m… not sure what you ask,” Seren tried again. “I’m here because Lady Gwen said we needed to go someplace special to answer questions…” She shrugged.
“You have questions, do you?” The old woman let her gaze sweep all of us, then settled back on Seren. “Do you know who’s realm you visit now?”
Seren set her shoulders and raised her chin. Much like her mother when she shifter to her Lady Penllyn demeanour.
“The Holy Lady of Britannia’s realm in the Otherworld.”
“Before me sits the Wisdom,” the old crone continued, “and the Warrioress of The Lady. But which aspect of her do you embody?”
“I’m sorry,” Seren said. “I don’t understand the question.”
I remembered my conversation with Gwen several days before, the morning after the werebear attacked Bleddyn and killed Rhys. Three sisters in service… But meek and downtrodden Seren wasn't who I would have considered for the third servant to the goddess.
“Everything comes in threes, young one.” The crone picked at her teeth with a gnarled nail. “This Holy Lady of yours has three aspects: The young and beautiful maiden, the wise queen, and… either the ancient wizened woman,” she pointed to me. I stuck my tongue out at her. The loathly woman winked at me as she continued “…or the warrioress.”
Her finger swivelled from me to Gwen. “The Royal and Wise Woman, Queen of Sovereignty.” Then back to me. “The Elder Warrior. There remains but one, young maiden fair. You possess the potential. Have you found it yet?”
Seren glanced at me. “You’re not old…?”
“I hide my centuries well,” I said.
Seren crinkled her brow and glanced back at the old woman.
The crone pointed at Gwen, but looked at Seren while nodding deeply, like a tutor prompting a slow student. “The regal queen, the nurturer, the wise one.” Then her finger turned to me. “The lover and the fighter.” She pointed at Seren again. “Do you know what you are yet?”
Seren’s puzzled expression deepened. Her head jerked around to stare at Gwen. “Gwenhwyfar … Arthur…” Her eyes wide, she shook her head as if to clear it. Then she looked at me. A puzzled look on her face. “You I don’t know. Who are you?” Seren clasped her arms over her chest. Hugging herself. “Who am I?”
“Exactly,” the woman said. “Perhaps you will uncover it in time. The goddess has three aspects. You carry one, mark my words. In time you will come to know yourself.”
The old hag turned her attention to me. “You came to the land seeking something.”
“I found more than I had hoped for,” I said.
“You were tested on the road you travelled,” she said. It wasn’t a question. “Each time you chose someone other than yourself.” She began counting items off on her fingers. “You helped the innocents when you were pursued.”
I remembered the wolves and the apprentice. How they had helped me to escape from Onion Breath and Hunchback.
“You rushed up the hill toward the spirits of the dead to protect the people of Penllyn.” The attack of the ghosts at Cadoc and Enid’s wedding. Her eyes were intense, yet full of love. “You stood and took wounds to protect my appointed lords of this land.” Bleddyn and the battle with the shapeshifter. “And you protected my daughter.” Her ancient finger pointed at Seren. “I told you once you would find this land difficult and dangerous. But I trust you find the reward to your liking?”
“I do,” I said.
“What did you find?” The crone’s old voice softened as she asked.
I stood and held my hands out the woman. She let me pull her upright. I cupped her face in my hands and leaned in to kiss her.
“You asked me for a kiss once,” I said. “You knew my heart then, and you know it now. I have found my home and my family. Thank you.”
Gwen too had risen. She reached out toward her.
“You have done well,” the hag told Gwen. “Better than I could have asked.” They embraced.
Seren sat with her eyes wide and her mouth open. She stared at the old woman. An inkling of realisation started to dawn on her.
“Will you have a kiss and a hug for me too?” the old crone asked her.
Seren giggled. “Finally, a question I can understand and answer.”
She rose and kissed the woman’s cheek, then leaned in for a hug. While still in the maiden’s arms, the crone slowly melted into a beautiful woman. She could have been Gwen’s sister. I had seen her in this form before, in the mists after my battle with the shifter that had attacked Bleddyn. Seren stepped back and gasped.
The beautiful goddess, in her gold dress with red dragons entwined around the sleeves, took Seren’s injured hand. She unwound the bandage from the splints. White light shone between her divine hands. Seren watched transfixed, apparently forgetting to breathe. As the light faded, Seren wiggled her fingers, free of their wrappings.
“It’s healed. Thank you.” She hugged The Lady again.
The goddess held her at arm’s length. “Seren ferch Bleddyn, will you serve the land and her people?” she asked her.
Seren again straightened her shoulders. “I have always done so, and will continue to do so,” she pronounced.
“There is a game we must play,” The Lady said to her, but included Gwen and I with her glance. “This game threatens not only our people, but my existence as well. You have a role to play, young one. But you must find your strengths to understand that role.”
The goddess turned to Gwen.
“Teach her, as I taught you,” she said.
Gwen nodded.
The goddess shifted her attention back to Seren. “Will you study and learn from my daughters?”
“I’m to learn magic?”
“Yes, and more. One daughter will teach you magic. The other will teach you love.”
Seren’s eyes dropped for an instant, then looked back up. “I had hoped for love once, but I am the daughter of Lord Penllyn. Such was not my fate.”
“Not the love of a single man,” The Lady said, and stroked Seren’s hair back behind her ear. “Maria teaches us all how to love life, to love all our people, and to love our land. She is my warrioress, but also my heart. Will you listen to both, watch and learn?”